The PIB will be tasked with selecting stories the govt wants to start discussions on and “subtly” using network of influencers to generate traction.
New Delhi: Closely monitoring social media platforms, getting select topics to trend through a network of amplifiers and influencers in a “subtle” way, using journalists as influencers, deflecting stories considered negative by the government and analysing prevailing sentiments on policies and issues of interest to the government: These are some of the duties the government may soon task the Press Information Bureau (PIB) with.
Struggling to find private partners for its plans to set up a social media watchdog and facing heavy criticism over the idea, the government is expected to ask its primary communication arm to take on the job.
The proposal, being considered by the ministry of information & broadcasting (I&B), is reportedly a last-ditch bid of the government to monitor online discussions in face of several hurdles against its proposed social media hub, including a Supreme Court rap.
The suggestion to assign the brief to the PIB was mooted by the Bureau of Outreach Communication (BOC), an umbrella body for media units under the I&B ministry. The I&B ministry is learnt to have asked select media units among those it oversees for opinions on the plan.
‘Best suited to brief’
The BOC proposal states that the PIB is best suited to handle the tasks envisaged for the social media hub as it can tap the expertise of government officials as well as journalists —who can also act as influencers — to run their social media team.
It calls for the PIB to be tasked with selecting certain stories each day that the government seeks to start discussions on, getting them to trend, identifying the general opinion on matters of importance, and “subtly” using a network of amplifiers and influencers to generate traction on subjects of significance.
The proposal emphasises that the influencers remain behind the curtains and be regulated by an official entity.
In its suggestion, the BOC has noted that the existing social media cells of the PIB, Doordarshan News, All India Radio, and the I&B ministry’s new media wing had failed to exploit the full potential of online platforms.
A hub of controversy
The apex court Friday was unsparing in its criticism of the government’s plans to hire a private agency to operate the social media hub, saying the tracking and regulation of online chatter will transform the country into a surveillance state. It also issued notice to the I&B ministry for a formal reply on the matter, scheduling the next hearing for 3 August.
The petition in the apex court pertained to a request for proposal (RFP) soliciting software and manpower for the project, floated in January by the Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd (BECIL), a public sector undertaking under the ministry.
The RFP outlined the need for a tool that would trawl through social media posts, identify trends and influencers, gauge the reaction to the government’s hashtag campaigns, and counter negative publicity.
Apart from the fears of government snooping, the RFP also raised questions on ethics, with concerns that data collected through the exercise may be used to create a positive narrative around the administration’s work, even in areas where it had failed to perform.
The RFP, however, drew a muted response and four extensions had to be effected. The final date for bids now stands at 20 August.
It is important to mention here that the government has another social media outreach platform called MyGov.in, which currently performs some of the tasks outlined for the social media hub.
Row a result of bad language?
Technically, a social media hub has been operating under the I&B ministry’s new media wing for at least two years now.
The first RFP for operating it was floated at the end of 2015 with the remit to monitor individual social media accounts and sentiment, and multiply the reach of select content.
Two agencies were selected, and they carried out their brief through as many software. However, unhappy with their performance, former I&B minister Smriti Irani fired the agencies last year. A fresh RFP was floated this year with a few additional requirements, including setting up of district-level teams.
A separate plan to set up a central media hub for all print, TV and social media content generated across India was later merged with the RFP for the social media hub, ThePrint has learnt.
The latest RFP lays out a much more wide-ranging brief, calling for a tool that trawls through the web and social media to monitor and analyse emerging trends, identifies top social media influencers, measures the efficacy of the government’s hashtag campaigns, counters negative publicity, gauges the general sentiment among netizens. The tool is also expected to carry out predictive analysis to mould public perception in favour of the country, help improve India’s perception in the world, predict and “neutralise the media blitzkrieg of India’s adversaries”, and give a “positive slant” to discussions.
The overall nature of the brief led to allegations that the government was planning to snoop on citizens’ online activity, but insiders said the fears were the result of poor language choices for the RFP. “It did not mention the difference between open and closed source data. For example, posts shared on Facebook or Twitter can be open to public, but emails are always between two parties. This added to the fears,” an official said.
“Also, people are more aware of social media now, as compared to earlier,” the official added, saying this could have multiplied the outrage.