Hey bloggos...
Back after a good gap with an interesting post (atleast i feel so..) from my end...
Was going through and about various viewpoints, discussions and articles about the recent Google vs. Goodie boy controversy.
Today the Delhi HC has a hearing on the plea too.
Since this case is pending under judiciary, of course it becomes default to say so that it is not advisable to comment on this as a disclaimer.But it is healthy to argue and discuss the pros & cons of such a call on cyber censorship.
The context has now moved forward and become a constitutional issue of right to speech and expression.
First of all, in my view, is this case worth discussing or worth taking up as a litigation?? I personally do not think so.
How does one expect to filter, censor and post back videos/comments or any such virtual thing even before it comes into existence. Only when a derogatory remark/video is posted over the net and people and countries find it to be derogatory can mark them as abuse, can be an action taken.
Are we talking about firewalls that exist in China... that are doing the job filtering the content even before they appear in the net on a world wide scale... doesnt it sound crazy to implement?? Just think about the plight of the Chinese, who despite of having the balls to talk against its totalitarian government over cyber world.. only get to be suppressed...
For one thing, we are not China... If we bring in the words of democracy in every second thing that happens in Indian lives.... that should be hard and fast applied on the cyber world too.. Being a democracy, if not worthy enough for most of the good reasons we expect it to, India can provide its people atleast this online freedom of expressing their thoughts and words. What is the gov's standpoint on "Right to Speech/Expression" then?
Secondly, I feel why does Google/Facebook have to fight this battle at all? (Sounds crazy.. aint it?)
Google/Facebook or any other internet portal are just carriers of messages. They are messengers themselves and not its creators.
Thus Google or any of its counterparts in this case, do not have to really bother about the freedom of speech or expression of the Indians at all!!!
It is the problem of the Indians - the citizens, the masses to retrospect on their future if such an censorship comes into existence and not the web world.
Imagine Google/Facebook as the India Postal Department. Many write letters and send them through post. The Postal department just carries on the duties of messengers and not write the letters.
The Postal Department too can carry India-wide - letters with caustic or derogatory messages, even against the Government for that matter.How can the postal department be held responsible for such content?
So what is the I&B ministry planning to do about this?
Ask the postal service to open and read every lettter and tear the ones with defaming remarks?
As a matter of fact, we can too call for pre-screening for fax and email too.. they too stand a chance to share and transmit deorgatory are considered-to-be abuse remarks with them.
Gimme a break! :)
Google/FB are also bound by legal terms of service to their users. If the content posted on Google/FB are within the terms of their service;they cannot edit/delete the content.
They are just helping users in expressing and amplifying their thoughts.
I plainly see this as a case between the creator of the content and the court and Google/Facebook is just a middleman and has nothing to do about this entire chaos. ( But for abiding by the court's order.. )
Only objectionable content upon posting can be marked for deletion or taken up as a case in the court. Until then, pre-screening is definitely not the way to go in this world thats advancing tracks every second.
Lets jus not see this from a narrow political eye but also from a broader social perspective!
