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After Modi govt does this, Freedom of speech and expression may stay, but freedom after that…

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After Modi govt does this, Freedom of speech and expression may stay, but freedom after that...

Modi govt plans to monitor all social media, including emails

Modi government plans to monitor social media and net activity, including emails to look for fake news, promote nationalism and ‘India’s interests’, a move that raises concerns of privacy and individual liberty and fears of persecution of individuals for posting content unpalatable to the powers that be.

In a tender floated in April, Modi government sought applications from organisations to analyse social media posts and emails to check fake news, help boost ‘nationalism’ and neutralize any “media blitzkrieg by India’s adversaries.”

The lengthy (66 pages) tender was posted online in last week of April by Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry – when Smriti Irani was still heading it – and the last date for submission of proposals/bids was May 17. APN could not confirm whether the contract has been awarded and, if so, to whom.

The move came after the I&B ministry’s plan under Irani to penalise journalists identified as purveyors of fake news was nixed by the PMO.

The tender, by Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s broadcast engineering arm Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL), said it wants a company to provide analytical software and a team of at least 20 professionals to “power a real time New Media Command Room.”

“Essentially, the hub will be a mass surveillance tool,” Bloomberg quoted Nikita Sud, an associate professor of international development at Oxford University as saying.

“Nationalism seems to be equated with agreement with the government of the day, or even with the party in power. There are grave implications here for India’s democracy, and for the fundamental rights to free speech and expression guaranteed by the Indian constitution,” said Sud.

As the scope of work stated in the tender shows, the government seeks not only the ability to track trends, topics and Twitter hashtags relevant to government activities, but also the ability to drill down and monitor individual social media accounts, create historical archives of conversations and help shape a positive narrative about India, said Bloomberg.

“This tender contains a worrying emphasis on isolating and countering individual views,” said Saksham Khosla, a research analyst at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s India office, according to the Bloomberg report. “Will it collect other personal data? The line between surveillance and responsiveness is blurry, and without rigorous privacy safeguards and oversight, the potential for misuse and overreach is high.”

The tender, in the sub-section ‘Scope of Work’, said:

“The platform needs to power a real time New Media Command Room – which basically means the platform should have the ability to analyze as well as visualize large volumes of data across diverse digital platforms in real time.”

“The social media analytical tool should have comprehensive analytics system to monitor and analyze various aspects of social media communication and World Wide Web. The tool should have the capability to crawl World Wide Web and social media to monitor and analyze various trends emerging as well as to gauge the sentiments amongst netizens.

“The tool should be comprehensive with the capability to generate reports and do customizations as per the requirements of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The tool should act as the guiding tool for Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to understand the impact of various social media campaigns conducted on various schemes run by the Government of India. In addition, the tool should have the capacity to provide inputs to the Ministry on how to improve the reach of various social media campaigns, how to make a particular topic trending and for the overall general improvement of social media campaigns.”

Further, it said:

“A. Listening and responding capabilities: The platform is expected to not only listen to the standard digital channels listed below but also enable easy extension to integrate proprietary data sources like the mobile insights platform. The following need to be supported: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Flickr, Tumblr, Pinterest, Play Store,  eMail, News, Blogs, Forums, Complaint Websites.”

“B. The platform should also be able to respond using the workflow mechanism on the following channels to enable seamless conversations: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Play Store, eMail.”

“aa. Social Media Trends Monitoring

bb.Monitoring Social Media Sentiments. The analytics tool should have the capability to categorize social media conversations and other references on the World Wide Web into positive, negative and neutral as viewed/considered by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

cc.Indicators wise monitoring of sentiments of social media conversations and other references on the World Wide Web.

dd.Tracking of trends, topics, hashtags relevant to the Government related activities.

ee. Analysis of social media campaigns or particular stream of social media activities…”

“… gg. Monitor individual social media user / account

hh.Message Monitoring – this will help in understanding overall social media response to a message, tweet or data”

“… kk. This software tool should be able to perform like search engine, which will work both as web crawler and social media crawler and would be able to search various hash-tags, keywords across the social media platforms

ll. Identification of fake news with particular focus on such conversations on social media and specialized websites.

mm. Identifying actionable data

o Influencer Identification

o Actionable data Categorization

o Following Enterprise Routing

o Following Latest Semantic Analysis”

India News

Security tightened across Delhi metro stations after bomb threat emails

Delhi is on high alert after bomb threat emails targeted metro stations, the Red Fort and the Assembly. Authorities confirmed the threats were hoaxes but tightened security as a precaution.

