Maharashtra: 55 ‘take down’ notices issued to social media platforms

In a bid to check the spread of hateful messages and rumour-mongering on social media vis-a-vis the coronavirus situation, the Cyber wing of the Maharashtra Police has issued 55 “Take Down” notices to Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and other such platforms during the lockdown period, an official said on Tuesday.

While a total of 32 such objectionable posts have been removed, police have arrested 37 people and identified 114 others.

The Maharashtra Cyber has registered 196 cases related to spreading of fake news, rumours and hateful messages as well as for circulation of misinformation during the lockdown period till April 14, he said.

While 188 of the total 196 cases are converted into FIRs, the rest eight cases were registered as Non-Cognizable (NC) offences, he said.