The Facebook Crisis in India

The Facebook Crisis in India Might Be the Worst Facebook Crisis of All By Nitish Pahwa  https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-papers-india-modi-misinformation-rss-bjp.html 
Oct 26, 2021

Facebook ignored, downplayed, or failed to adequately address harassment, mis- and disinformation, and incitements to violence on its platform in several major countries. ..Yet the most shocking revelations concern the nation that serves as the app’s biggest user base: India, the world’s largest backsliding democracy. 

.. the Facebook Papers confirm is not just that the network failed to curb Hindu nationalist hate speech and inadequately directed resources to monitor a nation with 340 million users; it also actively granted impunity to the worst offenders. 

the company’s “misinformation classifiers”—automated systems trained on machine learning to detect and take down posts with harmful falsehoods—were not developed enough to recognize and take action on millions of multilanguage disinformation posts that proliferated across Indian feeds.

reports of BJP-linked cells using Facebook and WhatsApp to spread toxic rhetoric and lies surfaced as early as 2016; more such troll operations proliferated in the subsequent years, both within and without election contexts, and led directly to lynchings of religious minorities and riots stirred up by aggrieved Hindus...According to the Wall Street Journal, investigators zoned in on two BJP-linked Hindu nationalist organizations they pinpointed as key drivers of mass Islamophobia, the RSS and the Bajrang Dal, and recommended that the latter be banned. But it didn’t happen, as the company worried that removing the Bajrang Dal would anger Modi. The Journal revealed last year that the then-head of Facebook India, Ankhi Das, opposed applying hate speech rules to Hindu nationalists and BJP politicians..  (Das stepped down by October 2020.)

This year, Modi’s government has cracked down the hardest it ever has on Facebook and other social networks, forcing them to remove posts unfavorable to the BJP, condemning them for spreading content supposedly offensive to fundamentalist Hindus, and threatening to fully expel them if they don’t follow new, restrictive rules drawn up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology meant to ensure compliance. The message is clear: If Facebook doesn’t follow the BJP’s Hindu nationalist dogma to a T, it can kiss its largest market goodbye.

SC Pegasus Ruling Historic; An Indictment of Modi Government: Dushyant Dave

SC Pegasus Ruling Historic; An Indictment of Modi Government: Dushyant Dave https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-Er8fzUM8g Oct 27, 2021

In a 18-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Dushyant Dave, a former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said the judgement is based on the Supreme Court’s assumption that Pegasus was used and that the right to privacy of Indian citizens was breached. He says the language used by the Supreme Court about national security and privacy “clearly establishes the Court is worried about the infringement of citizen’s right”.

Dushyant Dave says: “The Supreme Court has clearly and categorically stood with the citizens of India”. He adds: “It has told the government enough is enough”. He says the Supreme Court has said: “We are here as watchdogs”.

Pegasus Project: जासूसी कांड पर Supreme Court का ऐतिहासिक आदेश, कटघरे में Modi सरकार | Arfa Kahnum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YE9PfKVrkE 27 Oct 2012

The Supreme Court on Wednesday constituted a committee of experts to probe the case of alleged spying of Indian citizens through Israeli spyware 'Pegasus'. The court said that privacy cannot be violated under the guise of national security.
The Supreme Court said its endeavor is to uphold the constitutional aspirations and rule of law without indulging in "political rhetoric", but added that the petitions filed in the matter raise "Orwellian concerns".
Orwellian refers to that unjust and authoritarian position, idea or social condition, which is destructive to the welfare of a free and open society.
A bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli quoted English novelist Orwell as saying, "If you want to keep something a secret, you must also hide it from yourself."

"Won't Be A Mere Spectator": SC's Earful For Modi Govt, Appoints Committee To Probe Pegasus Case https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnjDHtFBneA Oct 27, 2021

"More than a month after reserving its interim order in the Pegasus Snooping Case, the Supreme Court finally today announced its order in the case. The Supreme court appointed an independent committee comprising three technical experts who will be supervised by its retired judge Justice R V Raveendran. The committee has been tasked to conduct a “thorough inquiry” into allegations of use of Pegasus software for unauthorised surveillance by the govt. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana said the committee will “enquire, investigate and determine” whether Pegasus Spyware was used to snoop upon the Indian citizens? What steps did the GoI take? Were there any enquiries conducted post-2019 revelations regarding the Pegasus spyware? and whether it was the Government of India which bought the Pegasus spyware?
A very important order has been given by the Supreme Court today. The Pegasus snooping row has already kicked up a political storm with much of the monsoon session being disrupted over the issue. But the issue is beyond just a political slugfest between ruling party and the opposition. The Issue is about the Citizens of India and their rights. That Right to Privacy is a fundamental right and snooping of citizens means breaching that fundamental right. it is important to find out who is responsible for this.
Today, the Supreme court of India has asked the committee to submit its report within 2 months. Additionally, the Supreme Court had some very pertinent observations for the Government of India which has remained rather stubborn over the Pegasus issue calling it a conspiracy by anti-national elements.

