Ready to face social media challenge in polls: CEO

SHILLONG: Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Kharkongor has said the Election Department is ready to face any social media challenge ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Kharkongor said a meeting was held in January with the heads of social media like Facebook, WhatsApp YouTube and Instagram convened by the Election Commission of India and attended by all the CEOs in the country in Delhi.
Kharkongor said fact checkers were appointed by social media groups to monitor messages which can go against the model code of conduct.
“The fact checkers can tone down the messages if they are spurious,” he said.
In addition, Kharkongor said the cyber cell of the police will monitor social media accounts of the candidates.
The CEO said a social media member will be present during polls and the candidates will have to submit their social media accounts while filing nominations.