Calling social media a reflection of us and society, Supreme Court’s Justice Surya Kant on Friday pointed to challenges like deep fake and trolling that have grown with the rise of this new medium and sought steps to ensure that the social media remains a “tool of empowerment” and does not become a “weapon of misinformation”.
Addressing the Second Law and Constitution Dialogue, presented by Legally Speaking, Justice Kant said we collectively enjoy the power to shape social media and build a resilient digital society.
Earlier, welcoming Justice Kant to the event Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeyan Sharma said media and law is often accused of running prime-time kangaroo show but it also is a must democracy as its fourth pillar judges make a great impact with every word but they need a communication medium to explain the changes they have brought and inform the public. “Great change in law requires a great mindset. Not just pillars but the wheels of this great republic both bearing the burden of responsibility and guiding the process. There can be someone more fitting to address the subject than Honourable Justice Surya Kant ji.,” he said.
Justice Kant said the existing laws to deal with problems like deep fake and cyberbullying are inadequate and there is a need for making the report mechanism robust. “These threats can pose a great danger… and can harm the professional and personal lives of victims,” he said.
“Social media is a reflection of us and of our society. It’s up to us to determine whether it becomes a tool for empowerment or a weapon of misinformation,” he said.
He said deepfake is also a real problem and a common citizen may not have the sufficient means to defend himself and come out with the true and factual narrative. “The potential for deep fakes is so manipulative and compromises the foundations of truth and trust, which is a matter of grave concern.