According
to a joint order issued by the district magistrate of Varanasi and the
city’s police chief, offensive posts such as rumours or fake new
circulated through WhatsApp or Facebook groups can land the group admin
in jail.
Varanasi
DM Yogeshwar Ram Mishra and SP Nitin Tiwari recently issued a joint
order that said an FIR (first investigation report) can be filed against
a group administrator if factually incorrect, rumour or misleading
information is circulated on his/her social media group.
The
order partly reads, “there are several groups on social media which are
named on news groups and also groups with other names which are
propagating news and information which is not authentic. These are being
forwarded without cross-checking”.
The order stated social media group administrators should be ready to bear the responsibility and ownership of the groups. The administrator must include only those members who are personally known to him or her. If any statement is made by a group member which is fake, can cause religious disharmony, or rumour, the group admin must deny it on the group and remove the member from the group.
“In
the event of inaction from the group admin, he or she will be considered
guilty and action will be taken against the group admin,” the order
stated.
Such
a post must also be reported to the nearest police station so that
action can be taken against the member under the law. A case under
cyber crime law, Information Technology Act and Indian Penal Code will
be filed in case of violation of these guidelines. The order also made
it clear that orders of Supreme Court and various high courts will be
considered while initiating action. “While freedom of expression on
social media is important, it also comes with a responsibility,” the
order said.
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