BENGALURU: The Karnataka government has finalised the names of five firms - including a Bengaluru-based entity named after murdered journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh - to be part of its fact-checking units to weed out fake news and misinformation, particularly those proliferating on various social media platforms.
After the IT-BT (Information Technology and Biotechnology) department had sought expression of interest (EOI) from entities in October this year, the government received bids from seven companies, following which five companies were chosen. They are: Gauri Media, Logically Infomedia Private Limited, Trylika Technology Limited, OW Data Leads Private Limited, and Newsplus Communications. Of these, Logically, Trylike and OW Data Leads will function across fact-checking, analytics and capacity building teams of the state, while Gauri Media, formed as a trust after the murder of Lankesh in 2017, has been chosen primarily due to the company's familiarity with the Kannada language.
"While these companies have qualified based on our stringent conditions, we will also be onboarding other independent fact-checkers from various walks of life, who want to help the government weed out misinformation from society," said IT-BT minister Priyank Kharge.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.Journalist by profession, 15 years in the field with Politics and...
Read MoreJournalist by profession, 15 years in the field with Politics and Policy as forte. He is an Assistant Editor with Bengaluru bureau and Karnataka as his jurisdiction. Has a Masters degree in Ancient History and Archaeology from Mysore University along with a PGDJ from the Asian College of Journalism.
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