Censorship caution

BY DILIP JADEJA

most democratic countries that demonstrated people focussed on the good deeds of the government. information on the internet. It may be carried out by governments or by private organisations either at the behest of government or on their own initiative. Censorship never works technically, because techniques and technology always find a way around it. Filtering works to a point, only partially – mostly geographically and always retrospectively and sparingly. In short, internet censorship is not worth the effort, unless the government in question has the will and brute force as well as unlimited financial resources similar to those of China or Russia. Certainly India is the wrong candidate for censorship. Perhaps Sibal got that message all right?

The main issue that worried Sibal is not sufficiently discussed in public; however the internet is rife with the talk that it had to do with one or more websites that mocked Sonia Gandhi or had something objectionable at a glance. This however, is to be expected for leaders everywhere. Who hasn’t read derogatory jokes about George Bush that would hurt even his worst opponents? From queens to kings, from dictators to opposition leaders, political leaders are routinely the subject of cartoons, jokes and derogatory content.

In fact, more derogatory content exists on the net on Ganesha, Shiva and other Gods than for politicians. So his objection to a website commenting on Sonia was nothing but an expression of frustration at new technology and the people’s power to express whatever they want, whenever they want and however they want! That power is here to stay. What Sibal and Sonia need is what every politician needs – a thick skin and an ability to keep

Around the world, governments are unhappy about some aspects of new technology like social media. However, the overall public good that these technologies deliver is massive in comparison to the puny problems they create for a few powerful people. If one took too much of a sacrosanct view, one would never allow the screening of a film or TV series with the ‘F’ word – which features in almost every TV series and action film these days! Social media is a reflection of what people do around clubs or barbeques; they say anything they want to, about anyone they want to. People do not so much as go on social media to publicise things as much as make their views public. After all, it is their view, which can be good, bad, likeable or unpalatable. But in a democracy, views are bound to be many, different and still allowed to be reasonably “aired”. When a movie uses the ‘F’ word repeatedly, the director looks like a dud and the film becomes a bad attempt to create an elusive reality. Similarly, when views on social media are too derogatory, many people are in fact, unaffected, and this is the main reason why the best cartoons or political caricatures of leaders have just a slight accentuation of their negatives, without being downright derogatory.

Sibal needs to calm down. Sonia will forever remain the subject of discussion for many Indians. If the current government wants people to view them in more positive light, they need to do more positive things like popularising social media. As more people use social media and take a keener interest in the working of the government, they are going to be interested in real issues rather than personality issues. And as they understand political priorities and constraints, the opportunities, efforts, resources and responsibilities of the government, they will provide Sibal and his party with good solutions through social media. Censorship is the wrong way to deal with any government’s problems, not just in India. Even filtering is a bad idea except when applied to child abuse, child pornography or outright terrorist activities. The government should not even be afraid of subterfuge activities, like some communist government that sees many activities on the internet to be suspect. If a government is not able to survive an internet subterfuge, let us say that it is not a strong or popular government, and it will not last too long anyway!