Karnataka mulls new cyberlaw to combat disinformation

Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara has said that the state would be enacting a new cyberlaw in an effort to curb the rise of false information and hate speech on social media platforms. The minister has stated that under the new legislation, social media platforms would be held accountable for the content that is shared through their channels regardless of the location in which the platform is based.  

It is pertinent to mention here that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recently announced in Mangaluru that anybody who promote fake news on social media will face severe consequences.

According to Dr Parameshwar, It is currently challenging to punish individuals responsible for cybercrimes. It is not easy to identify the people who spread false information on social media. "They are ignoring requests for action against such people made in letters to the social network's head. They are ignoring local regulations because their servers are situated in places like the United States. It is in this background that a fresh piece of legislation was required," the Home Minister explained. 

It is expected that the Indian head of social networks would be contacted and consulted prior to the drafting the new law. There would be possibilities to interrogate the Indian leaders of social media companies when the new law is enacted, he added, should the companies fail to respond to the fake news that has been propagated on their platforms.

State officials have promised to do something about the proliferation of false information online. 

Dr G Parameshwar said he will summon the Indian heads of the social media companies and initiate an inquiry under the Act if they do not take action to combat the spread of fake news.