SC slams social media for spreading fake news

The Supreme Court on Thursday slammed social media platforms like YouTube and web portals for the circulation of fake news without any accountability and lamented that a section of media gives communal colour to every news, thereby showing the country in bad light.

The Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, also said that social media, including web portals and YouTube, listen only to the powerful voices and not judges and institutions.

The top court’s damning of social media platforms came in the course of hearing a plea by Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind seeking action against certain media houses, including visual media, for the communalisation of Nizamuddin Tablighi Jamaat congregation. When the court lamented that some media outlets aired communal content linking the spread of the Coronavirus to a Tablighi Jamaat meet held at Nizamuddin in Delhi, the Jamiat lawyer pointed out that it was the government that was encouraging these outlets to spread such fake news.

Taking exception to social media outlets gloating over their invincibility, the bench, also comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice A.S. Bopanna, said, “There is no control over fake news and slandering in web portals and YouTube channels. If you go to YouTube, you will find how fake news is freely circulated and anyone can start a channel on YouTube.”

“The problem is, everything in this country is shown with a communal angle by a section of the media. The country is going to get a bad name ultimately,” said the bench, adding, “Did you (the Centre) ever attempt to regulate these private channels?”

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta pointed out that a redressal mechanism and timely resolution of grievances of social media users and OTT platforms is already provided under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rule, 2021, that require these platforms to appoint a grievance redressal officer who is a resident of India.