Tackling online abuse

The grant of sanction by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor to prosecute the creator and mastermind of the ‘Sulli Deals’ mobile application sends the right signal of zero tolerance for malicious cyber activities. The app and Twitter handle of a 25-year-old computer applications student had created a major uproar last year for targeting Muslim women. ‘Sulli Deals’ had taken publicly available pictures and created profiles, describing the women as ‘deals of the day’. The purpose, the Delhi Police said, was to humiliate and degrade the victims. Arrested from Indore in January, the accused was granted bail in March by a Delhi court which said that being a first-time offender, his prolonged incarceration would be detrimental to his well-being. Nothing but the pursuit of justice should prevail in such crimes. ‘Sulli Deals’ is a test case.

The ‘Bulli Bai’ app, too, targeted women, a sign of the online harassment and sexualised trolling they are routinely subjected to, and how unsafe Internet can be. Women face abuse not just for their opinions, but also for various identities, be it gender, religion, caste or marital status. Cyberbullying increases against those who are politically articulate. The more vocal a woman, the more likely she is to be targeted. The delay in content moderation allows a free run for misogynist and communal posts. Social media sites have to be pressed for stricter norms for platform transparency and accountability. The widespread toxicity in the online space requires urgent intervention.

The delayed and inadequate responses to online abuse and crimes highlight the sad state of cyberpolicing. The lack of an overarching data protection legislation has been flagged for leaving a gaping hole in the legal measures to be taken in case of personal data usage violation. More robust laws would count for little unless accompanied by massive capacity building. A systemic upgrade is the only way to tackle the pressing law and order issues of the day.