Why in news?

• A panel headed by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, which deliberated on measures to check incidents of lynching, submitted its report to a Group of Ministers headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
• In May and June, more than 20 people were lynched based on fake posts or rumours floating on various social media platforms.
• The panel discussed such incidents and is learnt to have come to the conclusion that social media platforms needed to act in a “time-bound” manner.

Panel Members:

• The panel report will first be discussed by the GoM, whose members are External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot.

Background:

• According to the sources, the panel is learnt to have suggested that the existing provisions in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and criminal procedure code (CrPC) should be tightened by inserting new clauses.
• Social media platforms — Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Twitter — would be made accountable for not blocking malicious posts and videos when brought to their notice and an “FIR could be lodged against their country heads” for not complying with government orders and they could be prosecuted under law.
• The committee of secretaries held consultations with a cross-section of society and other stakeholders before submitting its report to the Group of Ministers.
• They suggested that some countries employ non-governmental organisations and volunteers who proactively surf the Internet.
• They have created a portal where people can report such videos and content and that can be forwarded by the National Crime Records Bureau [the nodal body] to the States concerned for appropriate action
• The Centre asked to appoint an officer in each district at the level of Superintendent of Police, set up a special task force to gather intelligence, and closely monitor social media contents to prevent mob attacks on people on the suspicion of being child-lifters or cattle smugglers.