Apar GuptaEarlier this week, on June 29, a dramatic press release was issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) directing a ban on 59 smartphone applications , many of them web services. This includes TikTok, a popular social media platform; the UC Browser, a preferred web browser for low budget smartphones; and CamScanner, which is used to convert images into shareable documents. In one fell swoop, this singular act of web censorship in India has impacted more people than ever before. Beyond the geopolitical and economic impact of this ban, concerning questions arise as to its legality and the measure’s impact on democratic norms.
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Dangerous law that must go soon #Sec66A
In this I tackle the second argument which is made in the defense of Sec. 66A fails on the first (i.e. the problems are not with the provision but its implementation). The second argument is an appeal to emotion, stating that Sec. 66A helps in cases of online harassment and abuse directed towards women. Through this article I argue this is a disingenuous argument.