Survey’s Result Showed That India Has More Fake News And Internet Hoaxes Than Anywhere Else In The World.
Fake news continues to be a growing menace in India, which has seen the most number of fake news incidents compared to anywhere else in the world, a recent survey by Microsoft has warned.
A survey has found India has more fake news and internet hoaxes than anywhere else in the world.
The report, by Microsoft, found that 64 percent of Indians have encountered fake news , compared to the global average of 57 percent.
54 percent of Indians had come across internet hoaxes, in comparison to 50 percent worldwide.
“Social circles became riskier in India,” the survey said, adding the jump to 29 percent has taken the country a little over the global average.
Indians are also higher than the global average when it comes to reporting of severe pain from online risks, with 52 percent saying so as against the global average of 28 percent.
The Facebook owned platform, WhatsApp, is also one of the major sources of fake news and hoaxes.
Spreading fake news about child kidnappers and other such threats through WhatsApp and such platforms often lead to unnecessary acts of vigilantism and mob lynchings. At least 40 such cases have been reported in India.
The app has more than 200 million users in the country. The new rules enforce a limit on the number of times messages can be forwarded to different people.
