Supreme Court issues notice to Centre, Twitter on mechanism to check fake news
A Bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde while issuing the notice sought their response on the plea and tagged it along with similar pending plea.
FollowThe Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to Twitter and the Central government on a petition asking for a mechanism to check fake news and hate messages, seditious and incendiary content on Twitter and other social media platforms.
BJP leader Vinit Goenka had filed the petition in May last year, asking for a mechanism to check fake news and instigative messages being circulated via social media, especially Twitter.
"These fake Twitter handles and Facebook accounts use a real photo of constitutional authorities and eminent citizens and common people reply to the messages published from these accounts," the plea said.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde while issuing the notice sought their response on the plea and tagged it along with similar pending plea.
It stated that in the absence of a mechanism or a law to check online content, social media platforms such as Twitter and others have been used by some persons to "amplify and call out for activities that are against the spirit of the Union of India".
The apex court has tagged Goenka's matter with a bunch of similar petitions already pending before it.
The top court heard the petition at a time the government has been pressing Twitter to block nearly 1,100 accounts and posts that it says have been spreading misinformation and provocative content linked to the farmer protests against central agricultural laws since November.
The government has also drawn up draft rules to regulate social media, streaming and digital news content, which will include a code of ethics and a mechanism to report problematic content and ask for its removal.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that the Centre respects social media for empowering common people but action will be taken if it is misused to spread fake news and violence.
"We respect social media a lot, it has empowered common people. Social media has a big role in the Digital India program. However, if social media is misused to spread fake news, violence then action will be taken," Prasad said while addressing the Rajya Sabha.
Twitter said it had not blocked all of the content because it believed the government's orders were not in line with Indian laws. It permanently suspended some accounts and blocked access to many others in India, though their posts could be read outside the country.
