“With social media channels setting a bad trend of exploiting people in Government and those running public institutions on commercial lines the vulnerability of people to exploitations has increased unprecedentedly across Jammu & Kashmir”
The inflammatory videos uploaded on social media sites just to give vent to the feelings of personal animosities very rightly attract huge criticism from people of all shades but mere criticism doesn’t reduce the bad trend of exploiting gullible people by social media handlers in Jammu & Kashmir. In recent days many inflammatory video have triggered many controversies on social media sites in Kashmir but law enforcers unfortunately don’t take notice of such a bad trend despite the fact that such an objectionable activity is also a sort of cyber crime. As law enforcers don’t initiate investigations against the people uploading inflammatory videos on social media sites for the purposes of punishing them under law, merely registering a case won’t stop misuse of social media channels but a stringent action that would translate action into a exemplary punishment is required to reduce the trend of putting the inflammatory content on social media channels. Though last year J&K DGP had taken strong note of an inflammatory video that was uploaded on social media sites and a case was also registered against the accused but in the end the accused did not get the exemplary punishment he deserved. The DGP had even talked about a law against social media handlers in Jammu & Kashmir that time but forget about the law even a simple practice has not been adopted to punish the people uploading inflammatory content on social media sites. With social media channels setting a bad trend of exploiting people in Government and those running public institutions on commercial lines the vulnerability of people to exploitations has increased unprecedentedly across Jammu & Kashmir. As the trend of misusing social media channels badly hits education of youth and ultimately every sector of economic and social activity, it is for the law enforcers to regulate the working of social media channels and take corrective measures for reducing the growing trends of exploitation by the social media handlers running U-tube channels on different social media sites. It is in place to mention here that almost two years back Chief Admin of a social media channel was arrested along with his several associates on charges of extortion but he was released later and still uses the U-tube channel for telecast of news bulletins and debates on current political events as usual from his FB page. Administrative wisdom demands that authorities who unblocked the said U-tube channel and FB page owe an explanation to the people of Jammu & Kashmir. Like this many FB pages are used as social media channels in Jammu & Kashmir. In fact the unprecedented rise in the no of U-tube channels for news and views on politics and governance on FB pages has set a bad trend as most of such U-tube channels are run without any formal registration of the authorities designated for grant of registration to newspapers, news magazines and satellite news channels. Had guidelines been prescribed and authorities designated for use of social media channels on Face book pages and other social media accounts of individuals or groups of individuals, the reports about the misuse of social media content for exploiting the gullible won’t appear in print and electronic media again and again. The huge misuse of social media contents by the unregistered social media channels has unfortunately brought the entire media fraternity into disrepute. Though people within and outside J&K know all that what people in media think about use of U tube channels for news and views on politics and governance on FB pages but they are in a state of helplessness in the absence of a prompt regulatory mechanism for U tube channels used for news bulletins and debates on politics and governance on FB pages.
“Morality demands that code of ethics applied to professional journalists from major newspapers, news channels and news agencies is also applied also to social media channels for the purpose of public accountability. Unless and until the rules and regulations are not set for the registration of social media channels with the intent of enforcing digital accountability in Jammu & Kashmir, the misuse of social media channels can’t be curbed with a a heavy hand.”
As admins of FB pages use U-tube channels without registration by the authorities designated for registration of newspapers, news magazines and satellite news channels on their own whims and wishes and enjoy much impunity, the questions raised by people about registration and regulations for use of U-tube channels for news bulletins and debates on politics and governance on FB pages go unnoticed. Interestingly the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladhak just two years ago had in a directive to J&K Government asked it to inform if online news portals and agencies on social media are required to seek registration and whether permission under law has been granted to them. The PIL had also in one of it’s contentions also said that “ real professional journalists from major newspapers, news channels and news agencies follow a strict code of ethics”. Ultimately it comes to the issue of code of ethics for social media news channels. Morality demands that code of ethics applied to professional journalists from major newspapers, news channels and news agencies is also applied also to social media channels for the purpose of public accountability. Unless and until the rules and regulations are not set for the registration of social media channels with the intent of enforcing digital accountability in Jammu & Kashmir, the misuse of social media channels can’t be curbed with a a heavy hand.
