Kapil Sibal said the following at a conference on social media in Delhi recently:
We’ve seen the power of the medium in the last six months or so seeking to perform a transformational role, but in the absence of a balance… this is really the danger of sites like these. What happens in the process is that all kinds of opinion get both elicited and taken forward, without the necessary wherewithal, and there’s a great danger, because this, I believe, is a part of freedom of speech.
Freedom of speech has certain caveats. You can’t destroy a persons reputation, you can’t commit contempt of court, do things which are against national security. How do we ensure that platforms like this (the conference he was speaking in), which is a social media platform, accept the constraints that are inherent in freedom of speech. We’ve seen it happening in our television studios, there’s no regard for defamation. You can, with one sentence, destroy the reputation of a person. Nobody waits for 10-15 years in a court of law to seek redressal on defamation when your reputation gets destroyed in an instant, when statements are made on television. And I’m afraid that the same kind of license will would be exercised on a social media platform.
I don’t support governmental interference or guidelines but there has to be a societal check. Social Media when it exercises these rights must ensure that the information, before it is put on the website I properly digested. I’m afraid that that’s not going to happen. Whereas, it’s a great platform for a positive transformational role, it is also a platform that is also subject to misuse. I want to put it on the table, that this is one of the problems that I’m concerned about as we move forward as a democracy.I believe that agendas are taken over by social groups, and they are put forward as if they’re the agendas of the nation. That’s one issue I wanted to put on the table. [Reported by Nikhil Pahwa / Medianama]
Be worried, very worried.
From Kafila archives:
KAFILA - COLLECTIVE EXPLORATIONS SINCE 2006 
I think he spoke sense. Perfect sense.
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Ok Runcil, explain these opening lines to me then:
“We’ve seen the power of the medium in the last six months or so seeking to perform a transformational role, but in the absence of a balance… this is really the danger of sites like these…”
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@Shivam looks like he too is shying away from mentioning Facebook and Libya … i think thats ok its his personal choice , without the quotes this whole report is confusing to me as to who said what , @ Nikhil is this whole piece reported in verbatim? or there are some opine of yours too.
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One fallacy i would like to point out in what Shri. Sibal has said. He says social groups take over agenda and these are taken forward as the agenda of the nation. Now there are social groups and there are social groups. In the case of social groups who operate in the blogosphere or on facebook etc. they are only able to get as much support as they have followers. However you take a social group that operates on the field “in real life” as opposed to the “virtual life” or in meat space as opposed to cyberspace, these are the social groups which have the power to impose their agenda as the national agenda. Which was the last blogger who called for and successfully enforced a bandh or hartal? On the other hand every two bit party which probably lost its deposit everywhere in the elections is able to bring entire cities to standstill.
I’m not saying that the cyber activism is useless. I’m saying that it is only a preaching medium and can only get support from those that it manages to convince. Which is completely fair as an exercise of freedom of speech. It is not capable of forcing support from those who do not believe in it also. That is something the meat space social groups are capable of.
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@ Shivam: The rest of the quote seeks to explain the opening line. Sibal basically says freedom of speech must be reasonably tempered. Do you disagree with that? If so, why? Further, what would you propose as the alternate?
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@voyeur agreed i call it Analog and Digital worlds , does Avatar and Matrix ring some bells , yes i agree with you these so called tools of social media are just an extension for our expression in real life sometimes …but it may not be true always.
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I think , pointing finger at social sites is totally wrong. If gone by logic of Kapil Sibal, every news paper and channels should be banned in India as all are propaganda driven. Social sites, has actually trying to create somewhat balance, however small that may be. It is giving space to every one to voice opinion. Same minister is unable to stop persons like Arundhati Roy or Seema Mustafa of rediff to speak against Indian State and govt., but seeing great danger in group on internet which is voicing against corruption in every sphere of life. which is trying its best to bring out bias in Govt and Media standing on various issues.
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