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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KCA suspends S Sreesanth for three years over remarks in Sanju Samson row
Thiruvananthapuram, May 2 (PTI): The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has suspended former India pacer S Sreesanth for three years for allegedly making false and derogatory statements against it in connection with the controversy surrounding Sanju Samson’s omission from the Indian team for the Champions Trophy.
In a statement, the KCA said the decision was taken at its special General Body meeting held in Kochi on April 30.
Sreesanth is currently a co-owner of Kollam Aeries, a franchise team in the Kerala Cricket League.
Earlier, in relation to his controversial remarks, show-cause notices had been issued to Sreesanth as well as to the franchise teams Kollam Aeries, Alappuzha Team Lead, and Alappuzha Ripples.
"Since the franchise teams gave satisfactory responses to the notices, no further action will be taken against them. However, the meeting decided to advise greater caution when appointing members to team management," the statement said.
The General Body also resolved to file a compensation claim against Sanju Samson's father, Samson Vishwanath, and two others for making baseless allegations using Sanju Samson’s name, it added.
The KCA had issued a show-cause notice to Sreesanth--who was part of the India squad that won two World Cup titles--for his remarks linking the state cricket body and Samson during a panel discussion on a Malayalam television channel.
In a statement, the KCA had clarified that the notice was not issued for supporting Samson but for making misleading and defamatory comments against the association.
During the televised discussion, Sreesanth allegedly pledged his support to Samson and vowed to protect him and other Kerala players, while levelling accusations against the KCA.
His remarks came amid criticism of the KCA for dropping Samson from the Kerala squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which was believed to have affected his chances of being selected for India’s Champions Trophy team.
