Internet Shut Down - Don’t bomb the city to catch a terrorist
There are questions I have in mind I would like to share with you first. They have been troubling me since many months when the news of internet ban first filtered in.
Forget about not being able to book your movie show or order your favourite food online. Let’s leave aside booking a cab on mobile app. Just for a moment think about this passenger who reaches the airport with his boarding pass on his email. And, suddenly he can’t access his email. Why? Because, the internet is down. What does he do? There is this person who had come to Jaipur, got his tests done and has returned to his native place. That person is interested in downloading his medical reports and go to a doctor. What does he do? The banks are closed on account of second Saturday. Someone has planned on paying his utility bill online on the last day. Now, what does he do? A person who manages his house because of delivery of online orders from pizza and dominos, there is no income for him because there are no orders and his children are likely to sleep hungry.
We are headed towards digital India and shutting down entire internet to control the information flow for an event is not done. There are simpler ways to block sites and apps so that the internet doesn’t get hampered and services don’t get disrupted.
During the last riot and emergency meet with the police officers, I had advised them that instead of blocking services en masse, the sites you want shut down can be selectively directed to be shut down. I was asked if it’s possible. I said, why not? There are ways you can shut down social media sites and apps like WhatsApp, Facebook and others.
When you go to Dubai, the WhatsApp calling service does not work there. When they can discontinue or drop a built-in service within an application, what we are looking at is actually doable. It’s a blanket ban on the sites you don’t want used. And it doesn’t require any skill. In China I could not access Facebook and google, its blocked. Similar things can easily done on demand. Do not assume anything at all , I am in favor of even in these restrictions, however it looks to me a step closer to the best solution.
This (the Rajasthan constable recruitment exam) is an offline exam. In an offline exam, you do not want people to communicate outside the centre. So, just put jammers. If possible reduce the number of centers and set them up at where the jammers can be installed. There are metal detectors and devices can be detected, even officially no student was allowed to carry mobile phone or any electronic device. When we can have a political gathering of lacs of people in a tent, why can’t we create a better air conditioned tent and conduct an exam of 15000 people at one place.
What the authorities have done today is not practical. It is like faced with a choice, to kill a terrorist will you can’t bomb the city. This is not done. Right?