Social media websites and messaging platforms have become an integral part of our lives, as they are very user-friendly as well as cost-effective. They provide us with the opportunity to stay in touch with friends and relatives and have brought us closer even to those who are far from us.
At one fell swoop, an amazing facility offered by these platforms is the option of creating a group in which members can share their opinions, videos, photos and any material which they think is of relevance to the group members.
However, now you’ll have to think 100 times before creating any group or becoming the admin of a group, as the group admin will face prosecution if any fake or misleading information is shared in the group.
Yogeshwar Ram Mishra, DM of Varanasi, and SSP Nitin Tiwari have issued a joint order which says that if any misleading information or rumor gets circulated in a group, then FIR can be registered against the group administrators. The order states,
“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 also says that the administrators should take responsibility of the group and if any fake statement is made by any member of the group, it is the duty of the admin to make sure that not only that fake statement is deleted but the member is also removed from the group. Moreover, such activity should be notified to the nearest police station so that the law can take care of that member. As per the order,
“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 reach of social media has increased immensely and it is pretty visible with the fact that there are nearly 200 million WhatsApp users in India, which makes it suitable for anti-national elements to circulate fake or misleading information and spoil the environment of the society.
This order has been issued yesterday and it clearly states that freedom of expression is very important on social media but responsibility is also attached to it.
So be careful and add only those people in your group whom you know properly.
What do you think about this step? Share your views in the comments section below.