India To Arrest People Sharing Fake News About COVID-19

When there is panic, there are people trying to make matter worse by spreading misinformation. And when COVID-19 is wreaking havoc in 97 countries, fake news has become so serious that WHO called it a massive infodemic. As a result, some nations decide to crack down on both the misinformation and the virus.

Six Asian nations have tightened the rules on spreading misinformation. Defaulters can be put in jail as a result of starting rumors. When it comes to COVID-19, misinformation varies, from lying that one has the virus to be excused from work or trying to get attention by lying about the cause of COVID-19.

In a bid to keep the public calm, government is combing through social media accounts for signs of misinformation. While many are not comfortable with the idea of having officials checking their accounts, the Indian authority said that the practice is necessary to keep the situation in check.

While there has been no confirmed case in Maharashtra, the state has appointed a cyber cell to fight fake news related to COVID-19.

Three people in Kerala were taken into custody on February 2 for sharing fake news. Kerala is also the first state in India with a confirmed case of Coronavirus.

On March 8, a man in Arunachal Pradesh was arrested for the same crime. The state also has no confirmed case of Coronavirus. What he did was to post on a Facebook group that the virus has spread in the Northeast of India.

Fake news has long been a disease in India and if they are left unchecked, they can cause more damage than COVID-19 itself.

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