SHILLONG, April 28 - Misuse of the social media by way of circulating objectionable material is an offence which is punishable by law under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Indian Penal Code.
Informing this here today, East Khasi Hills district police chief Davis NR Marak said, �Such irresponsible posts can bring about immense harm to the person who is being targeted. Hence, the general public is advised to refrain from vilifying persons using the social media.�
Marak also expressed concern over the rising trend among the general public to post and share objectionable content online and in the social media. He added that people are also resorting to rumour mongering on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Youtube.
Pointing to a particular incident, Marak said that recently, an explicit video clip of a girl was posted and shared on Facebook, which has caused distress to both the victim and her family members.
Marak urged people who have information about such activities to report the matter to the police. He said that the police can then verify the same and take action.
Marak also advised the youth to refrain from capturing images or any act of their loved ones and disseminate them to third persons or post them on the social media without their consent as this is an offence.
He also said that there have been instances where people have unscrupulously posted content online and on the social media without verifying the veracity of the content, besides spreading and sharing malicious posts.
