Internet giants will help EC check fake news during polls

New Delhi: Internet major Google and social media giants Twitter and Facebook have assured the Election Commission (EC) that they will not allow their platforms to be used for anything which affects the purity of polls during campaign period, chief election commissioner O.P. Rawat said.

Mr Rawat said, “It was tested during the Karnataka elections. Small pilot was there. That was the beginning. Now we will have a bigger pilot  before Lok Sabha elections in these four states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram,” he said. Assembly polls are due in the four state later this year.

Mr Rawat said a committee under senior deputy election commissioner Umesh Sinha had called regional and local heads of Google, Facebook and Twitter and asked them as to what they can do for ensuring purity of Indian elections such as avoiding adverse impact of fake news and targeted communication to voters.

“They have all committed that during campaign period, they will not allow anything, which is adversely affecting level playing field, on their platforms. During the last 48 hours before the close of poll, they have committed that nothing of elections will be allowed on their platforms,” Mr Rawat said.

The last 48 hours before the elections end is called ‘silence period’ so that voter can calmly decide on as to whom to vote. The companies have also assured the poll watchdog that political advertisements will be flagged, including the amount spent, so that expenditure can also be accounted for during campaign period, the Mr Rawat said.

Google will establish a system that will allow it to share with the EC, details about the expenditure incurred on its platforms.

The panel under Mr Sinha was set up to explo-re possible changes in section 126 of  Representation of the People Act, 1951 in view of the expansion and diversity of media platforms.