As to from where the content was uploaded, the doubts have been set at rest by the social networking sites themselves. “The initial response from international social networking sites indicates that such contents have been hosted from outside the country and to a large extent from a neighbouring country (Pakistan),” Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEIT) said in a statement. .
Much planning and care went into creation of the campaign and the posting of most online content started from July 13, according to a 43-page official report, which is widely quoted.
Social media, e-mails, Internet chat rooms and VOIP calls are being extensively used to spread disinformation and rumours to provoke unrest in Assam and other parts of the country, the report prepared by the Home Ministry in the wake of mass exodus of people belonging to the north east from Bangalore, Pune, Chennai and Mumbai said. The exodus followed rumours about possible attack on them. And in almost all cases the source of the rumour was traced to the internet. .
‘Within a short duration, threats and counter-threats have been spread far and wide using the digital media. A lot many threats have been made in the open while certain plans and coordination activities are being carried out in chat rooms, and mails, the report points out.
Put differently, faceless Islamist extremists are waging an online campaign with exaggerated accounts of violence in Assam and fabricated evidence on the clashes between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists in Myanmar.
Limits on SMSes and curbs on internet sites indulging in hate campaign is a natural consequence, notwithstanding the concern over freedom of speech in the Internet Age. As the Supreme Court of India has said on more than one occasion every freedom comes with a responsibility and freedom of speech is not a license to spread hate crime. There is also no need to doubt India’s commitment to freedom of speech since the apex court has widened the ambit of the right to include even the right to sleep.
Any how the curbs imposed are a one off measure. And are purely temporary in nature. Only 76 Internet sites, which included web-pages and some websites, have been blocked after bulk of the rumours were traced to the panic triggered by them. The government also ordered blocking of 80 more Internet pages and user-accounts on social networking sites such as Facebook, Google and Twitter to avoid panic among people of northeastern region living across India.
Now that the dangers from social media have come upfront, it is essential to come to grips with the problem to put in place correctives that will check a recurrence of the phenomenon. This is not a call for Internet Policing though. It is only an appeal to the good sense of the managers of the social media and its practitioners to ensure that a modern tool is used to push mindsets to the Stone Age. Yes, self-regulation is the best remedy and when it fails the government should step in. In the meantime, the authorities must sharpen tools that help in keeping track of proxy servers and virtual private network services that are beyond the pale of conventional monitors.
