There is increasing recognition of dangers posed by these biased and autocratic social media giants by many countries including the present situation in the US
The recent events on how the US President Donald Trump and conservatives are being treated by social media giants is a grim reminder to other democracies around the world, particularly India. Within the last 48 hours, Twitter permanently banned Trump’s account with more than 88 million followers along with the accounts of many conservatives. Facebook and Instagram also indefinitely suspended the accounts of Trump (and other conservatives). When Trump and conservatives moved to another social media app Parler which is similar to Twitter, Apple and Google blocked the Parler app from even being downloaded. Not only that, Amazon which provides Web hosting service to Parler said they will shut them down this weekend basically completely shutting the Parler app for all existing users[1]. They are even shutting down Government Emergency messages!
The same Twitter that banned Trump and conservatives allows leftists radical messages on its platform, even trending to ‘hang US Vice President Mike Pence‘, foreign leaders’ messages like Iran’s Ali Khameini asking to eradicate Israel or China’s propaganda as reported in Fox News[2]. Many US conservative lawmakers spoke out that such censorship of free speech that does not suit their agenda happens only in communist countries, not in America. This biased and autocratic social media giants behaviour, such as their practices against President Trump and conservatives, killing competition in marketplace etc., was discussed in multiple US congressional hearings in lengthy sessions by US lawmakers during the last few months where CEOs of Twitter, Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon were repeatedly grilled[3]. According to a US election watchdog group named ‘Thomas More Society’s Amistad project’ in the US, which participated in several US State election fraud hearings, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife foundation spend 500 million dollars in recent US elections favouring one political party over another blatantly flouting election laws[4].
There is increasing recognition of the dangers posed by these social media giants by many countries. In Dec 2020, Russia announced that it could ban Facebook, Twitter, YouTube for ‘censoring’ content based on many complaints from Russian citizens[5]. Poland passed a bill slapping $2.2 million fine for even a single message censored[6]. The UK and European Union are setting strict rules with massive fines for these social media companies[7]. Per Wall Street Journal article, European Union proposed two bills last month, one on illegal content and another on anticompetitive behaviour, that could empower regulators to levy fines up to 6% or 10% of annual worldwide revenue or break up big tech companies to stop competitive abuses[8].
India needs to be very wary of these social media giants because they are driven by Western ‘Deep State’ agenda and they are part and parcel of Western Elite and their institutions who aspire for global domination through establishing amenable leaders around the world that fit their agenda. What happened in the last few months against Trump and conservative supporters in the US is a grim reminder and India is particularly very vulnerable. When the East India Company came to India for business, it did not simply establish mercantile offices but established 260,000 soldiers army to gain control of India[9]. In today’s world, you do not need armies or weapons, you just use the information to manipulate the voters’ minds in democracies to establish puppets to serve their agenda. Information is the new weapon, it is the new army.
In this aspect, India has a lot to learn from China which established its own complete social media framework from the applications to the back end hosting and support systems. Google, Facebook, Twitter and many other apps are not allowed in China[10]. The social media giants investing in India are not doing India a favor, they see great potential for rising India with a young population in the form of future revenues. It is not just about revenues, they will have the power to manipulate the minds with how information is propagated on a particular party or candidates to suit their interests. There were many complaints against Twitter and Facebook during the last few years in India on how conservative voices are censored. Even if aggrieved users attempt to pursue alternatives, they have complete control on which apps will be allowed to be used, as we are seeing in the United States now even the President is blocked from using the Parler app as an alternative to Twitter.
India will make a grave mistake in contending that establishing rules will take care of themselves because these giants will have captive audiences of large swathes of the population and they can easily get away by flouting rules or drag in the courts. They know that with millions of people using them, the government will be hard-pressed to shut them down completely. The detailed information they have about citizens in the country can be used to fit their agenda and narrative. With many break India forces active in India (many supported by same western ‘Deep State’), India has a need to censor anti-national content while at the same time allow reasoned debate protecting free speech. India needs to watch so that the big tech do not kill local competition and engage in anti-competitive practices as they are accused of doing in the US. Such practices could be a serious blow to India developing local applications and infrastructure. Western ‘Deep State’ want to use India for ‘Technical coolies‘, not become a competition and they will do everything to stop India from developing its own Google, Facebook, Twitter type companies. With the resources at their disposal, they can compromise regulators, politicians, media and even Judiciary.
