The Indian government has been engaged in a concerted effort to establish a comprehensive infrastructure for censorship over the past 5 years. This endeavor involves the creation of a legal framework that imposes criminal liability on social media platforms, rendering them accountable for the content they host. Non-compliance with government directives can result in severe consequences for platform employees, including imprisonment. The ultimate objective of this initiative is to exert control over the narrative and restrict the dissemination of information that is deemed undesirable.
The aftermath of the protests witnessed the Delhi police taking drastic measures against social media posts that were perceived as derogatory, malicious, and defamatory. The police demanded the removal of these posts and the disclosure of user information. Furthermore, they leveraged AI-powered facial recognition software to identify protesters, resulting in the incarceration of some individuals. The legacy of these events is likely to be a significant escalation of censorship laws in India.
The propensity of the Indian government to suppress free speech and exert control over social media and the media is not a novel phenomenon. Rather, it is an extension of a longstanding trend in Indian politics, where successive governments have sought to regulate and manipulate the narrative. The question that arises is the extent to which the current government will pursue this agenda and the mechanisms it will employ to achieve its objectives.
