Strangling the Watchdogs of our Democracy

Design: Abey James

Blog posted by: Kartik Nair

NOTE: The views of the author are strictly personal. Please note that the author does not intend to favour, support, oppose or promote any specific news organisation/s, website/s, source/s or any political party/-ies. The blog created is based on research inputs from various sources of media; mainly the RSF Press Freedom Index 2020 Report.

April 22, 2020, was like any other day during this lockdown period in India. In Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the situation is worsening. The lockdown process is strictly enforced, and there is nothing left for a person to do, rather than sitting in the comfort of their homes and tending to their daily work lives. Like others, my day started as I woke up and began reading my newspaper, along with a good hot cup of strong coffee in these tough times. But there was something in the paper that day which caught my eye – something I couldn’t help forget or get it out of my head. After much thought and deliberation, I decided to elaborate it for all of you, today, in this blog.

As a citizen of the world’s largest democracy, and a former media & communication student, I could not take my eye of a particular number: 142. Yes, 142. That’s precisely our ranking, where we stand at the World Press Freedom Index of 2020. 142 of a list of a 180 nations. What makes matters worse is that we’ve taken a fall of 2 places, from 140, compared to 2019. Now before we start to subconsciously think, or start to argue for or against a couple of people factors, it is important to see where we are, why we are and what this index is all about. Let me start with my learning of what the media or press should stand for.

If I were, in a word or two describe the entire functioning and objectives of the media, here it is: ‘Watchdog’. Media, the watchdog of our democracy. Media, the level ground for the weak and the powerful. Media, the protector and upholder of our rights. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Last but not least, Media, a tool to create and shape public opinion. 

“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” – Malcolm X

If media is such a strong, sturdy and an essential tool in our democracy, what could have possibly gone so wrong that we’ve been reduced to a measly 142nd place? Let us not be happy, with the fact that we’re up wrt. Pakistan (145) or Bangladesh (151) or other powerful countries like Russia or China who are ranked much lower in the report. As a powerful and a fast-growing economy, we’re listed below Sri Lanka (127), Nepal (112) or even Afghanistan (122), Myanmar (139), South Sudan (138), Palestine (137), Nigeria (115) or Kenya (103). I’m no magician, but if you read this correctly, I’m sure you might have sensed something wrong. You’ll see what that ‘something’ is in other parts of this blog.

Also, according to the 2018 Global Impunity Index, released by Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a press freedom watchdog ranked India 14th of a total of 14 states. The CPJ analyses journalist murders in every country for over ten years, as a percentage of the country’s population. According to the NDTV database, in over 23 years, only one journalist’s murder (Jyotirmoy Dey, Mid-day) had been prosecuted and murderers sentenced. And Jyotirmoy Dey is not alone. A few other journalists who paid with their lives, for their work include Navin Nischal, Sandeep Sharma, Shujaat Bukhari, Gauri Lankesh, Rajdev Ranjan, Achyuta Nanda Sahu and Amit Topno to name a few. These go on to prove one thing: “In India, when the story can’t be killed, the storyteller is silenced.” Government authorities such as the CBI and IT raided and conducted searches at the offices of NDTV and The Quint.

But before sitting and analysing the rank and possible factors, let us know more about the organisation who’s ranked us at 142. According to Wikipedia, Reporters without borders, aka. Reporters sans frontiers (RSF) is a non – governmental organisation and a non – profit organisation that safeguards the right to information. It advocates to promote free, independent and pluralistic journalism, with the aim to defend media workers. The advocacy is founded on the belief that everyone requires access to news and information, inspired by Article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. The World Press Freedom Index intends to reflect the degree of freedom that journalists, news organisations and internet citizens (aka. netizens) have in each country and efforts made by authorities to respect this freedom. However, it does not deal with or measure the quality of journalism, nor does it look at the violation of human rights, in general. The report is based on a questionnaire which asks questions on media independence, environment and self – censorship, pluralism, legislative framework, transparency and infrastructure. Also, taken into account is the legal framework for the media, level of independence and violations of a free flow of information.