This is a grave issue of national security and a big impediment to the ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat‘ goal of the country.
Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
References:
[1] Amazon to Remove Parler From Its Web Hosting Service – Jan 09, 2021, The Epoch Times
[2] Twitter bans Trump, but Iranian ayatollah, Louis Farrakhan, Chinese propagandists still active – Jan 09, 2021, Fox News
[3] Everything you need to know from the tech antitrust hearing – Jul 29, 2020, The Verge
[4] Report: Zuckerberg Money Used in Violation of Federal Election Law – Dec 16, 2020, News Max
[5] Russia could ban Facebook, Twitter, YouTube for ‘censoring’ content – Dec 26, 2020, Financial Express
[6] Poland’s New Bill Slaps $2.2 Million Fines For Social Media Companies Censoring Lawful Posts – Dec 23, 2020, Christianity Daily
[7] U.K. plans big fines for online companies over harmful content – Dec 15, 2020, NBC News
[8] Tech Giants Face New Rules in Europe, Backed by Huge Fines – Dec 16, 2020, Wall Street Journal
[9] How the East India Company became the world’s most powerful business – Sep 6, 2019, National Geographic
[10] List of websites blocked in mainland China – Wikipedia
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Dosapati garu missed your write up during US 2020 Elections though Sree Iyer arranged Hangouts with Chityala on the same. People like me used to get US Elections information from Sky News Australia. Not from USA!!! In USA Free Speech is hot air and USA is a big joke! The powerful SM Platforms have become Publishers and escaped Section 230!!
As of now, Trump still has 92% ratings to contest in 2024! His Impeachment amounts to impeaching 75Mn Trump rainbow voters in the US history. Trump should not float his own party but should own a media to help his REPS. Otherwise there is no future for REPS!
Big US Companies have clauses on “no bribes” in the contract entered into by and between the company and the goods /service provider here! Yes indeed monstrous monopoly showcased by USA based Hi-tech oligarchs for the first time entire world saw filthily corrupt and fraudulent US elections similar to Africans / Latin American/ in few Indian States counterparts too. USA resembled a big banana republic but patented to sermonize 200 nations to behave! In 2020 Elections the US people struggled even to count polled Votes!! Such people might have had prejudiced mind-set and preferred “already counted fraudulent mailing ballots, dead man voting and stuffing ballots”…. Dominion did its soft votes migration works in six swing States as planned and Biden got 80 million votes without coming out of his basement. At the end DEMS, those 7 anti-Trump TV channels, CPP Virus and Hi-tech oligarchs have had a last laughs and not a career politician like Trump was confused and in total disarray. Unfortunately few of his trusted people too cheated him!!
Where is Ratcliff Report? Where is Durham? FBI - Fed Bu of incompetence, CIA, DOJ looked the other way while AG Barr slept with Biden in the basement! SCOTUS did not uphold US Constitution!! US Election 2020 spends equaled entire Indian annual Budget!! Biden-Harris Admin is a proxy Harris-Michelle Obama – Barak Admin. USA is now half CPP and will put America under a chopping block further reducing it to United Socialist States. This is similar to Andhra voters electing Christy Jagan….already conversions jumped to 24% from 8%!!
For a year or two Biden-Hi-tech companies will govern USA but who holds the key/ put a finger on the nuclear button is the Question?
Dosapati your write up reminds me 2000 Y2K and 2001-2004 Blackberry controversies and its Server in Canada and the then late PM AB Vajpayee Govt was asked to take action and he did take and proposed for a proxy Server in our country due to reasons more than one.
