NEW DELHI: In a bid to uphold the integrity of the electoral process by combating the spread of falsehood and misinformation, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday launched a ‘Myth vs Reality Register’, which will be used during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
The register, which was launched by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu here, is a one-stop platform for credible and authenticated election related information in an easy-to-access format at the click of a button - https://mythvsreality.eci.gov.in/.
The ECI in an official statement said, “The factual matrix of the register will be continuously updated regularly to include the latest busted fakes and fresh FAQs. The introduction of the ‘Myth vs Reality Register’ marks a significant milestone in the poll panel’s ongoing efforts to safeguard the electoral process from misinformation.”
Last month, while announcing the elections, CEC had identified misinformation as one of the challenges along with money, muscle and Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations for electoral integrity.
“With the proliferation of misinformation and false narratives becoming a growing concern in many democracies globally, this innovative and proactive initiative by ECI is an effort to ensure that voters have access to accurate and verified information throughout the electoral process,” the ECI said.
It has been designed in a user-friendly format, broadly covering areas of myths and misinformation around EVM/VVPAT, Electoral Roll/Voter Services, Conduct of Elections and others, the Commission said.
“This register provides already busted election related fake information, probable myths circulating around on social media platforms, FAQs on important topics and reference material under different sections for all stakeholders. The register will be updated on a regular basis,” the ECI stated.
The poll panel said that all stakeholders are encouraged to verify and corroborate any dubious information received by them through any channel with the information provided in the Myth vs. Reality register.