Curb misuse of social media, says Rajnath
Context
Social media posed a serious challenge to law enforcement agencies and the areas of concern included terrorism, financial frauds and victimisation of women and children, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said
Occasion
Two-day Asia-Pacific regional conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
What are the challenges posed by social media to policing?
The three main issues are
- Law and order
- Cybercrimes, like fake and imitating accounts, financial frauds [Nigerian 419 frauds], malware delivery, drug and other illegal article sales, victimisation of women and children
- Terrorism
Past examples of misuse of social media
- In 2012, the exodus of North East people from south took place allegedly due to a misinformation campaign through Internet and social media
- During the 2013 riots in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, the government had said that social media was used extensively by anti-social elements to spread hatred and misinformation among communities
