Computers and Their Impact :: Technology Papers

Computers and Their Impact The extreme increase in the use of computers has drastically changed the lives of many people. Computers, as Sherry Turkle in "Who Am We" discussed, initially were used as simple calculators, but through the years they have come to be valued as more than simple machines (442). "The computer has gained new qualities, it is not only used as a calculator, but now it entails simulation, navigation, and interaction" (443). With the increase in computer usage, comes new software that attracts people's attention even more. Adults, adolescents and even children find themselves "losing track of time" when they sit down and play on the computer for half an hour and suddenly realize that thirty minutes has turned into a couple of hours. As changes occur in technology, we must also contemplate the effect these changes will have on individuals. We must realize that individuals are vulnerable to the virtual world and that they can get lost. "Our need for a practical philosophy of self-knowledge ha s never been greater as we struggle to make meaning from our lives on the screen" (456). The computer can serve many purposes, such as an aid for research, finishing homework and even as a means for keeping in touch with loved ones, but it can also cause an individual to get lost in the "virtual world." This topic sparked my interest when aclose friend of mine began to notice changes in her boyfriend's attitude. Her problems began when her boyfriend bought a laptop computer. He had never had a computer before, so this was something new and exciting for him. Within a couple of weeks my friend began to notice changes in his attitude. Suddenly, she noticed he spent hours a day in front of a computer screen. He was fascinated by the internet and the immense amount of resources it had to offer. His free time no longer consisted of spending quality time with his friends and significant other, rather he found browsing the web more fascinating and worthwhile. My friend suddenly found herself competing against a machine for her boyfriend's attention. My friend is not the only one who has experienced problems due to the amount of time her boyfriend spends on the computer. My cousin for example, can spend hours a day playing computer games and surfing the net. Interestingly enough, he denies spending so much time on the computer.

Kant Metaphysics

The Groundwork of Metaphysics of Morals Immanuel Kant’s â€Å"Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals†, argues upon the basis of morality introducing the ideals of the categorical imperative as the central concept of moral philosophy. The definition of the categorical imperative leads Kant towards the critique of pure reason arguing that without a goodwill one can’t even be worthy of being happy. Kant introduces goodwill, treating people as means rather than ends and doing the right thing for the right reason.Making a distinction between science and knowledge and eliminating common sense on a route to the philosophical, Kant defines reason as reason a practical faculty to influence will and also being essential to will. Kant argument in the Groundwork focuses upon the basic idea of what makes a good person good. It is the possession of a will that is a way determined by, or makes decision based of moral law. This goodwill is supposed to be the idea of one who onl y makes decisions that she holds to be morally worthy, taking moral considerations in themselves to be conclusive reasons for guiding her behavior.This sort of disposition or character is something we all highly value. Kant believes we value it without limitation or qualification. Formulated by pure reason, the categorical imperative according to Kant underscores his argument. The value of a good will thus cannot be that it secures certain valuable ends, whether of our own or of others, since there value is entirely conditional on our having and maintaining a good will. Kant’s categorical imperative argues that ones actions should be done from duty in order to obtain true moral worth. It is not the result of ones actions but rather means of that duty that leads humanity to happiness.The goodwill â€Å"of this person would sparkle like a jewel all by itself, as something that had its full worth in itself† (Kant, 1). Humanity is very much determined by strive for excelle nce in order to obtain the ultimate good. Kant’s hypothetical imperative stresses how indications and determination for the result are the goal for people to act. Juxtaposing with the ideals of the categorical imperative the latter is motivated by the result rather than acting from duty. Acting in such a way that ones actions can become a universal law is what I consider the road to happiness.It is not primarily doing good to oneself in order obtain a desired result. Doing good to others and treating these as means rather than ends is what I define as true happiness. Goodwill will â€Å"needn’t be the sole and complete good, but it must be the condition of all others, even of the desire for happiness† (Kant, 1). So we have to develop the concept of goodwill that is determined and esteemed as good in it without regard to anything else, judging the total worth of the actions we commit and with the entirety depending on it searching for the unconditional good.

