India arrests citizens who spread fake information about the Coronavirus 

India started arresting citizens for posting fake information about the Coronavirus on social media. Around 100 people were arrested on charges related to spreading misinformation on the topic. India has not passed any ‘fake news’ legislation, but most cases were registered under other existing laws like the Indian Penal Code and the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897. Rasmus Nielsen, the director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, expressed concern regarding the sanctions by stating ‘Extraordinary times absolutely call for extraordinary measures, but those measures should be positive investments in independent and credible information, not steps that will do little or nothing to stop misinformation while doing great collateral damage to fundamental rights.’