Thursday, 08 December 2022 | PNS | NAINITAL
The Uttarakhand High Court has imposed a penalty of Rs 50,000 on Facebook for not submitting its reply in a public interest litigation regarding fake IDs of people being made on Facebook, their edited and objectionable videos being made to blackmail them with the threat of the same being uploaded on social media if they fail to pay. The division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice RC Khulbe imposed the penalty on the company and directed it to submit its reply by February 16 while hearing the matter on Wednesday. In the past, the court had directed the company to submit its reply within three weeks on September 8, 2021.
According to the case details, Haridwar resident Alok Kumar had filed the PIL stating that he himself was a victim. The petitioner has stated that some people make fake IDs on Facebook and send friend requests to others. After the receiver accepts the friend request, his or her photographs are edited and obscene videos are made using these edited photos. These videos are sent to them and they are told to pay a certain sum of money failing which the video will be sent to their family members and friends. The petitioner was also sent such a video. When he complained about it to the Haridwar senior superintendent of police, director general of police, and the Home Secretary, no action was taken on it. He filed an application under the Right To Information seeking information from the Police department about how many FIRs had been lodged in such cases in Uttarakhand so far. He was informed that so far 45 victims had complained in such cases so far and that the cases are under investigation. Stating that social media is being misused for making objectionable videos and sending the same to the family members and friends of the victim, the petitioner has stated that the victims are being put in a position that may force them to take extreme steps like suicide. The petitioner has requested in the PIL that Facebook should be directed to block the IDs of people who post such objectionable videos. The petitioner has demanded that such obscene videos should be removed from social media while Facebook, SSP, and DGP should be directed to issue phone numbers where victims can lodge their complaints in such matters.
