External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that issues like responsibility and accountability of the big tech companies which enjoy huge power and influence must be debated
Topics
S Jaishankar | Tech companies | Ministry of External Affairs
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that issues like responsibility and accountability of the big tech companies which enjoy huge power and influence must be debated and they cannot be brushed under the carpet.
Jaishankar’s comments came in the midst of growing tensions between Indian authorities and American social media giant Twitter on a range of issues including the new IT rules.
In an interactive session with former British prime minister Tony Blair at the India Global Forum, he said that a vigorous debate on big technology firms is going in India like in various parts of the world, adding nobody denies that they are “forces of progress”.
“But, in a democratic society, we have to ask ourselves, big tech is there; it is in my life, very visibly in my life. You have a big presence, (but) where is the responsibility which comes with it,” Jaishankar said.
“They have huge power, where is the accountability. This is again not an issue limited to India. They harvest our data as they do across the world. So you have, in a sense, the opposite of the American Revolution, which is to have representation and no taxation,” he said.
He was asked about the power of technology and issues relating to it.
“These are very serious questions that need debating. I think they cannot be brushed under the carpet, saying you should not question them because then you are attacking freedom of speech. I think that’s a cop-out. Obviously, it serves their interests,” he said.
The external affairs minister said that there are various aspects to these issues, including political and the influence commanded by the technology giants.
“I think these are issues; because today what big tech has done — one part is looking at it as a governance issue, as a political issue as a democratic issue I would say,” he said.
“The other is to look at the influence they command. International relations have been devised on the basis of State-based players. What happens when you have non-State players who in some ways are bigger than many States,” Jaishankar said.
If you invoke US copyright act, then be cognizant of Indian laws as well: Prasad on Twitter row
Calling for accountability of big social media companies, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said Twitter invoked a US copyright act to block his account but it should also be cognizant of the law in India where it is operating and earning money. Speaking at the India Global Forum, the minister said Twitter last week blocked his account for an hour on a complaint made four years ago under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of the US.
“If you are going to invoke the… digital copyright act of America then you have to also be cognisant of the copyright rules of India. That is the point.
“You cannot say my whole stand will be regulated by an ex-parte assessment of the US law. For a happy blending of the role of big tech and democracy, a solution has to be found,” Prasad said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
Comments are closed