New Delhi, March 27 -- The Centre has notified a fact-checking unit to flag 'misinformation' about the government, with powers to issue directives. The Supreme Court has stayed the notification to verify the unit's constitutionality. Mint explains why such a unit could be cause for much conflict.

The fact-checking unit (FCU) was notified under the Centre's Press Information Bureau (PIB), giving the government body power to flag any information about the government and its affiliates that it believes to be fake or misleading. The powers of the FCU were established in the 2023 amendment of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which said that if a central fact-checker flags any info...