#WeAreDone

Dear All,

We write to urgently bring your attention to the issue of online abuse on social media platforms. As you are aware, the post Covid scenario has made it impossible for people to refrain from using digital spaces for work and self expression. There has been an exponential increase in the number of people, especially youngsters in the State who have switched to digital platforms like social media networks, chat based applications and other online forums as their primary mode of communication, self expression and work. In this context, it is extremely essential that we as a State and a society reflect on the behaviour patterns of people in the digital environment to make sure it is a safe and democratic space. 

The online world is a source of numerous constructive activities. It enables similar people across diverse geographies to connect, express their opinions about various issues, get introduced to new subcultures, debate the political climate of the country, reach out for personal motivation, mental health support and much more. With the access to the physical world being limited due to Covid related restrictions, the digital space has become our primary, thriving social space. This also means that the prejudices of the offline world are visible in online exchanges as well. Misogyny, casteism, racism and ableism are not just found but amplified here because of the ease and lack of accountability that these spaces enable people. This is affecting young students, women, trans-persons and other vulnerable sections of people who use the internet for education, entertainment and expanding their social circle. 

Almost every individual from a religious or social minority, members of the  LGBTQ+ community, as well as women and  differently abled individuals  have a story to tell about abuse that they have personally suffered online. These experiences  of abuse range from trolling, doxing, writing obscene personal messages, issuing death threats, sexualising their bodies to invalidate their concerns, using them as a caricature in conversations and so on. We need to build a mechanism to foster empathy and accountability among users in the digital space to make it democratic and civil without bordering on censorship and State surveillance through restrictive laws. It is a very thin line that must be drawn with utmost caution so as to enable free expression within the boundaries of mutual respect and personal dignity. 

As Kerala enters the election cycle and parties begin to put together their election manifestos, it is our humble request that you as a political leader and representative of the people, commit to make the online world safe for everyone, especially members of vulnerable groups. 

As part of this commitment, we place before you three demands: 

1. Hold a public consultation bringing together various groups of people, internet experts and policy makers to firstly  listen to the issues faced in online spaces and secondly, put together a concrete action plan to tackle this issue. 
2. We also request that a curriculum on being responsible online citizens be developed and integrated in school and college syllabi.
3. We urge you to make this a key issue in your election agenda and have constant discussions about this with the members of your respective constituency so as to make sure that everyone is aware of the issue, and consider this as a deciding factor while casting votes. 

We respectfully request you to kindly consider these demands so that we can harness the internet for its advantages and ensure that people approach it with a collaborative and empathetic spirit. As representatives of the common people we place our trust in you to take this issue up with the gravity it deserves and we hope you will do the needful to address our concerns as mentioned above. 

Thanking you,
Citizens for Safe Cyber Space