Intensifying their crackdown against rumour mongers spreading misinformation on Covid-19 on social media, the Punjab Police on Thursday approached the Centre for blocking access to 45 links indulging in false propaganda after the concerned social media platforms failed to act against them within the mandated 36 hours of notices being issued to them by the state.
With 13 more accounts/ links blocked by the various platforms, the total number of URLs/links blocked for spreading false propaganda in the state has gone up to 121, while the central government’s intervention has been sought in 45, DGP Dinkar Gupta disclosed.
While Facebook has blocked 47, Twitter has blocked 52, YouTube has blocked 21 and 01 Instagram accounts/links from their platforms. Besides, 292 more such URLs/Links carrying malicious content have been reported to Social Media Platforms for blocking the same, said the DGP. A total of 18 FIRs have been registered from 27 August 20 to 10 September 20 against persons involved in rumour mongering, said the DGP.
On the 45 accounts/links that the concerned social media platforms had failed to block despite the notices from the Punjab Police, the DGP said a letter has been sent to the Cyber Law Division of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India. The letter seeks blocking of these 45 accounts/ channels/links.