Centre asks Whatsapp to find effective solutions to tackle misuse of platform
New Delhi, July 20 (IBNS): Amid incidents of rampant abuse and provocative messages through social media which are claiming lives, the Centre has asked Whatsapp to come out with more effective solutions that can bring in accountability and facilitate enforcement of law in addition to their efforts towards labeling forwards as well as identifying fake news.
On July 3, the Ministry of Electronics and IT had written to Whatsapp exhorting them to take immediate steps to tackle the menace of misuse of their platform wherein inflammatory messages were circulated that led to unfortunate incidents.
On the same day Whatsapp responded indicating their initiative to mark forwarded messages and to step up efforts to detect fake news.
However, even after that a 32-year-old software engineer Mohammed Azam was killed in Bidar and this was preceded by viral circulation of rumours on Whatsapp about child lifters.
"It is regretted that the enormity of the challenge and the rampant abuse happening in the country leading to repeated commissioning of crimes pursuant to rampant circulation of irresponsible messages in large volumes on their platform have not been addressed adequately by Whatsapp," a statement from the Ministry said.
"Reports in the media resonate the general sentiment that there is much more that needs to be done by Whatsapp.There is a need for bringing in traceability and accountability when a provocative / inflammatory message is detected and a request is made by law enforcement agencies," the stament further added.
The Centre noted that when rumours and fake news get propagated by mischief mongers, the medium used for such propagation cannot evade responsibility and accountability.
"If they remain mute spectators they are liable to be treated as abettors and thereafter face consequent legal action," it said.
Whatsapp has been asked to deliver a more sensitive response in the matter.
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