Lawmaker calls for curb on misleading online accounts

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Online accounts are not beyond the law, MP Jalal Kadhem said.

He urged people to stay clear of baiting posts and take news on regional and world affairs from state media and approved newspapers.

He said some accounts, in Bahrain and abroad, post misleading material under headings that do not match what follows, or push claims that do not come from approved state sources.

Their aim, he said, is to stir rows, draw comments and pull people into exchanges that can do them harm.

“There is no immunity for online accounts from the law,” he said. “Official national media is the reference point.”

Warning

Kadhem warned against rushed, emotional replies to online provocation, saying they can hand such accounts exactly what they seek.

A careless word, he said, can inflame disputes and drive deeper splits in society.

He said good sense lies in knowing what deserves an answer and what should be ignored.

Holding back, and dealing with such material in a calm way, shows awareness and a sense of duty, he said.

Kadhem also said some account holders try to dodge blame with lines such as, “The account is not responsible for comments.”

That, he said, does not remove legal liability.

Those who run such platforms still bear responsibility for what appears on them, above all where posts stir discord or harm the public.

He said Parliament had agreed the Press and Digital Media Law, and called for it to be enforced on all without exception, so rights are kept and the media and online sphere are brought under clear rules that serve the public good.

Hope

Kadhem also voiced hope that the state bodies concerned would act against unofficial accounts that wade into news coverage of regional and international matters, saying they have a direct effect on public opinion.

He urged people to rely on official sources, approved newspapers and national media so that false or misleading reports do not spread further.

The lawmaker said comments and posts on social media do not sit outside legal scrutiny, and warned that a word or remark can leave its writer facing legal action under the laws and rules in force, chiefly where it includes abuse, oversteps the mark, or harms others or social peace.

Kadhem called for anyone who helps spread discord or push misleading content to be held to account.