February 8, 2017
Trinamool’s Derek O’Brien’s Question in Rajya Sabha on advisory regarding online trolls
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Sir, the question and the answer both refer to the word ‘journalist’, and I suppose it is in the traditional term of a journalist being a print journalist or a television journalist. Sir, in today’s digital medium, everyone from civil society, every citizen can be a journalist because you can broadcast from your mobile phones. Sir, in this digital age, since you can broadcast from your mobile phone, there is a generation of people known as ‘trolls’ who broadcast very negative, abusive stuff, murderous threats and misogynistic stuff, and the kind of editorials which go out can also lead to deep communal differences.
My specific question, Sir – in this digital age, when every citizen can be a journalist and broadcast this kind of negativity – is whether the Minister and his Ministry is planning to issue an advisory for high Constitutional authorities, including the Prime Minister of India, who are following unknown people on the digital medium.
I don’t say they have to know everybody – the Prime Minister himself is not sending out any negative messages but the people who he is following on digital media, are sending out bile, and very venomous stuff.
My question is, would the Government consider sending out an advisory to high Constitutional authorities, or to everybody in a responsible position, to not to follow these unknown trolls who are spreading rape threats, communal threats and misogynistic threats under the guise of anonymity.