Prime Time With Ravish Kumar | Pegasus Snooping Case Highlights: Supreme Court Forms Probe Panel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JczpmsqBJ2k  Oct 27, 2021

11 months of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha movement: Dr Sunilam

डॉ सुनीलम: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AiXYIRE1zsiakT5RF4DbfvFe-bOo?e=Hxdaf7 
किसानों को न्याय दिलाने का ऐतिहासिक आंदोलन: दशा और दिशा  

The strength of the movement led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha is the farmer activists of 550 farmer organizations who have declared that till the law is not repealed, there will be not return home.
All decisions of the movement are taken after a long process of deliberation. The 32 Jathabandis of Punjab discuss any issue first. The working group members of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee also discuss at their level and a decision is taken in the open meeting of Samyukta Kisan Morcha as accepted by all organizations.

Meanwhile, the central government is working on a strategy to tire the agitators and compromise them with neglect, but the base of the movement is expanding. Public opinion is also constantly changing in favor. However, Godi Media has left no stone unturned to defame the entire movement. Despite this, farmers are being successful in taking their messages to the villages through social media.

See Hindi original with google translate in English.. https://1drv.ms/u/s!AiXYIRE1zsiakT5RF4DbfvFe-bOo?e=Hxdaf7 

From Bardoli to Singhu ..

What Today’s Farm Protests Share with Vallabhbhai Patel’s Bardoli Satyagraha  Ramachandra Guha https://janataweekly.org/what-todays-farm-protests-share-with-vallabhbhai-patels-bardoli-satyagraha/
October 17, 2021

The Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928, which was led and organised by Vallabhbhai Patel, emphatically demonstrated the power and potential of non-violence in the cause of peasant self-respect. In this struggle, kisans in rural Gujarat mobilised against the oppressive agrarian policies of the colonial state.

Almost a hundred years separate the peasant struggle that Patel led in Bardoli with the kisan andolan of today. Yet the parallels are hard to miss. On the one side, the role of women in sustaining the movement, and the quiet heroism of the satyagrahis, who have braved winter, summer, monsoon and a pandemic and kept their struggle going. On the other side, the attempt by the state to stall and delay, to divide the movement, and to spread falsehoods about its leaders.

Back in the 1920s, the collaborators with the raj included Brahmin revenue officials and hired goons brought in from outside Gujarat. Now, in the 2020s, it is the police and the godi media that aid the postcolonial state, the first in suppressing the peasants, the second in distorting their message and defaming their leaders.

Indeed, in the range of repressive methods used against the farmers – water cannons, the installation of metal spikes on roads, internet shutdowns, hate-filled propaganda – the Modi-Shah regime has exceeded even the White Man’s raj.

“it is a fact beyond challenge that India has given a singular proof to the world that mass non-violence is no longer the idle dream of a visionary or a mere human longing. It is a solid fact capable of infinite possibilities for a humanity which is groaning, for want of faith, beneath the weight of violence of which it has become almost a fetish. The greatest proof that our movement was non-violent lies in the fact that the peasants falsified the fears of our worst sceptics. They were described as very difficult to organise for non-violent action and it is they who stood the test with a bravery and an endurance that was beyond all expectations. Women and children too contributed their great share in the fight. They responded to the call by instinct and played a part which we are too near the event adequately to measure. And I think it would be not at all wrong to give them the bulk of the credit for preservation of non-violence and the consequent success of the movement.” - Sardar Patel, 1931

With his Fabindia boycott call, Tejasvi Surya is hurting the soul of Hinduism

Sudheendra Kulkarni: With his Fabindia boycott call, Tejasvi Surya is hurting the soul of Hinduism https://scroll.in/article/1008194/sudheendra-kulkarni-with-his-fabindia-boycott-call-tejasvi-surya-is-hurting-the-soul-of-hinduism Hinduism is noted for its incredible diversity and its widely admired spirit of tolerance and respect for other faiths and cultures.

You say that “Fabindia must face economic costs” for its “misadventure” of putting out an advertisement calling for the celebration of Diwali in a way that does not conform to your standard Hindutva template. This is economic terrorism, pure and simple.

