CYBER TERRORISM

August 20, 2012

The electronic media is clearly going overboard demanding that Indian government hold Pakistan to account for originating the made-up messages and inflammatory web content leading to the exodus of NE population from various cities of India.

Is it that easy to nail the origin of all web content? A lot of hosting is virtual, and often proxy. ‘My’ server, for instance, sits in US, owned by someone I don’t even know well, and is managed by yet another agency. Moreover, I can re-route my messages such as to deceive all but the experts. And the experts can do so with greater finesse.

Also, even if it is found that some private Pakistani citizens did the mischief, what could the Pakistan government have done about it? What can Indian government do if we were to excite the Hindus of Pakistan, in just the same way, for that matter?

Yes, the government should have monitored more closely the flow of traffic and the nature of transmission. But this means interfering with the freedoms the social media enjoys.

Did not the same electronic media raise a storm when Kapil Sibal broached the subject just a few months ago? Precisely this was the kind of menace he was referring to.

Let us be sure, our media acts holier than thou and proffers completely unsolicited – and often useless – advice. Governance is one thing, and preaching altogether another.