Social media posed a serious challenge to law enforcement agencies and the area of concerns included terrorism, financial frauds and victimisation of women and children, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday.
The Minister said, during the 2013 riots in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh , the government had said that the social media was used extensively by anti-social elements to spread hatred and misinformation among communities, Mr. Singh said.
Inaugurating a two-day Asia-Pacific regional conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) here, Mr. Singh said that serious crime developed because the police and citizens did not work together to prevent decay of social norms and social disorder.
“The social media had also posed serious challenge to policing. The three main issues are (i) law and order, (ii) cyber crimes, like fake and imitating accounts, financial frauds [Nigerian 419 frauds], malware delivery, drug and other illegal article sales, victimisation of women and children and (iii) terrorism,” he said.
In 2012, the exodus of North East people from south took place allegedly due to a misinformation campaign through Internet and social media.
