Itender Rawat, the operator of Soft2Share.com, is currently facing serious allegations, including violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the spread of false information aimed at Australian journalists.
The controversy centers on two fabricated articles published on Soft2Share.com, which were allegedly authored by Rawat, who uses the alias “Clarissa Turner.” when sending spam emails out to thousands of businesses.
These articles contained false and misleading information about an Australian journalist and a media organization, leading to a defamation lawsuit.
Rawat’s website, Soft2Share.com, was previously known for advertising and selling email lists containing the addresses of thousands of website owners, which were scraped from the internet.
The lists were marketed as being fully GDPR-compliant, a claim that was false. Upon realising that his illegal activities had been exposed, Rawat quickly removed the page from Soft2Share.com, yet evidence of this remains accessible through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
The misinformation is believed to have been a retaliatory act by Rawat after his involvement in a significant spam operation was exposed.
Investigations have uncovered that Rawat was operating under false pretenses, falsely claiming GDPR compliance while engaging in the illegal sale of spam lists.
His activities, conducted under the “Clarissa Turner” alias, have raised serious concerns about the integrity and ethical standards of his operations.
The Australian journalist targeted by the defamatory content has initiated legal action, and a case is currently underway to address the damage caused by the false allegations.
This incident has sparked a broader discussion about the need for stricter enforcement of digital content laws, particularly in the areas of data protection and the spread of misinformation online.
Legal experts believe this case could set an important precedent for how GDPR violations and the spread of false information are handled in the future. As the investigation progresses, Rawat could face severe financial penalties.
In response to the allegations against Rawat, Soft2Share.com’s hosting provider, DreamHost, has been contacted regarding the publication of fake news.
An abuse report has been filed, requesting the suspension of the website pending further investigation.
DreamHost is now under pressure to uphold its responsibility to protect users from misinformation, as outlined in the Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation and safe harbor laws.
In a recent update, Dreamhost.com have responded and refused to remove or suspend the the hosting account for soft2share, ignoring safe harbor laws
Additionally, Rawat’s activities may have violated the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and Australian Consumer Law, which could result in significant financial penalties.
The penalties could include up to $50,000,000, three times the value of any benefits obtained from the breach, or 30% of the corporation’s adjusted turnover during the period of the violation.
Authorities such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) have been informed of the misinformation and defamation allegations against Rawat.
Furthermore, a legal filing has been made with Google to address the spread of misleading content via the content reporting and removal request form.
