New Delhi : India’s internet users consume video extensively, thanks to some of the cheapest data rates on the planet. According to a recent surveys, people in India spent nearly 47 billion hours in 2018 on the top five streaming apps in the country. Unfortunately, YouTube, the biggest streaming video app in India, doesn’t have any filter to restrict people from spreading misinformation – and according to CNBC, the company’s lax content moderation policies haven’t helped.
In the past, while traditional media influenced and shaped decisions and opinions, there was a sense of objectivity around it. However, it is also important to remember that no traditional media ever got the global reach that resources like Facebook, Whatsapp, Google or Twitter command.
In India, social media platforms are still carefree because they haven’t been pulled up yet. Fake news, campaigns by foreign countries spreading misinformation are more dangerous than individuals posting hate content especially in the run up to the elections in India. The government has also been lax in terms of laws relating to investment in digital platforms. We have seen several Chinese companies making investment into Indian content companies. While foreign ownership of news media is not allowed in TV, and print the same rules do not apply to digital media.
Recently, Ten News had a chat with famous Indian TV Anchors like Ravish Kumar from NDTV & Deepak Chaurasia from India News. To know how they responded to the issue of Fake News in India, watch the video mentioned below
