If you are someone who spreads fake news on any social media platform, then this is your warning to stop it immediately, as there’s a technology that can track you down and make sure that you are punished. The government is making and taking all the required measures to make sure that fake news perpetrators are caught, and stopped.
The Central Government said that someone who is caught spreading fake news is punishable under 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2008, Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, sections 153, 499, 500, 505 (1) of the Indian Penal Code 1860.
Fake news includes making sarcastic comments about a person, spreading misleading content about him/her on social media, creating fraudulent content, creating and writing false or manipulated content and blaming that person. Those who act irresponsibly by spreading false news, like terrorizing the public through social media by making false warnings about the severity of any disaster, are punishable under Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act.
Deliberately insulting, harming, and repeatedly promoting fake news on social media through abusive language or gestures falls under the category of defamation. The perpetrators of such acts are punishable under sections 499 and 500 of the IPC and will be deprived of the right to live freely in the community.
Comments on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter will also closely be monitored, and those who make any hateful or misleading comments will be looked quite closely at. Google searches will also be monitored, and as our Google searches will be linked to our email addresses, those who indulge in obscene vocabulary or any other illegal deeds will be punished accordingly.