fight the net gag...!

internet is all about freedom.


but freedom hurts.
freedom hurts, whom?
freedom hurts those who are not truthful to themselves, and are afraid of skeletons falling out of cupboards.


almost everyone in power has something to hide. this is true of the present times as much as of the past.
the famous bollywood director ram gopal verma therefore had once tweeted, " people in power shall always be corrupt, people not in power shall always be jealous."


a great observation indeed. especially about the people not in power. every one wishes to be in a position of power. so they keep finding fault with or otherwise denigrate and devalue those who are enjoying it.


the sword of androcles forever hangs above the head of every king. there are people to pull you off the throne, constantly working on the theme, overtly or covertly. the ruler in the meantime is busy in amassing fortunes, at the cot of the ruled.


so retaining power is a daunting job which engages ninety percent attention of those in it, remaining ten percent being engaged in corrupt practices. different tools are invented to bring about a situation where the powerful one can sit back, relax and enjoy the power. but that does not happen. for, as an old adage goes, what goes up must come down, finally!


in the bygone days, life was comparatively easy. one could rule by ignorance of the ruled. hardly anyone within, say, a hundred kilometers would know what is happening beyond that area, unless the times were revolutionary, when the tidings spread like wildfire. by and large people could be controlled with easier means than are available and necessary today.


today, the techno-jump is sudden and high. information is a booming business. everyone who has some access to the internet super-highway has all the knowledge at his fingertips, except at the cutting edges. and this is what makes governments uneasy all over the world.


example of egypt is fresh in history. chinese unrest is sizzling under the cover of such cruelly stifling controls as are known only to the chinese. syrian revolt is powered by the internet. anna hazare's movement against corruption in india, has a massive support from the youth who are united by the net. the indian corrupts, who have nearly rs 75,000,000,000,000 stashed abroad, are fighting a losing battle against the now well-informed masses.


governments everywhere are becoming nervous by the day. in india there are no laws to govern the freedom of expression that the world wide web allows. there are no boundaries and borders and no lines of actual control in the virtual universe of www. so the corrupt governments find their seats rocking under mass protests especially involving the youth. indian government has warned facebook and other social media therefore, to control derogatory matter publication thru their channels. they know all too well that major changes in the world that lie ahead would be net-powered and cost them their positions of power.what is derogatory and what is not? it is simple. that which is is "derogatory" for the government is actually the matter the indian youth finds to be endangering the very foundation of the indian democracy.


"we have no laws to curb the expression of disdain allowed freely on the internet." a minister close to the government has recently stated. perhaps he is warned by the strategists in the government form bringing in such a law, because that would easily provoke the youth, something which no government would like to. as of now, an advocate has moved a law court in delhi for punishing the sites which allow free comments on their pages. as expected, the court, without wasting a day, has ordered the sites to remove the objectionable material.


anna hazare and his team are right on the track in their attack on the political evil plaguing this nation. the internet is the backbone of their mass propaganda machinery. the values and the principles of the mahatma are once again coming to the fore. the great experiment in truth is now taking shape india. we are fortunate because those of us who missed the war against the british, being yet unborn then, can write the second most important chapter of indian history in our lifetime.


but there are dark clouds over the horizon. dexterous move of the government to gradually bring in curbs in the name of decency etc are becoming obvious. all those who wish well for the nation, should oppose these moves and nip them in bud.


ahead of the year 2011 ending, some bad news has already poured in for those who uphold principles and values of liberty in public life. american congress is voting for a bill called Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA.


it is reported that some large entities like Viacom and Disney and many voters in the Congress, are supporting the bill. so, the bill in all likelihood, will pass through the House. if this law is passed in america, indian government will follow suit promptly. and there would not be any opposition because "america, the most freedom loving nation on the back of the earth has done it."


now the proposed act is mostly about piracy and attendant financial losses to the companies who sponsor creativity for pecuniary gains. what implications a passing of SOPA shall have to us in india?


in india, intellectual property rights and copyright violations are not such a serious issue, because there is very little money in creative arts. so why should we be scared of an imitation of such a law if passed in the footsteps of u s of a?


the anticipation lies in the possible misuse of the law to silence "unwanted" sites which support free public opinion on corruption. here is what SOPA may possibly mean to the american public, as read in http://www.thisblogrules.com :

The bill has several nightmarish qualities to it. Let’s cover them in bullet point form:

–It would become a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, to stream copyrighted work online without a license, even if you are a noncommercial user. Singing a popular rock song on youtube for instance, would now be a felony. That means that youtubers like Ricky Ficarelli would be committing a felony each time they upload a video, unless they want to pay more than $2,500 in licensing fees.

–The government would be given license to force Internet service providers to block websites if the sites contain links to material that infringes on copyright. So, if the government wanted, it could force an ISP to block say, Facebook, just because a couple of users posted links to copyright infringing material on their Facebook walls.

–Only a judge’s signature would be required to force financial institutions and ad networks to stop doing business with websites deemed to be “rogue.”

Hey, is it just me or does SOPA smell like it violates the due process clause of the constitution? It doesn’t require someone to go to court and prove through a trial that a website is illegally hosting content. Instead, it immediately places the burden on the accused to prove that they are not illegally hosting the content. So, yes, SOPA effectively throws the due process clause of the constitution out the window.

see, what it can mean to us here in india. especially when efforts are on to silence the youth voice by browbeating the social sites, even before anna hazare's fast has begun? detailed comments on anna hazare movement is available on http://www.sayskakodkar.blogspot.com.