Cyber Law and Fake News during COVID-19
- ByAdmin --
- 20 Apr 2024 --
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Misinformation, disinformation and propaganda have been features of human communication since at least the Roman times when Antony met Cleopatra. Octavian waged a propaganda campaign against Antony that was designed to smear his reputation. This took the form of “short, sharp slogans written upon coins in the style of archaic Tweets.”
Fake News refers to misinformation, disinformation and mal-information which are recently being spread through digital platforms of communication such as videos, audios, messages or in the form of advertisement. “Fake news is an online epidemic, and the way forward is three-pronged: One, rethinking the intermediary liability rules to ensure a greater degree of social responsibility and transparency from tech companies; two, passing a law that strictly defines fake news, and three, ensuring tech literacy through awareness drives, to inculcate the habit of verifying all content received.”
Cyber crime is an unlawful act wherein the computer is either a tool or a target or both. The Criminal Activities done via mode of computer systems are traditional in nature such as forgery, theft, fraud, defamation and mischief which are subject to Indian Penal Code. The abuse of computers has also given birth to a range of modern crimes that are addressed by the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The damage caused due to fake news on social media has increased due to the growth of the internet penetration in India, which has risen from 137 million internet users in 2012 to over 600 million in 2019
Few steps taken by the Government to stop spread of Fake News.
Internet shutdowns are used by the government as a way to control social media rumours from spreading. Ideas such as linking Aadhaar to social media accounts has been suggested to the Supreme Court of India by the Attorney General.
“The government asked social media platforms to start awareness campaigns, remove misinformation from the platform and promote authentic information on the virus.”
The Brazilian Congress was considering a Bill which will criminalise the publication and sharing of any false or incomplete information on the Internet to the detriment of any private individual or legal person.
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