There can be a debate on whether there should be a law to control social media or not. There is no doubt that social media is being misused indiscriminately. But it is also true that governments, no matter which party they belong to, have been doing so without any hesitation if they want to put someone in jail on this charge.
In favour of bringing a social media policy, it is said that if social media is not controlled, it can become a mess very soon. With the advent of artificial intelligence, this challenge has become even bigger. Recently we saw a video in which former US President Donald Trump and US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also a candidate for the US presidential post this time, are holidaying together. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris becomes pregnant. And Junior Donald Trump is seen in her lap. Similarly, in another video, Obama is seen with Trump holding weapons. These are videos made using artificial intelligence to influence the US elections.
In India too, a few days ago, an attempt was made to humiliate Home Minister Amit Shah by making a deep fake video of him. At present, this trend is increasing very fast day by day. You cannot understand how true what you are seeing on social media is. The use of social media to defame governments has increased. Even the social media handles of national parties are not untouched by this. Recently, a similar photo was posted from the handle of the Congress Party, which the Government of India called fake. Attempts have been made to defame the Uttar Pradesh government many times. Many times it has happened that videos from other states, even other countries, in which a minority is being harassed, were tried to be shown as from Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, if any such law comes to control social media, then it should be welcomed. But this law has another side too. It is important to pay attention to that too.
Why should it be welcomed?
Be it elections or business, war or court verdict, farmers’ movement or the fight for justice in the Kolkata rape and murder case, social media is an essential weapon for everyone today. Now the form of social media is no longer personal. It only looks like a fight of a single person. But it has taken such an organized form that we and you cannot imagine. If any incident happens with you or you post something, then the people commenting on that post are not individuals. A whole troll army is working behind this. Like in Kolkata, a doctor is raped and then murdered. Now on social media, many people vent their anger on this matter. Generally we understand that look how much anger there is among the people. In reality there may be anger but behind what we are seeing on social media, a whole social media army is working. Which is nowadays named as IT cell.
In the Kolkata rape case, you will see that there are two types of tweets. One type of people try to prove that rapes are happening all over the country. Some people write how the policemen were beaten up in Kolkata. Some people are writing that all this is the work of BJP and Sanghi people. On the other hand, some people are writing that such crimes are happening due to the weaknesses of the Mamata government. The Mamata government is hiding a lot in this matter. It means that the troll army is working from both sides. Meanwhile, there is a lot of fake news from both sides. Which not only common people but even special people cannot understand quickly. This kind of troll army was working during the farmers’ movement as well. This army also works in the case of India and Pakistan. You will remember how cricketer Arshdeep Singh was called a terrorist on social media. Later it was found out that the handles from which he was called a terrorist were created in Pakistan under a conspiracy with Hindu names. This is the reason that if social media is being regularized, then it should be welcomed.
But the problem with such laws is that common people get crushed
A new social media policy has come in Uttar Pradesh. This policy is as much a matter of happiness for social media influencers as it is a matter of concern for them. At present, social media influencers understand the tricks very well because most of them are working on some agenda or the other. The matter of concern is for the common people who vent their anger on social media. Many people who are not associated with any political party and neither do they intend to hurt any party, often write something after getting fed up with the system. A crisis situation can now arise for such people. Just as the common man is the victim of every law of the government, the same is the case with this social media policy.
The biggest thing is that the officers will misuse this law to hide their failure. You will remember how the administration harassed a YouTuber from Mirzapur district. The fault of that YouTuber was that he raised the issue of bad mid-day meal. The officers sent him to jail by making several allegations. But this is like the weevil also getting ground along with the wheat. While fighting all such YouTubers who have made extortion their profession, there will be incidents in which even the innocent will be troubled. But this is the principle of justice that the person doing injustice may be spared but not a single innocent should be subjected to injustice. Obviously, this is the biggest fear of this new social media policy.
If governments are arresting anyone for posting anything ‘obscene’, then why is there a need for a law?
Now the biggest question is that if the governments are arresting common people on small matters, then why was there a need to make a law? According to a report published in Dainik Bhaskar three years ago, in 2020-2021, about 1107 cases were registered in Uttar Pradesh for writing against the standards set by the government. Obviously, most of them would have been sent to jail. It has increased further in the recent years. This increase is not only in Uttar Pradesh. This trend has increased very rapidly in non-BJP ruled states as well. In West Bengal, a person who made a cartoon against the Mamata government was arrested. During the Congress rule, cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was arrested by Mumbai Police in 2012 under Section 124A of the IPC, after which he quit the profession. A sedition case was registered against Aseem in November 2011 when seven of his cartoons were displayed at Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex, where lakhs of people had gathered to support Anna Hazare’s India Against Corruption movement.
Similarly, the Tamil Nadu government arrested Bihar’s YouTuber Manish Kashyap and kept him in jail for months. There is a YouTuber in Tamil Nadu whom the police arrest and send to jail every month. Recently, Karnataka police reached the Noida residence of YouTuber Ajit Bharti to serve a notice. If Bharti had not received the support of UP police, it was possible that he would have been arrested. The meaning is clear that now the police is daring to arrest those who write against them on social media not only in their own state but also from other states.
This kind of trend is gaining momentum every day. It is clear that efforts are being made to silence voices. The question arises that when the police and the government are arresting anyone they want, then what is the need to give more power to the officers by bringing a law. Because till now only those are being arrested who are working under some agenda. Most of such cases are political. In which YouTubers are associated with some other party or are propagating their ideology. Whether it is Manish Kashyap or Ajit Bharti, these are people inspired by an ideology. But after the introduction of such a law, it is obvious that the officials at the district level will become more arrogant. They will start putting pressure on YouTubers and social media influencers who expose the bribery going on in small government schemes. Incidents like what happened in the Mirzapur mid-meal case will become common. Common people will also now avoid writing anything on social media against the poor quality of any school-college, hospital or road construction. In this way, a society will be created which will be disintegrating from within.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)