Is Regulating Online Harassment Job of WCD Union Minister ?

Online harassment is taking centre stage due to Union minister Maneka Gandhi coming out with a hashtag #ImTrolledHelp to help (?) women being harassed online.

If somebody is being harassed online there are many ways to tackle it – if it is Facebook there are enough safeguards to report such harassment to Facebook and if it is twitter there too exists lot of safeguards – to report abuse and action is taken within maximum of 7 days – both FB and twitter deactivate the accounts and in both FB and twitter there is also a option of blocking the said person .

The number of instances where action has been taken on online harassment of women are many – but  what union minister Maneka Gandhi did by introducing #ImTrolledHelp is totally unwarranted – there are many issues on which she can concentrate instead of job of regulating online harassment of women .

Send me your complaints, use #IamTrolledHelp. pic.twitter.com/TdUSmdfbuq

— Maneka Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) July 6, 2016

Motive clearly seems to help her media friends who provoke all RW people and then cry victim . If Maneka was serious by this time many journalists should have faced the heat for their endless trolling and abusing Smriti Irani and @UnSubtleDesi are endless and till date no action taken against them .

Here @Manekagandhibjp. This journalist outraged my modesty. Her tweet was against a woman's dignity. Pls take action pic.twitter.com/qa3s6LxL3h

— Vande Mataram (@UnSubtleDesi) July 5, 2016

If Maneka was serious she should have taken action for these tweets –

Here @Manekagandhibjp. Some journo type wondering if we've had sex with our mom. My modesty is outraged. Action pls pic.twitter.com/fElucSNcha

— Vande Mataram (@UnSubtleDesi) July 5, 2016

Just imagine the orgasmic ecstasy of all the Iranis, Lekhis and Kishwars if the Alpha Male decides to conduct a… http://t.co/zorazjwYEj

— Sanjiv Bhatt (IPS) (@sanjivbhatt) February 19, 2015

The number of times Smriti Irani has been trolled is endless and till date not seen Maneka take action on them.

@Manekagandhibjp if u r serious on online abuse 1st take action on media handles who troll ,insult and defame @smritiirani – will you ?

— S.Ranganathan (@rangats) July 7, 2016

The very fact that Maneka initiative is welcomed by all journalists means it was done for them and intentions not seem to be genuine .

So I filed a RTI to find out how she proposes to keep a track of complaints and how many ministry officials are deputed for it and if there is a segregation of complaints – like FB / Twitter etc – this is the reply I have got –

Based on the reply i have filed a appeal to know the following facts –

1. What are the names / address of these 2 consultants ?
2. What is the basis of selection of these 2 consultants ?
3. Was there a proper tender process followed to shortlist these consultants .

Once I get a reply will update it – I am sure it will be interesting and also have further filed a RTI to know the following facts –

”Since announcement of the special cell for dealing of online stalking and abuse of women I wish to know totally how many complaints have been received as on date and I wish to know the breakup of the locations from where complaints received and breakup of the medium from which it was received like how much was from face book , how much from twitter and if any other online source .Also would like to know how much of these cases have been fit for further action . Also please let me know the actions taken on the cases you found fit for further pursuance.”

Originally had planned to put out this RTI reply after I get the reply of name of consultants but the recent episode of a person being harassed by dragging the employer in twitter fight made me release this so as to expose the way WCD functions .

The only time when some serious help maybe needed is when real crimes happen on social media. A threat to a person in real life counts as a crime. Logically this should extend to social media as well. But here the system fails. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have no mechanisms to take action against people who threaten with a crime. They could suspend the account, but they can do nothing to ensure a crime doesn’t take place. Obviously, they are not expected to do so and here the law enforcement agencies step in. Unfortunately, the local police station also may not be of much help. Cops are often misogynistic, and to add to this, technologically illiterate. Explaining and convincing them about a threat on social media to a woman could be a herculean task.

THIS is exactly where WCD Ministry should have stepped in. Credible threats of violence, especially against women, need to be addressed as soon as possible. Any ministry is well within its rights to act against a crime or the possibility of occurrence of a crime. Instead, we see the WCD Minister going after something as vague as “trolling” which can cover an innocuous “ROFL” comment, to even the vilest of abuses.

Once reply comes for the subsequent query I have raised I am sure many questions will be answered if #imTrolledHelp is a genuine effort on minister’s part or just a exercise to satisfy her friends in media.

If it is proven that this is just to help her friends in media,  hope PM takes action against her not only for this nonsense but also on her stand on many other issues like opposing #Jallikattu in the name of animal rights .

The sooner the better for country .

This article originally appeared on his blog. Re-posted here with his permission.