News Time Now Impact: Govt Warns WhatsApp

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Govt warns WhatsApp to be responsible, take urgent steps to prevent spread of “irresponsible and explosive messages”. News Time Now had raised this issue earlier.

New Delhi: The government on Tuesday warned WhatsApp to be responsible and take urgent steps to prevent spread of “irresponsible and explosive messages” through its platform. The warning comes  amid recent cases of lynching provoked by posts circulated on popular messaging apps.

News Time Now had raised this issue recently and said that if WhatsApp does not pull up its socks, it could one day be charged for abetment to murder and violence.

The government conveyed its deep disapproval and ire to the top brass of WhatsApp, the ministry of electronics and IT (MEITY). Taking off its gloves, the government told the Facebook-owned company that it “cannot evade accountability and responsibility”, according to an official statement.

The government directed the company to immediately contain the spread of such messages through application of appropriate technology, even as law and order machinery takes steps to apprehend the culprits.

The government pointed out that miscreants were repeatedly circulating provocative messages triggering violence. Following this, the government has “conveyed in no uncertain terms that WhatsApp must take immediate action to end this menace and ensure that their platform is not used for such malafide activities”.

The warning to WhatsApp comes in the wake of a spate of incidents involving lynching of innocent people because of certain “fake and motivated” messages being circulated on the widely used messaging app.

Terming the “unfortunate killings” in states like Assam, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tripura and West Bengal as “deeply painful and regrettable”, the IT ministry said the abuse of platforms like WhatsApp “for repeated circulation of such provocative content” is a matter of deep concern.

“MEITY has taken serious note of these irresponsible messages and their circulation in such platforms. Deep disapproval of such developments has been conveyed to the senior management of WhatsApp and they have been advised that necessary remedial measures should be taken to prevent proliferation of these fake and at times motivated/ sensational messages,” the statement said.