DIGITAL FREE SPEECH AND DEMOCRATIC CULTURE – A LEGAL RESEARCH IN BALANCING OUT RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION vis-a-vis SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM

Authors

  • Nidhi Kastwar, Rakhi Pathak Author

Abstract

“From being informed to being misinformed, people are made to look without seeing and listen without hearing”.

Media is assigned the position of 4th pillar in our democracy. Social media is not only a platform that disseminates information but also shapes our opinion, views and thought process. In the past few years the world has witnessed the renewed human rights movements advocating inevitable nature of these rights for a human self.  However, apart from beneficial role several cyber-crimes like defamation and many more can be easily committed through social media. Hence, the importance of the State regulating social media cannot be brushed aside. The present situation across the country is grim vis-a-vis social media when looked through the lens of democracy. Article 19(1) (a) of Indian constitution that gives freedom of speech and expression to individual is qualified with reasonable restrictions. Several incidents of manipulating the public opinion have taken place in all over the world from Brexit to Cambridge Analytica to Hong Kong protest. India is no exception.

In this paper we will be focusing firstly, on right to freedom of speech and expression vis-a-vis social media platform in a democratic free society and how social media platforms influence and mould the opinions of people without even understanding nuances of reasonable restrictions provided under the constitution of India. Secondly, in order to censor social media platform the right to freedom of speech and expression is overshadowed. Therefore Unambiguity to the reasonable restriction to bring in more balanced approach towards social media users/Providers (freedom of speech and expression) and flourishing democratic culture is the new assignment bestowed to ourselves.

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Published

2024-08-17

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Section

Articles

How to Cite

DIGITAL FREE SPEECH AND DEMOCRATIC CULTURE – A LEGAL RESEARCH IN BALANCING OUT RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION vis-a-vis SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM. (2024). Machine Intelligence Research, 10(2), 2016-07. http://machineintelligenceresearchs.com/index.php/mir/article/view/123