In the wake of Mueller's investigation in the USA on tempering of 2016 Presidential Elections, we wrote to Prime Minister of India's office in September 2017 asking him and fellow politicians (our community's super influencers) to disown the platform and not put their's and our countrymen future in Danger of Data Colonization and subversion of our democracy by foreign entities and agencies.
Our fears and assumptions of a mass scale usage for data harvesting and subsequent usage in subjugating elections all over the world using the "Social Media" platform Facebook by foreign entities were validated with the recent investigative reports by the Guardian in the UK.
Source : - https://www.theguardian.com/news/series/cambridge-analytica-files
For people who don't have the background on this - Facebook knowingly allowed various entities to harvest its user's data like all their friends, their likes, dislikes, stimulus etc and made profits out of it. The same data is used by these entities to temper with elections all over the world. All this was done in "alleged" know-how by Facebook and in active collusion or deliberate "looking away" while it was happening, even when it was happening in their own home country.
To protect Indian democracy we started following up with Prime minister's office since Mr. Modi is biggest super influencer from India on the Facebook and is pulling a large population to the platform and legitimizing the practice while giving away our behavioral data to foreign entities. Whatsoever might be the reason we don't believe this practice by Mr. Modi or any of our other politicians is in the national interest and should be shunned in favor of regular press releases, blogs, radio, televisions where the data is in control of Indian entities.
Prime minister's office noted our suggestion in December 2017 and forwarded the report to Ministry of Home Affairs for further action. We hope the ministries act swiftly on the matter secure our future.
Open letter to Prime Minister Office India - Dated October 2017.
Dear Sir,
In light of recent investigations by USA authorities on foreign interference in the USA elections through one very potential channel “Facebook”, I would like to submit a 32-page research report on the subject and file a formal grievance about actual and purported “portrayal of” and “use by” many of the Indian Politicians including Prime Minister Mr. Modi on the platform and imminent dangers to our country due to that.
I come with more than a decade of experience in Technology and Digital Marketing domain and have relevant expertise in that matter. Having said that I would like to state the criminality of the matter - As mentioned in the report regarding fake and rabid extremist groups, trolls are very much supported and incubated on the platform Facebook. This indicates an active incentive based collusion the technology platform has with them.
All of this has been making private foreign profits for some very irresponsible entities to say -at the least, along with promoting very irresponsible business models- which Mueller investigation is now unfolding.
Facebook and affiliated platform “WhatsApp” are essentially hurting Indian democracy and the biggest concern is that all the behavioral data impacting Indians is going abroad under control of foreign entities, which will never be able to see the kind of investigations made possible by the USA authorities.
As mentioned in the report, the platform “Facebook” and its affiliate “WhatsApp” are used blatantly by vested interest subverting our constitution and democratic principals at will. This practice now seeing the lights of investigation in the USA with the President’s election itself getting under the purview. As I can see Honorable Mr. Narendra Modi Ji, is a very active and one of the top most “super influencer” on Facebook and the Prime Minister’s office too has a very big presence on it.
This not only legitimizes the platform and its crony business practices but also puts all the criminal activities running on it - under a preferable light, which is helping the vested interests in collusion with the digital platform to run amok. Not to mention sending a massive amount of our fellow citizen’s behavioral data under various guises to foreign lands and control.
Through this Grievance, I would urge our eminent political leaders including Mr. Modi to shun this digital platform and use only those digital mediums for communication which are under India’s direct control, including Prime Minister’s official portal and similar official channels. And start a full-fledged investigation on this matter of grave concern on the various pointers mentioned in the report under Indian Laws applicable.
As far as my expertise on the matter, Facebook or similar foreign entities including WhatsApp can only be allowed to operate in India when they operate as “Public Utility”. With all the data created under Indian Civil Society’s relevant purview and control, run by Indian Entity, with absolutely no access to any Foreign Entity. Hoping for action soon on this matter of grave urgency as it puts us (I, You and billions of fellow citizens) lives and future in a grave danger of political subversion and foreign “Data Colonization”.
tag on profile.
