Wanted Stick No Bill
We have seen Stick No Bills written on private buildings, compounds of government buildings and so many other places. Simply it means don’t put posters. However, how often we see some posters pasted on top of it? What is the government regulation on such actions? The person who pasted the notices, is he liable for punishment by law? What if he is employed by a company that wants to promote their products? Is that company liable to be prosecuted? Well, let’s imagine a scenario when company X wants to put the company Y in trouble, and stick their bills on the walls. Who will monitor who actually mounted these posters? Is it possible to monitor the entire area with CCTV cameras? Well, ummh, possibly, no and hence we are calling for troubles.
Now Internet seems to require “Stick No Bills” everywhere. Sophisticated communication mechanism, a place for expressing oneself and a high reach has created a platform for such a measure.
You can express yourself on the Internet in the following methods:
· A Static Website, through free web hosting sites such as Tripod
· Through a forum such as phpBB, bulletin boards
· Through a blog offered by blog hosting such as Blogger
· Through social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Orkut
· Through free articles publishing sites
· -And so on .....
Of course, the convention means of mass mailing is always there. People often use these sophisticated communication means to reach out to mass audience in spreading religious, racial, sectarian hatred campaigns. Often targeted individual attacks are also carried out.
Apart from attacking people in politics, movie and music world in public lives and are prepared to face such attack, sometimes they go further to locate sites owned by individuals who are not in public life, but have posted an opinion that is not in favor of such people.
They identify such sites, through social book marking sites, or tags and hunt down these sites by posting anonymous remarks, obscene comments and subjecting them to individual attack.
While Internet predominantly western has many views that are acceptable to be posted, without any interference from the hosting sites, often such allowed views hurt the sentiments and values of Middle East and East.
While it often makes conventional people to keep themselves away from visiting such forums, community sites or active participation in the Internet development, there is a definite need for some regulation that is broadly acceptable by the Internet community at large in the interest of protecting global interest, privacy of Internet surfers, and protection of religious and regional values.
Does Internet require Stick No Bills everywhere, governed by a common law, applicable to the Internet world and hence protecting the Netizen? Your views please!
~Mohan Krishnamurthy
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