Abstract

In today’s globalized world people reliance on technology and internet has been astonishing and it is becoming the core fourth generation human right. Technology and Internet comes with its own advantage and disadvantage. In the age of Internet fake news has become a big menace and social evil. The problem of fake news is not a new issue it existed even during the ancient times. The history states that around 2000 years ago in ancient Rome Octavian launched a fake news war against Mark Anthony to capture the kingdom and after the advent of printing press fake news was circulated to tarnish the image and reputation of the King . Now the outburst of internet has led to increased proliferation and explosion of fake news resulted in violence which gives people anonymity and geographical distance to be aggressive or unaccountable. Fake news in India refers to misinformation or disinformation in the country which is spread through word of mouth and traditional media and more recently through digital forms of communication such as – morphed images or edited videos, click-baits, motivated stories, hate speech, memes, unverified advertisements, and social media propagated rumours etc. Information disorder pose a major threat to security, sovereignty and integrity of India and impact various rights like right to free and fair elections, right to health, right to non- discrimination, right to life, right to privacy, right to freedom of opinion and expression. Disinformation and fake news are not new concepts; in fact, the term has been around since the 1950s. For many years, to influence people's political beliefs, individuals, organizations, and governments have attempted to damage public opinion by exposing them to fabricated or false information. In 2020, the number of cases filed against people 'circulating fake/false news/rumours' under Section 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has increased by 214%, according to the National Crime Records Bureau . Thus, it is the need of the hour to investigate the menace of fake news from a human rights perspective.

Keywords