Should India curtail Web2.0 freedom?

MUMBAI, INDIA: Today, most news publications and broadcast companies have their own websites that provides news and information round the clock. In fact, the Internet has become media’s backbone. All kind of data including text, documents, images, videos or real-time feeds are transferred over the Internet.

With evolution of Web2.0 concept that allows rich content with interactivity and user engagement in various forms, most news websites have embedded the Web2.0 tools and applications.

These tools and applications allow users to post comments or views, dig content, tag pictures, link content with emails or blogs and also can perform other activities.

However, in a broader context, can these Web2.0 tools and applications, linked with news content or information, help create impact on people’s thinking?

According to Rediff.com’s editorial director Saisuresh Sivaswamy, these Web2.0 tools are geared for greater dissemination of information or sharing, if one would like to use the word.

“These tools give the reader/user a sense of ownership, a sense of participation – by digging it, taking part in message boards, linking it to blogs etc. It enables the reader/user to publish his/her own comments, which in turn generate further comments or opinions from more readers,” Sivaswamy says.

According to him, all these enable the proliferation of greater debate or discussion; “not the prevalence of one single opinion, but many opinions.”

Delhi-based MediaGuru.in’s editor-in-chief for Web Operations, Ved Vrat Giri, observes that interactivity or the use of Web2.0 tools in media primarily might not be directed to impact the people’s thinking (the readers/ viewers or people in power), but as its use and utilities are evolving, enormous impact is happening.”

“Interactivity is basically meant for empowering people with the facility of having their say in local, national and world affairs, as far as the news and social media networks are concerned,” Giri explains. “Actually, the voice of people in general through Web2.0 is positively impacting the thinking of people in power and their policies of governance.”

No one would object to positive impacts but what happen if the impact is adverse?

In India, which has over a billion people with diverse religions and faiths speaking different languages and cultures, the possibility of individuals or group from a community or religion getting offended by users’ comments or posts is very high.

So does the situation demands for control or censorship of the Internet, along with those Web2.0 tools and applications?

“No, I don’t think the Internet needs censorship any more than other forms of media need it. I presume when you talk of ‘self-controlled censorship’, you are implying some kind of self-regulation,” Sivaswamy comments.

Sharing his 25 years' industry experience, Sivaswamy says that every publication – online or offline – follows strict journalistic standards.

In contrast, Giri says the need of the hour is to regulate the content coming via the Web2.0 facility.

“And as far as the news media is concerned this is possible by editing or deleting the comments/letters/blogs etc. And even there can be ban on people habitual of submitting malicious content,” he says.

“We are doing the same thing in our citizen journalism portals - mynews.in and merikhabar.com, where the content is generally uploaded by our registered users whom we call citizen journalists. Only duly registered users, who abide by the strict 'terms and conditions of use', must be allowed to submit any content,” Giri recommends.

Even, Kiruba Shankar, F5ive Technologies’ co-founder and Business Blogging Pvt Ltd’s CEO reckons that in India one needs to follow ‘self-regulation’.

Being a professional blogger, Shankar says, “India should have rough guidelines for Internet and websites so that general people, users, armature bloggers or writers who are unaware of ‘self-regulation’ can get a rough idea and understanding via the guidelines.”

In his opinion, even the government can have a code of conduct and the people who breach the code should be punished.

So what do you think, India should bring into force some restriction in the use of interactive web space?

Name
Email
Comment Here
Code Verification

RIM readies new touchscreen BlackBerry

IMSC open to sharing supercomputer

RIM to launch tablet in November

Software released to attack Android phones

Global Holding ready to partner Augere

India gets its own web-browser: Epic

An octopus' prediction and a porn star's promise

Kuwait's Zain may invest in MidEast

Why India's $35 computer joke isn't funny

iPhone case fixes reception problem: reports

PCQuest 200 Best IT Implementations of the year

Indian Telecom's Most Comprehensive Resource: Voice&Data 100

Dataquest-IDC Quarterly IT Purchase Trends

Sponsored Links

Custom Site

Demo Downloads On :

1-Click News Updates