Bhopal News: Curbs On Objectionable Social Media Content To Maintain Law & Order | Representative Image
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): To control the misuse of social media platforms that may disturb public order and communal harmony, police commissioner Harinarayanchari Mishra on Saturday issued a prohibitory order under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Police officials said that anti-social elements may use platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, X (Twitter), Instagram, Telegram, SMS and other social media sites to circulate provocative messages, distorted images, videos or audio clips which could be used to mobilize people, spread rumours, incite hatred between communities and create an atmosphere conducive to violence or unlawful assemblies.
Under the prohibitory order, individuals are barred from posting, sharing, liking, forwarding or commenting on any content that may incite religious, communal or caste-based hatred.
Group administrators have been made personally responsible for preventing the circulation of such content within their groups. The order also strictly prohibits the spread of rumours, morphed content or messages that may provoke violence or encourage people to participate in illegal activities.
Special directions have been issued to cyber cafe operators to verify the identity of every user through valid government-issued documents, maintain detailed registers of visitors and install web cameras to capture and securely store user photographs. Allowing unidentified people to use cyber cafe services has been prohibited.
The order has been passed to maintain peace and security and will remain in force for two months, inviting action in case of violation.
Social media wars may cause violence
Police officials said that it had been observed that objectionable posts on social media often escalated into serious communal tension, not merely due to the original content but more significantly because of abusive, hateful and irresponsible comments and cross-comments that followed. Such online exchanges, referred to as Internet social media wars , often incited religious, social and caste-based sentiments posing a direct threat to law and order.
