NEW DELHI: Congress has said the IT amendment rules giving “draconian” powers to a government agency to flag down news reports as “fake” are designed to clamp down on digital and alternative media which are practising independent journalism.
AICC spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, “You believe that because you will suppress large sections of media, you can do that to independent digital platforms as well. This is nothing but censorship and control of the World Wide Web and every stakeholder is up against it. The social media platforms are against it, the users are against it, the media houses are against it. ” She said the rules are in violation of the Constitution, freedom of speech and expression, and also the IT Act, 2000.
She said many crucial news items in the past were declared by the said government agency as “fake”, but later on turned out to be true — like the reports on unemployment at a 45-year high, Aadhaar being made mandatory for children, Galwan clashes, railway privatisation and ban on Chinese apps.
“Everything which is uncomfortable to the government will be called out as ‘fake news’ and then same government will go and act in accordance with news item,” she said, adding, “This is a baffling pattern and should worry every Indian. ”
AICC spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, “You believe that because you will suppress large sections of media, you can do that to independent digital platforms as well. This is nothing but censorship and control of the World Wide Web and every stakeholder is up against it. The social media platforms are against it, the users are against it, the media houses are against it. ” She said the rules are in violation of the Constitution, freedom of speech and expression, and also the IT Act, 2000.
She said many crucial news items in the past were declared by the said government agency as “fake”, but later on turned out to be true — like the reports on unemployment at a 45-year high, Aadhaar being made mandatory for children, Galwan clashes, railway privatisation and ban on Chinese apps.
“Everything which is uncomfortable to the government will be called out as ‘fake news’ and then same government will go and act in accordance with news item,” she said, adding, “This is a baffling pattern and should worry every Indian. ”
