Toxic trolling, Pg6

• After India and Pakistan agreed to halt military actions, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri faced online abuse on platform X (formerly Twitter).

• Personal attacks and doxxing targeted even his daughter.

• Politicians and diplomats condemned the toxic online culture, calling for safeguards.

• Rise in hate speech, abusive content, and deliberate misinformation on digital platforms.

• Women, minorities, and marginalised groups face disproportionate online abuse.

• Existing laws like the Information Technology Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita offer limited relief.

• Upcoming Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025 to address cyberharassment.

• Operation Sindoor and its diplomatic de-escalation were overshadowed by online hate, reflecting a growing disconnect between political discourse and digital civility.

• The Ministry of I&B, while criticising Pakistan’s disinformation, remained silent on internal trolling against its own officials.

• Experts call for stricter laws against online threats, including mandatory takedown orders and disclosure of user identity in extreme cases like rape or death threats.

• Courts, notably in the Shaviya Sharma case (2024), ruled doxxing to be a clear violation of the right to privacy.

• Doxxing: Public release of private/personal information with malicious intent.

• Digital Surveillance: Use of technology to monitor, detect, and prevent cybercrimes.

• Content Moderation Algorithms: Tools used by platforms to detect and filter abusive or harmful content.

• This case demonstrates the urgent need for robust data protection and digital civility laws.

• Emphasises the limits of free speech when it infringes upon others’ rights and safety.

• Reflects a governance challenge in the digital age: balancing openness and responsibility.

• The case also questions platform accountability in curbing hate and misinformation.

Mains Mock Question: