Fake news crackdown: Modi govt wants WhatsApp, Facebook to be responsible

The government is more concerned with Telegram, fast becoming the preferred medium for many people

The government has said it expects popular social media applications such as WhatsApp and Facebook, which have large user bases in the country, to be responsible.

In a bid to check the spread of fake news through social media and messaging platforms — leading to mob lynching in some cases — the government is exploring the possibility of blocking WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram. The government is also trying to curb child abuse and pornography spread through these platforms.

The government has already issued notices on WhatsApp to keep a check on content. But, it is more concerned with Telegram, fast becoming the preferred medium for many people.

Sources said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had expressed concerns about Telegram to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Based on the letter from MeitY, DoT had asked the telecom and internet service providers to provide inputs about blocking mobile apps.

ALSO READ: Social media with large user base should behave responsibly: IT Secretary

Asked about the blocking of mobile apps, Information Technology (IT) Secretary Ajay P Sawhney said, “We are always in touch, and anytime we have a concern we flag it. We expect all platforms to behave in a responsible manner, especially those with a large user base.” He, however, said whenever the need arises, the government acts according to the IT Act in order to remove contentious content.

Sources told Business Standard it was very difficult for the government to ensure content had been blocked or taken down. In case of Telegram, which does not have a huge user base in India yet, the government wants to strengthen its enforcement mechanism.

Telegram claims its cloud chat data is stored in multiple data centres around the globe that are controlled by different legal entities spread across different jurisdictions. The relevant decryption keys are split into parts and are never kept in the same place as the data they protect. As a result, several court orders from different jurisdictions are required to force them to give up any data.

“Thanks to this structure, we can ensure no single government or block of like-minded countries can intrude on people’s privacy and freedom of expression,” Telegram explained on its website. Read more

WhatsApp caps message forwarding to 5 chats, scraps quick forward option

WhatsApp has received flak from the government over fake news and false information on its platform. Such messages have incited mob-fury, triggering lynchings

WhatsApp said on Friday its users in India will not be allowed to forward to more than five chats at once and the company will remove the quick forward button that appears next to media messages, as part of its efforts to reduce the circulation of fake messages on the platform that have triggered mob lynching incidents.

In a blog post, WhatsApp noted that its users in India "forward more messages, photos, and videos, than any other country in the world". The Facebook-owned company has over one billion users globally, of which over 200 million are in India.

"Today, we're launching a test to limit forwarding that will apply to everyone using WhatsApp. In India... we'll also test a lower limit of five chats at once and we'll remove the quick forward button next to media messages," the blog post said.

WhatsApp has received flak from the Indian government over fake news and false information being circulated on its messaging platform. Such messages have incited mob-fury, triggering multiple cases of lynching across the country.

On Thursday, the government shot off a second notice to WhatsApp, asking it to come out with effective solutions to curb the menace of fake news beyond just labelling forwards.

It also warned the company that mediums used for the propagation of rumours are liable to be treated as 'abettors' and can face legal consequences if they remain "mute spectators".

While the company is yet to respond to the notice, the blog post said the company believes that "these changes - which we'll continue to evaluate - will help keep WhatsApp the way it was designed to be: a private messaging app".

"We built WhatsApp as a private messaging app - a simple, secure, and reliable way to communicate with friends and family. And as we've added new features, we've been careful to try and keep that feeling of intimacy, which people say they love," it said.

WhatsApp had introduced the option of forwarding multiple chats at once a few years ago, it added.

"We are deeply committed to your safety and privacy which is why WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, and we'll continue to improve our app with features like this one," the blog said.

Article source : BS