Why this Kolaveri?

The global IT and communications industry is angry. They do not want SOPA and PIPA, and call it censorship. In India, internet enthusiasts are upset because Google, Facebook, Youtube and similar companies are being questioned by the government and the courts on some of the content they carry. They are calling the Indian government draconian.

Without getting into the fine print, I agree with what SOPA and PIPA seek to achieve. It is a law that the US government wants to pass to stop the online piracy of movies, music, books, as well as online sale of fake and stolen watches, shoes, and phones. I don’t think there is anything wrong in that. Similarly, the Indian government does not want content which can disturb the society—pornography that can be accessed by kids, or derogatory, dirty and abusive articles and pictures of prophets, gods and religion that can be used by vested interests to ignite violence and hatred—to be on social networks. And wants to hold these networks responsible for that. So, what’s wrong with that? Where else will the buck stop then?

I agree that in its current form SOPA, PIPA in the US, and what the courts are proposing in India can actually be draconian and misused eventually leading to unwanted censorship that can hurt citizens and kill the online industry. That aspect of these proposed laws must be opposed. But I am sure these will go through a lot of amendments, because lawmakers and judges also realize the consequences of blanket and impractical laws. However, what we should not forget is that at a time when internet, web search, and social networks are becoming an inseparable part of everybody’s daily life, these questions become important and relevant. And they will be raised. Therefore Google, Facebook, and all the stakeholders in the industry should gear up to find solutions to these concerns.

A lot of us have not liked the views of the chairman of the Press Council of India, Justice Markandey Katju that there is strong need for self regulation in the Indian media. He was talking more about print and electronic, but I am sure he means internet also. Similarly, the Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh has also expressed a similar view. I know that for these websites the need for more eyeballs, footfalls, and visitor traffic is becoming critical, but that does not justify “no censorship, no regulations” in the name of freedom of expression and business interest.

While networks like Wikipedia, Google, Facebook, Youtube do have mechanisms for self regulation, I am sure a lot more can be done, and must be done. The challenge of monitoring and control in digital media vis-avis the traditional medium of print and TV is very high, but that will have to be worked out, if we want internet and its ecosystem to continue to rise and shine.