Centre warns Internet majors on Blue Whale

IT minister says such games not part of IT ecosystem

The Centre on Wednesday said that action will be taken against Internetbased social media platforms if they fail to remove links to the deadly Blue Whale Challenge game which has led youngsters to commit suicide in the country.

Law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “people are committing suicide due to Blue Whale game. We received many complaints including from the concerned departments. Clear instructions have been issued to all the technology platforms that they must delink this game immediately because under the Indian IT ecosystem no initiative shall be permitted which provokes young boys to commit suicide. This is plainly unacceptable.”

The minister said this while speaking to media persons in a post Cabinet meeting briefing.

The government on August 11 had directed internet majors — Google, Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, Microsoft and Yahoo — to immediately remove the links to dangerous online game Blue Whale Challenge, which has led to suicide of children in India and other countries.

“I appeal all the platforms to abide by the direction which the IT ministry has given. It is important and the violation will be viewed very seriously,” Mr Prasad said.

The Blue Whale challenge is a social mediabased game which has led its players to commit suicide. It gives certain tasks to its players for a period of 50 days and the final task leads to suicide.

The player is also asked to share photos after finishing the every task.

Expressing concern over the availability of such game online, the IT ministry said, “it is understood that an administrator of the game uses social media platform to invite/incite children to play this game, which may eventually lead them to take extreme steps including suicide.”

Mumbai, West Midnapore district in West Bengal and some parts of Kerala have reported deaths linked to this game.