Since 2020, SALDEF has expended significant research & advocacy capacity to illuminate the issue of the Modi Government’s capture of social media discourse around the world.
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Weaponizing Social Media Platforms to Suppress Speech
‘Democratic’ Foreign Governments have not paused their weaponization of social media platforms to carry out ongoing speech suppression and disinformation.
SALDEF conducted in-person interviews throughout 2022 with owners of Sikh-related accounts on social media, and found a few common themes. First, censorship is dynamic and evolving. It is experienced across content platforms, including Twitter, the Meta family of products, YouTube, and TikTok (despite TikTok being banned within India’s borders). Second, perhaps due to the international spotlight shed on the practices of the Indian Government during the 2020-21 Punjab Farmers’ Protests, censorship in 2022 has been more subtle; several interviewees described it as “softer”. This form of censorship continues to be a feedback loop in which algorithmic bias is reinforced and expanded upon by human reviewers; our interviewees shared with us that reporting algorithmic bias for human review often led to more entrenchment. Accounts found to violate the guidelines thus had to choose between accepting that their pages would be shadow-banned and harder to find via search or risking the outright deletion of their content. Third, the uneven application of discipline and takedowns persisted––being banned was not a question of posting misinformation and disinformation, but rather which side was posting.
SALDEF continued to monitor censorship even going into 2023. Instances of ‘democratic’ governments coercing social media platforms to abide by undemocratic practices began to arise. For example, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey appeared on a June 2023 episode of the YouTube show ‘Breaking Points‘, he was asked to share anecdotes of foreign governments bringing pressure on and making demands of the heads of social media platforms. In his reply, the first country he cited was India.
Ground-Breaking Research Reports
Virtually Vulnerable:
Exposing the Human Cost of Digital Harassment
In the latest report titled Virtually Vulnerable: Exposing the Human Cost of Digital Harassment we delve into the escalating issues of online harassment and censorship, specifically targeting the Sikh diaspora and allied communities like secular Hindus, Indian Muslims, and Dalits.
As Sikh Americans, we understand the power of our voices and the importance of using them to fight for justice and equality. Yet, our new report reveals a disturbing reality: our voices are being silenced online by major digital platforms. This report exposes the alarming ways in which social media platforms like Meta, X (formerly known as Twitter), and YouTube disproportionately censor minority voices, including those of Sikh Americans.
Dissent Across ‘Democracies’
For two years since the Punjab Farmers’ Protests, SALDEF has worked extensively to surface censorship related issues to social media companies and to offices of Congress.
In the report titled Dissent Across ‘Democracies’ we offer a set of recommendations as we continue to push social media platforms to adopt policies to prevent the erasure of their most vulnerable users. We are committed to documenting these instances and fighting against the suppression of Sikh voices.
When #Sikh Was Banned Worldwide…
…SALDEF took notice. This groundbreaking research delves into the social media censorship from the Punjab Farmers’ Protest while offering an in-depth analysis and policy recommendations. Discover the blueprint of our ongoing fight to prevent the erasure of Sikh Americans online.
In the decade-plus since the Arab Spring, social media platforms have transitioned from being authoritarians’ Achilles’ heel to an effective tool in their arsenal. This asymmetrical digital warfare was on full display during the 2020-21 Punjab Farmers’ Protest, with shadowbanning and takedowns of community advocates’ posts occurring globally.
Help us in the Fight Against Censorship of Sikh Americans
Spreading the word is crucial in combating these systems of oppression, and we couldn’t do it without allies like you. Don’t forget to use the hashtags #SALDEFightsCensorship #WhenSikhWasBanned #SikhCensorship