Big companies do not pay Taxes. Hence late PM Vajpayee introduced Arm’s Length Pricing/ Transfer Pricing with a mark-up percentage in his Budget presented then! Of late due to tax pin pricks Safe Harbour method is being used!! Some of these very big US Companies appointed Indians to manage their markets because Indian population is 130 Crores plus 5 Crores ill-legal and anti-national people!
Information is a new weapon and also a huge silent army corrupting the minds of younger generations and produce people like US based AOC and her ilk, which we see in the present day sweat shops/call canters in our Country also. In spite of the Indian SC warning still we get unsolicited calls and emails…unsubscribe button never work in emails!! This event tells us how deep the big “information transfer” business in India too!
Pity is that 'censorship' by the hitch media even on Praveen Mohans’ videos on temples is disgusting.
We are good in developing Apps by Start-ups. Big Indian companies have “big land banks” and bag Govt contracts as well. Unfortunately the majority Grads/ Indian Tech Coolies prefer NRI status than serving their mother land due to reasons more than one.
Only one Big Company got very huge investments even during Covid19 at the backdrop of dryness everywhere! Our Indian Parliamentarians prefer photo Ops with US big Tech companies CEOs and likes their investments in India producing few thousand jobs with Tax Breaks behind than lobbying with the incumbent Govt to have our own Operating System and platforms. Our minsters feel proud of speaking to such tech company CEOs and shaking hands with them is akin to holding a hand of a celestial temptress!!!
Certain political parties such as RSS based BJP, TDP , vanishing Shiv Sena are grassroots cadre based parties and shall take proper precautions while using SM after seeing huge election frauds in 2020 US Elections! But we are still vulnerable in many ways! The 50 days old farmers protest is a crucible!
See the fate of President Trump TODAY! He is not able to send his official Communiqués to the entire US Citizens in one shot! How can private companies shut down SM Accounts of a duly elected President during and after elections? Is USA a largest and the oldest democratic country? How can a private company hugely fund only DEMS and influence voters in six swing states and dethrone the incumbent government ruled by another party? How come SCOTUS blind on Section 230. That’s’ why Dr.S.Swamy advised the incumbent Indian Govt not to depend on private people/big enterprises sending Governmental to Governmental Confidential information and hence we must retain Air India was his advice.
Excellent article though it seems we always need a famine to look for water. It just amazes me that we have a mentality as Dr Swamiji puts it to be clerical or subservient rather than being an entrepreneur. Isn't it shocking that behind majority of the software - there are many brilliant Indian minds working - yet we just like to be the New China or the back office processing clerk! Time to change!
Well said, information and data are current day weapons of mass destruction( WMD) and I am sure every Indians data is in US servers. Who are actual owners of these social media platforms and in which direction the US is moving ? Future looks bleak for nationalists in democracies. Entire western media is hounding Trump and does he deserve such bashing.
It is time that India should have own SM platforms or else all Indians will be sold out and will be a repetition of Colonial slavery. Perhaps at present india is the largest suppliers of educated coolies all over the world in every field as reflected in the inward foreign exchange remittances. When is india going to produce wealth creators ?
Just ban Twitter for 15 days and tell them to fall in line. The rest will take queue from it. You can't reason with such companies. India is their largest consumer and they all sell data. Modi govt. will have to get tough.
Blocking big tech forever is a risk. People will be angry on govt.
Penalty would be a better choice. Block them for few peak hours. It will generate enough heat. A person seeing Fbk or Twt down for few hours periodically on violations of govt term will be more angry at tech company than govt. He will also become aware of periodic violations of big tech and will soon identify a better option.
We need watchdog who should block DNS of violaters for short period as penalty per violation, but should allow them to operate. Terms of violation should be set by government. This penalty will make them stick to government terms.
Actually, India needs to re-install all its IT systems all programs starting from OS itself. Govt. should sponsor heavily for developing all-new soft-ware and Hardware suitable and insulate India's net-work from out-side influences/attacks. The consequential researches will result in the development of suitable apps etc. Entire revamping of the set-up only is the solution, even if it cost us heavily. As all the present civilization is entirely IT based, this is utmost necessary.