Fake news and impacts, let people with the know-how handle the sensitive issues, not with intolerance

Mobilenews24x7 Bureau

Nationwide it has become a concern over the fake news being unmindfully spread through the social media(SM). There has to be a check and balance somewhere.

On this issue, the government of India has, perhaps, taken a serious note and this year has added barbs to the restriction mechanism.

In fact, the SM’s circulation is up exponentially be it personal or certain takes, the critical ones in particular, for or against the political dispensations, news based on communal lines, divides in mind. These are just to keep the climate hot and usher in people’s zeal.

The latest of the monitoring agencies is all about to watch. As far the intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code, the latest weapon of 2021. In another way, the rules are to keep the social and digital media under the lens of scrutiny of the I & B Ministry.

Thus, sieving the unacceptable and use the true ones by the social media and adopt self-discipline.

But the drive necessarily not be construed that, it should be a rule to tame or gag.

So, it is important to know that, who are all assigned to scrutinise. And the task obviously becomes herculean with the phenomenal advent of major platforms like Facebook, Meta (WhatsApp) or even insta. It requires experience and intellect to hover over about more than 47 users crore in India .

 Such platforms are big influencers in many fields and the users feel get free and feel free being there. Yet a sizable number of users choose being not a part of it because of the intolerance of the political regimes going manifold in the recent years.

There is nothing anarchic in the government’s fear as it has to check inner and outside factors or actors. Both could be fatal so,any such apprehension is necessary.

But the issue is from the government side who plays that ombudsman role. But, are they enough equipped to tackle the cunning platforms like WhatsApp and few others where end-to-end encryption is done leaving no scope for surveillance.

But that has to be a balance reciprocation from both sides unlike in last eight or so, there has been cases when there have been instances of intolerance and it is obvious that some may abide by it or do otherwise and get brawled.

If any news stands to create any threat and sovereignty of the country it has to be dealt with firmly.

But, in certain references like political cartoons or quotations used in the present, the controlling hands cannot act in a retrospective manner. For example, the cartoons already published 20 years ago or convictions made in 1949. For example, co-founder of AltNews,  Muhammad Zubair had to be jailed for a month by the regime for a 4-year-old tweet

If an untrained PIB is entrusted the responsibility of ascertaining true and false, it is logical that these endeavours already in position be brought in to assist as ‘partners’ or empowered like PIB. Or else, the impartiality of the whole exercise will be gravely suspect.