Karnataka govt unit IDTU records 537 fact-checks, 18 FIRs during 90-day trial period
Bengaluru: The first government-sponsored fact-checking unit of Karnataka recorded as many as 64,000 posts a day on the internet during its 90-day trial, resulting in authorities filing at least 18 FIRs and the system was secured further to prevent the spread of fake news.
The Information Disorder Tackling Unit (IDTU) of the Karnataka state government was launched during the Lok Sabha elections through its website satya.karnataka.gov.in without fanfare.
A total of 537 fact-checks were done through the IDTU, which took six hours on average, reports DH, adding that 500 of the posts checked were deemed ‘threats’.
Following the fact-check on the unit, while FIRs were filed in relation to the posts, at least two of them were for false information on the BJP and one for a post about the JD(S). Most of the FIRs filed were for misinformation about the Congress. Also, 54 per cent of the fact-check work undertaken was on posts related to politics and the elections.
The government unit is expected to continue its work with technical upgrade, including improvisation in legal action procedure and better citizen participation.
Minister for Information Technology Priyank Kharge, who launched the IDTU, said that, as the trial round provided an idea about the scale, issues and process of the program, the concerned authorities were planning for the procedure of handling cases of misinformation. He assured that there was a healthy balance of analytics, use of borderline artificial intelligence and traditional long-term research for the work of the fact-check unit.
Of the five companies selected to handle the IDTU, Gauri Media, which is a media house named after slain journalist Gauri Lankesh, Logically Infomedia Private Limited and Newsplus Communications did the fact-checking during the trial period while Trylika Technology Ltd handled the analytics of the unit. OW DataLeads, however, did not participate as the trial did not have the capacity-building component for which it was selected.
During the 90-day period, the IDTU checked the internet for threats. Logically Infomedia Pvt Ltd scanned 84.47 lakh social media and news items of interest, of which, 1.82 lakh were classified as threats.
Kharge explained that posts that could disrupt social harmony were considered threats, citing as example matter posted on cow vigilantism in Shivamogga, which was flagged.
The minister, however, countered the argument that the exercise was used for the benefit of the Congress, which is in power in Karnataka, saying the IDTU was not planned for the elections but should have been launched earlier. The trial period coincided with a heavily politically-volatile social environment, Kharge admitted.
He also asked the critics if, in case the BJP came to power in the state after the IDTU was institutionalized, they would state that the fact-check unit was for the benefit of the BJP.
A 9-member multi-departmental coordination committee was constituted in March for management of the IDTU. The panel was to have one person representing civil society, but the nomination is pending.
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Man held for killing teacher over Rs 13 lakh loan in Karnataka
Kalaburagi (Karnataka) (PTI): A 27-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing a teacher after she repeatedly demanded repayment of a Rs 13 lakh loan that he had taken from her, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, Amar, allegedly attacked the woman with a sharp weapon and later set the body on fire on the Kamalapur-Kalmood road in the district in an attempt to destroy evidence, they said.
Police identified the victim as Jyoti (57), a resident of Kalaburagi city, who was working as a teacher in Bidar district.
The matter came to light after an unidentified female body was found beside the Kamalapur-Kalmood road, they said.
Initially, it was treated as an unidentified body. Based on a complaint from a local resident, a murder case was registered under 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Kamalapur Police Station limits in Kalaburagi district, police said.
The investigation was immediately taken up and her photographs were widely circulated and later, the woman was identified.
During the investigation, police identified Amar, a resident of Kapnoor area, who owns and runs a milk parlour as the accused, Adduru Srinivasulu, Kalaburagi Superintendent of Police told reporters here.
According to him, Amar had borrowed Rs 13 lakh from Jyoti. She had been repeatedly asking him to return the money and had warned that she would lodge a police complaint if he failed to repay the amount. Fearing this, Amar allegedly planned to kill her.
He reportedly took Jyoti towards the Kamalapur-Kalmood road in a vehicle on April 4. On the way, he stopped the vehicle saying that water needed to be poured into the engine. "When she got down, he allegedly threw chilli powder on her face and attacked her with a sharp weapon. After the murder, he allegedly poured fuel on the body and set it on fire before fleeing the scene," the officer said.
Based on the accused's statement, police recorded his confession, collected evidence in the case, arrested him and produced him before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody, he added.
