Govt forms quick response teams to combat social media fake news

Indian government departments are setting up Quick Response Teams (QRTs) to counter fake and misleading content on social media. The teams are tasked with scrutinising, coordinating, and responding to misinformation ideally within two hours of detection, an official said. Several ministries, including power, agriculture, and commerce, have already constituted their QRTs.

The social media teams of each department will monitor content related to policies, schemes, and announcements. Suspicious posts will be verified by the QRTs, which will coordinate with the PIB fact-check unit to issue factual positions. Cases with high virality or involving sensitive policy matters will be escalated to senior authorities, the official added.