By
Rakesh Prasad 344
In the wake of Mueller's investigation in the USA on tempering of 2016 Presidential Elections, we wrote to Prime Minister of India's office in September 2017 asking him and fellow politicians (our community's super influencers) to disown the platform and not put their's and our countrymen future in Danger of Data Colonization and subversion of our democracy by foreign entities and agencies.
Our fears and assumptions of a mass scale usage for data harvesting and subsequent usage in subjugating elections all over the world using the "Social Media" platform Facebook by foreign entities were validated with the recent investigative reports by the Guardian in the UK.
Source : - https://www.theguardian.com/news/series/cambridge-analytica-files
For people who don't have the background on this - Facebook knowingly allowed various entities to harvest its user's data like all their friends, their likes, dislikes, stimulus etc and made profits out of it. The same data is used by these entities to temper with elections all over the world. All this was done in "alleged" know-how by Facebook and in active collusion or deliberate "looking away" while it was happening, even when it was happening in their own home country.
To protect Indian democracy we started following up with Prime minister's office since Mr. Modi is biggest super influencer from India on the Facebook and is pulling a large population to the platform and legitimizing the practice while giving away our behavioral data to foreign entities. Whatsoever might be the reason we don't believe this practice by Mr. Modi or any of our other politicians is in the national interest and should be shunned in favor of regular press releases, blogs, radio, televisions where the data is in control of Indian entities.
Prime minister's office noted our suggestion in December 2017 and forwarded the report to Ministry of Home Affairs for further action. We hope the ministries act swiftly on the matter secure our future.
Open letter to Prime Minister Office India - Dated October 2017.
Dear Sir,
In light of recent investigations by USA authorities on foreign interference in the USA elections through one very potential channel “Facebook”, I would like to submit a 32-page research report on the subject and file a formal grievance about actual and purported “portrayal of” and “use by” many of the Indian Politicians including Prime Minister Mr. Modi on the platform and imminent dangers to our country due to that.
I come with more than a decade of experience in Technology and Digital Marketing domain and have relevant expertise in that matter. Having said that I would like to state the criminality of the matter - As mentioned in the report regarding fake and rabid extremist groups, trolls are very much supported and incubated on the platform Facebook. This indicates an active incentive based collusion the technology platform has with them.
All of this has been making private foreign profits for some very irresponsible entities to say -at the least, along with promoting very irresponsible business models- which Mueller investigation is now unfolding.
Facebook and affiliated platform “WhatsApp” are essentially hurting Indian democracy and the biggest concern is that all the behavioral data impacting Indians is going abroad under control of foreign entities, which will never be able to see the kind of investigations made possible by the USA authorities.
As mentioned in the report, the platform “Facebook” and its affiliate “WhatsApp” are used blatantly by vested interest subverting our constitution and democratic principals at will. This practice now seeing the lights of investigation in the USA with the President’s election itself getting under the purview. As I can see Honorable Mr. Narendra Modi Ji, is a very active and one of the top most “super influencer” on Facebook and the Prime Minister’s office too has a very big presence on it.
This not only legitimizes the platform and its crony business practices but also puts all the criminal activities running on it - under a preferable light, which is helping the vested interests in collusion with the digital platform to run amok. Not to mention sending a massive amount of our fellow citizen’s behavioral data under various guises to foreign lands and control.
Through this Grievance, I would urge our eminent political leaders including Mr. Modi to shun this digital platform and use only those digital mediums for communication which are under India’s direct control, including Prime Minister’s official portal and similar official channels. And start a full-fledged investigation on this matter of grave concern on the various pointers mentioned in the report under Indian Laws applicable.
As far as my expertise on the matter, Facebook or similar foreign entities including WhatsApp can only be allowed to operate in India when they operate as “Public Utility”. With all the data created under Indian Civil Society’s relevant purview and control, run by Indian Entity, with absolutely no access to any Foreign Entity. Hoping for action soon on this matter of grave urgency as it puts us (I, You and billions of fellow citizens) lives and future in a grave danger of political subversion and foreign “Data Colonization”.