Freedom Of Expression

Freedom of speech on social media comes with responsibility: Allahabad HC

The Allahabad High Court has dismissed the petition filed by one Nandini Sachan of Jhansi district, seeking quashing of an FIR that accused her of propagating obscene content on social media

Minister's statement cannot be attributed 'vicariously' to govt, says SC

A statement made by a minister cannot be attributed vicariously to the government even when applying the principle of collective responsibility, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice S A Nazeer said no additional restrictions against free speech can be imposed except those mentioned under Article 19(2) of the Constitution. "Statement made by a minister even if traceable to any affairs of state or protecting the government cannot be attributed vicariously to the government even applying the principle of collective responsibility. "Fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) can be exercised even against other instrumentalities other than the state," the bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai, A S Bopanna, V Ramasubramanian, said. Justice B V Nagarathna, who was also part of the bench, wrote a separate judgement and said freedom of speech and expression is a much needed right so that citizens are well informed and educated on ...

Have no personal feelings about who manages Twitter: UN chief Guterres

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said he has no personal feelings about who manages Twitter, but he is very interested in how the platform is managed, underlining the importance of combating hate speech and ensuring freedom of expression, especially of journalists, on social media platforms. I have no personal feelings in relation to who manages a platform. I am very interested in about how the platform is managed, he said here on Monday. Guterres was responding to a question during his end of the year press conference on whether he thinks Twitter's owner Elon Musk was a threat to free speech and would he be relieved if the billionaire stepped down as head of the social media platform. Twitter users had voted on Monday for Musk to quit as head of the social media giant in a poll the technology tycoon ran on his future and promised to abide by its results. A total of 57.5 per cent of people voted "yes" after the 51-year-old billionaire asked his 122 million followers whethe

The value of dissent

Harnessing dissent can help us develop faster and better

Propaganda about no freedom of expression in India not true: Manoj Sinha

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said there is a propaganda that there is no freedom of expression in India, but that is not the truth

Meta India found exposed to human rights risks due to 3rd party action

The report found that Meta faced criticism and potential reputational risks related to risks of hateful or discriminatory speech by end users.

Report says Gates 'poured' millions into attacking Musk, Tesla CEO responds

Earlier this month, about 26 activist organisations and NGOs signed a letter to Twitter advertisers asking them to boycott the platform if Musk makes content moderation changes

Can Elon Musk's takeover bring absolute free speech to Twitter?

The Twitter deal may only move ownership from one set of private hands to another, but the fact that the world's richest (and controversial) billionaire is involved seems to make it worse

Twitter board's interest not aligned with shareholders, says Elon Musk

Musk was responding to a tweet about board members' stock holdings, saying that with the departure of Jack Dorsey, the board "collectively owns almost no shares."

Use freedom of expression responsibly, says Vice-President Naidu

Naidu called for observing decency in public utterances and said that writers and thinkers are expected to create intellectual discourse in society, not trigger controversies

Elgar Parishad case: Accused Sudha Bharadwaj released from jail

Activist Sudha Bharadwaj, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, was on Thursday released from a prison here on bail, after spending three years in jail

Unprecedented repression against media in China under Xi: Journalists group

China's violations against its own international commitments to freedom of opinion and expression has significantly increased under the current regime.

Forces with colonial mindset stalling India's growth, says PM Modi

On Constitution Day, he calls dynastic parties the biggest threat to functioning of democracy

Towards freedom of expression

Repealing 124A should be seen as a starting point

Citizen, nation, sedition

Sedition law isn't just a colonial hangover. It's a convenient weapon for under-performing governments to conflate themselves with the nation and use against critics

Hard knocks for soft power

The state is tightening its control over what we read, watch, hear or laugh at, says Vanita Kohli-Khandekar. Why not facilitate our soft power instead of clamping down on its strengths?

Protesters are not terrorists

Delhi High Court raises the bar on UAPA application

Best of BS Opinion: New idea of India, BJP is as safe as a big bank & more

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for Tuesday

A new idea of India

The values the G7 espouses must be followed

Some Indian govt actions raised concerns on democratic values: US official

Some of Indian government's actions, including restrictions on freedom of expression, have raised concerns that are inconsistent with the country's democratic values, a top US official has said