The State Government has appealed to citizens to verify the messages they receive on social media before forwarding it to other members.
The Cyber Wing of the Maharashtra Police has, till April 17, 2020, registered 196 cases related to spreading of fake news, rumours and hateful messages as well as for circulation of misinformation, reported PTI.
The Cyber has issued 55 “Take Down” notices to various social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, etc., to check the spread of rumours.
Thirty-two objectionable posts have been removed and 114 others identified, reported news agency PTI, quoting police officials. It also said that 37 people have been arrested. The news agency further reported that WhatsApp was misused the most (in 93 cases), followed by Facebook (61 cases), TikTok (three cases) and Twitter (two cases) in spreading of hateful messages and rumours.
Amid the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, there was a major scare on April 14, after thousands of migrant workers gathered at the Bandra West Railway Station demanded transport to return to their respective home States. This came after Prime Minister, Narendra Modi announced the extension of the lockdown till May 31.
Hours after the incident, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray went on Facebook to tell workers that they are safe and that there is no need to worry. He said the Centre will make arrangements for their return as soon as the lockdown is lifted.
“One should verify facts before forwarding any message. Fake news can create panic and confusion in the society. If anyone is found spreading fake news, they will be detained by the local police under several Sections of Indian Penal Code and cyber crime law,” said an officer attached to the Cyber Wing of Maharashtra Police.
The Maharashtra Police noticed a rising trend in hate speech cases in the last seven days. Out of the total registered cases, 104 cases were about hate speech over social media. “So far, 32 posts are removed. Of the total cases, 93 are of WhatsApp, and due to the nature of technology and encryption, posts over WhatsApp can be removed. The remaining 80 cases from other social media platforms have been issued notices and the removal process is in progress. 32 notices have been issued under 149 CrPC as a preventive measure,” said an official statement.
Public Corner
“Social media is highly misused, especially during uncertain times like these. Tons of fake news is being spread by the viruses of our society. People who use social media platforms should not focus on such news but always look for authentic news portal to get their updates,” said Rakesh Singh, a journalist with a Hindi newspaper.
“If a person receives a message on his social media platform, it is his/her responsibility to recheck the facts before forwarding it other members in his contact list. Such fake news can cause terror among the people. We have witnessed many such incidents in the past and we should learn from it. Please verify it before sharing,” said Pramod Sawant, Ex-Corporator.
The total number of people infected by COVID-19 in Maharashtra rose to 3,202, as on Friday, April 17, 2020, after 286 new cases were reported, the State Health Department said.
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