Punjab court directs social media platforms to remove videos targeting CM Mann

Chandigarh, Oct 24 (IANS) A Mohali court in Punjab on Friday directed major social media platforms, including Meta platforms — Facebook and Instagram, YouTube, X Corp., and Telegram, to remove objectionable videos targeting Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann within 24 hours of the receipt of the court order.

The court attached a list of 166 specific URLs from these platforms. Judicial Magistrate (1st Class) Manpreet Kaur, in her order, directed the platforms to "remove the content with respect to the specific URLs as mentioned".

"The alleged offensive material is directed to be removed forthwith and in any event within 24 hours of the receipt of the court order."

The court acted on an application filed by the State Cyber Crime Department, Mohali, which argued that the fabricated content, potentially AI-generated, was vulgar, and had the tendency to disturb public order.

The court also issued a specific direction to Google (search engine) to ensure the offensive content becomes non-searchable by de-indexing and de-referencing it.

Furthermore, all platforms have been directed to preserve all information and records associated with the offending material to prevent the destruction of evidence.

The fake video was reportedly circulated from the account of Jagman Samra, a Canadian resident. After the videos went viral, a case was registered against Samra.

Meanwhile, the content was initially taken down from the account of Samra, the court noted that "certain mischievous persons have started re-uploading or circulating the same or substantially similar objectionable content" across various other platforms, leading to the comprehensive list of 166 links submitted to the court.

The order warned the intermediaries that failure to comply with the directions would lead them to forfeit their exemption from liability under the IT Act, paving the way for legal action against them.

--IANS

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