Misuse of social media to spread hatred among people formed part of the discussion at the 16th National Integration Council meeting. It is a good sign that most Chief Ministers and senior political leaders have concurred with the concern the Prime Minister expressed in this regard. Social media and the internet have provided us an excellent forum to freely express our opinions and ideas and convey them to others. While it has its infinite positive uses, it is tragic that there is now a concerted attempt to use it to spread misinformation and hatred in the name of religion, community and political ideology. It is quite common to come across messages of hate being used against particular religions or specific political leaders. Most often those who indulge in such things are faceless and hide behind pseudo names. It is time the government brought in comprehensive cyber laws to deal with this. Let us hope that all State governments and political parties irrespective of their political differences agree to such control.
K.V. Ravindran,
Payyanur
