The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to examine if social networking sites like Facebook and WhatsApp can be prosecuted for the circulation of vulgar and offensive material on their platforms. However, the apex court turned down a plea to block the platforms altogether, reported The Times of India.
The court asked the Centre to look into the matter after two cases were brought to its notice in which people were booked for circulating videos of rape on instant messaging app WhatsApp in Mumbai, and running a sex racket for paedophiles through a Facebook account. No action was taken against the social networking platforms.
The Centre had earlier told the court that it was difficult to identify people who shared such media after uploading via mobile phones. It said culprits could be easily caught if such media were uploaded via a computer, but not cell phones. A Hyderabad-based NGO, Prajwala, told the court that action must be taken against the social networking sites and they should be blocked.
However, the court rejected the plea, saying, “You are now asking blocking of sites. You may later on ask for banning mobile phones. It’s not a solution and it cannot be done. Let the government first respond to the issue and then we will consider.”
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