WhatsApp CEO meets IT Minister, promises to sanitise platform
New Delhi, Aug 21 : WhatsApp CEO Chris Daniels on Tuesday met Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and promised to step up action to prevent the circulation of fake news and misinformation on its platform.
In a meeting here, Prasad reportedly told Daniels to appoint an officer for grievance redressal, comply with Indian laws and establish a proper corporate entity in the country.
"We had a productive meeting. WhatsApp is being misused to create misinformation and the social media platform has assured prompt action," Prasad told the media after the meeting.
Daniels' meeting with the IT Minister came in the backdrop of several incidents of mob lynchings across India owing to circulation of fake messages and misinformation on the instant messaging platform.
To tackle the spread of false information, the Facebook-owned platform has limited forward messaging to five chats for over 200 million users in India.
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Lokayukta sleuths raid eight govt officers in disproportionate assets case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Lokayukta sleuths on Tuesday conducted simultaneous raids on eight government officers across the state in connection with alleged disproportionate assets cases, officials said.
According to Lokayukta sources, the raids were carried out in the morning at the residences and offices of at least eight officials serving in different departments and districts, including Kodagu, Bidar and Mysuru.
Among those searched is I K Puttaswamy, an Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) posted at Harangi Dam sub-division in Kodagu district.
In Bidar, searches were conducted against Suresh K L, retired Finance Controller at the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU), Nandinagar.
Officials said Shivanna, Deputy Director in the Fisheries Department in Ballari, was also covered under the operation.
In Mysuru, premises linked to Kiran Kumar, Assistant Engineer in the Public Works Department, were searched.
In Chitradurga, raids were conducted against Susheelamma, a retired accounts assistant, while in Mangaluru, Babu B N, serving as an Assistant Drug Controller, was among those targeted.
Similarly, in Shivamogga, Shobha K R, District Officer at the Backward Classes Welfare Department and Ajay Singh, Assistant Executive Engineer in the District Urban Development Cell, were also subjected to searches.
"A coordinated operation was launched this morning against multiple officials suspected to have amassed assets disproportionate to their known sources of income," a Lokayukta official said.
"The searches are being carried out at several locations simultaneously and are still in progress," the official added.
