Fact-Checking Policy

Why Fact-Checking Matters in Cybersecurity Journalism

Inaccurate information about cybersecurity threats can cause real harm. A reader who acts on a false advisory may disable security features that protect them. A reader who dismisses a genuine threat because it was over-reported may not take necessary precautions. We treat fact-checking as a non-negotiable editorial step, not a back-office quality-control task.

Our Trusted Source Hierarchy

We rely on the following sources, broadly in order of authority:

• CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team): The primary authoritative source for vulnerability advisories, incident alerts, and cybersecurity guidelines in India.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI): For fraud statistics, consumer-protection circulars, and digital payment safety guidance.
• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY): For IT Act interpretations, platform regulations, and official policy positions.
• National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB): For cybercrime statistics and trend data.
• Karnataka government sources: Karnataka Police Cyber CEN Crime, Karnataka IT department, official state-level cybercrime data.
• National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in): For complaint data and victim advisories.
• Peer-reviewed academic research and reports from internationally recognised security firms, assessed for methodology and conflicts of interest.

The YMYL Standard

Content that could affect a reader’s safety, finances, or personal data is subject to our highest level of scrutiny. For this content, we require primary source documentation for all statistical claims, independent corroboration from at least two sources for any allegation against a named entity, and final review by the Editor-in-Chief before publication. We explicitly follow the spirit of Google’s Your Money or Your Life guidelines — not because of search-engine considerations, but because the underlying principle is correct.

When We Cannot Verify a Claim

If a claim is material to the story and cannot be independently verified, we do not publish it as fact. We may note that an allegation has been made and that we were unable to independently confirm it. We do not use phrases like ‘reportedly’ or ‘allegedly’ to launder unverified claims into our reporting — those qualifiers are used only when clearly appropriate and when their meaning is transparent to the reader.

Corrections and Updates

When fact-checked content is later found to be incorrect, we follow our Corrections Policy and update the article with a timestamped editor’s note. Errors in factual claims are treated as priority corrections regardless of how minor they may seem.