Fake news can be dangerous and right now, police in India are trying to get that message across to save peoples' lives. WhatsApp, a messenger app for smartphones, is incredibly popular in India: "more than 200 million Indians use WhatsApp to send 13.7 billion messages each day, according to Neha Dharia, a former Ovum analyst and consultant in Bangalore." Recently, fake news reports about child kidnappers and roving murderers have caused a lot of panic, enough that vigilante groups are lashing out at strangers. The political and religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims are partly responsible, but the fake news is pushing communities to their breaking points. "Don’t spread these messages. And when strangers come to your village, don’t take the law into your hands. Don’t kill them," pleads Rema Rajeshwari (a police superintendent), who is pictured above.
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