Facebook to remove posts that spur violence
San Francisco, July 19 : Accused of helping to spur violence in countries like Myanmar, Sri Lanka and India, Facebook has said it will begin removing misinformation that leads to violence and physical harm.
Currently, Facebook bans content that directly calls for violence but the new policy will cover fake news that has the potential to stir up physical harm, CNET reported late on Wednesday.
"There are certain forms of misinformation that have contributed to physical harm, and we are making a policy change which will enable us to take that type of content down," Facebook said in a statement.
"We will begin implementing the policy during the coming months," it added.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp is facing the flak in India for allowing the circulation of large number of irresponsible messages filled with rumours and provocation that has led to growing instances of lynching of innocent people.
In June, Facebook removed content that alleged Muslims in Sri Lanka were poisoning food given and sold to Buddhists.
A coalition of activists from eight countries, including India and Myanmar, in May called on Facebook to put in place a transparent and consistent approach to moderation.
In a statement, the coalition demanded civil rights and political bias audits into Facebook's role in abetting human rights abuses, spreading misinformation and manipulation of democratic processes in their respective countries.
Besides India and Myanmar, the other countries that the activists represented were Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Philippines, Syria and Ethiopia.
The demands raised by the group bore significance as Facebook came under fire for its failure to stop the deluge of hate-filled posts against the disenfranchised Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.
Sri Lanka temporarily shut down Facebook earlier in 2018 after hate speech spread on the company's apps resulted in mob violence.
According to The Verge, Facebook will review posts that are inaccurate or misleading, and are created or shared with the intent of causing violence or physical harm.
The posts will be reviewed in partnership with firms in the particular country including threat intelligence agencies.
"Partners are asked to verify that the posts in question are false and could contribute to imminent violence or harm," Facebook said.
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Gurugram CA held for slitting pregnant wife's throat with scissors
Jhajjar (PTI): A chartered accountant has been arrested for allegedly killing his pregnant wife by slitting her throat with a pair of scissors and trying to pass it off as a robbery attempt, police said on Wednesday.
According to police, Anshul Dhawan (31) got married to Mehak (27) in September last year. Both worked in Gurugram.
Police received a call on Sunday night reporting that some unidentified people tried to rob Anshul, took his car and kidnapped his wife, SHO Badli, Inspector Suresh said.
When police reached the spot, they found the woman's body near a dry canal with injury marks on her neck, he said.
Suspecting inconsistencies in Anshul's version of events, police took him into custody for interrogation. He confessed that he had killed Mehak with a pair of scissors, wearing gloves, over suspicions about her character, SHO said.
"During his questioning, it came to light that he had pre-planned the murder. His wife worked in a private bank in Gurugram. He had doubts that she talked to her friends, and he did not like it," SHO added. Following the confession, Anshul was arrested on Monday.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police said.
Mehak's sister, Shruti, told the reporters that the family had doubts that Anshul was involved in the murder. She said, "We want justice; the killer should be hanged. He did not even think that his wife was two months pregnant."
She said on February 15, Anshul came to their house and stayed only for ten minutes and left with Mehal for Gurugram.
Shruti alleged that Anshul had pre-planned the murder.
