The fake news spread on the social media platform which is criminal and against Indian law, is a contributing factor in several incidents in mob lynching across the country. Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, showing your concern on this issue. Include the recent steps taken by the Union Government of India. (80 to 100 words) Brainiest Award will be given.
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After hoax messages circulated on WhatsApp triggered several incidents of mob lynchings in recent weeks in India, the Facebook-owned messaging platform published full-page advertisements in leading Indian newspapers advising users on how to identify false information.
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The ads, published in English- and Hindi-language newspapers on Tuesday, came soon after Indian authorities asked WhatsApp to act immediately to curb the spread of false information.
Since May the lynchings of at least 24 people accused of being child kidnappers have been linked to the platform, used by more than 200 million Indians. Many other accused child kidnappers survived dozens of other mob attacks with injuries. Police found that mass-circulated WhatsApp messages carrying fake information about child kidnappers being on the prowl in the areas triggered almost all the attacks.
Last week, after Indian government sought “immediate action” from WhatsApp to stem the flow of false information, the company said it was “horrified” by the “terrible acts of violence” and would act to curb its abuse.
The full-page newspaper advertisements began with the line “Together we can fight false information” and carried 10 tips on how to spot fake news.
The tips included checking information with other sources, looking at photos carefully because they could be edited in a misleading way and thinking twice before sharing a message if you are not sure it is true.
“Fake news often goes viral,” read one tip while noting “Just because a message is shared many times does not make it true.”
This week WhatsApp also added a new feature which will label all forward messages as such, to let the receivers know that it was not created by the sender.
WhatsApp also said it had started an “education campaign” in India to spot fake news and rumours. “Our first step is placing newspaper advertisements in English and Hindi and several other languages,” the statement said. “We will build on these efforts.”
The India heads of global internet and social media firms may soon have to face criminal proceedings if their platforms are used to spread fake news. According to a report in the Times of India, a high level committee, which was set up to look into the matter of mob violence and lynching, has recommended criminal proceedings against the top executives if they fail to deal with fake news.
Earlier in July, the government had formed a high level committee chaired by the Union Home Secretary to deliberate the matter of mob violence and make recommendations. The move came after the Supreme Court had asked the central government to enact a law to deal with incidents of lynching.
Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba-headed committee, which has submitted its report to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, feels that social media companies and instant messengers such as WhatsApp need to take responsibility for not tracing and thereafter blocking malicious content that has the potential to lead rumour-mongering and incidents of lynching, the report said.
According to the report, the committee has also sought the appointment of superintendent police in each districts as the nodal officer to deal with cases of lynching. However, these are just recommendations and final view will be taken by a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Rajnath Singh.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot are members of the GoM. The GoM will submit its recommendations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Recently, the government asked Facebook-owned WhatsApp to set up a local entity and find a tech solution to trace the origin of fake messages on its platform. After meeting WhatsApp Head Chris Daniels, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the messaging app needs to find solutions to deal with "sinister developments" like mob lynching and revenge porn.
"I had a productive meeting with Chris Daniels, the CEO of WhatsApp. I complimented him for the awakening, which WhatsApp has led in the entire country... But there are also sinister developments like mob lynching and revenge porn, you must find solutions to these challenges, which are downright criminal and violation of Indian laws," he had said.
In July, the government faced massive criticim over 35 deaths in the country owing to mob lynching, many of them triggered by fake news spread over social media.
Taking the cognisance of the matter, the apex court asked the Parliament to consider enacting a new law to effectively deal with incidents of mob lynching. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said that it was the duty of state governments to ensue law and order
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