Letter to the Readers, Mainstream, Feb 24, 2024

Letter to the Readers, Mainstream, February 24, 2024

Over the years there has been a consistent effort by the Government of India led by Narendra Modi to scuttle anti-Government protests and criticism on the street but also in Media and the social media. In the past years — 2021, 2023, and now in 2024 the Government has repeatedly used a strategy to block specific social media accounts belonging to certain journalists, politicians, and activists. and also to shut down mobile internet services for security reasons [1] In October 2022 the Government of India brought in official rules to regulate content on the internet and electronic media networks —amended Information Technology rules gave the Government officials powers to supposedly check anti-India content. [2], [3] In the past week the social media firm X (known earlier as Twitter) was ordered by the Government to block certain accounts & posts regarding the ongoing peasant protests for a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farm produce and over alleged human rights violations. [4] International social media firms that claim to uphold freedom of speech are under pressure and threats of penal consequences and hefty fines for not complying with Government directed restrictions on online freedom of speech on their platforms. Precious democratic space has been shrinking in the country during the Modi years. Government critics are often rounded up by the Tax men on charges of corruption or such. India leads the global list of internet shutdowns and its press freedom rank stands at the bottom 161 out of 180 countries in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index report by Reporters Without Borders [5]

February 24, 2024 —HK