We Stand Top on Misinformation and Disinformation

Elyas Muhammad Thumbe

National General Secretary

Hurray! Modi-ruled India is the country where the risk of disinformation and misinformation was ranked highest!!! It is to be noted that India ranks 105th out of 127 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2024. World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Risk Report survey expresses the concern that false information is one of the major threats that people around the world will face now.

The survey refers to the fake news during India’s 2019 election, as to how parties had “weaponized the platforms [of WhatsApp and Facebook] to spread incendiary messages to supporters, heightening fears that online anger could spill over into real-world violence.

” More recently, misinformation also became an issue during the Covid-19 pandemic in India, again via WhatsApp. The conclusion of the WEF analysts that “The presence of misinformation and disinformation in these electoral processes could seriously destabilize the real and perceived legitimacy of newly elected governments, risking political unrest, violence and terrorism, and a longer-term erosion of democratic processes,” is very relevant in the context of the Indian people witnessing it in India. This disclosure highlights the fact that the present government is built on misinformation and disinformation, and they are using these tools to alienate and eliminate the ‘others’ and their heritage.