If Fabindia has pulled its ad – and other brands like Tata’s Tanishq have also done the same for the same reason in recent years – it is because they know that the coercion comes from those belonging to the ruling party, that its followers know how to enforce the boycott call given by their leaders, and also that the law enforcement machinery will not come to the aid of the victims if their shops are vandalised.

Tejasvi Surya’s Diwali tweet should not be dismissed as the harmless fulmination of a 30-year-old budding political leader. It connotes majoritarian intolerance, exclusivism and divisiveness that are now rapidly spreading in India. Yugoslavia’s fragmentation started in a similar sinister manner.

Tejasvi Surya @Tejasvi_Surya  Oct 18,2021
Deepavali is not Jash-e-Riwaaz. This deliberate attempt of abrahamisation of Hindu festivals, depicting models without traditional Hindu attires, must be called out. And brands like @FabindiaNews must face economic costs for such deliberate misadventures.  https://twitter.com/FabindiaNews/status/1446881162748579849

Farmers Clearing part of the Road on Ghazipur Border

किसानों ने Ghazipur Border से सामान हटाना शुरू किया, NDTV से बातचीत में ये बोले Rakesh Tikait  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWHuYTZP9L4 Oct 21, 2021 Farmers Protest: किसानों ने गाजीपुर बॉर्डर (Ghazipur Border) पर दिल्ली (Delhi) जाने वाली सड़क से अपना सामान हटाना शुरू कर दिया है. रास्‍ता खोलने के लिए वाहनों को मौके से हटाया जा रहा है. किसानों ने अपने तंबुओं को भी हटाना शुरू कर दिया है. किसान नेता राकेश टिकैत (Rakesh Tikait) से NDTV के लिए शरद शर्मा ने बात की.

"किसानों को प्रदर्शन का हक लेकिन सड़क बंद करना गलत": Supreme Court https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jDBKeQdHT4
दिल्ली (Delhi) की सीमाओं पर बैठे किसानों को हटाकर सड़क खोलने को लेकर सुप्रीम कोर्ट (SC) में गुरुवार को सुनवाई हुई है. कोर्ट ने किसानों से कहा है कि उन्हें प्रदर्शन करने का अधिकार है, लेकिन सड़क बंद करना गलत है, तो किसानों ने दलील दी कि सड़क उन्होंने नहीं, बल्कि पुलिस ने बंद की है.

ग़ाज़ीपुर बॉर्डर पर बवाल तो टिकैत ने दिया बड़ा बयान  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP_9kz3Wtes

किसानों ने खोला बॉर्डर-हटाई बैरिकेडिंग, सुप्रीम कोर्ट के फैसले से पलटा पासा https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALRe95v8ZdY

Prime Time With Ravish Kumar: प्रदर्शनों को कुचलने की दुनिया भर में तैयारी https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnhsmB6sQxw Oct 21, 2021

दिल्ली की तरफ़ कूच करने की तैयारी में किसान, अब क्या होगा । Navin Kumar Oct 21, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFFmYLUxQik  सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने कह दिया हटना तो पड़ेगा। इस टिप्पणी के बाद किसान से लेकर सरकार तक में खलबली। ढाई महीने में कोई रास्ता नहीं निकला तो किसान आगे क्या करेगा ये सोच-सोचकर ही सबकी सांस अटकी हुई है।

the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

India ratified the ICCPR on April 10, 1979.

The relevant articles of the ICCPR enumerating these protections are:

Article 19

1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.

2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.

3. The exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of this article carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary:

(a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others;

(b) For the protection of national security or of public order, or of public health or morals.

Article 21

The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

Supreme Court Says "Right To Protest Can't Be Anytime, Everywhere"

Supreme Court Says "Right To Protest Can't Be Anytime, Everywhere" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8zNXb34_ts&t=15s
Feb 13, 2021 

The Supreme Court said the right to protest cannot be "anytime and everywhere", while dismissing a plea seeking review of its verdict passed last year in which it had held the occupation of public ways during the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi was "not acceptable". On Left, Right and Centre we analyse whether the Supreme Court order have far reaching consequences. 

Begalurut Mob violence.

Bengaluru Mob Violence: SDPI Leader Arrested For Allegedly Inciting Violence  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4rxkLEAP00 
Aug 12, 2020

A Facebook post laced with communal remarks sparked violent clashes in Bengaluru on Tuesday night in which a mob vandalised a police station and the residence of a Congress MLA.
Three people died in police firing after angry mobs attacked a Congress MLA's house in Bengaluru as a communal social media post shared allegedly by the leader's relative sparked outrage and clashes broke out in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station areas of the city. SDPI leader Muzamil Pasha has been arrested by Bengaluru Police for his role in mob violence