“Privacy on the internet? That’s an oxymoron.”
- Catherine Butler
A recent news bite has rekindled discourse around privacy in the digital age and has led to an unfolding of our collective cultural worries. The Chandigarh University case has revealed the real cost of having the access to a whole world of content in our palms. As massive protests broke out over allegations that a female student secretly filmed other women in a hostel bathroom, the university has been shut down for a week.
The student, who claims to be pressured by her partner, has been booked under India’s Information Technology Act with charges of ‘knowingly capturing, publishing or transmitting the image of a private area of any person without consent’. While the case has raised the issues of female bodily autonomy and loss of agency, it has further exposed the fragility of social media.
Even after multiple restrictions on digital platforms, harmful content can always find its place on the world wide web. The issue gets increasingly more dangerous as people have found ways to escape the restrictive measures to form online communities, threads and ‘rooms’ hidden from digital barriers.
Although the issue of privacy is just as concerning with regular users of the internet present on social media platforms. We have attained a level of comfort in revealing some of the most private and intimate details of our lives to a wide audience. More so under the surveillance culture our personal details and sensitive information are exploited by companies.
While governments can easily detect, intercept and retain ‘identifying information’ from an individual’s personal profile, using it to monitor citizens and their online activity. We are well aware of the effects this has had on the country as right wing groups have legitimised the use for preserving national security at the expense of an individual’s right to privacy.
For instance, recently Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs launched the cyber volunteers’ programme, which seeks citizens to report unlawful activities on the internet and social media. Further used to identify groups of people that share opposing ideas and these actions undermine the democratic fabric of the nation.
Besides living under constant surveillance, everyone has an online presence in today’s age where content can be freely shared. We are currently living in a culture where our most private moments are commodified for social approval. As networking platforms promote individuals to become content creators and influencers, an increasing number of Indians are sharing their entire lives for public consumption.
The rise in ‘family vlogging’ on YouTube evidently speaks to this phenomenon. A recent survey revealed that a village in Chhattisgarh has 30% of the population creating content for a living. While this has surely helped families to find new modes of earning income, it is to be noted that a large number of these creators are ‘vloggers’ who film their everyday lives and upload intimate moments on the platform.
Young children find themselves becoming public figures in these regular videos without their consent. As from a nascent age, their personal lives are shared with millions of users across the globe. This raises concerns for their privacy and safety, further impacting their formative years. With constant exposure to cameras leading to adverse effects on their mental well being.
While access to the internet, networking and easily sharing content on social media can be liberating and reaffirms our ‘freedom of speech’, there is always a sinister side to this exposure. These issues raise worries about losing our right to privacy, both at a public and private level. As a country, we need to rework structures according to the evolving culture, in away that especially safeguards vulnerable groups while further promoting cultural discourse that leads to societal changes.
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