'Fake news a major cause of disruption of peace, harmony in society'

Fake news is one of the main causes for disruption of peace and harmony in the society but it becomes more dangerous in a volatile place, a senior police official in Kashmir said today.

"We use words like hoax, misinformation, and untruth, but simply put, fake news is one of the main causes for disruption of peace and harmony in our society.

"The quantum jump in circulation and prevalence of fake news makes it absolutely critical to sensitise people about its impact. Fake news is mostly spread through social media platforms," Shopian Senior Superintendent of Police Sandeep Chaudhary said at a seminar on fake news at the district police headquarters.

Chaudhary said fake news becomes much more dangerous in a volatile society as one wrong information or rumour can incite people to indulge in violence.

"The biggest tragedy of fake news is that people don't even realise that they are being exploited by someone else to serve their own interests."