Fake news brings bad name for country: SC

The Supreme Court yesterday expressed deep concern over web portals, and YouTube channels publishing fake news, slandering reputations in the absence of a regulatory mechanism, and said if this were to continue unchecked then it may get a bad name for the country.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana said: “On web portals, there is no control of anybody, they can publish anything … If you go to YouTube, you will find how fake news is freely circulated and anyone can start a channel on YouTube.”

Communal tone

The bench also observed that the content shown in a section of private media bears a communal tone.

The Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted before the bench that federal government has come out with new Information and Technology rules, which address concerns flagged by the top court.