• Home
  • About
  • Reading Lists
    • Egypt
    • Great Books
    • Iran
    • Islam
    • Israel
    • Liberalism
    • Napoleon
    • Nationalism
    • The Nuclear Age
    • Science
    • Russia
    • Turkey
  • Digital Footprint
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pocket
    • SoundCloud
    • Twitter
    • Tumblr
    • YouTube
  • Contact
    • Email

Chaturanga

~ statecraft, strategy, society, and Σοφíα

Chaturanga

Tag Archives: Facebook

We are Anonymous!

12 Mon Nov 2012

Posted by Jaideep A. Prabhu in Opinion and Response

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

anonymity, censorship, Facebook, privacy, social media, Twitter

That India is a strange place should be no surprise to India watchers; politicians, historians, political scientists, linguists, sociologists, and anthropologists have all seen their theories severely tested by the Indian story. This year, a new addition was made to the list of strange things about India, if anyone hasn’t yet given up on keeping such a list. It is perhaps the only country in which the fourth estate, or at least a large part of it, supports censorship in one form or another.

The first instance of this was seen this year in August when riots suddenly erupted across India, ostensibly over the treatment of Rohingyas in Burma (?!) and the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in Assam. The Government of India moved quickly yet haphazardly to restrict the number of text messages per day and blocked websites, FaceBook accounts, and twitter handles. The second instance, though a minor one, occurred today on twitter. Priya Ramani’s response to a tweet by Rajdeep Sardesai, both members of India’s infamous fourth estate, set off a mixed bag of reactions, from caricature and mockery to serious discussions about the positive and negative aspects of anonymity on the internet. It is the latter that concerns me here.

It is perhaps a human reflex to find anonymity suspicious. Professional researchers are trained to view anonymity with much scepticism. In many ways, it is what irks many people about the burkha. The internet, specifically social media, allows entirely anonymous interaction, lowering social inhibitions and permitting irresponsible behaviour such as aggression, abusive language, and other uncivilised traits. Worse, it is easier to spread false rumours and fan the flames of sectarian violence. In such a capacity, some argue, it can be destabilising to democracy.

This is absolute nonsense. The same arguments about security and stability are being repeated, and it is annoying to have to repeat the answers every time; objecting to anonymity is merely a new twist. If you are lucky, you may get another twist – Indian democracy is nascent and fragile, and any encouragement of fissiparous tendencies could lead to a much wider conflagration. If only saying the same thing in different ways was considered a new argument…

First off, let us get this very clear at the outset – there is no such thing as anonymity on the internet, except in the minds of amateurs. Any website one visits can, if it wishes, know a lot more about the visitor than may be desired. Screen resolution, browser, operating system, IP address, etc. are all ready for the capturing. Perhaps beyond the skill set of the average computer user, it is nonetheless possible to identify the faces behind the masks. There is no governmental need to mandate away anonymity.

The reason why many people prefer to be anonymous online (at much as possible) should have been made quite clear last week when a man was arrested in Tamil Nadu for questioning the sudden increase in wealth of Karthi Chidambaram, the son of India’s finance minister, in a tweet. That he was later released on bail is of little comfort – such an event can have adverse social effects among the neighbours and even at work. Adding insult to the injury, the man cannot even move the court on grounds of wrongful arrest – not only do the powerful know how to circumvent the law as in many countries, the Indian courts are hopelessly backlogged and justice can even take years.

There is, of course, a simpler reason for anonymity – it is not necessary to divulge one’s identity on the internet. Information is given only when something is expected in return – while it may be necessary to give the passport clerk one’s address, date of birth, and other details if one wants a travel document, it is not necessary to do the same at a candy store, where the owner need only be concerned with his/her customer’s cash. Controlled substances, such as certain chemicals, may require more information and some substances may be entirely banned. Nonetheless, there is a qualitative difference between twitter and FaceBook on the one hand, and lead azide and pentaerythrite tetranitrate on the other. Internet platforms have several mechanisms by which users can be restrained, blocked, and even have their accounts deleted if they are found to be in violation of the community’s rules.

It is also interesting to note that not all anonymous handles are genuinely functioning incognito; many are known to their friends. Anonymity is important not from each other but from authority since, in India, it knows only to sustain itself through the abuse of power. Anonymous users are also, no doubt, aware that they have less credibility due to their anonymous status; hence, to be taken seriously, they must build a history of credible commentary on their blogs, FaceBook profiles, or of tweets. In addition, the number of followers also lends to credibility. Thus, a “JohnDoe123” with 23,000 followers and 57,000 tweets may be less questionable than a “JaneDoe987” with 17 followers and 1,203 tweets. Similarly, a “DavidIsser” may appear a more reliable source of information than a “XenMaster” and if there is any doubt, it is nothing a quick scan of their timelines cannot clear. Thus, it is not impossible to evaluate the calibre of an anonymous user.

Finally, it needs to be reiterated that the government has the powers to pursue the user of an anonymous account if he or she has violated any law. Anonymity is no bar in this regard. The red herring of security and stability of government is just another ploy for the state to convert society into a giant panopticon. In a functioning democracy, this is a worry; in a dysfunctional, dynastic oligarchy like India, it is even more important that citizens defend their privacy with vigour.

