Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar said on Monday misinformation has become the biggest and most serious challenge of the present era, and to deal with it, the government, media, educational institutions and civil society must jointly play their role.
Addressing a dialogue organised by the IBA Karachi via video link, he said that after the development of artificial intelligence (AI), dealing with misinformation has become more difficult; however, as the minister of information, he has several steps to address this challenge.
Tarar further said that Pakistan’s first Digital Communication Department has been established, which is an affiliated institution of the Ministry of Information. He said information is regularly verified through the social media platforms of the Ministry of Information and fake news is clarified by labelling it as fake information.
He said iVerify has made its mark at the national and international levels, which is very encouraging, while the IBA has done a great job in establishing iVerify Pakistan. The information minister maintained that iVerify has played an effective role in dealing with misinformation in difficult times and its references are not only given at the national level but also international journals, and global media platforms are frequently declaring it as an authoritative source.
He was of the view that the way forward lies in cooperation and coordination, and the government alone cannot take effective action against misinformation. In this regard, the media industry has a heavy responsibility and media houses have to come forward and play their active role.
Tarar said that various social media platforms have started clearly labelling AI-generated content as AI; however, proper labelling is required for all AI-generated content. He said a system like iVerify is indispensable for the promotion of responsible journalism in Pakistan and for the prompt and effective detection of fake news.
He said the entire community, government, media houses, educational institutions and civil society should all play their role in this struggle. He made it clear that the Government of Pakistan will continue its role in this field as it did during the tension with India in May.
He said that Alhamdulillah, Pakistan effectively won this war, and during the tension with India, there was a big challenge of narrative which was faced very effectively. He said that the prime minister has given a full mandate to address misinformation.
Tarar also requested the Pakistan Broadcasters Association and the All Pakistan Newspapers Society to come forward and play their active role in this regard. He said that work is already underway on a programme in this regard with the UNDP.
Tarar, citing the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Risk Report, said that according to the report, the biggest short-term threat facing the world is misinformation, which has been described as the biggest threat because it can create chaos and chaos.
