--- layout: default title: "Is Freedom of Expression Under Threat in Digital Age?" description: "A New Indian Express report on a panel discussion examining online censorship, Section 66A of the IT Act, and competing views on free expression in the digital age." categories: [Media mentions] date: 2013-01-16 source: "The New Indian Express" permalink: /media/freedom-expression-digital-age-new-indian-express/ created: 2026-01-31 --- **Is Freedom of Expression Under Threat in Digital Age?** is a *The New Indian Express* article published on 16 January 2013 (updated 4 February 2013). The report documents a panel discussion organised by Index on Censorship and the Editors Guild of India at India International Centre, featuring contrasting perspectives on internet regulation, censorship practices, and the application of Section 66A of the IT Act. ## Contents 1. [Article Details](#article-details) 2. [Full Text](#full-text) 3. [Context and Background](#context-and-background) 4. [External Link](#external-link) ## Article Details
📰 Published in:
The New Indian Express
📅 Date:
16 January 2013 (Updated: 4 February 2013)
📄 Type:
News Report
📰 Newspaper Link:
Read Online
## Full Text

With social networking site Facebook boasting of 1 billion members globally and micro-blogging site Twitter claiming millions, opinion was divided on whether the freedom of expression was under threat in the digital age.

"Censorship of content should be the last resort as curbing a particular content online actually amplifies its spread over the internet," said Sunil Abraham from Centre for Internet and Society.

He was speaking at a panel discussion organised by London based Index on Censorship and the Editors Guild of India on the issue at the India International Centre Tuesday evening.

"The government has refused to amend Section 66(A) of the IT Act which is used to curb free speech on the net," said Guild chief TN Ninan who moderated the debate. "The law treats digital media differently than the print media," he said.

Director of Free Speech Debate, Oxford University, Timothy Garton Ash said, "There was no threat to the freedom of speech as internet was actually an opportunity for spreading freedom of expression."

India with the large number of net users could act as swing state between two extremes of China which is trying to control the net and the US which champions free speech, he said.

"The question is what are the legitimate limits of free speech rather than asking for unlimited speech," said Ash.

Ajit Balakrishnan, CEO and founder of online portal rediff.com, said "there was a sense of powerlessness among nation states as only local laws applied to any such violations."

He said the internet was not so democratic as it sounded as the actual numbers of users who posted content on Facebook were just 8-9 million while the rest just watched. The same was with Twitter with just 7-8 percent users actually posting messages.

Kirsty Hughes, CEO, Index on Censorship, said "freedom of speech was universal" while noting a "worrying trend that increasingly governments were moving to control the internet."

"The risks of such controls are that we could have a much more controlled, censored and fragmented internet," she said.

Ramanjit Singh Chima of Google India stressed on the need to have laws to protect internet freedom as such curbs affected livelihood of many users and contributed to local economies.

He said the internet allowed people to instantly collaborate and publish critical information during emergency situations.

{% include back-to-top.html %} ## Context and Background This panel discussion took place during a period of heightened controversy over internet regulation in India. Section 66A of the Information Technology Act had become a focal point of free speech debates, with critics arguing the provision enabled arbitrary arrests for online expression and created chilling effects on digital discourse. The discussion brought together perspectives from civil society organisations, media practitioners, technology companies, and academic institutions. Sunil Abraham from the Centre for Internet and Society emphasised the counterproductive nature of content restrictions, arguing that censorship often amplified rather than suppressed objectionable material online. Timothy Garton Ash from Oxford University positioned India as occupying a middle ground between Chinese state control models and American free speech absolutism, suggesting the country's regulatory choices would influence global internet governance norms. Ajit Balakrishnan challenged romanticised notions of digital democracy by highlighting participation inequalities, noting that content creation remained concentrated amongst a small fraction of platform users. The debate reflected broader tensions between digital rights advocacy and government efforts to regulate online speech, particularly following several high-profile arrests under Section 66A. The Supreme Court of India would eventually strike down Section 66A as unconstitutional in March 2015, vindicating concerns raised by panellists about its overreach and vagueness. ## External Link - [Read on The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2013/Jan/17/is-freedom-of-expression-under-threat-in-digital-age-443891.html)