The president of the Tenerife Cabildo, Ricardo Melchior, has stated during a press conferance that he believes the misuse of social networks during emergencies such as the recent forest fire should be a prosecutable offence.
He did concede that they can also be a useful means of disseminating information.
The president was speaking yesterday during a local German language radio station broadcast when he highlighted one incident where a photograph was circulating showing the Orotava valley in flames, something that was a complete fabrication.
In a separate episode, the Guia de Isora local Police telephone number almost collapsed under the weight of phone calls offering help after a spurious notice was published which maintained volunteers with water carrying equipment were needed.
Ironically a notice refuting the mis-information was published on the official Ayuntamiento website.
In the UK in 2011 at least one teenager appeared in court after posting inviting people to follow rioting in English cities reported by fellow Facebook users
I smell a cover up of the lack of resources when this fire first started.
Regular government ploy to take the public’s view of their devious, penny pinching ways.
It is a good job that there were people giving information on social networks because all news sources were not reporting it very well.
Just my opinion
John