New digital law may carry a fine for disinformation

The upcoming digital India bill may contain penalties for disinformation campaigns, or organised efforts to spread false or misleading information to manipulate public opinion, officials familiar with the matter said, adding that violations may lead to financial repercussions.

The central government is working on the digital India bill to replace the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, a move officials have said is born out of the need to overhaul laws and rules relating to technology, which has evolved significantly since the mainstay guardrails were put in.

According to a proposed draft seen by HT, any person who engages in action that promotes hatred, enmity hostility or directly or indirectly influences election outcomes will be liable for punishment for disinformation. The draft doesn’t, however, specify what the punishment will be.