India's citizens are using WhatsApp to warn everyone about kidnappers and sexual predators and the government is not happy and believes the "rumors" are dangerous because they have led to several lynchings.

WhatsApp said Wednesday it was "horrified" by a spate of lynchings in India sparked by false rumours shared on its platform as the government accused the messaging service of irresponsibility.

More than 20 people have been killed in India in the last two months, according to media reports, after rumours were spread on smartphones about child kidnappers, thieves and sexual predators.

A stern statement issued by the electronics and IT ministry late on Tuesday expressed the government's "deep disapproval" to the senior management of WhatsApp over the "irresponsible and explosive messages".

"The government has also conveyed in no uncertain terms that WhatsApp must take immediate action to end this menace," it added.

In a letter to the Indian government, WhatsApp said it "cares deeply about people's safety" and had taken steps to combat the scourge of fake news and hoaxes.

The company said it was working with Indian researchers to better understand the problem and had introduced changes it said would reduce the spread of unwanted messages.

Rumours on WhatsApp about child kidnappers saw eight men killed in eastern Indian last year but the same information has since resurfaced.

It seems the government even employed someone to act as a Snopes-like character to dispel the "rumors", and this didn't go over too well with the citizens.

Last week a "rumour buster" official tasked with warning the public against such hoaxes was killed in northeastern Tripura.

WhatsApp said it planned to run a public safety campaign in India "given its importance" to the company, and mentioned efforts by police to use its platform to raise awareness about its misuse.

"We believe that false news, misinformation and the spread of hoaxes are issues best tackled collectively: by government, civil society and technology companies working together," WhatsApp said.

"With the right action we can help improve everyone's safety."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/india-slams-whatsapp-over-deadly-rumours-050022052.html

OK, I hope everyone now understands that there are absolutely NO kidnappers or sexual predators in India, and anyone stating otherwise does not care about you or your family's safety. Only the government, WhatsApp, and Facebook care about you and your loved ones, and would of course alert you should they discover that children are being raped and/or kidnapped.

India is the safest place on Earth for children.

Oh, wait...

The records show that while in 2015, 10,854 cases of rape under Section 376 of the IPC and under Sections 4 and 6 of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were registered pan-India, 2016 saw 19,765 of such cases being registered. https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/minor-rapes-in-india-data

"Kidnap and child rape top crime graph against children in India" https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kidnap-and-child-rape-top-crime-graph-against-children-in-india-5101957/

"Protests erupt across India after two child rape cases rock the nation" http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-13/protests-erupt-after-two-child-rape-cases-shock-india/9657778

"Murder and rape of 8-year-old inflames religious tensions in northern India" https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/13/asia/india-child-rape-jammu-intl/index.html

Oops! It actually looks like the Indian government, WhatsApp, and Facebook are actually more worried about protecting child sexual predators than children.