With India topping the world in Internet shutdowns — a common knee-jerk reaction to the fear of unrest that hobbles daily life and cripples businesses — the Indian Institute of Management, Indore, will advise the Madhya Pradesh police on ways to tackle the online flow of misinformation without suspending data services.
The business school is set to organise workshops for the police in the State, where, according to the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC), six reported shutdowns were effected by State and local authorities in the past three years. Overall, Indian Internet users faced 381 Web suspensions from 2012 till date, with the highest number being in 2018, at 134 .
“The usual protocol to counter the spread of misinformation is to suspend the Internet,” said IIM (I) Director Himanshu Rai. “Well, that’s not the solution, as its suspension doesn’t really curtail the spread.”
Stressing the use of data analytics, artificial intelligence and information management systems, the IIM will help the police leverage new technologies to analyse videos online to stymie the spread of fake news, and enable “adequate” and “intelligent” use of the Internet — with the Internet still accessible to the public.
Shutdowns were found to be much more strongly associated with increases in violent collective action than with non-violent mobilisations, according to a study by Jan Rydzak, associate director for programme, Stanford Global Digital Policy Incubator. “Information blackouts compel participants in collective action in India to substitute non-violent tactics” with violent ones that are less reliant on effective communication and coordination, Mr. Rydzak wrote in the study.
In addition, the IIM would train officials on negotiating with crowds and employing effective communication tools. It would also review the beat system, which takes personnel to the community for better coordination in curbing crimes, and make recommendations on how it could be strengthened, said Mr. Rai.
Further, in a bid to relieve personnel of stress, the institute would identify stressors through an experimental study, and suggest changes to work patterns. “Stress can be due to the nature of work, job rotation, long work hours and unavailability of leaves,” he added.
The suicide rate within the police force was increasing in the country, asserted Mr. Rai, who claimed the biggest challenge faced by the force’s personnel was having to be on duty while others met their families and celebrated, say on occasions such as festivals. Also, most States don’t offer ‘weekly offs’ to personnel, he added, making it almost impossible for constables to visit their families in another village or city.
In February, then Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir had informed the Rajya Sabha that more than 930 police personnel, including paramilitaries, had committed suicide in the five years before 2019.
A 2015 study by the Board of Police Research and Development found that suicidal tendencies were more aggravated among officials of lower ranks.