American History Timeline - 1701 - 1725

The first quarter of the 18th century in America can be characterized as a time of conflict, with different European colonies—English, French, and Spanish—waging fierce and political battles against each other and the Native American inhabitants over new territories and colonization strategies. Slavery as a way of life became entrenched in the American colonies. 1701 Fort Pontchartrain is built by the French at Detroit. October 9: Yale College is founded. It will not become a university until 1887, one of nine universities established in Colonial America. October 28: William Penn gives Pennsylvania its first constitution, called the Charter of Privileges. 1702 April 17: New Jersey is formed when East and West Jersey are united under the authority of the New York governor. May: Queen Anne’s War (The War of Spanish Succession) begins when England declares war on Spain and France. Later in the year, the Spanish settlement at St. Augustine falls to Carolina forces. Cotton Mather publishes The Ecclesiastical History of New England (Magnalia Christi Americana), 1620–1698. 1703 May 12: Connecticut and Rhode Island agree upon a common boundary line. 1704 February 29: During Queen Anne’s War, French and Abenaki Indians destroy Deerfield, Massachusetts. Later in the year, New England colonists destroy two important supply villages in Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia). April 24: The first regular newspaper, The Boston News-Letter, was published. May 22: The first Delaware assembly meets at the town of New Castle. 1705 The Virginia Black Code of 1705 is passed, restricting the travel of enslaved persons and naming them officially as real estate. It read in part: All servants imported and brought into the Country...who were not Christians in their native Country...shall be accounted and be slaves. All Negro, mulatto and Indian slaves within this dominion...shall be held to be real estate. If any slave resist his master...correcting such slave, and shall happen to be killed in such correction...the master shall be free of all punishment...as if such accident never happened.   1706 January 17: Benjamin Franklin is born to  Josiah Franklin and  Abiah Folger.   August: French and Spanish soldiers unsuccessfully attack Charlestown, South Carolina during Queen Anne’s War. Chattel  slavery  is introduced by French colonists in  Louisiana after they raid Chitimacha settlements. 1707 May 1: The United Kingdom of Great Britain is founded when the Act of the Union combines England, Scotland, and Wales. 1708 December 21: The English settlement at Newfoundland is captured by French and Indian forces. 1709 Massachusetts is becoming more willing to accept other religions, as evidenced by the Quakers being allowed to establish a meeting house in Boston. 1710 October 5–13: The English capture Port Royal (Nova Scotia) and rename the settlement Annapolis. December 7: A deputy governor is appointed over North Carolina, although the Carolinas are considered one colony. 1711 September 22: The Tuscarora Indian War begins when North Carolina settlers are killed by the Indians. 1712 The separation of North and South Carolina is officially enacted. June 7: Pennsylvania bans the import of slaves into the colony. 1713 March 23: When South Carolinian forces capture Fort Nohucke of the Tuscarora Indians, the remaining Indians flee north and join the Iroquois Nation, ending the Tuscarora War. April 11: The first of the peace treaties under the Treaty of Utrecht is signed, ending Queen Anne’s War. Acadia, Hudson Bay, and Newfoundland are given to the English. 1714 August 1: King George I becomes the king of England. He would reign until 1727.   Tea is introduced to the American colonies. 1715 February: Charles, the fourth Lord Baltimore successfully petitions the crown for return to Maryland, but he dies before taking control of the colony. May 15: Maryland is restored to William, the fifth Lord Baltimore. 1717 Scots-Irish immigration begins in earnest due to higher rental rates in Great Britain. 1718 Spring: New Orleans is founded (although not recorded, later the traditional date becomes May 7). May 1: The Spanish found the city of San Antonio in the Texas territory. The Valero  mission is established  at San Pedro Springs in present-day San Antonio by Fray Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares, a Franciscan missionary of the College of Santa Cruz de Querà ©taro. It would later be renamed the Alamo. 1719 May: Spanish settlers surrender Pensacola, Florida to French forces. Two ships of African slaves arrive in Louisiana, carrying rice farmers from the West Coast of Africa, the first enslaved Africans brought into the colony. 1720 The three largest cities in the colonies are Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City. 1721 South Carolina is named a royal colony and the first provisional governor arrives. April:  Robert Walpole becomes the English Chancellor of the Exchequer, and a period of â€Å"benign neglect† begins, which will have huge ramifications in the years leading up to the American Revolution. 1722 The building later known as the Alamo is erected as a mission in San Antonio. 1723 Maryland requires the establishment of public schools in all counties. 1724 Fort Drummer is built as protection against the Abenaki, forming what would become the first permanent settlement in Vermont at present-day Brattleboro. 1725 There are an estimated 75,000 black slaves in the American colonies, out of a half-million non-Native American residents. Source Schlesinger, Jr., Arthur M., ed. The Almanac of American History. Barnes Nobles Books: Greenwich, CT, 1993.

