Amidst the din in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, CPI(M) MP John Brittas flagged the issue of frequent Internet shutdowns, especially in the context of events in Manipur where, he argued, the absence of Internet service had created a breeding ground for “fake news, misinformation and suppression of valuable information”.
In a special mention (a segment when MPs can raise issues of national importance), he urged the government to revisit the current policy on shutdowns and revise the corresponding rules.
The fear of getting caught on camera and getting exposed in public, Mr. Brittas said, can stop even the most dreaded criminal from committing a crime. Internet shutdowns, he said, gives a perpetrator a sense of impunity that his targets are “fair game without any mechanism for surveillance”.
“The wanton killings and weaponisation of gang rape to spread a reign of terror have come to light very late. A video from May 4, was recently circulated in social media, showing two women stripped and taken away by a rival community mob. Internet shutdowns lead to a breeding ground for fake news, misinformation and suppression of valuable information,” Mr. Brittas said.
He also recalled the Supreme Court’s ruling in Anuradha Bhasin vs Union of India, which stated the significance of the Internet for life and livelihood. “Internet shutdowns caused an estimated economic loss of nearly ₹40,000 crore in the last three years alone,” he said.