According to the World Press Freedom Report analysis, the coming decade will be a decisive one for the future of journalism, with the Covid – 19 pandemic highlighting and amplifying the many crises that threaten the right to report independent, diverse and reliable information freely. The RSF secretary-general raised a truly alarming question, “What will be the freedom of information, pluralism and reliability look like in 2030? The answer to that question is being determined today.” There seems to be a direct correlation between the Covid – 19 pandemic and a country’s ranking in the index, aside from other factors. A common element seen at lower-ranked nations in the Index is heavy censorship. (China – 177, Iran – 173 and Iraq – 162). Christophe Deloire, the RSF secretary-general added, “The public health crises provide authoritarian governments with an opportunity to implement the notorious ‘shock doctrine’ – to take advantage of the fact that politics are on hold, the public is stunned, and protests are out of the question, to impose measures that would be impossible to impose during normal times.” In the report, Europe continues to be the most favourable continent for media freedom, despite oppressive policies in certain European Union and Balkan countries. Asia – Pacific countries saw the most significant rise in press freedom violations. And, the Middle East and Africa continue to be the world’s most dangerous region for the journalists. 

A few crises that threaten the future of journalism: (These are taken from the RSF website. The write-ups have been shortened to cover the key points)

• Geopolitical Crisis: Leaders of dictatorial, authoritarian or populist regimes make every effort to suppress information and impose their visions of a world without pluralism and independent journalism.
• Technological Crisis: The absence of appropriate regulation in the era of a digitalised and globalised communication has created information chaos. Propaganda, advertising, rumours and journalism seem to be in direct competition.
• Democratic Crisis: Leading politicians and those close to them continue to incite hatred of journalists openly.
• Crisis of Trust: Mistrust of media outlets suspected of broadcasting or publishing news contaminated by unreliable information continues to grow.
• Economic Crisis: The digital transformation has brought the media to its knees in several countries. Collapses seen in advertising revenues and a fall in sales and an increase in production and distribution costs have forced organisations to restructure and lay off journalists.

     Source: Reports Without Borders || The image has been modified (India has been highlighted)

Looking more specifically at India, the RSF stated the security situation of the country seems to have improved in 2019, zero journalist murders as against 2018, with 6 deaths. There was, however, constant press freedom violations, which included police brutality against journalists, ambushes by political activists and reprisals set in motion by criminal groups. It also attributed the decline in the index to “put pressure on the media to toe the Hindu nationalist government’s line.” It also went on to say, “The coordinated hate campaigns waged on social networks against journalists who dare to speak or write about subjects that annoy Hindutva followers are alarming.” 

India’s ranking in the index is affected by the Kashmir situation. Article 370 was revoked last year, and there was a communication blackout for several months. Reports stated that the government made it virtually impossible for journalists to cover what was happening in what had become a vast, open prison. In a report earlier this year, the New York Times mentioned that the present government imposed the strictest restrictions on foreign journalists in decades, and that visas were extremely tightened and that foreign journalists were banned from hotbeds of unrest such as North – East India and Kashmir. Various reports also stated that it has become “virtually impossible” for journalists to cover Kashmir.

Although this reason is not much talked about or debated upon, the blanket communication ban on Kashmir could be even for security purposes. For people aware of the ISI’s proximity war strategy, the ban on communications could mean a significant loss of data sharing between separatist elements, terrorists and sympathisers. Proxy war or low-intensity war is a long strategy, a long battle to slowly achieve the desired result which, otherwise, cannot be obtained through a conventional war. It can be in the form of armed revolts, guerrilla warfare, political revolution or a civil war of ‘independence’. The malicious campaigning from Pakistan and PoK to mar India’s image in print and electronic media could also be seen as a reason to put a blanket ban to communication.

