Updated November 9th, 2019 at 22:40 IST
Abhishek Singhvi and Kavita Krishnan spar over social network Mastodon
Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi and CPI (ML) politburo member Kavita Krishnan engaged in a war of words over open-source social networking service Mastodon.
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Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi and politburo member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Kavita Krishnan engaged in a war of words over open-source social networking service Mastodon. Singhvi sparked off a debate when he objected to people announcing on Twitter that they were joining Mastodon. He reckoned that this would not serve the purpose as the trolls would follow the people to the new social networking avenue. Krishnan responded to this and claimed that their objective was to teach Twitter a lesson. She added that the new platform provided transparency.
People joining #Mastodon to avoid toxicity on Twitter is understandable. People advertising #Mastodon on Twitter before the very trolls that you're sick of is giving an open invitation to them to come and respond to you there. Don't see a point.
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) November 8, 2019
Read: Congress Makes Hay As BJP-Shiv Sena Implode, Singhvi Waxes Lyrical
You don't get the point. The point is, we're FINE with trolls migrating to Mastodon. I hope everyone migrates there and leaves Twitter high and dry. But #Mastodon moderators are not Sanghis who will ban us while allowing hate speech handles to flourish. @MastodonProject
— Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) November 8, 2019
Read: Abhishek Singhvi Asks 'Why Not Have Two To Four Capitals In India?'
'Discourse must be the emperor of democracy'
However, Singhvi did not buy Krishnan's logic. He maintained the key issue of people using abusive language on social media was not solved. Furthermore, he pointed out that abusers were on all sides of the political spectrum.
How is that logical Kavita. Either they are encouraging hate spewers or chucking them out. Either they are leftist or rightist. Either way, doesn't solve anything—abusers are on all sides of the pol spectrum and discourse must be the emperor of democracy.https://t.co/andaZtZiDQ
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) November 9, 2019
Read: Abhishek Singhvi: Supreme Court Verdict Is An 'excellent Idea'
Mastodon gaining followers in India
With over 2.2 million users, Mastodon is rapidly gaining popularity in India. This has been precipitated by Twitter’s policies where handles have been selectively blocked. While it is similar to Twitter, it stands apart as Mastodon is a decentralised platform. No one server or company is in control of its operations. A 26-year-old German national Eugen Rochko is the creator of this service.
Read: 'Veer Savarkar Went To Jail For The Country', Says Congress' Singhvi
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Published November 9th, 2019 at 20:22 IST
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