Impact Of Globalization On The Welfare State - 4694 Words

Having said that, Donahue (1994) emphasize that the world has become a huge bazaar with countries peddling their labors in rivalry against one another, proposalling the minimum cost. Spar and Yoffie (2005) describes globalization that is expand of business firms and business concerns across international borders. Today, the global relations can be seen in market, technology, communications, law, culture and values. As companies significantly remark their markets to involve wide surround of the globe, transfrontier flows of capital, technology and trade have boomed ( Spar et al., 2005). When the effects of globalization on the welfare state mentions, it can be said that globalization has a terrible impact on the welfare and that is caused poverty in the state. Because, in a globalized economy, the governments may remain weak and worthless. On the other hand, to generating the productivity and scale for which globalization is mostly lauded, it may generate a harm race to th e bottom , a falling of competition that works to lower conditions among all impressed parties ( Spar et al., 2005). In this paper, firstly it will be mentioned definition of globalization. And then, essay will be concern the identification of the race to the bottom. Finally, this research will explain To what extent has globalisation lead to a race to the bottom ? . Martell (2010) concedes that people removed in look for the food, terrain, servants, to run away cruelty orShow MoreRelatedThe Social Work Policies1506 Words   |  6 Pages Social Work Policies Social Welfare Q 1 Income support policies in the United States Income support policies in the United States view the monetary aspect of individual and family well-being. Income support policies are categorized into two that is direct cash transfers and indirect cash transfers. 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GreaterRead MoreImpact Of Globalization On Domestic Economies And Social Welfare Essay1518 Words   |  7 PagesReading Review: Literature on the impacts of globalization has been increasingly growing over the past two decades as analysts determine if globalization negatively or positively affects domestic economies and social welfare. Rodrik (1997) cautions that â€Å"globalization does exert downward pressure on the wages of underskilled [sic] workers in industrialized countries, exacerbate economic insecurity, call into question accepted social arrangement, and weaken social safety nets.† He claims increases

Truman Capote’s Anonymity Essay - 2078 Words

In an interview with Truman Capote, George Plimpton asks if In Cold Blood is truly an accurate portrayal of the Clutter family’s murder, â€Å"One doesn’t spend almost six years on a book, the point of which is factual accuracy, and then give way to minor distortions† (Plimpton). Capote claims he only uses factual information in his story, completely removes himself from the novel, and has created a new genre of literature by combining reportage journalism with fiction techniques. However, literary critics have long debated whether or not In Cold Blood is the first of its kind: a non-fiction novel. Capote’s novel is something unique that the world has never seen before, but it is not the non-fiction novel that he claims it to be. Regardless of†¦show more content†¦The realism that Capote claims his novel exemplifies is the absolute, God-honest truth. Capote distances himself from the novel by declaring authenticity: One way for a writer to renounce power is to lay a claim to realism. Capote goes further. His narrative, he declares, is not only realistic but also completely and utterly true, a nonfiction novel. Given the nature of the project, any departure from fact is unacceptable. (Guest 119) Capote professes complete realism to prove his absence and depict true events. Capote refuses to stray from fact as that defeats the purpose of establishing a new genre of literature. However, inevitably, Capote himself is involved in the events, so his opinions, interpretations, and feelings, are all expressed, one way or another, through his writing. To avoid revealing his own opinions, he places entire word for word conversations into the text between Hickock and Smith or the detectives and the murderers. While word for word accounts show factual evidence, they do not prove his absence: The novels reliance on external documentation and expert testimony, as previously noted, reinforces the illusion of documentary realism. Long passages are quoted verbatim from confessions, letters, psychiatric evaluations, and transcriptions of court proceedings, thus providing further evidence that the novel is reporting rather than interpreting or creating. (Guest

Innovation and Change Management Free Essays

