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India threatens WhatsApp group admins over fake news

You gotta kick your BFF out of your group chat if he's been distributing fake news, according to a new order from an Indian magistrate.

Zoey Chong Reporter
Zoey is CNET's Asia News Reporter based in Singapore. She prefers variety to monotony and owns an Android mobile device, a Windows PC and Apple's MacBook Pro all at the same time. Outside of the office, she can be found binging on Korean variety shows, if not chilling out with a book at a café recommended by a friend.
Zoey Chong
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Disseminating fake news on WhatsApp or Facebook in India could land you behind bars -- especially if you're running the offending group.

An Indian magistrate ruled yesterday that any information that is factually incorrect or misleading that is posted on a social media group could result in a report by the police against the group administrator, the Economic Times reports. The order is aimed at curbing the spread of false information.

Fake news came under the spotlight last year when detractors alleged that it was one of the reasons for US president Donald Trump 's win during the 2016 US presidential elections. As the French presidential election approaches, experts are warning voters about the spread of misinformation by bot accounts.

The order stipulates that group administrators must remove members responsible for offending posts from a group. If they fail to do so, action will be taken against them.

The move affects more than 200 million people who are registered on WhatsApp in India.

Facebook and WhatsApp did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.

Facebook is one of several tech giants battling the fake news phenomenon. The company introduced updates targeted at bogus accounts last week, after Google announced the addition of the "fact check" feature to its search engine earlier.

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