Regulating Fake News

The Russian President, Vladmir Putin, recently signed a law that imposes strict fines for publishing fake news and online comments that show disrespect for the state. WhatsApp has cautioned its users that it would initiate legal proceedings against those who use the platform for bulk or automated messaging, in order to regulate the use of the platform and dissemination of fake news. While propaganda or half truths were used in the earlier era to misinform people, today, social media platforms do so through dissemination of fake news, which has the capability to mislead the illiterate masses through visuals. The Guardian columnist Natalie Nougayrède observes: “The use of propaganda is ancient, but never before has there

been the technology to so effectively disseminate it.”