12th February, 2012
SOCIAL MEDIA
By: Amita Kalra
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a dream. A dream that one day there will be peace and harmony in this world. A dream that one day there will be no blasphemy in the name of religion and no defamatory content. I believe that any reasonable person in his right sensibilities would not want to see such content in the first place – That is why I advocate the removal of content in first and scrutiny prior to posting over the web. No No No, I am not advocating censorship over the internet, - someone please get me a chair - whether directly or indirectly or any which way – we do not support censorship. No more questions please.”
Mr Toastmaster, fellow toastmasters, distinguished guests. I would like to start by saying that all the views expressed henceforth are my own and I do not wish to hurt or endorse personal belief. This is a single minded honest rebuttle to the guest of honour for today – Allow me to introduce to you, Mr Sapil Kibal – (have heard he’s a big shot in the Indian Government)
My case today can be summarized briefly in three main points –
- The rights,
- the reasons and
- real wrongs
The New York Times on the 5th of December, revealed that Facebook officials had been summoned by the Indian Government over “unacceptable content” on their website – particularly a facebook page which allegedly maligned the Congress President Sonia Gandhi. By the time a press conference was held here in New Delhi, the entire issue had been sloppily mopped up and we were made to believe that the government wanted removal of content “that hurt the religious sentiments” of its people. Of course, this entire cover-up completely backfired on the government, and the controversial page ended up getting more than twice the number of hits in the next 24 hours than it ever would have in its entire lifetime!
And yes, this issue did raise quite a hue and cry – Google released its transparency report for 1H11 – and as it turns out, it had been approached by the government, around 358 times for content removal. Of these, just one case was for national security and a whopping 70% of the cases were for criticism of the government.
And whats more atrocious – even repulsive about this entire issue is the not the act itself, but just the way that it had been done – Clandestine. Surreptitious. Undercover. Silent.
If at all, there is a way to do it, then it is through a formal complaint in a court, which then issues a legal, public notice to the company for unacceptable content. You cannot secretly summon officials to a government office for a private talk!
And no, Mr Kibal. You cannot be the judge, and the jury, and the executioner, and the victim and the complainant. All at the same time. You’re a lawyer, I’ve heard – You can’t take law into your own hands!
India is a country that prides itself in the power of its diversity. That invites – with open arms, people of all religions, languages, sects, cultures – thoughts, views and opinions. We cannot live in perpetual oblivion. We cannot, not think. And more importantly, Mr Kibal, you cannot tell us how to think, or what to think!
Which brings me to my second point:
It is my humble request sir, that if you expect me to shut up and put up, we have the right to expect the same from you – My point here, really is, that the thoughts of the mind are in fact a reaction. A reaction to actions of the people around us. To the thoughts that surround us. To the rules and regulations that hound us.
Our elected officials jump on benches in the national assembly, throw paper balls at the speaker, hurl shoes at one another, disrupt the parliament for 6 days in a row, grease their pockets for months on end and all this- without the slightest hint of remorse.
Ours is the country Mr PowerPuff, where justice can be denied for 20 years or more, where the price of a potato is more than the worth of my life, where elected officials are caught watching pornography in the state assembly, where those who are out to tape my tongue are really those who deserve to be slashed with a cane themselves.
If you can plot, plan and protest, without doing your job, I have the right to feel exploited. If prices can rise and grains can rot, both at the same time, I have the right to ask why. If taxes go out of my account and no good is done with them, I have the right to feel incensed. I have the right – the right to think, the right to express and the right to demand.
Lastly, If at all, as the self appointed crusader for model behavior, you wish to filter the filth off the web, let it be issues that really concern us. Let it be issues of national security. Let it be issues of fundamentalist propaganda. Let it be issues of pornography and prostitution that unabashedly swell over this medium. Otherwise, Mr Crusader, just let it be.
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