Election Commission meets representatives of internet firms

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Tuesday met representatives of Internet companies, including Facebook and Twitter, to discuss issues related to the use of social media for campaigning in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls while the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in force.
The meeting comes after the Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC) sent a notice to the poll panel, urging it to take action against the misuse of social media to influence voters.
The agenda of the meeting was to find ways to avoid misuse of social media during elections and create a mechanism for the poll panel to flag violations.
With the Election Commission on March 9 outlining stringent guidelines for social media usage during elections, political parties and candidates won’t be able to post unverified advertisements, photographs of defence personnel, hate speeches and fake news on their accounts.