Spreading Rumours And Fake News About Coronavirus Can Land You In Trouble; Here's How

Fake news seems to be spreading just as fast as the virus in India, a recent audio clip went viral in social media which claimed that vegetable sellers were licking the vegetables to spread Coronavirus.

Indian Government, social media channels and the police are taking measures to curb such sprouting rumours. (Getty Image)

New Delhi: Fake news seems to be spreading just as fast as the virus in India, a recent audio clip went viral in social media which claimed that vegetable sellers were licking the vegetables to spread Coronavirus. The rumour spread so fast that the government had to intervene and issue a statement claiming that the audio clip was in fact spreading fake news. Another rumour was spread across landlocked Kashmir that the Supreme Court has advised the government to restore 4G Internet in J&K within 24 hours. A fake document circulated through social media websites reads almost like a genuine order issued by the registry of the apex court. The profiles of the petitions, respondents and the officials of the court have been copied and instead of the actual direction of the court that issued notice to the respondents, the fake order speaks of 4G restoration within 24 hours. Adding to the panic, there was another report and rumour spread about the government reducing 30% pension during the Coronavirus. This statement too is false and is just meant to create tension among people. The Indian Government, social media channels and the police are taking measures to curb such sprouting rumours. In a time like this, fake news and rumours just add to the panic and create havoc. Not only are there empty claims there are fake cures and treatments for COVID-19 which is being spread through social media, which can be very dangerous for the impressionable. In the efforts to curb, the spread of these fake news and rumours the Mumbai Police has banned the spread of any such rumours. It has also banned derogatory or discriminatory messages towards any community or causing panic and confusion among the people. The order also prohibits any attempts to incite mistrust against the government officials or their acts to prevent the spread of Coronavirus and such messages causing danger to public health or safety or public peace. For all such acts by any person or group, the person designated as "Group Admin" shall be held personally liable for such content in his/her group and attract action under the relevant laws. Karnataka police took similar action by launching a platform that lets you check whether a news is fake or real. The public can submit fake news for verification, users can simply fill in details such as where he or she saw the fake news, website or app, and gave an option to submit audios, videos and images up to 2 megabytes size. Karnataka State Police has taken this initiative in collaboration with Check4Spam to counter rumours amid the Coronavirus outbreak. WhatsApp has made efforts of its own to stop the spread of rumours by reducing the number of forwards that can be sent at a time. And forwards come with indicators, so that the person is aware the message has been forwarded. The Indian government has launched a chatbot on WhatsApp to address user queries and quell rumours on the coronavirus pandemic. The WhatsApp chatbot, ‘MyGov Corona Helpdesk’, can be accessed by sending a text to +91 90131 51515. It is equipped to address various COVID-19 FAQs, such as symptoms of the disease, precautions against contracting the virus, helpline numbers, affected cases in the region & government advisories. Facebook too launched a similar chatbot for India that will help verify fake news and curb the spread of it.