Self-regulation and awareness are basis for social site management: Minister Sharma

Kathmandu: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma has commented on regulating social sites.

Minister Sharma said that self-regulation and awareness would be made the basis for the management of social sites. At an interaction ‘Formulation of Laws Addressing Digital Violence: Challenges and Solution’ organized by Media Advocacy Group (MAG) today, Minister Sharma shared that the ministry has been formulating laws to manage the use of social sites, and self-regulation and awareness have been considered as the important basis for the same.

She added, ‘The ministry has been carrying out activities making a task force for the same. Looking at international practice, it seems appropriate to emphasize self-regulation and awareness.’

The Communications Minister clarified that social site users and media operating social sites would self-regulate and create cyber awareness for the same, adding adopting way for legal action if different walks of life of the society publish and broadcast violence-related content from social sites would be an appropriate measure.

She said, ‘Many people do not know what to do or what not to do on social media and what will be the punishment. One should be punished if he/she does a crime knowingly but the emphasis should be given to self-regulation and awareness not to let happen it without knowing it.’

Stating that cyber security and cyber education are the areas of priority, the Communications Minister stressed that government, non-government offices, the private sector, and the media should pay attention to it. She viewed that laws would be formulated for regulation without curtailing freedom of expression, adding we are feeling the necessity of acting to make the use of social sites safe and systematic.

MAG Director and journalist Babita Basnet called the attention of the government to the fact that most of the cyber crimes were found to be committed by people from the privileged section of society. ‘When we look at the cybercrime incidents, a high number of both perpetrators and the victims are from the educated class,’ she elaborated.

Cyber expert and former Deputy Inspector General of Police Dr Rajib Subba said the national laws should be able to deal with the cybercrime. ‘Very few among the cybercrime victims report the incident to the police and of them only in negligible numbers move the court due to the lack of laws,’ he pointed out.

Film actor Karishma Manandhar shared about the problem she faced due to defamation and abuse via social sites. She called for promptly making appropriate legislation for the regulation of social sites. LGBTIQ social activist Bhumika Shrestha also drew attention to the problems the members of her community are facing due to abuse through social sites.

‘The comment box and the message inbox are full of slur, hate speech, and expressions of sexual violence against people of gender and sexual minorities whenever news or an ordinary photo about us is uploaded on social sites. Whether it is social sites or our daily life beyond that, the way the society behaves with us is the same,’ rued Bhumika.

RSS