Personally, I am deeply suspicious of anonymity, but personal dislike is not strong enough a reason to mandate disclosure. If dislikes were the yardstick, I’d also do away with poverty, socialism, war, and bigots. Sadly, it is not so. For all the “principled” opposition to anonymity, let it be noted – there is no such principle.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

The Talented Mr. Renzi

22 Sun Mar 2009

Posted by Jaideep A. Prabhu in Europe, Italy

≈ Comments Off on The Talented Mr. Renzi

Tags

Berlusconi, Facebook, Florence, Italy, Partito Democratico, Renzi

In Italy, famed for its ancient monuments, old is generally synonymous with good, and youthfulness is associated with immaturity and a lack of experience. As a result of this belief, which appears to dominate the Living Museum, many of Italy’s politicians are, to put it mildly, getting on a bit. Right at the top of Italy’s political tree, there is that, admittedly sprightly, septuagenarian, Silvio Berlusconi. To be fair to Berlusconi, there are a few youngish members of his cabinet. These young guns are education reformer Gelmini, legal system tinkerer Alfano, and that hottest of hot Italian female politicians, ex-pin up model, Mara Carafagna, who seems to be responsible for something like equal opportunities, although we have not heard too much from her recently.

However, despite these mild exceptions to the old Italian rule, unless you are a belladona, or a pop star, youth is not an advantage in Italy. Even in the case of Italy’s pop stars, the majority seem to be 30 somethings or older, and 16 year old Brittany Spears equivalents are something of a rarity in the aged and pleasant lands which are Italy. Time magazine seems to think that a certain Matteo Renzi may be able buck Italy’s ageing trends and present the country’s generally dull and staid political class with something fresh. So who is Matteo Renzi?

For an Italian politician Matteo Renzi really is very young at a mere 34. It is not unusual to hear of Italians still at university at this tender young age, so Renzi is something of an exception. He is also a more believable Obama equivalent that the now resigned leader of Italy’s centre left Partito Democratico, Walter Veltroni, attempted to make himself appear. Even more incredibly, for Italy, at 29, Renzi managed to have himself elected as the president of Italy’s province of Florence. No mean feat for such a whippersnapper, especially in a country in which grey hairs seem to equate to political prowess, even if some 70 plus year old Italian politicians do their best to hide those old grey hairs! The young Mr. Renzi has also found time to marry and father three children, a rarity in aging Italy Many Italians wait until their mid-thirties before even thinking about procreating, and even then they only manage to add only one more face to Italy’s population.

Playing on his youthful speed, Renzi has been running rings around his predominantly septuagenarian competition and obtained nearly sixty percent of the votes when he ran for the presidency of the province of Florence. He has some pretty radical ideas for an Italian politician too. For one thing, he is not scared of the word ‘efficiency’ and has been trying to streamline services within the boundaries of his realm. Renzi must be doing something right though, he’s currently the Italian centre-left’s official candidate for the role of Florence’s mayor. Again, he’s beaten Italy’s wrinklies. He is a practicing Catholic, so maybe he has the almighty one on his side, although Renzi does state that he in no way wants to become a Vatican slave.

Like Obama, Renzi has been leveraging the power of Facebook to get his message across. This means he’ll be engaging with many of Italy’s 18 to 35 year olds, which will help him gain a foothold in the hearts and minds of Italy’s oft-disillusioned younger generation, who are becoming a little sick of being told what to do by a bunch of granddads who seem to understand little about the modern world. Still, Facebook domination will not prove to be enough in the event that Matteo Renzi does manage to become the leader of Italy’s weak and wobbly centre left. At election time, Renzi would have to face Mr Media Mighty, Berlusconi who is famous for convincing just about anyone in Italy who watches dreadful Italian TV to vote for him. Renzi would find it difficult to compete against Italy’s Right in terms of media manipulation. In order for him to bounce his way to the very top, he is going to need a very clever communications strategy, and, if he were a little wicked, he could start now by gently pulling the, wobbly, legs of Italy’s pensioner politicians.

Whatever he does, he’s going to need to be more than a mere exception to Italy’s old rules. Matteo Renzi is going to need to be a cross between a genius and a magician. But if he does manage to enchant enough of Italy’s politics-weary population, he may well be the person who can rejuvenate Italy. I, for one, will be watching Renzi’s progress. If he manages to win Florence on the 12th and 13th of June this year, then this will bode well for Italy. Best of luck to him.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Chirps

  • RT @MarksLarks: Life cycle of the blackberry... https://t.co/GePemAhurB 5 hours ago
  • RT @kevinbaker: it should be illegal to put "f*ck" in a book title. if you can't commit to profanity you shouldn't be allowed to simulate i… 5 hours ago
  • Ukraine exports electricity to EU neighbours: bit.ly/3usdFos | Okay, now you can colour me impressed 5 hours ago
  • No evidence of genetic legacy in children of UK’s nuclear test veterans: bit.ly/3bUHdVy | I think the word(?) is 'duh' 9 hours ago
  • Delhi, Iran review Chabahar port progress: bit.ly/3yLuOw4 | Trying to figure out what's new in this story 9 hours ago
Follow @orsoraggiante

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 225 other followers

Follow through RSS

  • RSS - Posts

Categories

Archives

Recent Posts

  • The Mysterious Case of India’s Jews
  • Polarised Electorates
  • The Election Season
  • Does Narendra Modi Have A Foreign Policy?
  • India and the Bomb
  • Nationalism Restored
  • Jews and Israel, Nation and State
  • The Asian in Europe
  • Modern Political Shibboleths
  • The Death of Civilisation
  • Hope on the Korean Peninsula
  • Diminishing the Heathens
  • The Writing on the Minority Wall
  • Mischief in Gaza
  • Politics of Spite
  • Thoughts on Nationalism
  • Never Again (As Long As It Is Convenient)
  • Earning the Dragon’s Respect
  • Creating an Indian Lake
  • Does India Have An Israel Policy?
  • Reclaiming David’s Kingdom
  • Not a Mahatma, Just Mohandas
  • How To Read
  • India’s Jerusalem Misstep
  • A Rebirth of American Power

Management

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com
Considerate la vostra semenza: fatti non foste a viver come bruti, ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza.

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Chaturanga
    • Join 225 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Chaturanga
    • Customise
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d bloggers like this: