Sacrificing Soul, Stumbling For Power

Michael Hedges March 17, 2021 - Follow on Twitter

Deep in human pre-history communication within tribes was delivered by drums. Tribal members understood the messages. The sound of the drums carried for considerable distances, considering the times, surprising early colonists. Drums called tribe members to celebrations, feasts and, even, war. Neighboring tribes also understood, having their own drum beats. It was all quite efficient.

Quieting the internet is topping the agenda at Russian Federation media and communications regulator Roskomnadzor (RKN), known locally as censor-in-chief. Noise from social media is particularly annoying. This week deputy director Vadim Subbotin announced, reported Meduza (March 16), that Twitter has one month to rid itself of “illegal content” or else. "Twitter doesn't react to our requests appropriately, and if things go on like this, then in a month it will be blocked, on an out-of-court basis,” he explained.

Specifics of this undesirable messaging was left unclear. Social media portals should share with the RKN, said the agency, details of posts that might contain banned content for evaluation. Days earlier the RKN “throttled” Twitter in the Russian Federation - technically slowing the data - for “failure” to remove what it described as child pornography and encouraging suicide. That process didn’t work out so well as websites of several government agencies were inadvertently taken down. Rational observers believe the flow of messaging supporting jailed dissident Aleksei Navalny is the real chief complaint. The RKN also threatened Facebook, TikTok and VKontakte.

New regulations came into effect last month in India meant to threaten and, perhaps, punish social media and streaming video platforms. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) is empowered broadly to order content take-downs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is intent on conquering criticism as well as satiating Hindu nationalists, his support base.

Twitter executives blocked about 500 accounts in February as directed by the I&B. Included were opposition politicians, activists and media outlets. Under public pressure, many of the accounts were swiftly unblocked. This led to government outrage. "Freedom of expression is not absolute and it is subject to reasonable restrictions,” said a government statement following a meeting with Twitter executives.

With more than 1.3 billion citizens, many very tech savvy, India is an attractive market for social media platforms and the streaming services. This gives the Modi government considerable leverage. From Twitter and Facebook to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video there may be little appetite for the culture war, which Modi called “foreign destructive ideology.” US-based human rights monitor Freedom House recently downgraded India from “free” to “partly free.” Sweden’s V-Dem Institute referred to India as an “"electoral autocracy,” in a report earlier this month.

The Australian government achieved its goal of extracting money from Facebook and Google for the benefit of certain publishers. Services of both companies have considerable following Down Under and while they put up a brief fight on principle the ending was a hard cash decision. Agreements struck with News Corp Australia, principally owned by the Murdoch family, prescribe compensation to publishers for choices made by third-parties, Australian users, typically described by publishing lobbyists - and Google/Facebook haters - as “payment for journalism.” Less reported is the three-year term on the agreements, after which there will be another negotiation. With whom at that date is another question.

Drums were joined by the human voice as music and dance developed, distinctive for every tribe. As the millennia moved forward, new instruments appeared and the communication evolved. With industrialization, electronics brought another level. The internet is now the drum.

See also...

• Hot Topics - Social Media

• Hot Topics - Media in the Russian Federation

• Hot Topics - Censorship