In June, when the whole state was gripped by fear of the mysterious and deadly Nipah virus, a WhatsApp message started doing the rounds. “What the big pharma doesn't want you to know is that, while there is no cure for Nipah in allopathic medicine, there is a medicine *********, ******* doses of which can prevent the contraction of the disease.” A few days later, reports emerged that over 30 people who consumed the medicine fell ill with fever and bodyache.
If you trace a millennial love life through technological indicators, it can be broadly divided into three phases: the innocent 'dog chasing a car' era of Orkut flirtations, the heady testosterone rush of post-hookup Facebook crazies and the calmer, more collected 'dispatch thine salacious portraits' of the WhatsApp age. Those were simpler times; but, the worm has, literally, turned. When did the stoic, efficient medium that promised young lovers a bug-less fulfilment of their libido turn into a dark, damp crackhouse where the loony right weds murderous lynch mobs?
According to recent reports, dozens of people were killed in India after a spate of fake news about childlifters did the rounds on the messaging application. Consider a case study from Assam, where two young men were robbed of their lives. The duo, returning from a picnic spot in Anglong district, were pulled out of their car and lynched by villagers who suspected them to be childlifters. Nilotpal Das (29), a sound engineer based in Mumbai, and his friend Abhijeet Nath (30), a businessman, had gone to the picnic spot Kangthilang, and were on their way back when they were stopped by some villagers at Panjuri and thrashed, despite the duo pleading that they were Assamese and not outsiders, police said. In a video of the incident circulated on social media, the two men can be heard begging for their lives and trying to explain to the livid crowd that they were innocent but to no avail.
When did cold-blooded butchery become reduced to viral fodder in India? And what can be done to prevent these incidents from repeating? The central government, on its part, has expertly shifted the blame of law and order breakdown to WhatsApp's failure to enforce the necessary security measures. "WhatsApp needs to recognise that India offers a huge market for them and they are making good money out of Indian operations. So they must focus on security aspect in India in particular, and if it requires creation of more avenues of technology for safety, they must do it soon," the minister said on the sidelines of a conference organised by Common Services Centres.
Not mincing his words, Prasad said detecting the en masse circulation of a particular message in one area and on a particular subject cannot be "rocket science" and asked WhatApp to take such instances seriously. "If in any state, any part, on a particular subject, if there is a circulation of large volumes of messages on WhatsApp, it is not rocket science that can't be discovered by application of technology," Prasad said.
Officials of WhatsApp said that they were looking to enforce stricter measures, including newer features that would label forwarded messages as such. “Sadly some people also use WhatsApp to spread harmful misinformation,” WhatsApp said in a statement. “We’re stepping up our education efforts so that people know about our safety features and how to spot fake news and hoaxes.” But, aren't these measures redundant? Every uncle in every WhatsApp family group begins every single outrageously false news with the dreaded words—forwarded as received. Instead of blaming the medium, shouldn't we blame our educated doctor friends who forward us messages of 'yet another case of HIV contracted through cola', never mind that the disease cannot spread through food or water; Who should shoulder the blame when IIM graduates start 'forwarding as received' fake messages that eating chicken or beef could cause you to contract Nipah, at a time when the authorities were still grappling with the origins of the virus.
The answer is simple: Think twice before swiping 'forward'. A human life could be the cost.
(Inputs from agencies)