FIR against objectionable TikTok videos, says UP govt

TNN | Updated: Apr 7, 2020, 13:27 IST

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LUCKNOW: Fighting the scourge of fake news, video sharing app TikTok has emerged as a new challenge for the UP government. On Monday, the government declared that it could file cases against anyone making “objectionable” videos and those forwarding them.
“We are getting a lot of complaints against objectionable videos being forwarded on Tiktok. The app should not be misused. An FIR can be filed against anyone who posts objectionable material on TikTok and even those who forward these videos. It may not always be possible to trace the source of fake news so we will also take the matter seriously with those who forward such videos,” said additional chief secretary home Awanish Awasthi.
Awasthi said that the government will take up this matter with the Centre and also the TikTok app management so that some way can be found to prevent fake news and objectionable material from being circulated on the app.
Earlier, the government has initiated action against those posting fake news on other social media sites, including one on Whatsapp and three on Facebook. Awasthi said that a gram panchayat officer in Hardoi had been suspended for posting fake news on WhatsApp. An FIR had also been filed against one person in Jaunpur for posting objectionable material on social media.