The Supreme Court issues directives on social media and false news

Petition filed by BJP leader Vinit Goenka requesting a way to check non-existent news and dynamic messages circulated on social media.

The Supreme Court on Friday issued a statement on Twitter and the Central Government on a petition filed by BJP leader Vinit Goenka requesting a way to check non-existent news and dynamic messages circulated on social media, particularly on Twitter.

The SC bench, led by the Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, issued a notice on the application and ordered that the matter be marked with similar pending applications seeking communications regulation.

In early May last year, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) filed a PIL, asking for a way to control Twitter content, other social media platforms and ads that spread hateful messages on false news and provocative and hot content through fake accounts. The Supreme Court tagged Goenka's case with a number of similar complaints pending before it. Advocate Ashwini Kumar Dubey, from the petitioner, has revealed that PIL is looking for a way to test hateful ads and content on Twitter India. Goenka's request said that there were hundreds of twitter handles and Facebook accounts that did not belong to the so-called celebrities and officials and he wanted to take action, but to no avail.

Social media accounts are being used by political parties to "tarnish the image of the opposition", especially during elections, and to spread "anti-India messages and toxic messages" aimed at creating violence in various parts of the country, the BJP leader said. "This used platform (Twitter) is used to summon separatists, to create fear in other parts of society, to challenge the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India," the petition said.

SC listened to the request while the Central Government kept pressuring Twitter to block more than 1,000 accounts and posts that it said were spreading false information and provocative content linked to farmers' disruptions against the three new farm rules. The Union's Minister of Legal Affairs, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said the Center respected the media for empowering ordinary people but that action would be taken if it was misused to spread fake news and violence.

"We have a lot of respect for the media, it has empowered ordinary people. Social media plays a big role in the Digital India system. However, if social media is misused to spread false information, violence will be taken away," Prasad told Rajya Sabha.