The ‘control of the press’ on a massive scale was also witnessed in the 1975 Emergency. All the newspapers in the country were then asked to take permission before printing or publishing any news from the Chief Press Advisor, a designation then created to censor news. All said and done, all forms of press censorship go against the fundamental tenets of Article – 19 of the Indian constitution, Right to freedom and expression, with reasonable control. (Freedom of Press is not directly mentioned. The press, a powerful medium of mass communication, should be free to play its role in building a healthy and viable society. Denial of freedom of the press to citizens would necessarily undermine the power to influence public opinion and be counter to democracy. The Supreme Court, in Romesh Thapar vs State of Madras and Brij Bhushan vs State of Delhi, took it for granted that the freedom of the press was an essential part of freedom of speech and expression.)

Getting back to the crux of the topic, those criticising the government and its machinery need to see that India’s rank has seen fluctuations over the years –133rd (2016), 136th (2017), 138th (2018). However, although there were no journalist deaths reported in 2018, the report stated that it was alarming to see a visible rise of Hindutva followers and their attempts to purge antinational elements from national debates. The RSF also flagged the use of Section – 124A (Sedition) of the Indian Penal Code, which even includes life imprisonment for journalists. 

In 2017, eminent jurist, Fali Nariman stated at an event of the Press Club of India, “Freedom after the speech – that is really what the freedom of speech is all about. You are allowed to speak, speak as much as you like, but a fellow is waiting there to nab you, and out you, in so you can’t speak again.”

If we see the cases of other countries, North Korea ranks last (180) owing to its supreme leader’s totalitarian regime that has kept its citizens in a state of darkness and ignorance. The supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, has complete control over communication infrastructure. It seems disturbing that North Koreans could be sent to concentration Camps for viewing, reading or listening to content provided outside state channels or media outlets. China (177) is known for its tightened grip over the media. The first position is taken by Norway and not the US (The US is ranked 45th). In Norway, the government prized democracy and freedom of expression and kept all mechanisms of safeguarding journalists in place. Economic power and open freedom of speech are two very different things. Also, Norway has consistently ranked numero uno since 2017.

There is no end or conclusion to this topic. Information has existed before us and will be there long after we are gone. But, as the fourth pillar of democracy, a fundamental question arises for the media, “How dangerous is it today, to be a journalist?” According to popular opinion, there has never been a time so dangerous to be a journalist today, other than periods of war. The sad truth is journalists are no longer viewed as neutral actors. Few other factors which threaten the free flow of information include ownership of media and news organisations; where thousands of broadcasters, online and print organisations are on a mission to ‘deliver first’ and paint their opinion of a particular viewpoint to the world. India is one of the biggest media markets in the world. The concentration of the ownership of media is with a select few. Sadly, the large number of media outlets does not create a conducive journalist and information friendly landscape. There are over 500 FM channels, 900+ Satellite TV channels and more than 100,000 publications. This does not include news channels or news websites.

The ending question to you, my reader, is simple. With advertising and new media coming in, the organisations look to expand their numbers to reach a wider audience and to beat competing media houses than act as a faithful watchdog to society. How long is it before this watchdog, which is meant to protect us, turns against us? 

Maybe, only time will tell.

NOTE: DO NOT COPY ANY CONTENT OF THIS ESSAY/ARTICLE FOR ANY PURPOSE/S WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S PERMISSION. PEOPLE WILLING TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR ACADEMIC/RESEARCH PURPOSES NEED TO CITE THE AUTHOR AND THIS WEB PAGE. NOT DOING SO SHALL RESULT IN AN ACT OF PLAGIARISM.

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The Infamously Famous story of Covid – 19: Zoom Inc.

Picture source: FreePik || Designed: A.J.F.

Blog written by: Kartik Nair

Note: The views expressed by the author are strictly personal.

It doesn’t really matter if you are a person working in an office or a student who’s probably in his/her first academic year; a CEO or an executive; a teacher or a student, a senior or a junior, in fact it really doesn’t matter which subject you are thinking of at the present – Language, computer sciences, mathematics, quantum physics, marketing, operations, profit, data analysis or for that matter where you are at the present. Oh, I forgot social gatherings too. Wait, I might just be mistaken. One thing I’m sure all of you might’ve just realized, this sense of equal comparison that I just made is all thanks to a reduction of global energy, time and space is due to the ongoing Covid – 19 pandemic.

