SC: Why not put curbs on social media?

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Centre and Twitter Communications India Pvt Ltd as to why a mechanism should not be put in place to check social media content. The court is seized of a PIL, which contends that social media is spreading hatred by dissemination of fake news through bogus accounts.

The PIL contends that that there are hundreds of fake Twitter handles and bogus Facebook accounts in the name of eminent personalities which are being used to spread messages not in the interest of the country.

It says in the absence of a mechanism or a law to check online hate content, Twitter and other social media platforms have been used by some people to "amplify and call out for activities that are against the spirit of the Union of India."