After concerns have been raised about fake news, morphed pictures and upsetting videos triggering tensions and even communal rift, it has been decided by the Varanasi authorities that a group admin on WhatsApp or Facebook will be liable for prosecution for any such development.
As per a joint order issued by district magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra and Senior Superintendent of Police Nitin Tiwari, any rumor or misleading post on a social media group could lead to a FIR against the group admin.
“There are several groups on social media which are named on newsgroups 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 said.
The orders are being issued to social media groups, WhatsApp and Facebook group admin and members. Notably, there are over 200 million WhatsApp users in India.
Social media group admin should be ready to bear the responsibility and ownership of the groups, the order said. The admin must include only folks who are personally known to him or her. If any post is sent by a group member, which is fake and can cause religious disharmony, the group admin must 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 said. While freedom of expression on social media is significant, it also comes with a responsibility, the order added.