Pandemic/panˈdɛmɪk – (adj.) (of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.

Although there have been lots of debates regarding the ongoing pandemic, widespread problems, blames, deaths; one thing is clear. We, as humans, have not refused to give up. To bow down to the virus. To surrender our social and economic activities. Although we are together with each other, in all senses but one; it is a matter of great environmental pride to this planet that both abiotic and biotic species are being protected and sort of, balanced. There seems to be no desperate need for cubicles, blackboards, desks, benches, corporate infrastructure or external furniture – To conduct businesses, to hold classes or sessions, to conduct crucial/urgent meetings, make decisions of importance that probably might have an impact on a large group of people, etc. All thanks to the development of science and technology. All thanks to applications. All thanks to one name that has had its fair share of fame and shame, both in this year, 2020 – ‘Zoom’.

Founded by Eric Yuan in 2011 and headquartered at San Jose, California, Zoom video communications Inc. (Zoom) has become more of a household name, in almost all corners or edges or curves of spheres of the world than a mere tele-conferencing app. It is literally, figuratively, bringing people of all walks of life, across all walks of life together. Going by numbers, Zoom gained 2.22 Mn users by February 2020 – much more than it could amass totally in the previous year. Daily downloads of the app rose from 10 Mn in December 2019 to approximately 200 Mn in March 2020, and it is only increasing. It emerged as the new dominant player in the market surpassing the number of users of popular video conferencing apps such as Skype, Webex and Hangouts. To cite a few more numbers, as of today, Zoom is valued and has a market cap of $31.73 Bn, more than the combined values of Hilton, American Airlines and Expedia.

The big reason: The Covid – 19 pandemic, nationwide lockdowns, offices, educational institutions, workout centres, tuition classes and social spaces being closed down, a sense of social distancing being maintained and enforced among people of all classes. Hundreds of thousands of businesses and educational institutions, classes etc. made a transition from offline presence (in – class sessions) to online sessions; and well, nothing has been lost. Yes, the sense of personal touch or presence might just have gone off, but the transactions take place, the learnings take place, assignments and tasks take place; well, there is not much difference. The social part of these gatherings have reduced, the core component of presence has stayed. It has also been used for weddings, funerals and parties! See the trends below, a comparison between major video conferencing players to get an idea about usage comparison. The spike in users using the app is a sure shocker, isn’t it?

A user comparison between Zoom Video Conf App vs. Skype, Webex and Hangouts. (Data as on 19^th April, 2020)

Source: Google Trends

The pandemic might end shortly if adequate protection, care and mitigation processes are done; but the effects shall definitely be long lasting. One of the biggest effects or strategies adopted by various firms as witnessed in this lockdown, the ‘work – from – home’ pattern is there to stay. Many companies witnessed employees working at equal or more efficiency, lower operational costs and expenses, and additionally, better effects on the environment. Many believe that telecommuting or teleconferencing is here to stay, as the outbreak has prompted several companies, across various domains, sizes and geographies who were previously reluctant about remote work to make this process continued even after the pandemic is contained. According to a Gartner survey (of CFOs, released in April), 74% companies plan to permanently shift to more remote work after the crisis is over.

Now, this is a relief to a large section of working people, which might stand correct for all personal and professional reasons. But in an age of technological boom, can the demons be kept contained? Like a lot of other free and paid software and tools out there in the wide world of internet, this too has its own set of positives and negatives. Angels and demons have to co – exist in all worlds, don’t they? I find a similar case with this app. Zoom is definitely helping us close in on distances, but the question arises – Is it a bit too much?

Since gaining popularity, Zoom has been facing public and media scrutiny related to data vulnerability and security issues and poor privacy practices.