| Companies that successfully innovate also successfully manage change | INNOVATION CHANGE MANAGEMENT MHN221935-12-A| Malgorzata Glowacka S0915718 International Tourism Hospitality Enterprise | Innovation and change management have been and continues to be an important study on a number of levels. It plays significant part in economic growth as well as it is vital for firms’ survival and development. New ideas, new approaches and new products become critical guidelines in organisational strategy, especially for managers and business leaders. We will write a custom essay sample on Innovation and Change Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now According to The Boston Consulting Group (2010) employers’ ranked innovation as a strategic priority with 26% citing it as a top priority and a further 45% ranking it as a top-three priority. Organisations such as Apple or Google adapted this tactic and thanks to their right management of change, now are recognized as one of the most revolutionizing and prosperous companies in the world (Business Week, 2010). It proves that successfully innovating companies are the winners and they play major role in industry market. Therefore, this essay aims to critically evaluate the connection between innovation and change management. The term of innovation is hard to define as it can mean different things for different people. According to Druker (1985) innovation is the specific tool of entrepreneurs, the means by which they exploit changes as an opportunity. West and Farr (1990) pointed out that organizational innovation can be characterized as a tangible product, process or procedure within company and something what is new to the social setting within which it is introduced although not necessarily new to the individual introducing it. They also exanimated innovation being more intentional rather than accidental, mainly aimed at producing benefit to the organization. Traditional categorizations of innovations divide them into four types (Tidd and Bessant, 2010, Fig1): -product innovation can be a change in the function or feature of a product such as Window Vista replacing XP. This kind of innovation is intended to improve the function of the offering to make sales more likely -process innovation is based on transformations in the ways products/ services are created and delivered like for e. g. nline banking system which allows customers to manage their finance. This kind of invention introduces new, or significantly improved, method for production or delivery of output that adds value and better performance -position innovation target changes in market or customer base for a product or service. This kind of strategy change meaning of a product in customer’s eyes like for e. g. four-wheel cars which original ly were used for off road work became fashionable family car -paradigm innovations are based on changes in how companies frame what they do; for e. . Air Canada (the largest airline of Canada with scheduled and charter air transport) launched a discount, new low-cost international carrier in Vancouver (The Globe Mail,2012) Fig 1. Types of innovation. Adapted from Tidd and Bessant, 2010 Innovations are often classified as either radical or incremental (Gallouj and Weinstein, 1997). Radical innovations are generally based on a big change in development that modifies the competitive market and it may results in new markets and product opportunities. Good example of radical innovation is Apple with their first PC Lisa which had graphical interface. The innovation, despite its limited success, was universally recognised as being far ahead of the competition and it took years for some of the advanced features of its operating system to be incorporated in competitors’ operating system (Rayna and Striukova, 2009). An incremental innovation is a term used when there was a minor change to an existing technology like for e. g. in case of Apple and their iPod. MP3 players had been present in the market before Apple introduced iPod but the company still succeed because they made better product, which was easier to use, looked more solid and more appealing compared to other MP3 players (Rayna and Striukova, 2009). Organizational change, like innovation, is hard to specify. It can be described as any alternation or modification, which occurs in the overall work environment of an organization. Moran and Brightman (2000) defined it as the process of continually renewing an organization’s direction, structure, and capabilities to serve the ever-changing needs of external and internal customers. It tend to focus on the management of formally planned changes and it is indicating a macro- level approach, which is concerned with organisation as a whole (King and Anderson, 2002). Due its complexity, many researchers categorised organizational change in different ways, for e. g. Pettigrew (1987) separated it into strategic and non-strategic change while Goodstein and Warner (1995) divided it into incremental and radical change. However the starting point for discussing variations of change is Grundy’s (1993) three variations of change. The first, smooth incremental change changes slowly in a systematic and predicable way. The second variety of change Grundy terms ‘bumpy incremental change’. This is characterized by periods of relative calmness disrupted by rushing in the pace of change. Grundy’s third variety of change is ‘discontinuous change’, which he defines as ‘change which is marked by rapid shifts in strategy, structure or culture, or in all three’. There are several drivers and models which clarify the need for change. Most of them are grouped into external drivers or internal drivers (Proehl, 2001). External are those forces that are outside the organization, usually it is an economic, political, socio-cultural or technological driver. The internal drivers are those forces within the organization, which may include finance, limited skill level of employees, changes in leadership etc. Another example, presented by Anderson and Ackerman Anderson (2001) describes seven main drivers of change, which move from what is external (environment, marketplace, organization) to what is internal (culture and people). This model mainly focuses on leaders and management role as they are clearly more aware of external domains and thy play the most important part in internal domains. This is their job to implement any changes in culture, behaviour and mind-set within their company and if they will fail in that, the change will also fail. It can be assumed then, that change is about innovation and innovation is about change. Williams (2006) stated that to successfully manage innovation, company need to be good at managing source of innovation and managing innovation during discontinuous and incremental change. Once again Apple is the perfect example of company effectively handling innovation and change at the same time. They do it for e. g. y managing leadership within organization. Tidd and Bessant (2005) noted that leadership strongly influences the success of change and innovation. For Apple the key role in the company played Steve Jobs and his visionary leadership: My passion has been to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products. Everything else was secondary. Sure, it was great to make a profit, because that was what allowed you to make great products. But the products, not the profits, were the motivation. Sculley flipped these priorities to where the goal was to make money. It’s a subtle difference, but it ends up meaning everything—the people you hire, who gets promoted, what you discuss in meetings. Isaacson, 2012 According to Hughes (2006) leading change is fundamentally about influencing groups and individuals, therefore leaders of change need to understand people. And that is what Jobs could do. He understood that customers don’t know what they want until it is shown to them. He implemented among his employees the desire of perfect design as to him ‘’†¦nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is a fundamental soul’’ (Isaacson, 2012). To conclude, the concept of innovation and change is fundamental to business success. It is viewed as being extremely important for company survival and future development. Organisations such as Apple can prove the point that companies which successfully innovate also successfully manage change. References Anderson, D. , Ackerman Anderson, L. , 2001. Beyond Change Management: Advanced Strategies for Today’s Transformational Leaders. USA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer Drucker, P. F. , 1985. Innovation and entrepreneurship: practice and principles. New York: Harper ; Row Gallouj, F. , Weinstein, O. , 1997. Innovation in services. Research Policy 26, 537–556 Goodstein, L. D. and Warner, W. , 1995. Creating Successful Organization Change. In: Managing Organizational Change. Warner (ed. ). pp. 7-9. New York: American Management Association Grundy, T. , 1993. Implementing Strategic Change. London: Kogan Page Harsh, P. , 2011. Organizational Change. India: Dorling Kindersley Hughes, M. , 2006. Change Management: A critical perspective. CIPD. King, N. , Anderson, N. , 2002. Managing Innovation and Change: A Critical Guide for Organizations. Singapore: Seng Lee Press Isaacson, W. , 2012. The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs. [online] Available from: http://www. atheeqa. com/App_Themes/watheeqa/pdf/The%20Real%20Leadership%20Lessons%20of%20Steve%20Jobs%20-%20HBR%20l%20Apr-2012. pdf [Accessed 15th October] Moran, J, W. , Brighman, B. K. , 2000. Leading organizational change. In: Journal of Workplace Learning: Employee Counselling Today Vol. 12 (2), pp. 66-74 Pettigrew, A. M. , 1987. Context and action in th e transformation of the firm. In: Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 24 (6), pp. 649–70 Proehl, R. A. , 2001. Organizational Change in the Human Services. USA: Sage Publications Ltd. Rainey, D. LA. , 2005. Product Innovation: Leading Change through Integrated Product Development. UK: Cambridge Rayna, T. , Striukova, L. , 2009. The curse of the first-mover: when incremental innovation leads to radical change. In: Int. J. Collaborative Enterprise, Vol. 1(1) The Globe and Mail. Air Canada shuffles small-plane fleet, adds wide body jets. [online] Available from: http://www. theglobeandmail. com/globe-investor/air-canada-shuffles-small-plane-fleet-adds-widebody-jets/article4580211 [Accessed 15th October 2012] Tidd, J. , Bessant, J. , 2011. Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change. England: John Wiley ; Sons Ltd. The Boston Consulting Group, 2010. Innovation 2010. A Return to Prominence – and the Emergence of a New World Order. [online] Available from: http://tobiaslist. files. wordpress. com/2010/06/innovation-2010-bcg. pdf [Accessed 15th October 2012] The Business Week, 2010. The 50 Most Innovative Companies 2010. [online] Available from: http://www. businessweek. com/interactive_reports/innovative_companies_2010. html [Accesses 15th October 2012] West, M. A. and Farr, J. L. , 1990. Innovation at work. In: Innovation and Creativity at Work: Psychological and Organizational Strategies. UK: Chichster Williams, Ch. , 2006. Management. Canada: Thomson South-Western How to cite Innovation and Change Management, Essay examples

A new media and its impact free essay sample

