Advise social media platforms to put in place system for tracking fake messages: FSSAI to MeitY

Food safety regulator FSSAI has requested the IT ministry to ensure social media platforms put in place a mechanism to track fake messages with regard to safety and quality of food products, Parliament was informed Friday.

In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said FSSAI, in a November 27 letter, expressed concern over circulation of false and malicious videos on various social media platforms regarding the safety and quality of food available in the country.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has requested the ministry to "sensitise" social media platforms on the large-scale implications of such false propaganda, Prasad said.

The regulator has also asked the ministry to advise social media platforms to put in place a system for tracking of messages so that such mischievous perpetrators could be brought to book and penal action can be initiated against them, he added.

Prasad said the government has taken several steps to target such fake videos and messages to take action against people for circulating such false content.

The minister said the government has already issued a notice to messaging platform WhatsApp in July this year on spread of fake news through its platform. WhatsApp, in its response, has conveyed a number of steps that it has taken to address the issue of fake news.

The government has been asking the Facebook-owned company to put in place a mechanism to curb fake messages on its platform, that incited mob fury earlier this year. More than a dozen people were killed across India this year in mob lynchings, fuelled by rumours circulated on WhatsApp.

The rumours ranged from suspicion of stealing children to victims being believed to be killing cows. Riots were instigated by people forwarding and misinterpreting videos on WhatsApp.

"Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and Ministry of Home Affairs as well as police are in regular touch with various social media platforms to effectively address the issue of removal of objectionable content," he said.