The Paradox of Censorship and Control

Since February 13th, several farm unions in India have been on strike, seeking minimum support prices for their crops. When the Indian government responded swiftly with barbed wire and cement blocks around the city borders, the farmers took to social media. Before long, numerous reporters, influencers, and prominent farm unionists were covering the farmers’ protests on X (formerly Twitter).

The government subsequently issued “executive orders” to the platform, warning X that the company would be “subject to potential penalties, including imprisonment”, even adding that the government “disagreed with these actions”. Taking heed of the warnings, X took down the posts and accounts of these individuals, noting that they disagreed with the government’s actions.

As the situation continues to unfold, activists around the world are forced to consider that this incident may set the precedent for future campaigns: Should governments be given the authority to censor self-expression in the name of maintaining public order?

From the perspective of governments, censorship is an integral tool to control incendiary content that may cause societal harm. This was demonstrated during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, where strict measures to curb misinformation were essential to prevent society from descending into chaos. Hence, governments have an incentive to use censorship to reduce the risk of violence and unrest.

Yet issues arise when authorities resort to censorship with impunity to suppress dissent. While capable of protecting public order, censorship can cause a concentration of power, allowing governments and other platforms to remain unchecked. Governments and authorities are often entrusted with the power to take down social media posts and censor expressions of free speech when they are deemed “a threat to national security”. However, who holds them accountable for what is considered a threat?

Nevertheless, there are mechanisms to ensure checks and balances within the system, such as using social media platforms themselves to keep governments accountable or filing appeals to have certain pieces of information no longer be censored. With a better understanding of censorship policies across countries, activists will be able to protect their digital rights better and raise awareness for grassroots campaigns without the risk of censorship.