Source –\u00a0indianexpress.com<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to accord an urgent hearing to a TMC MLA\u2019s plea seeking to stay a central government move to set up a \u2018Social Media Communication Hub\u2019 that would collect and analyse digital and social media content.<\/p>\n
A vacation bench of justices S Abdul Nazeer and\u00a0Indu Malhotra\u00a0asked advocate Nizam Pasha, appearing for Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator Mahua Moitra, to either move a high court for urgent hearing or wait till the vacation is over.<\/p>\n
However, Pasha said it was an urgent matter as the last date of submission of the tender form, issued by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, was on Sunday.\u00a0\u201cYou move the high court or wait for the vacation to be over,\u201d the bench said.\u00a0Pasha said that the government is trying to monitor the social media contents of individuals by tracking their social media accounts such as those on Twitter,\u00a0Facebook\u00a0and Instagram, and their e-mails.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be a breach of privacy of an individual. Under the project, people, right up to the district level, will be monitored,\u201d he said.\u00a0Recently, the Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL), a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the ministry, had floated a tender to supply a software for the project.\u00a0\u201cA technology platform is needed to collect digital media chatter from all core social media platforms as well as digital platforms such as news, blogs\u2026 In a single system providing real-time insights, metrics and other valuable data,\u201d the tender document says.<\/p>\n
Under the project, media persons would be employed on contractual basis in each district to be the \u201ceyes and ears\u201d of the government and provide real-time updates from the ground.\u00a0They would also take the people\u2019s feedback on the government\u2019s policies and follow the news trending in their areas, the source said.\u00a0The tender document says the platform is expected to provide automated reports, tactical insights and comprehensive work-flows to initiate engagement across digital channels.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe platform maybe used to disseminate content and hence, should support publishing features,\u201d the document says, adding that the platform needs to power a real-time New Media Command Room.<\/p>\n
It should also help the ministry to understand the impact of various social media campaigns conducted on Centre-run schemes, it says.<\/p>\n