Raging Debate on Internet
Asoke K. Laha
President & MD, Interra IT
I was thinking for a while to write on the controversy regarding the censorship of Internet. I put off that idea on the ground that I did not want to express my views on controversial issues - a policy that I have adopted while writing columns like this. Therefore, I am taking care not to give value judgments, while penning this piece. I feel that there are three types of views on this raging issue. Of course, two views are extreme ones that no degree of censorship should be imposed on the Internet since any restriction on the flow of information will adversely affect mankind right for unfettered freedom to access information. This is borne out from the understanding that the Government does not have the right to decide what information should be accessed and what not. The other equally powerful argument is that the Government is the final arbiter to decide what should be accessed by its citizens and what should not. They argue that such regulatory mechanism ensures against the society slipping into anarchy and a directionless citizenry. Both schools of thought have their protagonists, rational explanations and philosophical underpinnings.
For any eclectically bent subject, it is natural to have a thesis, anti-thesis and a synthesis. Let me make this point very candid. In a dispensation that allows unfettered freedom for the net searchers to access information, what would be the relevance of highly sophisticated filters, software that enables blocking the sites etc.? Undoubtedly, a regime that espouses powerful regulatory systems promotes huge businesses for such systems knowingly or unknowingly. The most interesting explanation that I heard was about the impact of imposition of censorship in China. The positive spinoffs of such an action was the innovation that was triggered in China, which led to an indigenous YouTube, network and many social networks that promote people's contacts and sharing of information. In China, that is possible since there is huge penetration of Internet and mobile phones. The third school of thought – a harmonious blend of unfettered freedom and proactive regulation-balances everything including businesses related to filtering as also access to information.
Now look at the education and job scenario. It has totally changed. Kota in Rajasthan, a remote village known earlier for the marble slabs mined out from there, is now the epicentre for competitive examination for engineering. I really wonder how it has developed as the hub of IIT aspirants. Indian Administrative Service (IAS) was a prerogative of the metropolitan and the manor born. Now youngsters from small towns and villages, cutting across family backgrounds, are making it to the coveted services.
I feel the most important reason for this feat is the penetration of Internet and the capacity building that has taken place in every nook and corner of the country. Of course, there are aberrations like hacking, security concerns and the like that have to be addressed. Is there any model that we have to follow for checking such complexities that Internet has brought in?
I feel the Chinese Government operates the world's most sophisticated national Internet filtering system. Called as the Great Firewall, it is not one entity but, rather, a mix of strategies. Could we develop indigenously such filtering systems and technologies to act as Firewall to data and systems which have immense security values? Can we have a parallel Internet system with paraphernalia like Facebook, YouTube, Twitters, etc.? That will promote innovation and catapult India as a technology leader.
But one thing is clear that I am a great believer of Internet and the networking and business opportunities that have opened up because of it. We can have a debate on how it has to be regulated and conform to certain standards. But such debates should not be at the cost of a well-planned strategy for enhancing its penetration into every nook and corner of India so that the vision and stake of a person living in a far-flung area is as agile and dynamic as his counterpart in the metros. It is also heartening to note that India does not figure among the nations arranged in the pecking order, which have stringent Internet content censorship.
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