Recent media reports say that the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF) has issued an order for their staff and family to delete 52 Chinese applications from their mobile phones citing security reasons. Many are claiming that such order hasn’t been issued.
Below is the viral photo that is circulating:
PIB Fact Check
PIB Fact check on June 19, tweeted that no such advisory has been issued by the UPSTF.
‘A claim viral on social media says that STF has advised against the use of certain apps. This news is false. STF has not issued any such advisory. (सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल एक संदेश में एसटीएफ द्वारा कुछ ऐप का प्रयोग नहीं किए जाने का दावा किया जा रहा है. #PIBFactCheck: खबर झूठ है, एसटीएफ द्वारा ऐसी कोई एडवाइजरी जारी नहीं की गई है.)’ they wrote.
A screenshot of a broadcast by Bharat Samachar (BSTV) was also added along with that tweet.
सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल एक संदेश में एसटीएफ द्वारा कुछ ऐप का प्रयोग नहीं किए जाने का दावा किया जा रहा है#PIBFactCheck: खबर झूठ है, एसटीएफ द्वारा ऐसी कोई एडवाइजरी जारी नहीं की गई है pic.twitter.com/ittgwiAjYb
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 19, 2020
Claim:
Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UPSTF) has issued an order for their staff and family to delete 52 Chinese applications from their mobile phones citing security reasons.
Fact Check:
The media reports true.
UP STF did issue an advisory asking its staff to delete 52 Chinese apps from their phones.
According to an Indian Express report dated 20 June, Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) Inspector General (IG) Amitabh Yash on Jun 18 Friday issued an order, directing all personnel attached to the agency to delete 52 apps from their phones and also from phones of their family members, pointing out that ‘important data in the phones might be stolen through these apps.’
UP Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order) Prashant Kumar stated that it was meant for the ‘STF only as directed by the IG on his (Yash) own initiative.’
Below is a video where Kumar talks about the advisory.
STF आईजी ने सव्ही कर्मचारियों को दिए निर्देश 52 चाइनीज़ एप्प मोबाइल से हटाए … ADG कानून व्यवस्था @PrashantK_IPS90 का बयान असुरक्षित एप्प से जरूरी फ़ाइल हो सकती है चोरी pic.twitter.com/ZuwuAN1gYi
— Gagan Mishra (@gaganishere) June 19, 2020
Bharat Samachar TV (BSTV), a UP based media agency, whose broadcast was a part of PIB’s tweet, also shared a video which shows the advisory on the notice board of the STF office.
Below is the video of the complete broadcast:
लखनऊ में STF मुख्यालय के नोटिस बोर्ड में सम्बंधित ऍप्स की लिस्ट चस्पा की गई है। रिपोर्टर ने मुख्यालय से इसका वीडियो ब्योरा भी भेजा है। उम्मीद है PIB फैक्ट चेक कोई भी ट्वीट करने से पहले अपने फैक्ट ज़रूर चेक करेगी। अपेक्षा है की PIB फैक्ट चेक टीम अपने मूल ट्वीट को डिलीट करेगा। https://t.co/KZcC9pvj1N pic.twitter.com/BZnZM7iOjl
— भारत समाचार (@bstvlive) June 19, 2020
BSTV specified that the order was issued by UP police.
Therefore, the UP Special Task Force did ask its staffers to uninstall 52 mobile apps, pointing out that these applications could be used to extract information from their mobile phones. Thus the news is true and PIB Fact Check is false.
Instances Of Fact-Checking Typical To PIB Fact Check
Press Information Bureau (PIB), the Nodal agency for Government of India on November 15 established a fact-checking unit called PIB Fact Check to identify and debunk fake news/claims related to the government’s ministries, departments and schemes.
There have been multiple times when PIB has stated a true information as false especially the news which show govt in bad light. They also don’t provide the methodology through which they fact-check information.
1) On relation with tension at the Indo-China border, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on June 2 had said that a ‘sizeable number’ of Chinese troops have moved into areas in eastern Ladakh. China claimed these areas as their territory. According to the minister, India has taken all necessary steps to deal with the situation.
‘Whatever is happening at present… It is true that people of China are on the border. They claim that it is their territory. Our claim is that it is our area. There has been a disagreement over it. A sizeable number of Chinese people have also come (Aur acchi khasi sankhya mein Cheen ke log bhi aa gaye hain). India has done what it needs to do,’ Singh told CNN-News 18 in a video recorded interview.
The minister’s comments were being considered as a first official confirmation of the presence of significant numbers of Chinese troops in India’s side of Line of Actual Control (LAC). PIB Fact Check, however, tweeted that his words were being misinterpreted. One must notice the absence of any further evidence to refute the claims other than a statement calling it a misinterpretation.
Claim: Raksha Mantri @rajnathsingh admitted on @CNNnews18 that Chinese soldiers crossed Indian side of LACFact: The Minister was referring to differing perceptions of LAC & presence of Chinese troops It is being misinterpreted as if Chinese troops entered Indian side …
