Facing govt ire over lynchings, WhatsApp says it alone can't stop rumours


At least 3 people have died recently after being beaten up by crowds because of false messages regarding child abductors being spread through WhatsApp

Current Affairs News: Facing the government's ire over the recent spate of lynchings in the country, allegedly due to rumours spread on its instant messaging platform, WhatsApp has told the Centre that it won't be able to solve the fake news problem alone and it will require collective action from the government and civil society's end to curb the spread of hoaxes.

"We believe that false news, misinformation and the spread of hoaxes are issues best tackled collectively: by government, civil society and technology companies working together," the company wrote in the letter accessed by Business Standard.

WhatsApp is among the world's biggest messaging platforms with more than 200 million active users in India. However, the company has come under fire recently because of the rising menace of fake news and incendiary messages being spread on the app through large groups.
About a dozen people, out of whom at least three have died, have recently been beaten up by crowds because of false messages regarding child abductors being spread through WhatsApp. The government took a strong view of this and wrote to the California-based company about its "deep disapproval" of the app and called for "immediate action" to contain the flow of misinformation through "appropriate technology".

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