Tackling the Disinformation Threat in India

Syllabus: GS2/Governance, GS3/Security

Context

• India, with its rapidly growing digital landscape, faces an escalating challenge of disinformation.

Disinformation Threat in India

• Disinformation, the intentional spread of false or misleading information, poses a significant challenge to India’s socio-political and economic stability.
• India, with over 1.4 billion people and a multilingual landscape, is uniquely vulnerable to disinformation.
• According to the Global Risks Report 2025 of World Economic Forum (WEF), misinformation and disinformation are the most pressing short-term global threats.
  • India is particularly vulnerable to manipulated narratives, voter influence, and economic disruptions, with over 900 million Internet users.
  • WEF defines ‘global risk’ as an event that can adversely affect a sizable portion of the population, the global GDP, and natural resources.

Factors Contributing to Disinformation

• Technological Penetration: The rapid adoption of smartphones and cheap internet access has democratized information but also amplified the spread of false content.
  • Digital India Report (2023) of MeitY highlighted that WhatsApp accounted for 64% of misinformation spread, followed by Facebook (18%) and Twitter (12%).
  • Encrypted platforms like WhatsApp make it difficult to trace the origin of false information.
• AI-Generated Content & Algorithmic Biases: The rise of AI-generated misinformation makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish truth from deception.
  • Algorithmic biases further amplify misleading narratives.
• Declining Trust in Traditional Media: Public trust in legacy media is dwindling, leading citizens to rely more on social media for news.
  • It has resulted in widespread sharing of unverified information.
• Political Polarization: Disinformation is often weaponized by political actors and non-state entities to exploit digital platforms and influence elections and manipulate public opinion.
  • A study by the Indian School of Business and the CyberPeace Foundation reveals that political disinformation accounts for 46%, followed by general issues (33.6%) and religious content (16.8%).
• Lack of Digital and Media Literacy: A significant portion of the population lacks the skills to critically assess the credibility of online content.
• Weak Regulatory Framework: While laws like the IT Act, 2000, and its amendments address certain aspects of online harm, enforcement remains a challenge.
• Linguistic Diversity: Disinformation spreads easily due to India’s multilingual population, with fake news often tailored to regional languages.

Negative Impacts of Disinformation

Challenges in Countering Disinformation

• Speed of Digital Platforms: Rapid spread of misinformation, amplified by AI-generated content, outpaces the ability to fact-check and counter it in real time.
• Remoteness of Fact-Checkers: Corrections and clarifications often don’t reach the original audience exposed to the misinformation.
• Data Encryption: Platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram use end-to-end encryption, making it difficult to monitor or counter misinformation.
• Media Illiteracy and Vulnerable Groups: Older adults (65+) are more vulnerable—3 to 4 times more likely to share fake news compared to younger users.

Government Initiatives to Counter Disinformation

• Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021: Strengthened regulations for social media platforms and digital news outlets to curb the spread of fake news.
• Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact-Check Unit: Established to debunk misinformation related to government policies and programs.
  • It provides clarifications through official channels and social media platforms.
• National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC): Aimed at monitoring cyber threats, including misinformation campaigns that could harm national security.
• Initiatives like Shakti – India Election Fact-Checking Collective and the Deepfake Analysis Unit have played a role in tackling disinformation during elections.
• Financial Literacy Campaign of RBI is essential for fostering critical thinking and societal resilience.
• Samvad Initiative: A collaboration between the government and private entities to foster digital literacy and educate users about identifying fake news.
• Election Commission of India (ECI) launched an AI-based monitoring system in 2024 to track and remove fake political advertisements and deepfake videos.

Policy Recommendations

• Regulatory Frameworks: India needs to adopt policies similar to the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which combats Disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI).
• AI Oversight & Accountability: Supervisory boards and AI councils should oversee generative AI practices to prevent algorithmic biases and misinformation.
  • Investing in AI tools to detect deepfakes and other sophisticated forms of misinformation.

Conclusion

• Addressing the disinformation threat in India requires a multifaceted approach involving government regulation, media literacy campaigns, technological tools, and collaboration between stakeholders. 
• As India continues its digital transformation, ensuring the credibility and authenticity of information must remain a national priority.

Source: TH