Indian government’s ignorance and lackadaisical attitude is in focus once again with February 9, 2016 approaching near. It is the date when the government will, yet again, have to explain its agreements with social media sites that it is increasingly using for information dissemination.
A new policy is announced by the Modi government. The government claims it is ‘for’ the people. It thinks it has arrived. The people cry foul. The government hurriedly withdraws the policy. Then, ensue a series of defensive arguments and extensive media coverage about the government’s inexplicable move. And, this continues till the next policy is announced.
In spite of being an ardent admirer of companies like Google, I have critiqued Google’s privacy policy and terms of service in the past. There have been many like me who have raised concerns about the power such companies hold over us with our data in their hands; yet, these companies continue to flourish and earn goodwill. They must be doing something right that people continue to trust them with even more data.
The recently concluded General Elections are special in more ways than one. The emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party, the increasing participation of the common man and the shift of focus from casteism to development, are all welcome changes. Not only has the mood of the nation vis-a-vis the elections changed, but the medium has also changed drastically with the advent of the social media.
India is a democracy with the freedom of speech and expression being enshrined as a fundamental right of every citizen, in its Constitution. Recently, many cases of censorship have come to the fore that raise many disturbing questions for all - the people from whom the messages are originating, the intended recipients, and the regulators.
Two significant events related to Facebook have occurred recently. First, the arrest of two Mumbai girls for their Facebook comments about Bal Thackeray. The second, related to an announcement by Facebook itself about the change in its Data Use Policy. Even though the second event is a big one and affects all users of Facebook directly, sadly, the event has not made big news.
Nobody would contest the fact that the Internet has revolutionized our lives. Like everything, the Internet too has brought with it its share of challenges. The biggest among them is the threat to people’s privacy. The European Union is leading the debate about the ‘Right to be forgotten’. So, what is this right all about? Do individuals actually have a right to be forgotten?