Social Media: Controlling scheme for scam and taming the toxic troll
Shri Brijesh Pandey, IAS
December 3, 2024
The Social media has, without an iota of doubt, transformed the way we create, communicate and collaborate in today’s world. However, like any powerful medium, it carries both immense potential and innumerable perils. It has emerged as an instrument of Mass Communication. Before, it becomes a Weapon of Mass Destruction, damaging reputations and destroying societies, society needs to control it.
When I talk about controlling social media it simply means regulated control involving all the stakeholders and not the absolute control by the State. As a society, we must strike a balance to ensure that this platform promotes peace and prosperity over polarization.
I will present few arguments in support of regulated control of social media by addressing three key dimensions namely: social fabric, economic implication and political freedom.
1. Maintaining Social Fabric and Public Safety
a. Misinformation and Malicious Messages
The rampant spread of misinformation and malicious messages is one of the most pressing concerns for all of us aa a nation. More often than not we have seen the devastating consequences of unchecked rumours. WhatsApp forwards incited over 20 mob lynchings across the country in 2018, leading to loss of innocent lives. Few years back, Karnataka saw brutal murder of two men mistaken for child kidnappers on account of rumour circulated in social media posts.
Hate speech and communal propaganda is the most loved activity for anti-national elements on social media, threatening India's social fabric and national spirit. During the recent violence in the state, the social media communal posts were the biggest challenge for civil administration in bringing peace and tranquillity in affected areas.
Without regulated control, social media platforms have become breeding grounds for misinformation, disrupting dialogue and damaging social fabric. Regulatory control can compel companies to implement rigorous fact-checking mechanisms and remove falsehoods faster.
b. Cyberbullying & Safety
Cyberbullying has reached alarming levels, particularly among the youth. A 2022 survey by UNICEF India found that more than one third of Indian teenagers have been victims of online bullying. My own kids have reported of being bullied on one ground or the other. This is the concern parents face on daily basis. Thus stricter anti-bullying policies, and content moderation, can hold social media platforms accountable for ensuring user safety especially the younger generation, and save them from toxic trolls.
2. Economic Implications
a. Data Dependency and Digital Deception
The Social media platforms often make millions by mining user data. For instance, in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, over 8.7 crore users had their Facebook data harvested without consent. In an era where data drives decisions and defines power, we must safeguard our citizens from digital deception and corporate greed.An appropriate law on data privacy can ensure that companies handle user data responsibly and transparently.
Multinational corporations like Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) dominate India’s digital domain, controlling over 50 core users. Such monopolies not only give them undue influence over national policies but also stifle local innovation by creating unequal playing fields. Thus their control through regulation can cultivate competition, champion local startups, and curb corporate exploitation.
b. Scams and Schemes
Our whatsapp and facebook accounts are rife with lucrative schemes for scams and. According to CERT-In, India's cybersecurity agency thousands of cases of online fraud originate on social media platforms, from phishing links to fake investment schemes. Just a month back a business man was forced to take his life as he could not bear the brunt of economic losses and damage to his reputation on account of infamous ‘digital arrest’ scam.
Nation needs to control social media to mandate identity verification, introduce reporting mechanisms, and protect people from financial frauds.
3. Political Freedom: A Balanced Approach
Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy, but it also needs responsible behaviour. Unfortunately, social media amplifies extremist voices and spreads divisive ideologies. Country has seen how even judiciary was not spared from toxic trolls when certain judgements were not to the liking of some activists. Ironically, unregulated social media often silences marginalized voices through trolling and targeted abuse.
Currently, tech companies arbitrarily decide what content stays or gets removed. Behavioural science says that negative news attracts and spreads many times faster than positive news. As a result, there is natural tendency to prefer spread of negativity over positivity, that is profits over principles.
Unregulated social media has been weaponized to manipulate elections. As an Election Officer, one’s biggest concern is how to control bots and fake accounts which can distort public opinion. How do we ensure that social media platforms instead of propagating propaganda, uphold electoral integrity and fairness.
Thus, Regulation can mandate moderation policies and ensure that free speech is preserved while preventing harm to individuals and protecting democratic processes. Control will ensure empowerment, not oppression, of diverse voices.
4. Regulated Control of Social Media
In my opinion there are three important ways to control social media namely, youth, technology and rules.
Firstly, Youth are the largest users of social media, with every three out of four users being below the age of 35 years. They are the people who will shape our future and build modern nation. Youth-have the ability to hold platforms accountable by raising awareness, reporting misuse, and advocating fair practices while fostering a safer digital environment.
Secondly, If technology and innovation have created social media, they are also the best instruments to monitor social media activities. Technologies like Artificial Intelligence is a potent weapon to keep an eye and moderate views, remove abuses and identify hooligans and scamsters. Otherwise in the world of anonymity, it is humanly impossible to identify and control media activities on real time basis.
Lastly, Society needs to have a framework of rules and regulations governing social media. The rules should be simple and clear to hold individuals accountable for their actions and platform for their misuse. For example, one should be held accountable for his own post but if it becomes a trend and sullies someone’s reputation, platform is to be held responsible.
The rules should be enforceable quickly as long drawn legal process becomes more often than not a tool for harassment of the victim. In a world where a post may become viral in seconds, financial compensation is a better remedy for serious damage to one’s reputation and liberty over criminal action that lingers on for years.
Germany’s Network Enforcement Act mandates the removal of illegal content within 24 hours. Recently, Australia introduced a law prohibiting platforms from opening social media accounts for children below 16 years of age. India, can adopt a similar framework meeting national needs, ensuring safety, and enforcing accountability without curbing innovation or creativity. The Digital Data Protection Act 2023, is one step in the right direction.
5. Conclusion: Regulatory control as an Enabler, Not a Restriction
To conclude, controlling social media is not about stifling creativity or silencing voices. It is about ensuring that people and platforms behave responsibly in national and societal interest. Let us remember: with great power comes great responsibility. Regulatory Control is not an adversary to freedom but a guardian of fairness in managing social media and to make the nation a better place to live.
( Writer Brijesh Pandey is a senior IAS officer and currently the Chief Electoral Officer of Tripura. Here this statement about Social Media is completely his personal )
(Tripurainfo)