Being the administrator
or an admin in a popular whatsApp group has never been easy and now the cyber
crime policy say life is going to be tough for so many admins out there. "One black sheep in the
herd could land the admin behind bars", says Crime commander- India, Mr. Swathi
Lakra, pointing out that some contentious posts circulating on whatsApp have
prompted the police to be extra vigilant and to initiate action against such
posts.
From now on, any WhatsApp
post that could promote enmity on ground of religion, nationality, gender, race,
language and so on can lead to jailing the admins of such groups. In other word,
no anti-national, communal or racist post are to be allowed in whatsApp groups.
It is therefore up to
the admin to exercise caution, rein in troublesome members and report them to the police in case of mischief. Members trying to bully anyone else within or
outside the group, too can invite trouble. Posting or using celebrity pictures
as profile photos on Whatsapp groups without the consent of the person is also
considered a crime.
“Social media
networking sites have their own boundaries and the chance for foolproof
investigations is tough. But instant messaging application present a different
scenario because recovering evidence is easier.
It is therefore the responsibility
of WhatsApp group Admins to be vigilant and take responsibility to ensure that
there is no content that amounts to cyber crime is posted in their group
without reporting it to the police.
WhatsApp has become a
means of spreading rumors and objectionable content with the out come often
leading to tense situation. Law
enforcement agencies and cyber law experts say that existing laws in India are
vague as far as fixing responsibility for such messages. While few cases have
been registered so far to establish a trend, some recent ones in Maharashtra
have seen the Group admins being booked in each case. Does the lack of clarity
leave the scope for misuse? In majority of the cases, the police
fail to locate the person responsible for generating these posts and admins are
held liable for the action of group members. But the fact remains that admins
have more power in regulating content and members’ actions.