False information led to mob lynching in India: US expert

Geysha Gonzalez, associate director for the Eurasia centre at the Atlantic Council, on Wednesday asserted that "in India, circulation of false information via messaging app has led to some mob lynching incidents."

Speaking at a programme organized on "Media Literacy and Digital Disinformation" in Delhi over the issue of fake news on social media, Gonzalez said that there is a need for individuals to understand how this challenge can be tackled.

Elaborating further on the issue she said, "This challenge is not new. It has been around as long as humans have been on Earth to spread rumours and gossip. Now there are new platforms so that sharing false info can become viral. In India, use of false info via messaging app led to some mob lynching incidents. There is a need for individuals to understand how we can tackle the challenge".

Talking of ways to deal with false information and measures that one must adopt to discourage propagation of such information, she added, "There is a lot of individual power in what we do and what we react to. You can say, "Check your sources". There is a need to start a debate. As individuals, on Whatsapp and also on other platforms, question info you receive.