Cyber
Awareness Organisation has been relentlessly working for awareness of various
Cyber Security Issues and Cyber Awareness campaigns since last few years.
If recent news reports
are to be believed, “Technology companies like Google Inc. and social networking websites like Twitter Inc.,Facebook,Whatsapp and many others, which get a
majority of their revenue from online advertising, expect their India revenue
to rise substantially this year with political parties spending more money on
digital media than in the previous general election”. India’s poll campaign spend, has
been estimated at Rs 30,000 crore ($4.9 billion) by the Centre for Media
Studies, which tracks spending.
According to a report
by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and market research
firm IMRB, political parties set aside around 2-5% of their
election budgets for spending on social media. Recent media reports have put
the media spending by the Congress and the BJP during elections at about Rs.500 crore and Rs.400 crore,
respectively.
Facebook has
launched a 'Register to Vote' initiative, while Twitter is offering a service
where users can follow someone through a missed call or text message, the
ASSOCHAM paper added. Now these
“Register to Vote” or “Follow through missed call or Text message” will
certainly enhance existing database of these social media sites and will be
added feature for them in marketing further services.
The
below mentioned explanation will prove the point I want to make. “These days
many candidates go for paid campaigning through the social media. Those who
focus on Facebook spend about Rs 4-5 to create a single fan. If there is a page
with one lakh fans, you can imagine the total expenditure and amount generated
by Social Media websites.
Apart
from Facebook, candidates are also adopting digital strategies like delivery of
recorded messages on mobile phones. An amount of Rs 10 per call is being spent
on voice/data message. The campaigning through SMS mode has taken a back seat
after TRAI issued strict guidelines on unwanted messages, sources said.
Applications
like Whatsapp are widely used to reach to young voters by some candidates.
Video sharing is another prominent strategy.
American
multinational Google Inc recently submitted to Delhi High Court that it is not liable to pay any taxes
in India for its internet activities, as it is not providing any
taxable services or earning income from here nor does it have a permanent
establishment in the country. Google Inc. has further contended in its
affidavit that it "is not providing any taxable services in India, neither
has a permanent establishment in India nor is it earning any income which is
arising from or accruing in or deemed to be arising or accruing from
India."Furthermore, Google Inc is not receiving any payment in the nature
of 'royalty' which may be taxable either under the relevant Indian laws or
under the Double taxation Avoidance Agreement between India and USA."Same is case with all other social media service providers and hence very fundamental question comes in mind that Indian Elections are making these social media companies richer for which they are not paying any taxes in India. In other words estimated 2% of 30000 crore @600 crore will be paid to foreign based social media companies.
What a shame as on one hand election issues such as bringing Black money parked outside India back is bitterly fought all the national parties are officially transferring white money outside India.
Can some good sense prevail and all the political parties will refrain themselves from falling in this trap of money drain??????
