Editorial 1 : Reasonable restrictions
Context: Laissez-faire approach to content hosting is not commitment to free speech.
Introduction
The free speech is not absolute and is subject to certain restrictions for public order, morals and public health is something that has been codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The founder and chief executive officer of Telegram, Pavel Durov, is a technology creator who has emphasised absolute free speech on his platform and has built an anti-establishmentarian image by risking the wrath of nation-states in allowing dissidents to use the messaging application.
Why was the CEO of Telegram detained?
- Reasons for Detention: His detention and arrest by French authorities, in connection with investigations related to criminal activity on the app, has raised the question if this has been done to provide a chilling effect on freedom of expression on the Internet.
- Laissez-faire approach to content: on the app has meant that it is host also to extremism, drug dealers, scammers and, according to France, child pornography as well.
- The dilemma of privacy and freedom: The freedom and privacy override the responsibility to prevent consequences which could endanger people’s safety and freedom? This is a key question to ask about messaging apps and “free speech absolutists” such as Mr. Durov.
About the Telegram app
- More than an app: It is more than just a messaging app given some of its social networking features.
- Encryption mechanisms: allow for ease of access for dissidents and anti-state actors to use the app without scrutiny, it does not fully use “end to end” encryption — something that apps such as Signal do.
- Visibility to Telegram: This means that some messages related to criminal activity, disinformation, and child pornography can be read by Telegram; it can act on requests from law enforcement agencies if needed.
- Industry standards and regulations: Telegram, in response to Mr. Durov’s arrest, has said that its moderation “is within industry standards” and has questioned whether the platform/owner are liable or responsible for “abuse of that platform”.
Conclusion
As per investigations in France, the platform is seen to have wilfully refused to act upon requests to curb hate speech, disinformation and contents related to criminal activity, Mr. Durov cannot and should not escape the long arm of the law. In India, the baleful effects of misinformation on platforms such as WhatsApp were visible some years ago, before the application came up with certain restrictions. These helped tamp down the spread of misinformation. For Telegram to remain a free speech advocate and a platform, it must eschew absolutism and become more responsible in moderating content.
Editorial 2: The continuing churn in the Chinese military
Context: The changes in the military leadership have shown up the faultlines in the reform vision.
Introduction
August 1, 2024 marked the 97th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and the week was celebrated with pomp and show. But there were also sombre inspections and clandestine changes in the military leadership. More specifically, the Southern and Northern Theaters of the PLA witnessed a change in commanders, with General Wu Yanan and General Huang Ming, respectively, taking charge sometime in the last month. These new appointments, revealed rather silently in the provincial coverage of August 1 ceremonies, are the latest in a line of dismissals and replacements in the PLA, and are stirring the pot of speculations over potential reasons and implications.
Tumult in the Southern Theater
In recent months, China has been embroiled in skirmishes with the Philippines in the South China Sea. It has drawn critique from regional powers such as Japan and the United States, and has caused the overall security situation to deteriorate.
- Hostile external environment of China: As as expressed in President Xi Jinping’s oft-repeated words, “profound changes unseen in a century”, the PLA is expected to transform into a “world class” military force prepared to take on diverse regional conflicts.
- Vision of Naval Power: the surreptitious removal of General Wang Xiubin as commander of the Southern Theater may signal his perceived inefficiencies in solidifying China’s ambitious and belligerent vision of naval power.
- Dynamics of Internal Theatre command: politics within the Theater Command may also have something to do with Wang’s replacement.
- Study session by Southern Theatre command: to “understand and implement the Conference’s spirit”. It was revealed then that a joint training exercise had been recently conducted between the theatre’s various naval units, and that the results were dismal.
- Inefficiency of officers: More specifically, during this exercise, some political officers were found to be very inefficient in fulfilling their wartime mobilisation duties.
- Liaoning of the military officers: In April 2024, various military officers in the theatre also met to discuss tensions between older veterans and new leading officers. It was concluded that the common goal for all theatre personnel was to evolve from “mutual discontent” to “mutual support”.
- Fault tolerance: And as the theatre grappled with issues pertaining to cohesion and efficiency, it had to establish a “fault tolerance” mechanism to allow personnel to make mistakes, report errors without the fear of reprimand, and enable rectification upon inspection.
Reforms in PLA since 2015
- They promised to create a perfect military force.
- The emphases on achieving flawless interoperability, creating a seamless hierarchy where younger personnel had the freedom to innovate, and building an exquisite mechanism for wartime mobilisation, have also barely wavered.
- But in less than a decade, these developments in the Southern Theater have shown the faultlines in the reform vision.
About General Wu Yanan’s leadership:
- Experienced: Wu is a veteran of the CMC Joint Staff Department, having served as its deputy chief of staff.
- Work experiences: He has previously also served as Commander of the Central Theater, working closely with officials in Beijing on critical national security issues.
- Jointness of the force: his appointment to the Southern Theater may well be about implementing the Chinese Communist Party’s reform agenda to a T. Achieving “jointness” between various forces attached to the theatre is vital, and Wu’s experience may be helpful here.
- Regaining control: Within a week of his appointment making the news, the Southern Theater command has sprung back on its feet, and has declared that it has “everything under control”.
- Testing the capabilities: In fact, the joint maritime and aerial patrols conducted by the theatre’s forces on August 7 near the Scarborough islands, show that the theatre is already testing its reconnaissance and early warning capabilities, rapid manoeuvrability, and joint strike proficiency in the disputed region.
- Efficiency and preparedness: With Wu in charge, it is likely that both combat preparedness and political cohesion in the theatre will be subject to more pressure tests, and frequent demonstrations of military might in the South China Sea may become a vital parameter of efficiency.
Way forward
On a broader level, the changes reveal that the PLA’s reform bucket list is nowhere near fulfilled. It also indicates that this period of flux in the PLA, which is marked by purges and replacements motivated by corruption scandals and inefficiencies in reform, is nowhere near over. However, the new leadership is expected to put the internal affairs of the theatres concerned in order, so that the military force can inch closer to its goal of becoming a “world class” one by mid-century.
Conclusion: Lessons for India
From the Indian perspective, it is important that it is able to gather much from these changes as far as the nature of leadership in the PLA is concerned. As the CCP’s army, military commanders are not just assigned based on merit or experience but also on loyalty to the party-state’s goals and priorities. Given that China is both India’s principal rival and its most significant military challenger, India must strive to study the doctrinal evolution of reforms in the PLA, and place the leadership changes in that context.
