Hate monitor

Although the city police have been monitoring social media for the past several years, the department is now closely monitoring social media discourse after recently learning that many elements, especially from other districts in the state, are actively engaged in propaganda and the spread of hate online. .

Kamal Town Police Commissioner Panting Told Bangalore Mirror that the social media watch cell is doing a fabulous job: “There are certain tools or channels available, through which we can go to the content or topic level. These are certainly sensitive and not everyday subjects, but if there is a particular mission, we go through targeted research.

The cops keep a close watch social media handles that disseminated some propaganda, and in such cases the research would be specific – a need-based requirement.

The chief policeman said that a derogatory or hateful message will always find its way to the police, as there are people who are informing the force of what is going on in the digital world. “They even label our officers for such positions,” Pant added.

“Our priority would be based on the requirements based on the needs, because there would sometimes be covert operations concerning propaganda involving the public, messages appealing to the public or mass mobilization, public opinion mobilization, criticism, etc. We have our expertise in particular to identify if there is a high potential implication in terms of national / state security such as a large-scale mass mobilization. We are equipped to conduct research and identify the culprits, ”Pant explained.

A senior official said the department observed a dramatic decrease in “hate” messages and related offenses after the social media watch cell began to “operate aggressively.”

“Social media monitoring has sparked some fear among social media users who would now think twice before posting anything,” the officer said.

“We still have a long way to go as the users of social media are increasing day by day. We need to keep an eye out for derogatory content. There are all kinds of scale / angle violations being done on social media. When we intercept, and they know we are doing it, the seriousness of those offenses diminishes. Subsequently, some handles become silent because they know that the cops keep an eye on the content and that the administrators alert them to these derogatory or hate messages, ”added the officer.

Police are identifying individuals or such groups engaged in nefarious activities, including posts patrolling not only in and around the city, but posts in other neighborhoods as well.

A senior police officer from the social media watch cell at Kalaburagi said teams kept an eye on sensitive comments from the community and observed certain trends. For example, he said, if there is a farmer protest or any major incident in the state, the cops check the content that is posted with a string of keywords.

“We make a list of ‘pro’ and ‘anti’ comments that have derogatory content, extract a list of handles and followers in our particular district. Then we will fork the IDs, ” the officer told BM.

Cops will then start to monitor IDs – what they post and from where, etc. They have the required technical expertise.

“We can also identify groups of people affiliated with political formations, parties, and if we decide that the comments need special attention, we forward them with the identity documents to the judicial police. If necessary, the people concerned will be summoned for investigation, ”said the officer.

Previously, several community-sensitive posts were making the rounds on social media. “Someone would transform a long-desecrated or destroyed brand symbol / idol, and share them saying that the incident happened recently and the culprits should be brought to justice,” the officer said.

Head of the social media monitoring unit in the Kalaburagi district – Parashuram Vananjakar PSI – said this newspaper that this is not a new assignment and that the monitoring team has been active for three years: “The new Kalaburagi police station will launch the social media monitoring cell from November.