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Delhi Metro

Security has been intensified across all metro stations and major installations in the national capital after a series of bomb threat emails were received on Monday. Authorities later confirmed that the threats were hoaxes following detailed inspections by security agencies.

According to officials, several key institutions — including the Delhi Secretariat, Delhi Assembly, the Red Fort and two schools — received threatening emails earlier in the day. Extensive searches were carried out at all the locations mentioned in the messages, but nothing suspicious was found.

A senior police officer said cyber teams are working to trace the origin of the emails. Preliminary findings suggest that the senders may have used Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in an attempt to conceal their identities and mislead investigators. Officials expressed confidence that those responsible would be identified.

Metro stations under heightened surveillance

Following specific references to metro services in the emails, security arrangements were strengthened across the entire network of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Additional personnel have been deployed at stations, and anti-sabotage checks are being conducted.

Police said random frisking of passengers and intensified CCTV surveillance are being carried out as part of precautionary measures. Bomb disposal squads and dog squads were stationed at sensitive sites, including the Red Fort, Delhi Secretariat and the Assembly complex.

The threatening emails reportedly included the slogan “Delhi banega Khalistan” and warned of explosions at an Army school, the Assembly and the Red Fort at specific times during the day. Officials stated that all mentioned locations were thoroughly checked and declared safe.

Authorities also coordinated with counterparts in neighbouring states to enhance security at metro stations falling under their jurisdictions.

While no explosives were found, officials said the tightened security arrangements will remain in place as a precaution. Cyber teams continue efforts to trace the IP addresses and identify those behind the threat emails.

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India News

JNU protest turns violent as Left and Right student groups trade charges

A late-night protest at JNU turned violent as Left and ABVP student groups accused each other of stone-throwing and attacks near the East Gate.

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JNU Protest

Tension gripped the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University in the early hours of Monday after a protest march allegedly spiralled into violence, with rival student groups accusing each other of triggering the unrest.

Students claimed that the incident occurred around 1.30 am when a confrontation broke out during a march called by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union. The protest, named “Samta Juloos”, was headed towards the East Gate and was organised to demand the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit and the withdrawal of a rustication order.

According to protesters, several students were injured after alleged stone-throwing during the clash. They alleged that the university administration did not intervene during the march and instead permitted members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad to confront demonstrators.

However, the ABVP denied the allegations and countered that Left-affiliated organisations instigated the confrontation and were spreading misinformation about the events.

Left-backed groups, including the All India Students’ Association, claimed that ABVP activists targeted the JNUSU encampment and hurled stones at “unarmed students”, leading to multiple injuries.

Videos shared by students on social media reportedly showed chaotic scenes near the protest site, with members of rival groups engaged in heated exchanges and physical scuffles.

University authorities did not immediately respond to queries regarding the incident. Students said the situation on campus remained tense following the overnight clashes.

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India News

World praised India’s AI potential at AI Impact Summit, says PM Modi

PM Modi said the world praised India’s AI potential at the AI Impact Summit 2026, where 89 countries endorsed the New Delhi Declaration on artificial intelligence.

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pm modi speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the world wholeheartedly praised India’s potential during the recently concluded AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, highlighting the growing global confidence in the country’s young technology talent.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister said the summit demonstrated how the mindset of India’s youth in the field of technology would serve humanity at large. He described the event as historic and underlined the positive global response to India’s AI capabilities.

The AI Impact Summit 2026, organised in New Delhi last week, concluded with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact. The declaration has been endorsed by 89 countries and international organisations, signalling broad global agreement on promoting artificial intelligence for economic growth and social welfare.

Broad global participation

The summit saw the participation of several prominent world leaders and top technology executives. Among those present were UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Swiss President Guy Parmelin.

Other leaders attending the summit included Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic, Seychelles Vice President Sebastien Pillay, Estonia President Alar Karis, and Finland Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

Chief executives and senior leaders from major global technology firms were also part of the gathering.

Focus on inclusive AI growth

Held under the theme ‘Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay’ (welfare for all, happiness of all), the summit aimed to position India as a global leader in artificial intelligence while ensuring that AI development remains inclusive and sustainable.

The event brought together more than 500 international AI leaders. This included around 100 CEOs and founders, 150 academicians and researchers, and 400 CTOs, vice presidents and philanthropists. Additionally, over 100 government representatives and nearly 60 ministers and vice ministers participated in discussions.

The New Delhi Declaration seeks to strengthen international cooperation and ensure that AI technologies contribute to economic progress, social good and environmental protection.

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