Colombo, Apr 20 (PTI) Sri Lanka has decided to draft a new law which will check the spread of fake news on social media platforms, information minister Keheliya Rambukwella said on Tuesday.

He said such news undermines democracy.

"There is a lot of fake and misleading information on social media for which there is no identified ownership,” Rambukwella said.

At a Cabinet meeting held on Monday, the Legal Draftsman was advised to draft the bill on the applicable law, the minister said.

"The spread of false information on the internet poses a serious threat and is seen as being used to divide society, to spread hatred, and to weaken democratic institutions," said a statement.

Rambukwella said these types of laws are being used in countries like Australia.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)