OdishaLIVE Bureau
When powerful platforms like social media are used to spread rumours, things get ugly
When WhatsApp was initially introduced it was deemed as a boon for mankind, bringing people together with just few clicks. People could connect and interact with their loved ones while just sitting at their homes. But, when people started using this platform to spread fake news or misinformation, things turned ugly.
Spreading rumours or false information isn’t a new thing in a country like India, but when powerful platforms like the social media are used to spread such rumours, things get out of control and they get to people’s ears really fast.
On July 1st, 5 people in Maharashtra were brutally killed by an angry mob after the mob received a fake forwarded message which stated that those 5 people were child abductors.
Innocent people are being killed without any reason or without having any proper evidence against them. More than 20 people have been killed over the past 2 months due to spreading of false information in platforms like WhatsApp.
Through such messages, they are either accused of being child abductors or accused of other crimes which generally infuriates the people, often leading to violence.
WhatsApp has said that it will take tough measures in order to stop such misinformation and takes this issue seriously. It has already released adverts in major newspapers on how to identify fake news. It’s launching a feature where forwarded messages or media will have a label on top which reads ‘forwarded’.
It is also planning to introduce new features that will restrict users to forward messages to only 5 people or groups at a time. It is working on its features and will release updates soon.
But, the government of India believes that WhatsApp hasn’t addressed such issues properly. A statement was released from the IT ministry that stated “Rampant circulation of irresponsible messages in large volumes on the platform has not been addressed adequately by WhatsApp.
When rumours and fake news get propagated by mischief-mongers, the medium used for such propagation cannot evade responsibility and accountability If (WhatsApp) remains mute spectators, they are liable to be treated as abettors and thereafter face consequent legal action.”
WhatsApp firmly believes in its ideology of protecting its user’s privacy and refused to join in with the government in order to spy and trace user content. But, the government of India remains adamant and says that such messages should be allowed to track when an official request is made.
