This isn't the first case of domination of the internet by authoritarians, but it's not the last either. And as politics in the US constantly remind these days, authoritarianism can take root anywhere.
I could see this colliding with efforts to tie online activities to verified real people- the blue checks- in a really, really bad way.
It makes me think of alternatives like meshnets. Is radical decentralization the key to a free internet that survives the 21st century? Will we all be on the dark web soon by default, in order to express anything at all with relative anonymity?
I think China has a firewall and does not need cooperation from the content hosting platform for blocking content. India's internet is more like the internet in the US or EU than China.
~~BTW this is some heavy duty propaganda against India. They should at least link to some news articles about the muslims being killed in India. What a load of rubbish.~~
It's linking to itself. I think there were more minorities killed in India before this-- right now, I think it's very easy to post if anyone (including the government) is doing something wrong online. This accountability where everyone has a camera was not possible earlier.
India has a lot of people, and a 20th century police force attempting to deal with 21st century problems. There used to be sandbags and MG nests at all the airports and train stations because of potential terror attacks.
Now they are just cameras, which is an improvement. You have to keep in mind that people in India have only recently gotten access to the Internet and not all of them have internet literacy.
It is very challenging for the government to handle and very tempting for it to take authoritarian steps to control its citizens in lieu of education.
India does not restrict information from its citizens, but like most of the countries (including the United States and European countries), its agencies like CDOT and CDAC conduct surveillance like our government. Is this a good thing? No. But it's going to happen, and it's a good thing to keep the government in check when they exercise their surveillance power.
I suppose going to the media is a facet of that. The fact that someone can do this so openly without fear is proof that they really don't have much to fear from the Indian government.
As long as you didn't try to blow up an Air India plane in the 1980s, flee to another country and get cozy with the current prime minister's father, you don't need to worry about Ajit Doval sending technical support to your address.
I could see this colliding with efforts to tie online activities to verified real people- the blue checks- in a really, really bad way.
It makes me think of alternatives like meshnets. Is radical decentralization the key to a free internet that survives the 21st century? Will we all be on the dark web soon by default, in order to express anything at all with relative anonymity?