Don’t be Caught Unawares on Social Media, the Govt is Watching You

Government is monitoring social media.

Next time you speak your mind on social media, be aware that you’re being watched – by the government.

The Quint has accessed the government’s Social Media Activity Tracking Report on 23 September 2015. This report, put together by the social media wing of the Home Ministry has serious implications.

Every week, the social media wing puts together one such report, which collects opinions on major current events and issues. Last week, for instance, after the government was forced to withdraw a contentious draft over a proposed encryption policy, it carried out a sentiment analysis.

Three Cases of the Govt’s Sentiment Analysis

The September report states that out of a total 1,481 posts on social media, 25 percent were appreciative of the government’s decision to withdraw the draft encryption policy, 65 percent were neutral and 11 percent criticised the government for creating such a draft.

In the case of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s letter to PM Narendra Modi urging for cooperation from the Central Government, the mood of the people was largely neutral with 76 percent just sharing it as a piece of news. Whereas 15 percent stated that Arvind Kejriwal himself should resolve the issue with the capital’s Lieutenant Governor rather than attack the Centre and PMO. And 9 percent supported Kejriwal saying that for the citizens of Delhi, the AAP government is ready to go the extra mile.

On the suspension of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani’s passport for 4 weeks, 84 percent of all those who expressed their opinion were neutral, 13 percent were positive and supported the government and 3 percent criticised government.

Social media helps us in understanding the sentiment of people. We get to read their minds. I would request people to put their thoughts pertaining to various issues which are of public interest on social media. It will also assist us in putting together our thought process.
— Official, Ministry of Home Affairs to The Quint

Do we need to be mindful of our activities on Social Media?

So how worried should we be that the government is tracking our views? Intelligence officers say that tracking helps them monitor terrorist activity.

We have to monitor social media to control terrorist activities. In fact, on many occasions we are able to gather important leads. Unfortunately, these days IB officials are engaged in election surveys on social media rather than nabbing terrorists.
— IB officer to The Quint

Apar Gupta, a lawyer and internet rights activist says,

Given that there is an absence of a privacy law in India, there is a concern that monitoring of social media can lead to self-censorship online. However, even people need to recognise that any content posted publicly doesn’t have an expectation of privacy.
— Apar Gupta, Advocate, Technology

What Heavy Users of Social Media Have to Say

In a survey conducted by a US-based newspaper, 31 percent of the respondents said they were concerned about government surveillance of social media. When we spoke to heavy users of social media, we got mixed opinions.

Dragnet surveillance of social media inevitably leads to what is known as the “chilling effect” on freedom of speech and expression. People are mindful of being watched, and hence are compelled to adopt a cautionary approach. Besides that, there is always the looming prospect of both conscious and sub-conscious self-censorship.
— Suman Datta, Twitter user with 50,000 tweets

Yet another user of Twitter says,

It’s creepy feeling to be watched by the government. However, social media in any case is a public platform, hence, submissions are open for anyone to see. The government is free to monitor social media but the problem erupts when someone is persecuted for their expression. The persecution by the government to silence uncomfortable thoughts is a dangerous phenomenon. It’s an Orwellian nightmare.
— Twitter user who prefers not to be named

Sunil, a student, is more blunt in his opinions. “The government should focus its energy on the concerns of people rather than the people themselves”, he says.

Can the Government Prosecute You?

So what happens if a tweet of yours draws the anger of the government or any law agency? Unless it is outright hate speech, seditious or encouraging of illegal activity, the government cannot do much.

This, after the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of the IT Act which allowed people to be arrested for posting ‘offensive’ content on social media sites.

That doesn’t mean however that you cannot be stopped. Two other sections of the IT Act that could still be used to curb your right to freedom of expression – Section 69A, which gives the government the power to block any website. And Section 79(3), which gives any citizen the right to approach the courts to take down any content that they feel is objectionable.