Government’s eye on blocking social media platforms

On Aug 7, 2018

NP NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi

This move comes amid concerns that fake news may be used to influence the 2019 general elections.
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The department of Telecommunication (DoT) has their eyes on blocking the social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. The thought came in order to restrict the spread of fake news and child pornography materials. The department of Telecommunication has asked internet service provider to provide ways for it.

It has been also said that the DoT may also plan to have a conversation with social media experts about the cause behind the trigger for such cases drawing the attention from SC. This move also comes amid concerns that fake news may be used to influence the 2019 general elections. This proposal for blocking apps is a requirement of the ministry of home affairs in the context of national security.

“DoT in the letter had said that the Ministry of Electronics and IT and law enforcement agencies have raised issue around blocking of certain mobile apps like Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telecom, etc to meet requirement under Section 69A of IT Act,” a government source aware of the development had said.

The Section 69A of IT Act talks about power to issue directions for blocking for public access to any information through any computer resource. The law authorises the central government or any officer authorised by it to issue direction to block the information on Internet in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognisable offence relating to them.

In recent months, teams from WhatsApp and Facebook have come down to India for meetings with Election Commission officials to discuss ways to prevent misuse of the platform in India’s coming election cycle.

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Operators believe that the issue of fake news is strictly not a telco issue, except that it comes under the ambit of “intermediary liability” under the IT Act. This clause under the Act states that an intermediary is liable for the content which it stores on behalf of a user or transmits from one user to another.

Recently, there have been widespread incidents of mob lynching in the country based on rumours spread through social media apps. The popular messaging app, WhatsApp, has been in the eye over misuse of its platform for circulation of fake news that resulted in incitement of mob fury.