Social Media Governance

Governing Online Speech | The Media Rumble 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oow5bE9UQ2M 
Nov 10, 2021

The Media Rumble 2021 session on 'Governing #OnlineSpeech' was moderated by Chitranshu Tewari, director, product and revenue, at Newslaundry. The panel comprised Marieteje Schaake, international policy director, Standford Cyber Policy Centre; Alex Kantrowitz, founder, Big Technology; Mishi Choudhary, legal director, Software Freedom Law Centre; and Julian Jaursch, project director, Stiftung Neue Verantwortung.

Discussing the recently introduced Information Technology (#Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, the panel talked about #accountability for online platforms and online speech governance. It also delved into the issues of limiting regulations to an independent body, such as the Facebook oversight board, as opposed to government action.

Mishi and Julian also discussed the balkanization of online governance and whether the current legal framework on regulation requires a relook.

0:00 to 01:18 Introduction 01:18 to 04: 38 Big-tech skirting accountability via ‘Ethics’ and ‘Statement of Intent’ 04:38 to 11:13 Online platforms’ choice between engagement and safety 11:13 to 21:18 Regulation protectionism disguised as empowerment 21:18 to 26:21 Regulatory frameworks infringing on international freedom norms 26:21 to 33:00 Negative connotation attached to online regulation 33:00 to 36:05 Europe’s pioneering role in regulation 36:05 to 41:38 Efficacy of community standards in regulating online speech 41:38 to 44:53 Dangers of excluding government regulation 44:53 to 52:48 Relook at existing legal protection against user generated content 52:48 to 56:44 Balkanization of online speech governance and concluding remarks

How to 'rule' over digital media | Sansad Watch Ep 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCOZSj9524g  Did you know the Indian #government can make certain #laws without parliamentary approval? They can, and they do it all the time, in the form of subordinate legislation, or rules. Most recently, the Narendra Modi government introduced such rules supposedly to “regulate” #digitalmedia platforms. What are these new rules and how will they affect digital news in the country?

The Indian state of Tamil Nadu is rolling out something never attempted before—with the help of a global tech giant.

For the state's 80 million residents:

• It wants to collect their blood samples.

• Check their blood pressure

• Screen them for cancer and kidney diseases

All of it at their doorstep.

And guess who wants to have a foot in the door?

The U.S. tech giant Google.

Google has been working with Tamil Nadu for a few years to create a population health registry (PHR) to aid this plan.

But while the state calls this association 'informal', Google has spent US$3 million in funding organisations building the PHR.

Why has Google gone all the way out? What does it hope to achieve?

And from a citizen's point of view, will the aggregated sensitive data be stored safely? Especially given that India does not have a data protection law yet.

How is a Twitter account blocked on government orders? What is the process to restore it? https://scroll.in/article/1048073/the-near-impossible-task-of-restoring-a-blocked-twitter-handle-in-india 

Scroll spoke to users whose accounts or tweets have been withheld in the last two years on the basis of a legal demand from the government and who have tried to challenge the blocking orders. This is how they hit a wall.

A few users tried to revive accounts withheld on a legal demand from the government. They hit a wall.

If your Twitter account is withheld, you can approach the ministry with your grievances but not as a matter of right. “It is discretionary for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to reject or respond,” said Mishi Choudhary.

by Zafar Aafaq 

01/05/2023