Fact Check: Is there prohibitory order for WhatsApp Group admins against fake news?

Since time coronavirus pandemic has begun, rumours related to virus as well as actions taken or t taken by government are also spreing rapidly. This has led to officials taking strict actions against people who spre fake news. A recent claim on Whatsapp asks group mins to be aware and t share content that brings out government shortcomings.

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Origin

Whatsapp mess that has been making rounds on social media and communication app talks about ‘a prohibitory order’ which will be effective from May 25 to June 8, 2020. mess requests all group mins to t post any content that projects government shortcomings or any political content. re is also a warning in end that mins will be wholly responsible for any law and order situation.

re are important pointers to te about above mess. First and most important point to check is that re is mention of who is giving prohibitory order, where it has been issued and when was it issued. Any order given by a government office will have above details and it is a mandatory part of orders and releases.

Order from Mumbai Police

Coming to actual order content, a news source informs that Mumbai Police has brought forward prohibitory order under Section 144 and Section 188, which will be effective from May 25 to June 8. This prohibits people from sharing fake news on social media platforms. article on news source states four points that were mentioned by Mumbai Police which are prohibited.

• Sharing of incorrect and fake information through Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok etc
• Causing panic and confusion in public
• Derogatory and discriminatory order information towards a particular community
• Anything that incites uninformed mistrust for actions taken by government functionaries and thus putting safety of people from COVID-19 under risk.

fourth point given in this particular order bars people from sharing wrong information under name of government or misinformation about any anuncements done by government bodies. It does t prohibit people from sharing ‘shortcomings of government’ or any ‘political content’. Thus above mess's information is incorrect.

in-charge of National Students Union of India, Ruchi Gupta, has shared a prohibitory order in Mumbai from Police Commissioner of Mumbai that talks about above-mentioned points. Gupta mentioned that order is from Police Commissioner and can be seen with a sign and stamp. However, such order has been shared by Mumbai Police official Twitter account and it is t available on official website of Greater Mumbai Police. Thus, it is important to te that re has been confirmation about this order from officials.

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claims mentioned are fake and misleing

prohibitory order shared by Ruchi Gupta states that Whatsapp group min will be responsible for any misleing information that is sent on ir groups. se messs could be eir sent by self or ar member of group. mess clipping above states that min will be responsible for any 'law and order' situation, while actual tice mentions that min will be held accountable only for fake messs sent. 

How to set 'Only min can mess in Whatsapp group'

In order to take 'precautionary measures', min can stop incoming messs in a group. In Group Settings, min can change 'Send Messs' option to 'Only mins'. Below are  screenshots of both iOS and Android settings.

(Source: Whatsapp)

Fact Checks on Whatsapp-related fake news

re has been a constant spre of fake news related to Whatsapp messs and content being shared on social media. Republic has many fact checks available on site that can help one understand and clear out any misconceptions about same. Here are a few:

Fact Check - Can Government Re WhatsApp Chats Based On Number Of Ticks You See?

Fact Check: Can Police Take Action Against Whatsapp Group mins For COVID-19 Based Jokes?