Social messaging applications are blamed to be the principal offender in recent lynching cases in India. Evaluate. (200 words)
Refer – The Hindu
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
Shankaranand 6 years
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IAS Parliament 6 years
Points under need for an anti-lynching law are irrelevant to the question. Focus more on content. Keep writing.
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
· There has been a spree of mob lynching in recent times, due to alleged rumours that were spread through Social messaging applications like WhatsApp, Facebook etc.
· Strong privacy policy of such messaging platforms claimed to be the principal offender in recent lynching cases and proves to be most challenging for investigators.
· For example, in most messaging services, information is stored in the parent server and police can request companies to share IP details if needed.
· But contrarily, in WhatsApp like communications, they are “end-to-end encrypted” and information is stored in the devices of users and not on a common server.
· This implies, even WhatsApp doesn’t know what is being disseminated through its platform and hence can’t provide investigating agencies with information.
· Additionally, if metadata is deleted like in WhatsApp, it is almost impossible to track the trail of forwards beyond a few users.
· But pinning the blame solely on the medium for the violence is diversionary tactic to not address the larger malice that is plaguing our society.
· While technology is indeed an enabler for the faster dispersal of rumours, it is only a trigger and the undercurrent lies elsewhere.
· Social Tensions - Most victims were “nomadic tribes and people from religious minorities”, a trend that reflects our pre-existing social tensions and discriminatory outlook.
· The “political vulnerability (lack of state support) and the ostensible cultural distinction” of the victim from the mob is likely to have precipitated the crime.
· Organized Assault - Lynching is not mere street madness, there is an element of organization on the lines of some identity to establish dominance.
· Data - Government maintains no central data on public lynching – thereby making it hard to decipher clear trends, if any.
· There is also no plan to start such a data collection in the near future and there is no specific legal framework to deal with lynching offences.
