FLOW OF FAKE NEWS IN A DIGITAL AGE: REQUIREMENT OF COMMON GLOBAL EFFORTS AND MECHANISM FOR RESTRAIN

The instantaneous flow of fake news using modern digital technologies has become one of the critical national and global security challenges. Fake news campaigners intriguingly distract people's sentiment and accomplish their vested interest. Covid-19 pandemic educates that the world community need to make proper national and global policy and mechanism to restrain the fake news. This paper concludes that to restrain fake news in a digital age, common efforts of the global community is necessary. Severe effect of fake news at the time of critical periods like Covid-19 help to disestablish the society and ignore scientific and accurate information. Major powers like US, Russia, China, EU, India need to initiate a pragmatic effort to make a broader consensus to formulate common policy and mechanism to counter the fake news. Irrespective of their ideological differences, major powers for a safe world need to form a common consensus for the global containment of fake news. National, regional and global initiatives against the fake news campaigners need to be harnessed. In a digital age, public awareness to detect fake information is also vital. The proper legal arrangement is necessary in every country to punish those who are involved in creating hurdles in society through fake news and disinformation. This research is qualitative in nature and structurally an explorative.