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THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

DigiTeens

for

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Thou shall not
bear false witness against your neighbor.

Every act is authenticated with a witness. However, an act is validated as true and not false with a witness. God, whose faithfulness endures for all generations, is the source of truth and His Word is truth. He calls his people to bear witness to this. For, the truth sets one free and sanctifies.

 

The virtue of truth gives another his just due. It builds the relationship. Christ, before Pilate proclaimed that he came to bear witness to the truth. The religious faith impels the faithful to act as witnesses of the Gospel – that is to follow as Christ did.

 

Those who witnessed with their blood are called martyrs; with acts of charity and discipleship are known as saints. However, persevering to the end in witnessing the faith commands the proclamation of the truth.

 

Whatever is contrary to the truth is a false witness; when it is under oath – it is perjury. When others’ faults are disclosed without valid reasons – it is a detraction.

Therefore, one has to avoid rash judgment, calumny, and detraction and uphold the good reputation and honor of one’s neighbor.

 

Lying is the most direct offense against truth. It becomes a mortal sin as it does grave injury to the virtues of justice and charity. 

Am I honest?

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Speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; thou shalt not bear false witness (fake news – for example) against your neighbor.

Can anything be more dangerous than lying or false witness? Nothing! People google in various social media for information.

 

The certainty and authenticity are not much verified by people who search for it. They take everything as it is given in social media. 

  1. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has purported the utilization of counterfeit news as a political tool against opponents to gain a political win. (Ref. article: Fake News as an Industry: The Threat to Indian Democracy). It spends more than 75 crores per month as a total budget of social media cells. 

  2. Meta reports the discovery of more than 900 fake profiles across its apps utilizing generative AI profile images that are effectively used to spy on foreign journalists and political activists. It also uncovered similar, including the removal of a group consisting of over 8600 Facebook accounts, pages, groups, and Instagram accounts in August 2023. According to US internet users, social media is the No. 1 source of disinformation. 

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Verify.
Verify.
Always verify!

Speak and spread
only the truth

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Speaking and spreading only the truth is crucial for maintaining trust and credibility in all aspects of life. Whether it's in personal or professional settings, honesty is the foundation for building strong connections and achieving success.

 

By valuing truthfulness, we can create a more transparent and trustworthy society, where integrity and authenticity are highly valued.

[You may try these]

There are three things in verifying the trueness of the content on social media:

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  • Provenance: "Is this the original piece of content?" (You can use the ‘TinEye – Reverse Image Search’ tool.)

  • Source: "Who uploaded the content?" (Check the author, or the website itself.)

  • Date: "When was the content created?

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One can also use the ‘Verification Handbook website’ which publishes a list of tools – useful for verifying identity, places, and images. 

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