"In the last decade, India has seen multiple rounds of communal violence in which rumour and information technology played a role," says Chinmayi Arun. "There are two kinds of problems with rumour spread over WhatsApp: one is disinformation and the other is incitement to violence. Why the rumours leading to the lynchings are more appropriately treated as incitement to violence is explained here. The significance of WhatsApp in this context, and whether the changes made by WhatsApp in reaction to the public criticism and government pressure are likely to put a stop to the lynchings are also examined."