Fake WhatsApp message claims 31 lives in Maharashtra

WhatsApp is wreaking havoc. Misuse of the social media application is leading to serious repercussions. The recent lynching incited by rumours, courtesy WhatsApp, of five people who lost their lives in Dhule, Maharashtra is a case in point. They were mistaken as child lifters and blame it on the false WhatsApp message. “Guys please be on high alert 10.24 pm. Three kids were kidnapped from my friend’s area this morning. There were 10 guys giving biscuits and people from that area have caught all 10 and five more based on their information. Police arrived at the scene and informed that 400 people have landed in many cities Hyderabad (or Bangalore or Chennai or Karbi- Anglong or Singhbhum or any other place) across the country for child trafficking. Parents please be on high alert.” This was the message that that claimed 31 lives.

The union government has already sent out warnings to the app to introduce some control mechanisms to stop the spread of fake news and messages, WhatsApp in its turn has acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and urges concerned bodies to come together and ensure that such misdemeanours are not pampered.

At this point of time, when fake news spreads like wild fire, such messages are only a tip of the iceberg. The problem runs much deeper and is gorier. A senior journalist says, “It is scary how these messages spread like wild fire in the rural and suburban areas. People treat them as gospel truth. And make sure they ‘share and forward’
them to an entire list of contacts to make it safe.”

Ad guru Prahlad Kakkar adds, “Most surprisingly, these messages are shared by people who are blinded by their love for the social media. They are otherwise unaware and rarely can distinguish between what is fake and real. This triggers their passion towards educating the society, based on fake news, which is becoming dangerous by the day.”
In fact, many feel that among all the social mediums – Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, it is WhatsApp that is the worst.

So, why is WhatsApp dangerous? “It is user-friendly, has a wider reach and the terms and conditions are less strict than for Facebook. This makes it more reachable for the people of rural India, who are hooked to their smart phones these days. In fact, an entire generation is smart phone educated now, so spreading hatred is easier on that
medium, than any other,” says Gita Bamezai, a professor at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).

Facebook users can be tracked and punished for posting content that violates its standards, unlike WhatsApp, that is more personal and often cryptic between two users. The best way to curb this wild fire called fake messages is by following the process of stop-check-believe. Atikh Rashid, who works for a leading national daily, says, “It’s high time people realised ‘what goes on in social media circuits is not true’. They have to follow a stop-check-believe policy when they come across any ‘news item’ on the social media. They have to confirm it with the mainstream media before forwarding or sharing or believing it themselves.” Also, the law should be more stringent when it comes to cyber crimes.

Advocate Asoke Kumar Chatterjee says, “Rumour-mongering is a human instinct. And it gives one immense pleasure to spread stark rumours. So, there is nothing surprising when rumours are spread over smart phones. However, law should be tougher and summary trials should be introduced in this kind of cases. The judgement should be swift and
given when the accused is in custody.”

Cyber cells should be more proactive. “They should be more hands-on in tracing the origin of such maliciously circulated messages so as to curb them at the beginning and punish those responsible for it,” says Atikh.

Perhaps media also has a role in this regard. A leading website has introduced a section called Webqoof, where tracks fake news. Prahlad is of the view that everything boils down to being a responsible user. “People should use social media responsibly to avoid rumour mongering. Everybody should be on the guard,” Kakkar says.
(The writer works with Eastern Chronicle)