Clamp down on fake news or face ire: India tells WhatsApp

New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday asked the CEO of WhatsApp to set up a local corporate entity in India and find a technological solution to trace the origin of fake news and messages circulated through its platform that have led to incidents of gruesome lynching across the country.

In a meeting with Chris Daniels, CEO of the messaging app behemoth, information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is understood to have indicated that WhatsApp could face abetment charges if no action is taken.

“I requested CEO Whatsapp Chris Daniels to set up a grievance officer in India; establish a corporate entity in India and comply with Indian laws. He assured me that Whatsapp will soon take steps on all these counts,” said the minister.

He added that the messaging app has contributed significantly to India’s digital story, but it needs to find solutions to deal with “sinister developments” like mob-lynching and revenge porn.

“There are also very sinister developments, which are provoking crimes like mob lynching, revenge porn. You (WhatsApp) must find solutions to these challenges which are downright criminal and violation of Indian laws,” Mr Prasad said.

“I flagged in particular, which I had said earlier also, it does not take rocket science to locate a message being circulated in hundreds and thousands... You must have a mechanism to find a solution,” Mr Prasad said.

The government also made it clear that WhatsApp could face abetment charges in case action is not taken to tackle circulation of fake messages. Whats-App has been under pressure from the government to take steps to prevent spreading of rumours that have resulted in cases of lynching.

The minister said WhatsApp is working with law enforcement agencies and that it would organise a campaign to educate people in India on spread of misinformation through social media.

WhatsApp has informed the government that it is building a local team, including appointing an India head, and has introduced new features to let its users identify forwarded messages.