Will India trade privacy for protection?

India’s government wants to crackdown on the spread of so-called faked news online, proposing new regulations that critics say are an affront to free expression and privacy. The new rules would force online messaging platforms like WhatsApp to remove “unlawful” content or risk penalty. It would also require these companies to provide government agencies with backdoor access to their services. India’s government previously enacted legislation to limit the presence of retail giants like Amazon and, in 2016, rejected Facebook’s offer to provide free internet access to parts of the country.

While WhatsApp has so far resisted pressure to provide access to its encryption, the company has deleted millions of accounts to curb the spread of potentially lethal misinformation. Still, civil liberties advocates remain skeptical of the proposal, suggesting a slippery slope toward greater censorship, especially ahead of India’s election.

In this episode, The Stream speaks with tech industry experts and policy analysts to explore whether the Indian government’s plan will ensure public safety or set a dangerous precedent.

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Sadanand Dhume @dhume
Resident fellow, American Enterprise Institute
aei.org

Aria Thaker @ariathak
Technology and politics reporter, Quartz India 

Apar Gupta @apargupta84
Lawyer & executive director, Internet Freedom Foundation
apargupta.com

Berges Malu @berges
Head of public policy, ShareChat
sharechat.com

Read more:
Why the 2019 election may be the most crucial in India’s history – Al Jazeera
The inside story of Facebook’s biggest setback – Guardian
India seeks access to private WhatsApp messages in violence, pornography crackdown – Indian Express

What do you think? Record a brief comment here, or leave a comment in the section below.