Editorial

Guarding Against Fake News

Opinion | Editorial | John S. Shilshi | 04-Dec-2022

We live in a an era where social media rules the roost, when day in and day out, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram etc. are literally flooded with news and information of all hues, making it extremely difficult for users to understand which information is genuine or with malicious intent. Confused users normally share the material they receive as messages, little realizing that by doing so one is already helping in spreading fake news, though without any bad intentions. Thus, a piece of fake news with dubious intention reaches thousands of users in a matter of minutes, when shared in a group having a hundred members or so, particularly through WhatsApp.

This, however, is not to say that every material received through social media is fake news. There are genuine and useful ones too, though much smaller in number in comparison to those flying in with some vested interests. Therefore, the source of any information received is most important, to differentiate between genuine and fake news. Often we find aesthetically designed videos or audio files, criticizing the government, a political party, a community or a group of people. There are also others that speak overtly in favour of Christians and minority groups, purported to have been circulated by some advocacy groups. In most cases, such productions are likely to be the manipulated ones, created with some ulterior motives. Therefore, as a measure of precaution, one must carefully examine them before sharing randomly, unless of course the original creator is clearly identified.

In dictatorial regimes like China or North Korea, the menace of fake news is much lesser, because in these countries, most posts that appear on social media platforms have already gone through the filtering processes of their monitoring mechanisms. Sadly, in liberal democracies like India and other countries, where freedom of expression is given a free hand, even rumours quickly morph into fake news and go viral. By the time actual facts are established, damages are already done. To cite one example, USA - a country considered most modern and liberal - bore the brunt of fake news, significantly during the 2016 Presidential elections.

Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton was accused of operating a child sex ring in collusion with her Chief of Staff, John Podesta, in a pizza parlour’s basement in Washington DC. What actually started as a malicious internet rumour turned into a social media trend, with the hashtag #pizzagate going viral and thousands tweeting “evidence” for and against. The fictitious online story even made a sinister cross-over into the physical world when a highly charged-up follower, Edgar Welch, drove all the way to Washington with an Assault rifle. He entered the pizzeria and demanded to see the basement, which was in fact not there. In anger, he fired three rounds in the air and left. Imagine what could have been the consequences if there was actually a basement, even if it was empty?

In our country too, we come across hosts of fake news doing the rounds – hate speeches, false accusations against political opponents, casting aspersions on some communities, making inflammatory statements to incite unrests and so on. There are also others promoting sub-standard products as reliable, defaming rival competitors with incorrect data, tempting consumers with fake promises of concessions etc. Some of these genuine looking pieces, analysts say, were created by highly qualified people inside the media cells of political parties, or in the digital sections of corporate houses. They could afford to do this with impunity because despite the massive impact the messages had on people’s mind, chances of them being identified is remote. It is therefore, not surprising that at times, we come across internet blackout by authorities when social media misuse is suspected to create tension between communities, thereby impacting on the social harmony of the society.   

We need to be aware that unlike mainstream media, the online variety of sharing information does not fall under comprehensive regulations. The temptation to misuse the medium by people with low sense of morality therefore is very much high. Secondly, despite researches and investigations on fake news, the identity of such news creators and their intentions are hard to establish. Under the Indian Penal Code and other Centre and State laws, including the Cyber Security Laws, persons who create messages with hate contents are liable to be booked. But the vast expanse of the Internet and the anonymity it grants to users makes booking culprits extremely difficult. For example, a sadist sitting thousands of miles away could provoke a social unrest by raking up some sensitive social issue. On the other hand, people randomly forwarding hate materials could just land up in the wrong end of law, particularly in a highly polarized society like India.  

How then are we to guard ourselves from the menace of fake news? There is no one size-fits-all solution to this problem, or will there be one in the near future. We need to discipline ourselves as users by being judicious in sharing what we receive. And this is possible if only we apply our minds and learn to read things between the lines – carefully understanding the materials we receive, before sharing with others. We must not accept or reject an information piece on face value – the most impressive looking creations could be one with malicious intent, while the ordinary looking ones may well be communicating useful and valuable inputs.

Last but not the least, any message that comes with a request to share with others must be treated with utmost caution; as such items invariably turn out to be the handiwork of hackers, using a method known as social engineering in cyber security parlance. The good thing is, as social media users, the ability to assess, appreciate and understand itself is education.  Be alert! Be safe! And make good use of the social media.

 

 

---

---

Visitor comments

---

Leave a comment