Once in a Blue Moon Academia (OBMA)

 Silencing the Digital Dawn: India’s Censorship Crusade vs. Musk, Youth, and the Defrauded Silencing the Digital Dawn: India’s Censorship Crusade vs. Musk, Youth, and the Defrauded Posted on 23rd March, 2025 (GMT 20:32 hrs) ABSTRACT The article explores India’s increasing efforts to regulate online discourse and the pushback it encounters from Elon Musk’s X platform, along with younger generations of climate activists and digitally engaged victims of financial scams. It emphasizes the Indian government’s utilization of the Information Technology Act to enforce extensive content removal, specifically targeting dissent and criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. Recently, X has filed a lawsuit against these measures in the Karnataka High Court, claiming unlawful censorship. The piece outlines how this crackdown restricts free expression, particularly among tech-savvy youth who depend on platforms like X to articulate political and environmental discontent. Ad...

 Grok Against Indian Oligarchs? Grok Against Indian Oligarchs? Posted on 19th March, 2025 (GMT 19:59 hrs) ABSTRACT The controversy surrounding AI chatbot Grok 3 in India highlights the intensifying digital resistance against the BJP-led government’s control over narratives. Grok’s candid responses on topics like Modi’s communal politics, RSS’s negligible role in India’s independence, and Adani’s corporate ties have triggered backlash from BJP supporters, who accuse it of bias. The Indian government’s pressure on X (formerly Twitter) to regulate AI responses mirrors previous crackdowns on digital activism, including restrictions on Fridays for Future and censoring dissenting voices. This uproar coincides with the renewed global scrutiny on Adani, particularly after U.S. legal actions against his business empire. The broader issue at stake is India’s declining free speech environment, as evidenced by its low ranking in global indices, reflecting growing censorship of politically...