Police debunk 'fake news' on social media monitoring

THE police are debunking rumours that they have announced changes to the country's communications regulations to allow "illegal" monitoring of social media.

In a widely circulated post, there were claims that personal Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter accounts will be monitored by the police and the Ministry of National Security, all calls will be recorded and saved by both, and that writing about religious or political debates is now an offence which will result in arrest without warrant, among other things.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, the police's corporate communications unit said, "The TTPS is reminding members of the public to be cautious of false information sent via social media, which can cause unnecessary panic and anxiety. The following is one such example of false news."

It was recently announced that the police will have a centre to analyse social media activity in 2020. On Friday, National Security Minister Stuart Young supported the idea, saying social media can provide the police with critical intelligence in the fight against crime.

He said, “Once they are public accounts, there can be no cry of invasion of privacy.

"Once people don’t engage in criminal activity, they have nothing to fear."