Day 92 – Q 5.Do you think left wing extremism has got further strengthened by the use of social media? Critically examine.

5. Do you think left wing extremism has got further strengthened by the use of social media? Critically examine.  

क्या आपको लगता है कि सोशल मीडिया के इस्तेमाल से वामपंथी उग्रवाद को और मजबूती मिली है? समालोचनात्मक जांच करें।

Introduction:

A number of Left Wing Extremist outfits have been operating in certain remote and poorly connected pockets of the country for a few decades now. The Maoist insurgency doctrine glorifies violence as the primary means to overwhelm the existing socio-economic and political structures. This threat has amplified in recent times due to the advent of social media.

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• Turning away from their ancient method of handwritten letters and prehistoric communication system, the Left Wing Extremists(LWE) are now becoming tech savvy. They are using social networking sites and modern communication systems more effectively so that they can reach out to the common people particularly to the urban and semi-urban population- the area where the LWEs want to increase their domination.
• According to intelligence reports, the naxal groups are taking advantage of communication channels which have become more sophisticated over a period of time. From mobile phones, terrorists have moved on to the use of satellite phones, spoofed IDs and coded transactions over e-mail and chat sessions. Voice over Internet Protocol is also being extensively used to communicate across the border.
• LWE’s have been using Facebook as an active tool for the propagation of their ideologies. This is an important observation as it goes on to show that Naxalites have started using the Internet as a medium of propagation. This is quite worrisome as they now have access to a user base of over 400 million Internet users in India, which accounts for about 35% of the Indian population.
• However, there are several other tools that LWEs use to communicate and coordinate better in an orderly fashion. Through the use of encrypted instant messaging apps such as Skype or Whatsapp, they can securely communicate with their fellow comrades regarding their plans and strategies for the battlefield without being easily tracked.
• Alternatively, the LWEs could also use digital marketing strategy to sow fear amongst the people, something similar to the ISIS terrorist group. ISIS used provocative twitter hashtag campaign (#AllEyesOnISIS) to give an air of inevitability to the looming destruction and atrocities as they marched into the Iraqi city of Mosul. Naxalites, in a similar fashion, can use similar provocative, choreographed videos to create a way of intimidation and fear amongst the general audience.
• In a bid to reach out to common people – particularly those living in urban and semi-urban areas – the Red rebels are making use of social networking sites and the internet. It is important for Naxalites to create their content in the English language to grab the attention of the urban and educated population. 
• At the same time, Naxals use of the internet has provided an alibi for other forces inimical to causes of social justice to slander progressive thinking activists and people. Also, the reach and effectiveness of Naxals in use of social media has been doubted by many experts.

Conclusion

Considering the power and reach of social media, public movements even in the past have been strengthened and their reach has transcended geographical boundaries. While this might be put to some good use it might also be misused which is something to think about. Naxalites’ violent approach has not been efficient in their struggle to be heard. Their use of social media can ultimately be a turning ground for them to create a more organized and coordinated movement to reach their goals.

India edition, one of the highest number of cyber threats have been detected in India, and the country ranks second in terms of targeted attacks. Although Banking and Telecom are the most attacked sectors but Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Retail have also faced a significant number of cyber attacks.