The more time you spend in India, the more you realize that this country is one of the world’s greatest wonders a miracle with a message. And the message is that democracy matters†. India is one of such paradises on earth where you can speak your heart out without the fear of  someone gunning you down for that, or, it has been until  now. Article 19 of the Indian Constitution provides freedom of speech as the fundamental right embodied in part III. This Art. give fundamental right to every citizen to enjoy freedom of speech without hurting the other. Even if the situation of Indians is a lot better than that of their fellow citizens of other nations, the picture is not really soothing or mesmerizing for Indians any more. This observation is being made with regard to the exercise of the right of freedom of speech and expression in the context of social media. Social media in present world have become an important part of individual’s life. Almost all the people in the world are becoming part of social media even judges have also been influenced by this social media. This Social media sometime affect the judgement of court. Judge as a human being also use social media i.e. Facebook, Tweeter blog etc. Fundamental right to speech and expression has been hampered by the arbitrary use of the so called cyber laws of the nation,  particularly Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. This section gives arbitrary power to police to arrest person by interpreting this section for their use. Because of this arbitrariness the section 66A of IT act is unconstitutional and should be stuck down by the court of law. Before delving into the issue in details, it is but desirable to first understand the concepts of social media and freedom of speech and expression. Social media comprises primarily internet and mobile phone based tools for sharing and discussing information. It blends technology, telecommunications, and social interaction and  provides a platform to communicate  through words, pictures, films, and  music. Social media includes web- based and mobile technologies used to turn communication into interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as â€Å"A group of internet -Based application that build on the ideological and technological foundation of Web 2.0, and allow the creation and exchange of user- Generated context. Web 2. 0† refers to Internet platforms that allow for interactive participation by users. â€Å"User generated content† is the name for all of the ways in which people may use social media. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION Freedom of speech and expression is broadly understood as the notion that every person has the natural right to freely express themselves through any media and frontier without outside interference, such as censorship, and without fear of reprisal, such as threats and  persecutions. This  is  because  freedom  of  expression is not absolute and carries with it special duties and responsibilities therefore it may be subject to certain restrictions provided by law. The following are some of the most commonly agreed upon definitions of freedom of expression that are  considered as valid international standards: â€Å"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. †1   â€Å"Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either  orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice. †2 Similarly, Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution of India also confers on the citizens of India the right â€Å"to freedom of speech and expression†. The freedom of speech and expression means the right to express one’s convictions and opinions freely by word of mouth, writing, printing,  pictures  or  any  other  mode. In the light of Moon’s argument, the importance of freedom of speech and expression while using social media can be better understood. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION AND SOCIAL MEDIA/INTERNET The Internet and Social Media has become a vital communications tool through which individuals can exercise their right of freedom of expression and exchange information and ideas. In the past year or so, a growing movement of people around the world has been witnessed who are advocating for change, justice, equality, accountability of the powerful and respect for human rights. In such movement, the internet and social media has often played a key role by enabling people to connect and exchange  information  instantly  and  by creating a sense of solidarity. Emphasising the importance of internet, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in his Report, which was submitted to the Human Rights Council, stated that the internet has become a key means by which individuals can exercise their right to freedom and expression and hence, internet access is a human right. Report further stressed that States should ensure that internet access is maintained at all times, even during times of political unrest. Describing new media as a global network to exchange ideas and opinions that does not necessarily rely on the traditional mass media, the Committee stated that the States should take all necessary steps to foster the independence of these new media and also ensure access to them. Moreover, Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Right and Article 19(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right also provides for freedom of speech and expression even in case of internet and social  media. Thus, it is seen that freedom of speech and