A tale of two countries
-------------------------------
How
does India’s response to Social Media mischiefs , compare with that of
China ?
Here
is how :
INDIA
Extract :
Maintaining its tough stance against
multi-national internet giants, the government on Tuesday warned large platforms to “ behave in a responsible manner “ , to
enable users report “ disturbing “ content promptly so that swift action can be
initiated
IT secretary , Ajay P Sawhney said that platforms should take pro-active steps to ensure that subscribers develop confidence in them while
using their services
Sawhney said that the government takes action
against the platforms under the provisions mentioned in the IT Act after violations are noticed
“ we have requested various companies to make sure that flagging of concerns is
possible within the platforms ….. If something is disturbing , users should be
able to flag off ( such content ) . The platform can
take action “
CHINA
In a posting on a private social media account
on Tuesday, Baidu CEO Robin Li said if the two companies come head to head, “ Baidu will win again ”.
“Chinese companies today have plenty of ability and confidence” to compete globally, he added.
Apple
has removed hundreds of apps from its Chinese
app store in the past year under increasingly
strict censorship laws championed by Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Facebook,
whose social media products are banned in China, is also
making efforts to enter the restrictive market.
Google,
the world’s biggest search engine, is welcome
to return to China as long as it complies with the nation’s laws and
right to control the internet within its borders, the
People’s Daily said.
“The decision to exit the Chinese market was a
huge blunder, which made the company miss golden chances in the mainland’s
internet development,” the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party said.
“ Google
is welcome to return to the mainland, but
it’s a prerequisite that it must comply with the
requirements of the law.”
It
is true that unlike China , India is a democracy where “ freedom of speech “ is
a constitutionally guaranteed right ( - even though some do treat it as a “
license to hurt others through abusive language “ )
May
be , we are also more “ polite “ than the Chinese when it comes to welcoming “
foreigners ( - even if “ online “ ) . Atithi Devo Bhav
! How can we talk back to guests , who are “ Gods “ ?
May
be , it takes our Parliament , months and years ,to enact new laws or amend old
ones ( since our legislators are too busy rushing into the well of the house or
visiting canteen ? )
It
took ShriKrishna committee one year to submit a draft of Data Protection Law
Now
expect our Parliament ( after 2019 election ) , to take up this for a debate
for 6 / 8 months and then pass it in an “ Un-implementable “ manner !
In
India , time stands still !
I
urge the Policy Makers to debate my following suggestion – and throw it out if
they can come up with something better :
Social
Media web sites would be “ amenable “ to my suggestion
It
seems they are under pressure from all over the World and have, therefore ,
come up with :
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