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By:

Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Algorithmic Anarchy

The NEET paper leak protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar should have remained a legitimate expression of student anger over the collapse of examination integrity. Instead, as the agitation escalated into clashes with the police, abusive sloganeering and an increasingly radical political campaign, Meta’s algorithms emerged as an invisible force multiplying the unrest. The controversy surrounding the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message to the youth in the aftermath of the...

Algorithmic Anarchy

The NEET paper leak protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar should have remained a legitimate expression of student anger over the collapse of examination integrity. Instead, as the agitation escalated into clashes with the police, abusive sloganeering and an increasingly radical political campaign, Meta’s algorithms emerged as an invisible force multiplying the unrest. The controversy surrounding the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message to the youth in the aftermath of the protests only reinforces that concern. Meta has attributed the takedown to a “technical glitch” and apologised. But when the world’s largest social media platform can temporarily suppress the message of the elected leader of the world’s largest democracy during a politically charged moments, the issue extends well beyond a single deleted post. Who decides what India sees? That question has become impossible to ignore during the Cockroach Janta Party’s protests. Across Instagram and Facebook, users have reported being inundated with CJP videos, reels and protest clips despite never following the organisation or engaging with similar political content. Whether this resulted from coordinated paid collaborations, recommendation algorithms or both deserves a thorough investigation. But the larger democratic concern is that public opinion is increasingly being mediated not by citizens, journalists or elected representatives, but by opaque algorithms designed in Silicon Valley and optimised for engagement rather than democratic responsibility. Meta’s recommendation engine is not a passive notice board. Every piece of political content that reaches millions has first been selected by an algorithm whose workings remain largely hidden from public scrutiny. This is hardly unique to India. Around the world, Meta has repeatedly been accused of amplifying polarisation, misinformation and political extremism because outrage keeps users engaged. From elections to ethnic conflicts and episodes of civil unrest, the company has faced persistent criticism that its commercial incentives reward divisive content over balanced discourse. Democracies cannot afford to outsource the architecture of public debate to corporations whose primary obligation is to shareholders rather than constitutional values. While citizens are entitled to challenge governments and demand accountability, there is an important distinction between a movement that expands because people are persuaded and one that appears to be algorithmically amplified into omnipresence. Equally disturbing has been the normalisation of abusive political language during the protests. When such content is repeatedly amplified through recommendation systems, platforms cease to be neutral intermediaries and become active participants in degrading democratic discourse. Platforms that influence elections, protests and public opinion must explain how political recommendations are generated and why particular narratives receive extraordinary amplification. Silicon Valley companies insist they are merely technology platforms. But their algorithms increasingly exercise editorial power. When software determines which protests dominate national conversations and whose voices disappear, technology has already become politics.

Child's Statement Takes Probe in New Direction

A shocking double murder case in Badlapur's Juveli village has sent shockwaves across the city after the blood-soaked bodies of a woman and an Ola driver were discovered inside a locked car. The investigation took a dramatic turn when the woman's three-year-old son, who was reportedly present inside the vehicle during the incident, allegedly told police that "the driver uncle killed my mother." However, the circumstances surrounding the death of the Ola driver remain unclear, with investigators yet to determine whether he was murdered by another person or died by suicide.

 

The deceased have been identified as Manisha Bhosale, a resident of the Juveli village area in Badlapur, and Ganesh Jyotiba Shinde, an Ola driver and resident of Ghatkopar. According to preliminary findings, both victims sustained injuries caused by a sharp weapon, leading police to suspect that the case involves a brutal double homicide.

 

Police rushed to the spot near Juveli village after receiving information about two bodies inside a car. A forensic team was also called to the scene, and efforts to collect and examine evidence are currently underway.

 

One of the most disturbing aspects of the case is that Manisha Bhosale's three-year-old son was allegedly inside the car when the incident took place. Preliminary information suggests that the child informed investigators that his mother had been killed by the "driver uncle." Despite this statement, authorities have not yet established how Ola driver Ganesh Jyotiba Shinde died. It remains uncertain whether he was killed by someone else or whether he took his own life following the alleged attack.

 

Investigators have further revealed that the woman and the Ola driver had arrived in Badlapur in the Ola vehicle. Police are now trying to determine where they had travelled from, the nature of their relationship, whether any dispute had occurred between them, and what motive may have led to the incident.

 

While Speaking to, The Perfect Voice, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Gore said that the two individuals had reportedly been in contact with each other for the past three to four months. He stated that investigators are examining whether an altercation between them may have led to the Ola driver allegedly killing the woman before taking his own life. He added that the information provided by the three-year-old child is also being considered as part of the ongoing investigation.

 

Both bodies have been sent to the Badlapur Rural Hospital for post-mortem examination. Police officials have said that the investigation is being conducted from all possible angles to establish the exact sequence of events and uncover the truth behind the mysterious double death.

 

As several questions remain unanswered, the incident has created an atmosphere of fear and concern in the Badlapur area. Authorities continue to pursue all leads in an effort to determine what exactly transpired inside the car near Juveli village.


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