"Social networking sites a threat to national protection": Plea in Supreme Court for a law to hold Social Media houses responsible for fake news

A petition in the Supreme Court states that most communal clashes in India are triggered by social media posts and prays for social media houses to be held directly responsible for spreading hate speeches .The Petition by Advocate Vineet Jindal, filed through Advocate-on-Record Raj Kishor Choudhary, states that most of the communal clashes in the country has been triggered by social media posts. .The plea prays for social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram to be held "directly responsible" for spreading hate speeches. It further seeks that a separate law be made to deal with the criminal prosecution of those social media platforms found spreading fake news and hate speeches. Twitter India and Facebook India have been arrayed as respondents in the plea. .The petitioner has also urged the top Court to direct the Central Government and social media websites like Facebook and Twitter to develop an auto removal mechanism for hate speech and fake news. .The plea cites a range of social media posts which triggered communal clashes. Starting with the North-east Delhi riots to the 2014 clashes in Pune which happened due to certain derogatory posts about Hindu kings etc.."In 2013 Muzzaffarnagar riots, the uploading and dissemination of the video of lynching by a legislator of the Hindu nationalist added fuel to the fire. It later emerged that the video was actually from Pakistan, and passed off as Indian," reads the plea..The petition focuses on the freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution and how it goes hand-in-hand with reasonable restrictions that may be imposed under Article 19(2). ."It would be beneficial for India to look at the regulation standards implemented by different countries in order to introduce guidelines which form a balance between freedom of speech and accountability of social media platforms," says the plea. .The petition states that a country like India is a "communal tinderbox" and that by the time action is taken against any inflammatory posts, the damage has already spread like wild fire. ."In a country like India, which is perpetually on a communal tinderbox, where religious sentiments run deep, where respect for certain public and historical figures always come accompanied with veneration for their demi-god status, it doesn’t take much for malice to be coated with a toxic communal hue."The plea reads.The petitioner goes on to state that "Social media has been playing a harmful role in inciting communal violence in India and time has come to check its misuse." ."Social networking sites are a threat to national protection as they are used as instruments for drug trafficking, money laundering and match –fixing, terrorism, and instigating violence and for rumor tools etc."Petitioner.Among other prayers, the petitioner adds that a direction may be given to appoint an expert investigating officer in every case registered for spreading hate or fake news through social media platforms.