Indian Government Considering Rule Linking Social Media Accounts To Aadhaar

in #india5 years ago

You read that right. If the government has it's way they will force Indian citizens to link our social media accounts with Aadhaar. According to a recent report in ET the Indian governments wants existing and new users from India of social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter to be accountable for what they say.

It wants to uphold privacy while ensuring people are accountable. Another way one can look at it is that the government wants to curb free speech of users who raise their voice against the short comings of the government. Trolls who highlight the hypocrisy and issues caused by the government to the public will be targeted.

Ofcourse, there are many anti-social elements spreading fake propaganda as well. Recent moves from FB has shown that both BJP and Congress (two of the largest parties in India) continue to engage in spreading information and mis-information through their IT cells.

According to the report, the government is mulling ways to make it mandatory to link our phone numbers or Aadhaar IDs to control social media trolls who hide behind the curtain of anonymity to lash against the ruling government.

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“The general perception is that I can remain anonymous in the internet space and say and do things without any fear,” an official told ET. “However, we need to maintain the balance between an individual’s need for privacy while ensuring we don’t encourage negative things on the internet.”

The guidelines are likely to include traceability of messages to pinpoint their origin, and securing consent of users before they are added to chat groups. WhatsApp introduced a new privacy feature on Wednesday that will require a user’s assent before he is added to a chat group — a step that aligns with the latter requirement. Mandatory verification will help check unacceptable behaviour and “deter needless trolling”, said the first official.

While it's important to curb fake forwards and messages being shared, these moves may be construed as oppression over freedom of speech and further subjugation by the government who is keen on muscling around to reach it's objective one way or another.

As per Inc42 The officials also said that verification through a one-time password, on similar lines to what Twitter is already offering to users, or linking it to Aadhaar, the passport or any new foolproof methodology, are some of the ways an intermediary can look at the verification process.

Currently Twitter accounts need a verified mobile number but someone can use a fake email as well to do this job. However, there are work arounds to this as well.

The development comes at a time when the Election Commission of India has kept social media companies on their toes ahead of the general elections. From issuing a Model Code of Ethics for social media, to ensuring political advertisements are accounted for, the commission is making sure that voters do not get misled by fake social media campaigns.

It's clear that the Indian government is likely to face backlash if it goes about aggressively in execution and implementation of such a rule if it ever passes it in the parliament. Hopefully someone will file a PIL in the Supreme Court and fight it out eventually.

What do you think about this move? Would you like to link your social media accounts to Aadhaar whose information is prone to leaking now and then?


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This better not materialize! Internet anonymity is much more important than internet free speech for me. Already Twitter has forced me into linking my phone number to its service while this didn't use to be the case till about half an year ago. Twitter has suspended me twice for things as little as criticizing biased British tennis media.

Absolutely horrible this move will be! F### them seriously if they are even thinking about it! If I was living in a serious country like China where even though the Government is strict af and acts like a big brother, it at least does its job and brings prosperity to the nation, makes the civilization proud everyday, then yes, maybe I would have happily given away my privacy/anonymity to the Government for a national cause but here, in this country, where politicians couldn't care less about the growth, development and prosperity of the country and can only care about preserving and increasing the wealth that they have hoarded through politics, I'd choose my anonymity over everything else any day!

Same thought here dude. :(

Shocking! Do you have freedom of speech in India? (I'd be really surprised if you didn't.) If so, everyone should be free to criticize the gov't to their hearts content, right out in public.

What's the definition of 'negative things on the internet'? Things they don't agree with?

Aadhaar is prone to leaking now and then? Meanwhile Google and Facebook are mining and selling every bit of data, without thinking twice.

Switching to Steem? Definitely worth it! Stay autonomous, and keep creating epic content!

We do have but the ruling party has somewhat destroyed the social fabric. We're undergoing so many chances, hard to say which ones are in the best interests of the public but mostly they are in the best interests of the corrupt govt.

This is so not fair.
In recent years, freedom of speech is already declining in this country. I am not liking this at all.

I was browsing through Reuters a few days ago : They are banning Reddit and Telegram too. :(

https://steemit.com/technology/@vibesforlife/reddit-and-telegram-banned-in-india

I think some ISPs are targeting it but im not surely entirely if it's happening at scale. I've been able to use it just fine. Will check this out.

yup, must be a reason it came in Reuters. Lets see what happens

This is by far the stupidest thing I've heard all week

Posted using Partiko Android

and yet true. lol

Another good reason to come to steem. 🖒😎

Damn right! :D

we should add steemit link too, but very careful to post

government decision to link Aadhar card with social media it quite bit disappointing,it seems like Government putting censorship on freedom of expression which is our constitutional right.
Indian government following the path of china, the way it decided to Ban Reedit and Telegram just because government cannot monitor it.

If government can not tolerate encrypted social media like Telegram how it will tolerate and regulate crypto like bitcoin and Monero which are known for privacy and decentralization. Soon or later people will raise their voice against it, I have fear that Government can also ban Steemit.

I truly regret voting the current govt to power.

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