Campus Journalist 
PROBLEM OF FAKE NEWS DURING THE CO-VID 19 CRISIS & THE MASS CROWD GATHERING INCIDENT IN MUMBAI RECENTLY
By: Vaishnavi Venkatesan:-
In the current scenario, where several corona virus warriors are risking their lives to fight the battle against this deadly virus, fake news is a major factor which keeps mitigating their efforts. While people are quarantined at home, with a lot of time in their hands to access social media and procure information through any unverified source, fake news seems to be spreading just as fast as the virus in India.
The Crowd Gathering Incident in Bandra, Mumbai: A crowd of thousands of migrant workers gathered near Bandra station in Mumbai, recently after a rumour broke out that long-distance trains were running. The fake news circulated claimed that Indian Railways was arranging for a special train for migrants to go back home, thus prompting this unforeseen incident, which only added fuel to the already existing tensions amongst people. Another rumour of free ration being distributed made matters worse for the police.
What is Misinformation: Situations like these are the perfect breeding ground for information operators. Fake news is a form of news consisting of deliberate disinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional news media or online social media. It seeks to cause disruption and ensures chaos with an objective to lure vulnerable classes of society, thus worsening the issue at hand.
Laws revolving around fake news: If people are aware of the rights provided to them, they can contribute in stopping the spread of this menace and also stay a step ahead always.
Section 505(1) of Indian Penal Code, 1860: This includes the offence of making, publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report which may cause fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public.
Punishment: Imprisonment which may extend to 3 years or fine or both.
Section 66D of Information Technology Act: Whoever, by means for any communication device or computer resource cheats by personating.
Punishment: imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine which may extend to one lakh rupees.
Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005: Whoever makes or circulates a false alarm or warning as to a disaster or its severity or magnitude, leading to panic.
Punishment: Imprisonment which may extend to one year or with fine.
Steps to avoid the spread of fake news:
Always verify facts: Before forwarding any piece of news which has been forwarded or received be sure to check its authenticity, by googling it or using other fact verification apps. This is a vital step to curb the spread of fake news.
Watch out for messages which look ‘different’
Hoaxes and fake news said to be from official bodies and authorities often contain clunky phrasing, spelling mistakes and web domain names that seem slightly off. If they ask you to tap on a link to activate special content or for personal information like credit card and bank account numbers, birthdate, passwords, beware!
Take Note of the “Forwarded” Label
The new grey italics “forwarded” label at the top of certain messages is a clear indicator that it originated elsewhere from the source that sent it to you. A WhatsApp can only be forwarded to five recipients at a time, in an attempt to curb this form of fake news-spreading.
Carefully Check Photos and Other Media: If it raises any suspicion or looks phoney, it could be a product of photoshop or other photo editing apps ,which if taken cognizance of at the right time can further prevent the spreading of fake news.
Social Media Agencies: can raise awareness campaigns to educate people on how to differentiate between fake and authentic news.
It is a common scenario in many households where people blindly believe WhatsApp forward’s and without verifying or checking its authenticity, forward it to relatives, friends and other people. In the current world, where WhatsApp family/work groups from an indispensable means of communication, it isn’t long before this vicious cycle worsens the hazard of fake news to an irreversible extent. The Maharashtra police had registered 115 fake news cases as on 7th April 2020. There has been a term coined for this purpose, “Infodemic” the World Health Organization defines as – “an overabundance of information—some accurate and some not—that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it. Therefore, by being aware of the laws which govern it as well as by taking steps to curb this menace, the matter of fake news can be combated with.
It is true that the problem of fake news has worsened the situation in the times of corona virus. The steps to avoid the spread of fake news is very important and useful information provided by the author.
People should be able to use their own rational judgement and classify between real and fake news . People of the older generation tend to believe everything that is forwarded to them on whatsapp. For such situation, whatsapp has reduced the number of forwards that can be done in one go . Thus, along with the efforts by these platforms, people also need to be aware.
The spreading of fake news is one of the reasons to spread hatred among our community. In the situation of a global pandemic, it is the duty of all the citizens to fight against it together in a peaceful manner. We have to maintain physical distancing, not social distancing. This article explains the term misinformation and also the provision in IPC for spreading misinformation in society. It also mentions the steps to avoid the spread of fake news.