NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over fake and communal news on web portals, and YouTube channels that slander reputations in the absence of a regulatory mechanism, the Supreme Court emphasised if this were to continue unchecked, then it may get a bad name for the country.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said, “On web portals, there is no control, they can publish anything. If you go to YouTube, you will find how fake news is freely circulated and anyone can start a channel on YouTube.” The bench observed that the content shown in a section of private media bears a communal tone.
“The problem is everything in this country is shown with a communal angle by a section of the media,” the CJI noted. He told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, “Ultimately, this country is going to get a bad name. Have you made an attempt for a self-regulatory mechanism (for private channels)?” Mehta responded by saying, “Not only communal but also planted stories.
These can even put fake news.” Mehta said the Centre has come out with new Information and Technology rules, which address concerns flagged by the court. The bench agreed to hear after six weeks the Centre’s plea seeking transfer of petitions to the apex court that are pending in high courts against the validity of new IT rules.
The CJI said social media platforms do not respond if an issue is raised in connection with content. “I have not come across any public channel, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube ... they never respond to us and there is no accountability, about the institutions they have written badly about, and they don’t respond and say this is their right,” the CJI remarked.