Sibal wants to paralyze Social media 6/12/2011
There is a lot of reaction among the users of social networking over the statement of IT minister Kapil Sibal. Atrocious attempt to muzzle free speech just because facts are unverified does not necessarily mean that they are untrue.
Face book page that reportedly maligned Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi, disturbed our IT Minister Kapil Sibal to have lost his capacity to think. He is reported to have summoned legal representatives of internet service providers and social networking sites and asked them to monitor what is posted on their sites.
He has demanded from Facebook and Google to pre-screen user content from India and remove inflammatory and defamatory content before it goes online. What is shocking is that a minster of such a huge experience didn’t imagine the manpower that these sites need to hire to monitor the content. But these officials have refused to accept the request made by Kapil Sibal taking plea that they cannot encroach upon fundamental right of Freedom of speech granted to citizens.
As such Kapil sibal is now trying to tight the screws of these social networking sites so that they may stop allowing criticism against their leaders. Government is contemplating of introducing internet censorship. Of course the idea is good provided it is not used only for safeguarding prominent leaders of his party but for safety and security of the Nation.
This has generated a massive debate and people have been ruthlessly commenting on Facebook and twitter against the minister. There is a huge public resentment against the minister. The digital world faces no such constraining business logic. In fact, it subverts it. One does not need massive capital, infrastructure, distribution muscle or even costly syndication deals to start a media outlet on the Internet. All one requires is an internet connection, genuine sources, an ability to write engagingly and a beginner’s understanding of technology. With the right use of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook one can actually reach millions of readers in a proverbial click of the mouse. It’s as easy as it sounds and has led to diverse points of view and opinions co-existing with each other. One can describe the digital world as the last Amazon forest, a unique eco-system of free speech and expression. A million mutinies, an essential part of a true democratic process, are constantly brewing in the digital space. It’s the ease with which the power of mass media has been put in the hands of the average Indian citizen that has got a lot of powerful forces within the Indian establishment jittery.
Facebook has more than twenty five million users in India and Google about hundred million. There is always an option of reporting such stuff as ‘abuse’ if you find it derogatory. But Sibal’s action smacks of his ignorance and inexperience. He didn’t even bother to think whether such companies would incur losses worth hundreds of thousands of crores by paying new staff. Besides, if they start pre-screening the content, people will stay away from social media which these organizations would never even think about.
Pre-screening social media means an end to your freedom of speech and expression. In a democratic country like India, how Kapil Sibal thought of such an idea is surprising. This will according to the tweet join India with China, with its strict internet and media laws.
Even before government tried to control the electronic information as well. Earlier this year, it threatened Blackberry to suspend its services if it didn’t allow it greater access to its messaging service.
Mr Sibal despite his legal training demonstrates very poor understanding of libel law. To determine whether a written sentence is defamatory or not requires a competent Court to evaluate the full facts and context of the statement, its truth and falsehood, as well as what imputations a “reasonable person” can draw from the sentence. Can Sibal stop Digvijay singh while uttering objectionable statement and Manish Tiwari too?
Mr Minister is not worried about sharp fall taking place in cultural values in children due to misuse of Face Book like social networking sites. He is not aware how children of modern era are going away from study and spoiling their precious time on FB. He is perhaps not aware that even staffs in government offices are busy in chatting on FB even during office hours. The great flatterer is worried because dirty pictures of his colleagues in Congress Party are displayed on these social networking sites. He is not worried for the fact that even defense secrets are leaked to enemy nations through internet hacking only.
It is the only outlet left to fight all the misery heaped on nations by their miserable politicians and in India the underlying anger and frustration is just waiting to explode. The government should stop bullying over the social networking. We are living in a democratic country not in an autocracy.
Finally, the establishment wants to paralyze, freeze and cripple this amazingly diverse digital world. It wants to convert it into a self manicured confinement. The regimented approach of the government may lead to public outcry. It is a silent war with mainstream media not realizing the larger effect of this attack by the establishment.
Siddhartha Shankar mishra,
Bureau Chief, These Days,
Odisha.
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