Indian Government's Volunteer Programme to Report 'Anti-National' Content

pertinent news article : https://thewire.in/rights/cyber-whispers-home-ministry-volun...

The context and timing of this is what matters.

India is currently hosting the largest protest in human history. It was sparked by three ordinances which sought to regulate farming, by re-structuring how farmers may grow and sell their crops. The bills were passed with such haste and indifference towards the sentiments of opposing members in parliament, that something seemed very off right from the start.

And then farmers in Punjab began to accuse the government of siding with corporate interests (namely two billionaires, Adani and Ambani, and their various companies) and handing over an already exploited agricultural market to the corporate sector to be further exploited for profit. It was at this point, when after two months of heavy protests in Punjab, which the government did not directly respond to, and carried on non-chalantly with propaganda creation, that the anger began to spill over, and farmers began marching towards the capital, Delhi, forcing a reaction from the government.

That forced exchange between the farmers and government has led to a fascinating turn of events.

On one side, the farmers who have not even had a unified voice within India, let alone internationally, have gradually been given international attention and platforms to openly express themselves via social media.

On the other side, the Modi administration, which has far reaching influence and connections, while being directly called out to respond to the very valid points raised against them, chose to go with a strategy of playing ignorant and deflection, all the while ramping up propaganda to malign their accusers.

The main problem faced by the government is that while they keep trying to pin distinct groups as being a rogue anti-national 'elements' who have sparked protests for their own benefits, the protest sites have only kept on increasing in numbers as well as in diversity, rendering the government narrative as more and more disconnected over time.

And all of this has been continously documented by an impressive counter-movement to pro govt media, made up of daring freelance journalists using social media, many of whom have been arrested and detained without cause.

So while Indian democracy is being exposed, the Modi administration, despite mass protests spreading across the country, has only continued to pump out the same forms of propaganda and divisive speeches which have grown rather stale with Indians.

I've been paying close attention to the situation since late November, and it's been fascinating to see how Delhi's IT cell has been working in overdrive to restore trust in government sources of information by any means, resorting to anything from spamming flat out lies, to publishing photoshopped imagery, to mass reporting activist Twitter accounts to get them banned.

And all the while, on-the-ground social media journalism continues gain more and more public trust, eroding away the need for conventional sources of information.

The public's trust in pro government media outlets has gradually degraded to the point where reporters of those networks are being quizzed and questioned by citizens on sight regarding the ongoing protests, thereby completely nullifying the network's freedom to create and influence narratives in the ways they would like to (and have been used to).

Their reporters are also being heckled and harassed, and one reporter for Zee news (one of the biggest news stations) actually ended up quitting while live on the air, after protesters began to question whether his loyalty lay with the government or the people of India.

I think the current situation in India is testament to the idea that the so called information age may have run it's course, and we are now entering into an era where information is so abundant that the demand is centered around the quality of information and it's relativity to our own experienced reality, rather than perceived, because our perception can and has been influenced,through brute force if nothing else, to our own detriment.

So now the trustworthiness of a particular source of information is becoming far more important than the quantity of information provided by it.

Would you be able to explain why the farmers don't like the new laws?

I personally don't trust thewire.in either because as far as I understand, thewire.in is left wing. Just like I won't trust swarajamag or republictv.

As someone who has to deal with this sort of censorship employed "against me" online by the dictator, who wants no one to criticize his actions, the government and everyone subservient to his whims, it doesn't even sound like 1984 anymore. Big brother was supposed to be an exercise in what "not to do" or am I thinking wrongly? Instead, these people are using it as a playbook of what to do next.

The HN crowd will not really understand how "misuse of social media" means criticism of government that has landed thousands in jail with no recourse. You are treated the same as a terrorist who might have blown a plane or committed mass murder or a rapist.

I have always tried use a different handle online, avoid services that require a phone number, I dont post my photo or have a YouTube channel / whatsapp/telegram.

Just the day before, in a crowded street in the middle of a city capital with a population of 1 mil+, the army organised a sudden "cordon" when EVERY CIVILIAN was forced to stand in a queue, remove any "traditional winter clothing" that might hide a weapon and stand in line for over 2 hours while each person was frisked and made to prove their identity (ID cards, etc) while the whole thing was recorded by them.

Whatsapp/Facebook Admins are ordered to report to the police to get their groups "registered" or else face criminal prosecution.

I dont want sympathies. No kashmiri does. Just the idea that the attrocities committed by India and Pakistan need to be put out and known because these people sugarcoat their versions so brilliantly.

I have a cartoonist friend who is regularly banned from social media because pages get "forced to delete content" and all because he draws stuff critical of government.

I see no light at the end of the tunnel for India or Pakistan also for that matter. They simply have dug their own graves

The current way that (all?) farming works in India is that farmers take their produce to some (government run?) wholesaler and they get at least some government-mandated minimum price for their produce. Somehow this makes its way into the rest of the local and global economy. The new proposal is advertised as economic liberalisation of this system and involves scrapping the minimum price guarantee.

It is advertised as allowing more efficiency in the market and giving farmers the option to sell their produce to more discerning buyers at higher prices. Others worry that farmers will be worse off and won’t get such good prices, or may be exposed to more price risk (obviously it is unreasonable to tell these smallholders to sell futures and buy insurance against low yields). They suggest allowing farmers to choose who they sell to but still giving the option of getting a minimum price, but this would be terrible for whoever guarantees the min price due to adverse selection. The law’s proponents claim that this opposition is merely fear of any change.

I think there is also a general mistrust of the government and an expectation of corruption and that a big law might be secretly designed to benefit the lawmakers who implement it.