expression is recognized as a fundamental right in whatever medium it is exercised under the Constitution of India and other  international documents. RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION The freedom of speech and expression does not confer on the citizens the right to speak or  publish  without  responsibility. It  is  not  an  upbraided  license  giving  immu nity  for  every possible use  of language and  prevents punishment  for those  who abuse  this freedom. Article19 (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right imposes restrictions on the following grounds: (a)For respect of the rights of reputations of others (b) For protection of national security, or public order, or public health or morals. As per Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India, the legislature may enact laws to impose restrictions on the right to speech and expression on the following grounds: (a) Sovereignty and integrity of India. For example: Fake profile of president by imposter, fake profile had been made by imposter in the name of formal President Hon’ble Pratibha Devi Patil, on social networking website, Facebook . In another case of Bomb Hoax mail case, A 15 year-old teenage of Bangalore in 2009 was arrested by the cyber-crime investigation cell (CCIC) for allegedly sending a hoax e-mail to a private news channel. 66A. Punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc. Any person who sends, by means of a computer resource or a communication device,— (a) any information that is grossly offensive or has menacing character; or (b) any information which he knows to be false, but for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will, persistently by making use of such computer resource or a communication device, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine. It is made very wide and can apply to all kinds of comments. The fact that some information is grossly offensive (s. 66A(a)) or that it causes annoyance or inconvenience while being known to be false (s. 66A(c)) cannot be a reason for curbing the freedom of speech unless it is directly related to decency or morality, public order, or defamation (or any of the four other grounds listed in Art. 19(2)). There is no clear explanation of those words in this section. The expressions used in the Section are â€Å"vague† and â€Å"ambiguous† and that 66A is subject to â€Å"wanton abuse† in view of the subjective powers conferred on the police to interpret the law. It give excess power to administration for example: On February 6, 2013, Sanjay Chaudhary was arrested under section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act for posting ‘objectionable comments and caricatures’ of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Minister Kapil Sibal and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on his Facebook wall. However, the incident that rocked the nation was the arrest last November of two young women, Shaheen Dadha and her friend Renu Srinivasan, for a comment posted on Facebook that questioned the shutdown of Mumbai following the demise of Shiv Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray. Looking at the construction of that word of Sec 66(A), it unintentionally prevent organisations from using proxy servers. Furthermore, it may also prevent remailers, tunneling, and other forms of ensuring anonymity online. This doesnt seem to be what is intended by the legislature. According to Government of India, section 66A, introduced in the 2009 amendments to the IT Act, has been taken from Section 127 of the U. K. Communications Act, 2003 it has already read down by HOUSE OF LORDS on the grounds that Parliament of U. K. could not have intended to criminalise statements that one person may reasonably find to be polite and acceptable and another may decide to be ‘grossly offensive and regard that section as U. K. ’s worst provisions MEANING OF TERM â€Å"GROSSLY OFFENSIVE† In Director of Public Prosecutions v. Collins4 case before House Of Lords, arising out of racist references in messages left by a constituent on the answering machine of a British MP, the House of Lords laid down a seminal test for determining whether a message is ‘grossly offensive. ’ Justices must apply the standards of an open and just multi-racial society, and that the words must be judged taking account of their context and all relevant circumstances. † The House of Lords added that â€Å"there can be no yardstick of gross offensiveness otherwise than by the application of reasonably enlightened, but not perfectionist, contemporary standards to the particular  message sent in its particular context. † Most importantly, the House of Lords held that whether a message was grossly offensive did not depend merely on the degree of offence taken by the complainant but on whether it violates the basic standards of an open and just multi-racial society. Putting those two aspects together, a law that is valid in the United Kingdom might well be unconstitutional in India for failing to fall within the eight octagonal walls of the reasonable restrictions allowed under Art. 19(2). That raises the question of how they deal with such broad wording in the UK. SECTION 66A – ARTICLE 19 OF INDIAN CONSTITUTION Section 66A of IT act violates Art. 19 of Indian constitution. This section is against the fundamental right to speech and expression. Right under Art. 19 is not absolute right. Art. Improved