Minister of State for Electronics and Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has issued a clarification on an ad published on multiple leading dailies. The advertisement, a campaign on digital safety, has CA Rachna Ranade, a finfluencer, as the face of it, which has led many to raise questions.
Chandrasekhar, in his response, stated that he has now advised such campaigns to be more careful when they use the government logos. He added that the government stamp is not an endorsement of any person on a social media platform.
“Just to be very clear - this is not an endorsement of any person or any social media platform. MeitY encourages all digital platforms to create awareness of Safe & Trust And Accountable Internet and is supportive of all genuine campaigns/advocacy for this but that is not an endorsement. Given that these types of advocacy ads could be misinterpreted, I have advised more careful use of govt logos in these campaigns by private platforms,” he said.
The minister’s clarification came after netizens pointed out that the advertisement seems to be an endorsement of Ranade, rather than on digital safety awareness.
The ad, issued in public interest by YouTube, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, MyGov’s Stay Safe Online campaign and G20, urges social media users to trust only the real experts. It states that spotting the difference between real experts and fake experts is very difficult. It also pointed out a few tips to ensure they don’t fall for any fake experts. The campaign urges users to spot signs of manipulation, evaluate credibility, and then share the content only when they are sure.
It also shared a QR code to be scanned that redirects the user to the list of videos on YouTube on the Stay Safe Online campaign.
The Stay Safe Online campaign by MeitY aims to create awareness among social media users on the risks and safety measures to promote cyber hygiene, reinforcing cyber safety of citizens.