The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) has published a step-by-step guide for law enforcement agencies to identify “fake news” and videos intended to spread panic through hatred and communal violence in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The think-tank under the Union Home Ministry, in the detailed guide, has said “digital news has brought back and increased the usage of fake news or yellow journalism” usually “published with the intent to damage an agency, entity or a person and gain financially or politically “often using sensationalist, dishonest or outright fabricated headlines to increase readership.”
To explain the communal aspect, the guidelines include a screenshot of a fake video which accused Muslims of licking cleaned plates and spoons to “transfer the virus to people at large.”
Fake URLs
It also attached a clip where miscreants used fake URLs to mislead people who wanted to donate to PM-CARES fund.
The guidelines ask police and other investigating agencies to use open domain tools such as Google Reverse Image search, www.pic2map.com , www.fotoforensics.com www.metapicz.com/#landing https://29a.ch/photo-forensics/#forensic-magnifier etc., for collecting more information on fake videos.
Also read: COVID-19: Fake news pandemic surges on Facebook, Twitter
The research body, however, cautioned that the “Investigating officer may consider the case sensitivity because these websites