Context: The changing role of Internet urges for revolutionary change in India's laws governing the internet.
Need for revolutionary change in India's laws governing the internet
Insecure privacy of user data: reports suggest the use of the internet user data for political operations.
To influence elections e.g. in the United States, the United Kingdom, Kenya, Mexico, and India.
Fake news/misinformation on the internet: E.g. there was fake news that Kamala Harris, vice-president of the United States, started her first day in office with Vedic mantras and pujas.
Tension between countries: Countries are imposing a ban on other countries’ web apps. E.g. Indian banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat, and Baidu.
De-generation of the Internet: presently it is not a place and technology that would allow all citizens to express their views and wisdom and share it with others.
Possibilities of disastrous consequences: Technical innovation and entrepreneurial energy, when allowed to flourish unbridled, can create disastrous consequences.
E.g. First Industrial Revolution started with the goal of using machines to do the boring, repetitive tasks involved in the spinning of cotton yarn and the weaving of cotton cloth.
But it was associated with evils like the enslavement of Africans to work in cotton fields and British exploiting India for raw materials.
Increase rate of internet adoption and use: Due to Covid induced necessities like online education, online judicial hearing, online health diagnosis, etc.
Changing role of the Internet: From being a fun thing to something more central to the lives of people from all walks of life and also a critical part of our defence and law-and-order infrastructure.
Way forward: To deal with new challenges posed by the Internet
Update competition law: To deal with excessively subsidized online sales.
Update privacy law: To bring it in line with Europe’s privacy law.
New legislation to create genuinely Indian venture capital and a private equity sector and Indian-owned internet industry that can support both our defence needs as well as our economic growth needs.