Censorship in today's society?

1.    What is the link to Crisis Management?

A law was passed last year stating that companies would be responsible for user content posted on their website. As a result, large Internet companies such as Google Inc. and Facebook will need to remove content that is from some Indian domain websites. Further, there is risk about censorship in the world’s democracy while there is also a risk of violence between religious groups if material is not censored which presents a danger to the public.  

2.    What stage of Crisis Management does the system appear to be at?

The system appears to be at the risk stage.  This is because India has created new rules to block offensive content for over a year now, but India’s Internet access is still largely uncensored. Further, censorship of material is very controversial especially in a world of democracy.

3.    How well does the system appear to be handling the situation?

The system is handling the situation poorly. This is because most companies appear to not have a risk management plan to deal with this and all companies failed to clarify what they were doing.

·       Google said it was not possible for them to block content

·       Facebook said they would release a statement later

·       Microsoft said “no further comments can be given”

4.    What level of crisis preparedness does the system appear to have?

     
       The system does is given a 1 for preparedness. Given the immense amount of information that can be posted over the internet, companies such as Google Inc. will need to create a plan in place to ensure content is screened continuously as they will continued to be court ordered if this is not done. Currently there is nothing in place which is why they are being taken to court. 

5.    What personal reactions/feelings does the description trigger in you?

I am surprised and have definitely taken fore granted the democratic society in North America. Censorship is such a difficult situation since it can cause chaos and uproar in the public similar to the situation in Tiananmen Square. However, I realize there is also a history of violence here between religious groups that needs to be addressed and having censorship will lessen the probability of violence between groups. 

6.    What advice would you offer to those involved?

I would tell the companies that they all need to provide more information to the public and government as to what has been done and what they can expect to see continually removed/what mechanism will be used. I would recommend that “no comment” not be used as a response as it takes away the credibility of the company and can be seen by the public that the company is hiding something. I would request the government to provide some support as to how and what time lines they expect, and what they can do on their end to assist the companies at achieving the goal of censoring the proper content within a feasible time frame.


Article Source:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/tech-news/facebook-google-bow-to-indian-censorship-demands/article2327810/