Andre Yoskowitz
19 Aug 2012 20:36
The Indian government has said today it will limit bulk SMS sending in the nation, in an effort to reduce the potential spread of misleading or dangerous information.
For now, the limit will only be a 15 day temporary trial. Citizens will only be allowed to send five messages at one time.
The decision is timely as thousands of citizens have been leaving major cities to return to their homes in smaller states, following an escalating series of ethnic fights.
Over the past week, with some violence beginning in the state of Assam, texts and social media rumors led to panic amongst those with family in the northeast states. The messages "reportedly included doctored videos and other information warning of attacks by Muslims on those of northeastern origin," says Verge.
So far, 300,000 have returned to their homes in the states outside the cities.