A message is currently circulating on Whatsapp which claims that group admins need to close their Whatsapp groups for 2 days as police can take action against the group admins & members if jokes are posted on the group relating to Corona Virus Disease (CoViD-19).
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The Message
Group admin is requested to close group for 2days as police can take action against admin & group members vide section 68, 140 & 188 if anyone even by mistake post joke on corona. Everyone could be in trouble. Hence I draw the attention of group admin to take necessary steps. Dear All, Mandate for All: Tonight 12 ( midnight) onwards Disaster Management Act has been implemented across the country. According to this update, apart from the Govt department no other citizen is allowed to post any update or share any forward related to Corona virus and it being punishable offence. Group Admins are requested to post the above update and inform the groups. Please adhere this strictly. https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/centre-seeks-sc-direction-that-no-media-should-publish-covid-19-news-without-first-ascertaining-facts-with-govt-154601(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Basis of Claim
Due to the current lockdown in India, people are at home and finding activities to keep busy. With the spread of Corona Virus Disease (CoViD-19) pandemic, there has been a manifold increase in information being circulated on social media websites, like Whatsapp, which includes fake information. However, in the absence of sources to verify the accuracy of such information, people are believing in such posts & forwarding them. Such spread of false information can have a wrong impact on many people.
FACT CHECK
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Press Information Bureau\’s Twitter account for #FactCheck posted that this message is a false claim. There is no such advisory or order issued by the Government.
Fake message is going around on social media claiming that legal action would be taken against admin and group members who post jokes on #Coronavirus , hence group admin should close the group for 2 days.
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 6, 2020
This is #Fake! No such order has been issued by the Government pic.twitter.com/TFB5GCH2Vg
