BRAZIL:

A Supreme Federal Court judge in Brazil orders X – the social media platform owned by US billionaire Elon Musk – to block certain accounts for their involvement in promoting violence.

Alexandre de Moraes passed these orders after a thorough probe into “digital militias” comprising the supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro. They were spreading fake news and hate speech during his government.

Bolsonaro represents far-right. However, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leftist, made a come back after his conviction was overturned and defeated him the 2022 presidential election.

Meanwhile, X promises to comply with the orders. But the said X accounts continue to operate, forcing the top court judge to initiate an inquiry into Musk.

On the other hand, lawyers representing X later cite “operational faults” as the reason behind the users still managing to operate their accounts.

After a few months, Musk suddenly announces his decision to close operations in Brazil with an immediate effect as he describes the directives as “censorship orders”.

Meanwhile, social media is also blamed for the attacks on government buildings in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. The supporters resorted to violence on January 8, 2023, a week after the inauguration of Lula. In fact, they replicated their far-right brethren in the US, who went for the Capitol Hill attack on January 6, 2021.

Both sets of people didn’t accept the election results in their respective countries, claiming rigging.

They believe in authoritarian rule where neither civil rights nor opposition have any room.

UNITED KINGDOM:      

Riots erupt in different parts of the United Kingdom after brutal stabbing of three little girls in Southport on July 29. Ten persons, mostly children are also injured in the incident that occurred.

These riots are anti-immigrant in nature and orchestrated by far-right groups as rumors spread that the killer was a Muslim and had arrived in the country illegally.

It is an opportunity for the ultranationalist white supremacists to utilize the existing racist feelings and target the immigrants – Muslims, South Asians and other people of color. Many of their businesses were damaged.

However, the British law enforcement agencies and judiciary act swiftly. Hundreds of individuals in involved in these UK anti-immigrant riots are arrest. At least 500 of them are charged and 170 sent to prison after completing trials withing days.

On the other hand, Musk again cannot remain silent and predicts civil war in the United Kingdom through a post shared through X. The British government condemns the comments, forcing him to delete the post.

But continues with pro-far right mantra and criticizes the action taken against the rioters, thus promoting the idea of white supremacy.

Meanwhile, investigation shows that the source of this disinformation is a website Channel3Now operated by a person named Farhan Asif. Police in Pakistan decide to arrest him.

TELEGRAM:

Pavel Durov – a Russian billionaire with an estimated net worth of over $15 billion – is arrested in France over his failure to control criminal activities on Telegram.

He is the founder and CEO of this social media platform which attracts around 90 million users.

The French authorities detained him soon after his jet landed in Paris. He had arrived in France from Baku – the Azerbaijan capital – to attend a dinner despite being wanted in connection with an ongoing investigation.

Child pornography, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on Telegram are the among the charges being investigated.

He is an Emeriti citizen. Therefore, the UAE has now urged France to provide him with all consular services urgently.

Durov was born in Russia, but holds multiple nationalities including that of the UAE, France, Russia, and St Kitts and Nevis.

On the other hand, Musk is critical of the French officials for taking action against Doruv, as he considers it another attack on freedom of expression.

Please don’t forget that Telegram is one of the favorite social media apps of the far-right groups and individuals. The reason is simple: lack of check and balance. You can indulge in hate speech freely.

X – FORMERLY NAMED AS TWITTER

Musk acquires Twitter and renames it X. Since then, this social media service has lost its status as a platform where only serious debate is possible. Although the process had started before Musk invested billions in it, he is certainly responsible for accelerating the process. That’s why the European Union is investigating X over promoting hate speech and other affairs.

It is not just Musk who himself is projecting the far-right ideology and white supremacy on X. The platform has become a tool for all those sharing their views worldwide. He is positioning himself as champion of democracy and freedom of speech.

A post shared is an example. A person holding a mike can be seen asking a young American woman – who is a Democrat – whether she would choose democracy or abortion. She is forced to select one which is abortion. Thus, she is portrayed as someone, who is against democracy, to create an impression that the Democrats are against democratic values.

Now check the formulation of question as if having the power to make your personal decisions and control your body is something undemocratic. It is enough to understand how the propaganda machine works for the far-right groups who champion freedom of speech only to snatch democratic freedoms.

PAKISTAN:

Just days after his arrest, a local court in Lahore acquits Farhan of the charges with an argument that his role in fueling the anti-immigrant protests cannot be established.

The acquittal isn’t something surprising as the Pakistani courts previously too have released many people involved in inciting violence against state institutions and functionaries as well as other individuals by using social media.

Same is the case with the May 9 episode for which social media had been used actively. In fact, this organized propaganda is going on for several years – even much before May 9 and after that. It is a product of coordinated efforts and executed by many players at different levels.

However, many well-known journalists, human right activists and political leaders describe it as freedom of expression. Any action against such individuals is an attack on democracy and civil liberties, they say.

Meanwhile, the social media-based hate campaign continues, as the usual suspects target Chief Justice Faez Isa yet again.

At the same, some Pakistani journalists now sitting in countries like the US and others are suggesting that Imran Khan controls Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and can shut all communications with the rest of Pakistan whenever he wants. It’s a clear incitement to violence. A desire to repeat the May 9 events after the failure to punish the culprits?

Again, all the posts inciting violence in Pakistan are available on X. Musk won’t take any action. He is taking refuge in freedom of speech. There is no check. No one knows how the issue should be dealt with.

CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE

Gone are the days when minds were made hostage to the information of shared by the big media houses. They have been a few tech giants who are treating the people as just another consumer while making them believe they are free to express themselves without being influenced. It is a plain lie as social media algorithms decide what we see or read.

In a polarized society, we, the people, are now living in ecochambers and only rely on those news items or analysis or social and political commentaries that reinforce our worldview.

Meanwhile, Musk has now said that X will boost the reach of smaller accounts at the cost of bigger ones. In other words, the far-right ideals, which remained peripheral since the World War II, will now get even a bigger boost. Reason? The US presidential election is to be held in November this year and he has endorsed Donald Trump.

IS FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION SOLE CIVIL LIBERTY?

Democracy suggests the idea of civil rights. The list has expanded with the passage of time. The concept of individual rights is a product of socioeconomic developments triggered by scientific and technological advancement and the resultant changes in social relations.

The worldwide emphasis on unchecked freedom of expression is a consequence of the First Amendment that the United States has. It isn’t a surprise the cutthroat competition between the far right and the rest in main stream and social media is most lethal and visible in the US. Hence, the polarization has reached a frightening level.

However, no country in the Europe has ever opted of the path chosen by the United States. There is no First Amendment. There are effective rules and regulations to curb defamation and disinformation. But social media has changed the entire dynamics. Even these nations are feeling the heat with the European Union pressing the social media giants to stop the spread of hate speech and incitement to violence.

Meanwhile, this trend means anyone of us can object to the attire of women and publicly humiliate or a give sermon to them over venturing out of their homes for education and jobs.

Don’t you notice the complete agreement between you and the extremists?

It means a country like Pakistan is also facing the same question which needs an answer from those who want to protect the elements involved in incitement to violence under the banner of democracy.

What is your overall opinion about the concept of civil rights? What the list in your mind? Why freedom of expression is the only focus? Have you noticed that you are paving the way for those who stand for curbing the very idea of democracy?

Surely, you can’t be a democrat or a human rights champion if you are against the concepts of women empowerment or an individual’s ability to choose a particular way of life and stand by those who openly argue in favor of the TTP.