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Human Future in the Digital Era – Whence society? Whence humanity ?

Introduction https://countercurrents.org/2022/05/human-future-in-the-digital-era-whence-society-whence-humanity/

The current stage of human societies on Planet Earth has three defining characteristics. One: The extremely rapid penetration of science and technology into human societies, with concomittant changes in their social, economic and political structures. Two: An explosion in the totality of energy-use by industrialized and industrializing human societies, resulting in planet-level (climate) changes posing an existential threat to human and also other species. Three: The development of machines which are becoming more and more “human-like”.

The idea of “natural stupidity” is based upon the belief that machines doing something more quickly than humans is necessarily good. This has captured the minds of most leaders of societies worldwide, with the notable exception of Gandhiji. Such leaders are sold on science and technology (S&T), perhaps out of a respect based upon their inability to understand “scientific” knowledge because it is esoteric. This is partly due to our faulty education system and partly due to the jargon, hype and promises of science and technology, or due to sensing material or political benefit from the use of those technologies. This is reflected in the fact of the widely held belief that S&T can solve all sorts of problems including social problems, and justifying poorly planned introduction of S&T into all aspects of governance.

Power centralization by digitization

Data has been referred to as “the new oil” of the digital economy. Data is a prized commodity and strategic asset. The real-time value of data is when it is acquired, organized as a database, and interpreted as an asset, to enhance national strategic/political aims and objectives or business/commercial interests. Management of the asset can provide valuable, actionable information. Creation and management of a large database can only be done with huge financial, technical and infrastructural resources. Such resources are available only with large business corporations or governments, resulting in centralization of political power, and making data the “oxygen of the digital economy”.

Centralization of political and economic power through deep penetration of digitization would be self-reinforcing and self-perpetuating, determine the nature of transactions and relations within and between digitized societies, and widen existing class and economic gaps. Dissent and protest by under-privileged sections of society arising from asymmetry of power-and-authority within society, will be easily suppressed using digital techniques of surveillance-and-tracking (use of drones), crowd control (using drone-mounted “plasma guns”) and biometric (face-in-the-crowd) identification of leaders of agitations.

by S G Vombatkere 

29/05/2022

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Need a whistle blower protection law

Civil contractor who wrote to PM Modi on 40 per cent cut in projects booked for criminal breach of trust  https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2022/may/15/civil-contractor-who-wrote-to-pm-modi-on-40-cut-in-projects-booked-for-criminal-breach-of-trust-2453904.html The technical assistant of village Vishnu Kumar Naik was supposed to supervise the quality of work, Mohan said in his complaint.  

Yerriswami's Vijayalakshmi Enterprises was assigned to supply material for the solid waste disposal unit in Mustur village under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The technical assistant of village Vishnu Kumar Naik was supposed to supervise the quality of work, Mohan said in his complaint. However, sometime in between, Yerriswami allegedly made some payment to Naik through phonePe which, according to Mohan, was a criminal breach of trust. 

(there is no whistle blower protection in India. The UPA was planning one in 2013, thanks to effort by the Advisory Council..)

Yerriswami had gone to the media on May 3 against the officials demanding money and told them that he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi complaining against the officials for asking him to pay 40 per cent commission on the public works he had carried out.

According to him, he had supplied materials worth Rs 15 lakh and he had received Rs 4.8 lakh till date while the rest had not been paid.

On April 12, a civil contractor from Belagavi district - Santosh K Patil - allegedly died by suicide in a hotel in Udupi, accusing Eshwarappa of demanding 40 per cent commission on a civil work in his village last year.

 

 

 

Government speak on Sedition

KEEP THE SEDITION LAW IN ABEYANCE: SUPREME COURT RULES IN A HISTORIC ORDER  11 May 2022 https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/breaking-supreme-court-urges-centre-states-to-refrain-from-registering-firs-invoking-section-124a-ipc-198810

"We hope and expect Centre and State Governments will refrain from registering any FIR, continuing investigation, or taking coercive steps under Section 124 A IPC when it is under reconsideration. It will be appropriate not to use this provision of law till further re-examination is over".. The Court also held that those already booked under Section 124A IPC and are in jail can approach the concerned courts for bail. It has also been ruled that if any fresh case is registered appropriate parties are at liberty to approach courts for appropriate relief

On Sedition Law, Government's Big Climbdown In Supreme Court https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbhJnlJ_rZg May 9, 2022

Two days after firmly defending the country's colonial-era sedition law and asking the Supreme Court to dismiss the pleas challenging it, the government on Monday did an about-face, saying it has decided to review the legislation. In a new affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the centre said, "In the spirit of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (75 years of Independence) and the vision of PM Narendra Modi, the Government of India has decided to re-examine and reconsider the provisions of Section 124A, Sedition law."

Comment: SS:  The sublime intention so very beautifully expressed is meant only to kill the current petition. For now, nothing more, nothing less."In view of this, the government “ respectfully submitted that this Hon’ble court may not invest time in examining the validity of Section 124A once again and be pleased to await the exercise of reconsideration to be undertaken by the Government of India before an appropriate forum where such reconsideration is constitutionally permitted"Ananthakrishnan G  May 10, 2022 - https://indianexpress.com/article/india/will-reconsider-provisions-of-sedition-law-centre-tells-sc-7908127/

"To Buy Time": Trinamool's Mahua Moitra Shreds Centre's New Plan On Sedition Law  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3C3C7DnP8w May 9, 2022 Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, one of the petitioners who called for the colonial-era sedition law to be scrapped, told NDTV today that the government's sudden move to decide on a review of the law is "just a ploy to buy time". The matter, she said, deserves to be referred to a seven-judge bench.

Is It Time To Scrap Sedition Law? Top Judge & Advocates Opine | News Today with Rajdeep Sardesai  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgAF2pQgAl0 May 10, 2022
Former Judge Pradeep Nandrajog, Senior Advocate in Supreme Court Dushyant Dave, ASG Satya Pal Jain (https://youtu.be/FgAF2pQgAl0?t=496) and Advocate Abhinav Chandrachud over the brewing issue of scrapping of sedition law in India.

Does India Really Need Sedition Law? | Left, Right & Centre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7TNEdmTqX4  May 8, 2022

Ahead of the crucial hearing in Supreme Court on the petitions challenging the Sedition law, the Centre has defended the colonial-era law saying there is no need to scrap it. Is sedition law essential or is it now archaic? Is going against the dominant narrative seditious and do sedition laws have a place in modern democracy?

India’s Sedition Law: Will the repressive law survive?  May 4, 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl7JIAt0g90 

On May 5 2022, the Supreme Court of India will be hearing multiple pleas challenging the validity of Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code or sedition law. Will this contentious law finally be done away with? With the final hearing on the matter ready to take place tomorrow, that remains to be seen.