The Supreme Court on Friday expressed worry over the India social media monitoring plan.
It worries that the plan could turn India into a “surveillance state’’.
Hence, the Supreme Court asked the government to respond to such concerns within two weeks, a lawyer involved in the case said.
But a member of parliament challenged the plan, following which a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court began hearing the matter.The government wants social media users’ monitored and fake news identified and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in April invited bids from companies to do that.
“Tracking and regulating social media content will transform us into a surveillance state,’’ one of the three judges observed, according to the petitioner’s lawyer, who declined to be identified.
Indian media also reported that the Supreme Court raised concerns about the plan to track social media.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Highlighting the danger of so-called fake news in India, a series of hoaxes posted on social media has led to a spate of lynchings recently.
Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp messaging platform on Tuesday published advertisements in Indian newspapers, aimed at tackling the spread of misinformation.
(Reuters/NAN)
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