communications technology and social media, such as Twitter, Google + and Facebook, are changing the face of journalism. Media like affecting all the institutions of the Government also affect the Judiciary. It completely overlooks the vital gap between an accused and a convict keeping at stake the golden principles of ‘presumption of innocence until proven guilty’ and ‘guilt beyond reasonable doubt’. Media itself does a separate investigation, builds a public opinion against the accused even before the court takes cognizance of the case. By this way, it prejudices the public and sometimes even judges and as a result the accused, that should be assumed innocent, is presumed as a criminal leaving all his rights and liberty unredressed. Results in characterizing him as a person who had indeed committed the crime, it amounts to undue interference with the â€Å"administration of justice†, calling for proceedings for contempt of court against the media. Other than this, Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media are causing difficulties for judges who are trying to administer fair trials. For example, what rules should there be, if any, on whether judges tweet during a case? Should courts be able to monitor the social-networking contacts of attorneys during a trial, and what about witnesses or even parties? Should there be limits on all use or just limits on what is said? The questions seem endless, and the answers certainly are not easy. Should judges or their campaigns be able to use Facebook and have â€Å"friends† that may be potential parties before the court or attorneys appearing in court? Is it appropriate for judges to have a personal Facebook page separate from a professional one, or is that activity unbecoming the judiciary?. Right now there is a patchwork of rulings on these issues but, for the most part, no definitive rules exist. If there are no rules, it can become a treacherous terrain for media-savvy judges to navigate. Some of the people are totally against the blog of judges but some other advocate that and see it as a way to educate the public about the court function. CONCLUSION It is clearly evident that social media is a very powerful means of exercising one’s freedom of speech and expression. However, it is also been increasingly used for illegal acts which has given force to the Government’s attempts at censoring social media. Where on the one hand, the misuse of social media entails the need for legal censorship, on the other hand, there are legitimate fears of violation of civil rights of people as an inevitable consequence of censorship. What is therefore desirable is regulation of social media, not its censorship. However, the present cyber laws of India are neither appropriate nor adequate in this respect. An analysis of the existing IT laws shows that there is unaccountable and immense power in the hands of the Government while dealing with security in the cyber space. Even then, it is not sufficient to check the misuse of social media. Section 66A certainly does not engage in the delicate balancing required to pursue the legitimate objective of preventing criminal intimidation and danger through social media without going no further than required in a democratic society to achieve that end. The drafters of Section 66A(b) have equated known criminal offences in the real world with acts such as causing annoyance and inconvenience that can never constitute an offence in the real world and should not be offences in the virtual world. Therefore, the legislative restrictions on freedom of speech in Section 66A (b) cannot be considered as being necessary to achieve a legitimate objective. Section 66A should not be considered a ‘reasonable restriction’ within the meaning of Article 19 of the Constitution and must be struck down as an unconstitutional restriction on freedom of speech. If political speech, that is, criticism of politicians and exposure of corruption continues to be punished by arrest instead of being protected, Indias precious democracy and free society will be no more. Hence, a specific legislation is desirable to regulate social media. However, there are many practical difficulties which may arise while doing so. There is a very thin line which demarcates the enjoyment of one’s right and the violation of the enjoyment of else’s right in the process. In social media, the exercise of freedom of speech and expression by one may result in the invasion of privacy and defamation. The provision should be made in accordance with the reasonable restriction provided under article 19(2) of Indian Constitution. While persistent false communications for the purpose of annoying, insulting, inconveniencing, or causing ill will should not be criminalized (if need be, having it as a civil offence would more than suffice), doing so for the purpose of causing danger or criminal intimidation should. A provision is needed to penalise hoax bomb threats, then the provision clearly should not be mentioning words like annoyance, and should not be made persistent. The act should define the punishment according to the malic intension of the offender, less punishment should be awarded for less intensity of offence. Media should not be allowed to call a person as an accused before a court of law held that person as an accused. A blog or a Facebook account should be made in the name of Courts, to provide information on legal issue.