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.