As lynchings rise, govt tells WhatsApp to curb rumours

NEW DELHI: Looking to clamp down on rumours that have led to lynching of innocents on suspicion of child lifting, the government on Tuesday asked Facebook-owned instant messenger WhatsApp to take urgent steps to prevent spread of “irresponsible and explosive messages” on its platform. The warning comes at a time when there have been repeated cases of violence provoked by posts circulated on popular messaging apps where passers-by have been targeted for no fault of theirs.


The ministry of electronics and IT (MEITY) said WhatsApp “cannot evade accountability and responsibility”, in a stern message to the world’s most popular messenger which is widely used for sharing messages, events, videos and data. Police forces have been struggling to deal with “fake and motivated” messages that have inflamed passions.

Terming the “unfortunate killings” in states like Assam, Maharashtra, Karnataka,

Tripura

and

West Bengal

as “deeply painful and regrettable”, the infotech ministry said that abuse of platforms like WhatsApp “for repeated circulation of such provocative content” was a matter of deep concern.

Take remedial steps to check fake news flow, WhatsApp told

In the past, in situations like riots or in terrorism-affected areas, states have been suspending use of internet to stop rumours. “MEITY has taken serious note of these irresponsible messages and their circulation on such platforms. Deep disapproval of such developments has been conveyed to the senior management of WhatsApp and they have been advised that necessary remedial measures should be taken to prevent proliferation of these fake and at times motivated/sensational messages,” the statement said.

While seeking action against false and provocative messages, the government also plans to seek suggestions from Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp on checking circulation of such material with representatives being called for a meeting to be convened by the home ministry.

The government directed WhatsApp to immediately contain spread of volatile messages through application of appropriate technology, even as the law and order machinery took steps to apprehend the culprits.

Noting that miscreants were repeatedly circulating provocative messages triggering a spate of violence, it said the government had “conveyed in no uncertain terms that WhatsApp must take immediate action to end this menace and ensure that their platform is not used for such malafide activities”. Over the past few months, there have been a number of instances where mobs were instigated by fake WhatsApp messages.

The decision to call representatives of social media platforms was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting on June 16, chaired by home secretary Rajiv Gauba, where the issue was discussed in detail.