A Motherboard analysis, previously revealed that the Zoom iOS app sent analytics data to social networking sites, such as Facebook even if a user didn’t have an account on it. There was also a suit filed against the company, alleging that the app collected information of its users without giving them adequate notice or having obtained authorization. Motherboard even found out that whenever a user opened the app, the app shared details about the users’ devices, specifics which could related for targeted advertising. More importantly, Zoom’s privacy policy did not make the data transfer to Facebook clear.

To further add to its woes, the security researchers from City Lab at University of Toronto found that few Zoom calls were being routed via servers in China, along with conference and decryption keys used to secure those calls. Although Zoom is banned in China, it appeared to own three sub companies/brands and appeared to maintain close to 700 employees to maintain data infrastructure. In an age of information and data breach, the rapid rise of such video conferencing platforms, without proper vetting or gatekeeping does make it a potential target for black hats and hackers to obtain business, trade and personal secrets. Basically, this could be a hindrance to privacy.

According to Citizen Lab, “Companies and individuals might erroneously assume that because a company is publicly listed or is a major household name; that means the app is designed using security best practices. The assumption is false.” During normal ops, Zoom clients attempt to connect to a series of primary datacentres near a user’s region, if it fails due to network congestion or other issues, clients reach out to secondary datacentres off a list of several secondary datacentres as a potential backup bridge. A report also stated that Zoom ‘mistakenly’ allowed two of its Chinese data centres to accept calls as a backup in the event of a network congestion. A former NSA hacker also discovered that the security issue could allow bad actors to control users’ mics, webcams and gain control off devices. In cases where hacking is reported, there have been allegations of personal user data being sold at extremely cheap prices, in some cases even being given away for free.

Zoom may have caused too much damage as several MNCs, conglomerates and even governments banned the usage of the video conferencing app. Although it is used by hundreds of thousands across the globe for online classes, meetings or social calls, a problem of trust and loyalty might just have been created. This probably comes too late for the founder. Yuan stated, “We recognise that we have fallen short of the community’s and our own privacy and security expectations, for that I am deeply sorry.”

Some of the companies and agencies that have imposed the ban for all official purposes include Google, SpaceX, Siemens, Standard Chartered, etc. to name a few. Standard Chartered even warned its employees against using Alphabet Inc’s Google Hangouts platform. Also, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), NY City schools, the German Foreign Ministry, Australian Defence Forces and Taiwan Government joined the growing list of platforms to ban Zoom. The US intelligence officials also expressed their concerns over possible Chinese espionage.

Owing to the these problems which could possibly have large scale issues, Eric stated that the company was ‘freezing all new features immediately’ and that all engineering resources would be focused towards its “biggest trust, safety and security issues.” Therefore, in order to counter various accusations and security loopholes, Zoom has entered into a 90 – day phase to completely focus on the app. Certain features like complex passwords and random meetings IDs, waiting room features, etc. have been put in place, but does this ensure that all user data stays safe?

In India, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently warned Zoom app users that the ‘video conferencing app is not safe for usage.’ A study conducted by India’s nodal cyber security agency, Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT- In) revealed several weaknesses and user vulnerability which risked leaking sensitive information to criminals and bad actors. The MHA issued a set of guidelines for users, for security purposes, to prevent unauthorised entry and unauthorised participants for getting access to conference rooms. Keeping in mind the need to have its own app, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTy) announced a challenge for innovators and software product start-ups to build India’s own video conferencing app, under the Digital India program. A winner prize of INR 1 Crore has also been announced in the three – stage contest. The app will then be deployed for use by the Central and state governments.

Will the Indian innovators live up to global standards to make an app to compete with these giants and to ward off threats against people with malicious intent? Only time will tell. Let’s just hope it’s not too delayed or that it comes before much damage.

NOTE: DO NOT COPY ANY CONTENT OF THIS ESSAY/ARTICLE FOR ANY PURPOSE/S WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S PERMISSION. PEOPLE WILLING TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR ACADEMIC/RESEARCH PURPOSES NEED TO CITE THE AUTHOR AND THIS WEB PAGE. NOT DOING SO SHALL RESULT IN AN ACT OF PLAGIARISM.