Under the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) is entrusted with the responsibility of disseminating information about government policies, schemes, and programs through various mediums of communication. A significant aspect of the responsibility of facilitating public information about the functioning of the Government of India involves countering the dissemination of fake, false, and misleading information. In the age of social media where information spreads rapidly, the spread of fake and manipulated information, especially related to the functioning of a democratically elected Government, is dangerous to society as it has the potential to intensify social, economic and political conflicts, weaken public trust in democratic institutions, and even endanger life of the citizens. To carry out this crucial function, the Ministry has several attached and subordinate offices, including the Press Information Bureau (PIB). PIB Fact Check Unit In November 2019, PIB established a Fact Check Unit (FCU) with the purpose of tackling the issue of fake news pertaining to the Government of India, its various ministries, Departments, Public Sector Undertakings, and other Central Government organizations. The unit verifies claims about government policies, regulations, announcements and measures. Through an established rigorous fact-checking procedure, the PIB Fact Check Unit helps in dispelling myths, rumours and false claims, and provides accurate and reliable information to the public. Objective The objective of the Fact Check Unit is to act as a deterrent to creators and disseminators of fake news & misinformation and to provide people with an easy venue to report suspicious and questionable information pertaining to the Government of India for fact-checking. Fact-Check Mechanism What kind of queries can be submitted to the PIB Fact Check Unit? The PIB Fact Check unit only takes up queries related to the Government of India, its Ministries, Departments, Public Sector entities etc. Any matter that does not pertain to the Union Government is not taken up for evaluation/fact-checking by the Unit. It caters to any queries related to the Government of India, irrespective of the platform. No fee is charged by the PIB Fact Check Unit for fact checking. Where to send queries? Any complaints/fact check requests regarding news/information items circulating on matters pertaining to the Government of India can be sent to The WhatsApp Hotline- +918799711259 Email ID- factcheck@pib.gov.in Website of PIB Fact Check Unit - https://factcheck.pib.gov.in Fact check mechanism Each such request received is considered as a ‘Query’. Queries are segregated by the Unit based on their relevance to matters pertaining to Government of India. Only queries pertaining to Government of India are considered and taken up as Actionable Queries, while others are deemed not relevant for action. The information in question is checked rigorously through multiple layers of cross-checking through Government Open-source information, use of technological tools and verification from the concerned Government of India organization. Should the Unit come across a piece of information that the Unit ascertains must be busted publicly for the larger benefit of the people of India, after investigation and verification from official & authoritative sources, it publishes a 'Fact Check' on its social media platforms. Often a single fact check can be a result of multiple queries. FACT model The fact checking process is based on the FACT model – Find, Assess, Create and Target. Find: The PIB Fact Check Unit takes Suo Moto cognizance on Fact Checking as well as receives queries on Whatsapp Hotline, email, web portal and from Ministries/Departments. Assess: The Unit segregates the received information after ascertaining whether it falls within the ambit of Fact Check Unit. Create: The relevant queries are researched using various fact checking tools and verified through open-source information available only on Government websites, notices, circulars, documents, and e-gazettes. Target: After verifying the authenticity of the information from the authorized sources, the Fact Check Unit creates & posts the fact checks on its social media platforms viz Twitter, Facebook, Koo, Instagram and Telegram. Source : PIB