Karnataka Home Minister announces plan to introduce new cyberlaw to counter fake news
Bengaluru: Karnataka's Home Minister G Parameshwara announced on Tuesday that the state government is planning to introduce a new cyberlaw to tackle the dissemination of fake news and hate speech on social media. The proposed legislation aims to hold the country heads of social media platforms accountable for the content shared through their platforms.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah echoed the sentiments of the Home Minister during a statement in Mangaluru, stating that strict actions will be taken against individuals involved in defaming others and spreading false information on social media.
To facilitate the formulation of the new law, a panel of experts from the home, information technology, and cybercrime prevention departments will be formed. This panel will provide recommendations on the nature and scope of the proposed law, based on which the legislation will be drafted.
Parameshwara expressed concerns over the challenges in dealing with cybercriminals, particularly those who operate from offshore locations. Punishing these perpetrators becomes difficult as they take advantage of their remote locations to post fake news on social media. Furthermore, social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, do not always comply with the government's requests to control the spread of false information.
To address these challenges, the proposed cyberlaw will hold the country heads of social media platforms responsible for the content available on their platforms. By making them accountable, the government believes it can effectively curb the dissemination of fake news and hate speech to a significant extent.
The Home Minister emphasized that the government is taking the issue of fake news and rumors targeting the state government, the chief minister, and other ministers on social media seriously. In response, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is planning to hold a meeting with representatives of major social media platforms to discuss the matter.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
