Tech companies should help preserve open societies, says Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that tech companies should contribute to preserving open and democratic societies.

The Prime Minister took part in the virtual Summit for Democracy convened by the United States President Joe Biden.

Though Modi will deliver India’s national statement at the summit on Friday, he was among the select few who were invited to participate in the main Leaders’ Plenary Session hosted by Biden on Thursday. The closed-door session saw interventions from 12 select countries, including India.

The Prime Minister emphasized the need for democratic countries to deliver on values enshrined in their constitutions. He also outlined sensitivity, accountability, participation and reform orientation as four pillars of democratic governance in India.

He stressed that principles of democracy should also guide global governance. He also underlined that given the ability of the technology to impact democracy positively or negatively, tech companies should contribute to preserving open and democratic societies.

The summit, according to the US State Department, is intended to focus on challenges and opportunities facing democracies and to provide a platform for the participating leaders to make both individual and collective commitments to defend democracy and human rights at home and abroad.

The US will also host a second “Summit for Democracy” next year to review the progress achieved against the commitments that would be made in the first summit.

The Biden Administration has been tacitly conveying to the Modi Government concerns in the US over the perception that India was backsliding on human rights and freedom of speech and religion.

The US President, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, subtly nudged the Prime Minister to protect the democratic principles of India, when they had hosted him in Washington DC on September 24. The issue came up for discussion when External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, hosted his counterpart the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in New Delhi in July.

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