States to up vigil on communally charged posts on social media

S. Vijay Kumar

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Friday, 30th September 2022
Page No. 18
Delhi Print Edition
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A couple of days after the nationwide raids on the premises of Popular Front of India (PFI) functionaries and the subsequent ban on the organisation and its associates, affiliates, and fronts, the Union government has sent out an advisory that there has been a significant increase in the posting of communally provocative content on social media platforms.

The Centre urged the States to take effective steps to curb the misuse of cyberspace by miscreants to stoke communal passions by circulating provocative messages, photos or videos.

Enhanced vigil

The advisory called for taking down such objectionable content and blocking user accounts by following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

It underlined the need for enhanced vigil and heightened security arrangements at communally hyper-sensitive and sensitive locations, police sources told The Hindu on Thursday.

Asked for comment, Tamil Nadu Director-General of Police C. Sylendra Babu said that ‘Social Media Monitoring Cells’ and ‘Cyber Forensic Cells’ were established in all cities and districts in the State to block communally sensitive or any other objectionable content posted on social media platforms.

Adequate security arrangements were in place to protect prominent personalities and important establishments of the Central and State governments, the DGP said.

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