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By:

Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Platform Politics

Meta’s apology to the Government of India revives the uncomfortable question of who really controls the flow of political information in today’s turbulent times, the voter or the platform? When the world’s largest social media company admits that it wrongly restricted Prime Minister Modi’s post during a volatile moment in Indian democracy, the issue extends far beyond a single moderation error. Meta’s chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, apologised to Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw...

Platform Politics

Meta’s apology to the Government of India revives the uncomfortable question of who really controls the flow of political information in today’s turbulent times, the voter or the platform? When the world’s largest social media company admits that it wrongly restricted Prime Minister Modi’s post during a volatile moment in Indian democracy, the issue extends far beyond a single moderation error. Meta’s chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, apologised to Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for restricting the PM’s post, attributing the incident to an ‘operational’ mistake. That explanation does not answer the larger concerns surrounding Meta’s role in shaping political narratives in India. Technology companies insist that they are neutral conduits. But experience suggests otherwise. Their algorithms decide what millions see, what remains invisible and what goes viral. As was evinced in protests in Nepal and Bangladesh, those decisions have influenced public opinion profoundly as any political campaign. These questions are particularly serious given the allegations surrounding the campaign mounted by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which spearheaded the protests over the NEET paper leak. The degeneration of the protests has raised strong suspicions that the protests were hardly organic but receiving paid amplification on social media. Public opinion in a democracy should be shaped by genuine public sentiment and not by opaque algorithms operating inside corporate headquarters thousands of kilometres away. This is not simply about Narendra Modi or the BJP. It is about India’s sovereignty over its own democratic conversation. Elections, protests and political debates must be decided by Indians, not by Western recommendation engines whose workings remain secret and whose executives answer primarily to shareholders in California. If Meta has nothing to hide, it should voluntarily disclose whether content relating to the CJP protests received preferential treatment, whether any exceptional amplification occurred, who authorised it and under what policies. Transparency, and not carefully worded apologies, is the only credible response. No democracy can permit foreign technology companies to become unelected arbiters of its political discourse. When they amplify selectively, they risk manufacturing political momentum that appears organic but may not be. The concern is not confined to one company. Increasingly, global technology corporations possess powers once reserved for states. They curate information, moderate speech, recommend narratives and determine digital visibility for billions. Yet they operate with limited public accountability. That imbalance between influence and responsibility is becoming one of the defining democratic challenges of the digital age. If Meta can inadvertently silence the elected Indian Prime Minister, we are entitled to ask what else its invisible systems may have amplified, buried or shaped without their knowledge.

Discussions on among allies for govt formation: Ajit Pawar

Updated: Nov 29, 2024

Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister and NCP head Ajit Pawar on Monday said discussions were underway among the Mahayuti partners to finalise a formula for the new government formation in the state.


Speaking to reporters at Karad in Satara district, Pawar also acknowledged the contribution of the government's Ladki Bahin scheme, which provides financial assistance to women, in the Mahayuti's victory in the just-concluded state assembly polls.


The NCP leader also assured that the alliance was working cohesively following its resounding victory in the state assembly elections.


Pawar paid tributes to Maharashtra's first chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan at his memorial in Karad on his death anniversary.


In the state poll results declared on Saturday, the Mahayuti, which comprises the BJP, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, bagged an impressive 230 of the 288 assembly seats.


The focus has been on BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is being seen as a strong contender to occupy the top post for the third time, as his party bagged 132 of the 149 seats it contested in the state.


Notably, Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar has said his party legislators feel Eknath Shinde should continue as the chief minister of the state, where the ruling Mahayuti scored a landslide victory in the assembly polls.


Ajit Pawar said, "We will decide what formula to work out on the cabinet formation among the three parties."


Reflecting on the elections, he acknowledged the contribution of the Ladki Bahin scheme in the Mahayuti's win.


"We cannot ignore that Ladki Bahin helped us in this election. We are grateful to them (women voters)," he said.


Defending the scheme, Pawar, who is also the state finance minister, further said, "Had I been opposed to the Ladki Bahin scheme, I would not have presented it in the House. I discussed the scheme with several retired finance officers before finalising it."


Pawar also dismissed concerns raised by some opposition leaders over the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), pointing out that polls in states like Punjab, West Bengal and Telangana, governed by their political opponents, have been conducted with the same system.


Commenting on members of same families contesting against each other during the elections, Pawar expressed annoyance over repeated questions on it.


He then asked, "Why was my close nephew fielded? Atram's own daughter was fielded against him, and even Rajendra Shingne faced a similar challenge. I don't want to comment further on this. I have got tired of apologising for fielding my wife against Supriya. Yugendra was in business, then why was he prepared to contest against me?"


In the Baramati assembly seat, Ajit Pawar was pitted against his nephew and NCP (SP) candidate Yugendra Pawar.


In Aheri seat, NCP leader Dharamraobaba Atram's daughter Bhagyashree Atram contested against him on NCP (SP) ticket.

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