Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Buying free speech: On Elon Musk’s Twitter buy

Buying free speech: On Elon Musk’s Twitter buy

Musk should not do away with the safeguards (रक्षा, सुरक्षा, उपाय) Twitter has built against hate speech (द्वेषपूर्ण भाषण, अपमानजनक भाषण)

After buying Twitter for $44 billion, billionaire entrepreneur (businessman, businesswoman, business person) Elon Musk made a pitch for free speech (मुक्त भाषण, बोलने की आजादी). “I hope that even my worst critics (आलोचक, समीक्षक, निन्दा करने वाला) remain on Twitter,” he tweeted, “because that is what free speech means”. He also likened Twitter to “a digital town square where matters (मामला, विषय) vital to the future of humanity (इंसानियत, मानव जाति) are debated”. The world’s richest man talking about free speech and humanity’s future after buying one of the most influential (प्रभावशाली, शक्तिशाली, मजबूत) social media platforms seems to be the most politically correct thing to do. But it is certainly (निश्चित रूप से, निस्संदेह) ironic (strange, unexpected, odd, paradoxical) considering (ध्यान में रखते हुए, सामने रखते हुए) that the billionaire buyer had no qualms (misgiving, doubt, reservation, second thought, worry, concern, hesitation, reluctance, apprehension) over the years about using the social media platform to aggressively (उग्रता के साथ, दृढ़ता से) promote his business interests (रुचि, भागीदारी, वरीयता) as well as block and, some may say even bully (धमकाना, दबाव डालना, ज़बरदस्ती करना), critics. But in saying what he has said, Mr. Musk has put the (to draw/bring attention to something; highlight, accentuate, underscore, underline) spotlight on what has been a sensitive issue for Twitter in recent years — its inability (असमर्थता) to convincingly (विश्वसनीय रूप से, स्पष्ट रूप से) come across (seem, appear, look, give the impression of being; be perceived, get through, be understood, be comprehended, be taken in) as a platform where healthy (स्वस्थ, लाभकारी, अच्छा) conversations can take place. Often, those indulging in (become involved in (an undesirable activity)) hate speech and threatening violence have found full play (enjoyment, pleasure; functioning, activity) on the platform until authorities (officials, officialdom, the people in charge, the bureaucracy, the system) put in (submit, present, (something formally); request, seek, ask for, apply for something formally) a request for withholding (hold back, keep back, stop; check, suppress, repress, restrain) of the offensive (hostile, attacking, aggressive, threatening; objectionable, displeasing, provocative, provoking, humiliating) tweets. Whatever it did toward that goal — from creating policies around abuse (mistreatment, maltreatment, ill treatment, exploitation) and disinformation (fake news, made-up story, false information, lie, falsehood) to unleashing (let loose, release, let something go uncontrollably) technology for spotting problematic content early — did little to change the perception (understanding, discernment, recognition/realization; interpretation). One need not even consider its move (step, action, act, measure) to permanently ban the then U.S. President Donald Trump to make the point (put emphasis on) that it, at times (sometimes, occasionally, from time to time, now and then), has come across as an interested (partisan, partial, biased, prejudiced, one-sided, preferential, discriminatory) player rather than (instead of) a disinterested (unbiased, unprejudiced, impartial, neutral, non-partisan, non-discriminatory, uninvolved, dispassionate, impersonal) platform — its inconsistencies (unpredictability, inconstancy, lack of consistency, changeableness, variability, instability, irregularity, unevenness) in labelling (categorize, classify, describe, identify) content as problematic would alone suffice (be enough, be sufficient, be adequate).

What Mr. Musk does next toward promoting free speech on the platform would be keenly (interestingly, enthusiastically, eagerly) watched. The first challenge to this is the fact that free speech is understood differently by people belonging to different political ideologies (beliefs, ideals, principles, doctrine; system of belief, set of principles). But, Mr. Musk is all for a light touch (the capability to tackle something tactfully) in moderating (regulate, control; mediate, judge) content. CNN quoted him as saying in a recent TED conference that, “If in doubt (doubtful, uncertain, open to question, unsure, unconfirmed, undecided, undetermined), let the speech exist.” He added, “If it’s a gray area (an unclear situation (a situation in which it is tough to judge what is right/wrong)), I would say, let the tweet exist. But obviously in the case where there’s perhaps (maybe, possibly) a lot of controversy, you would not necessarily (inevitably, certainly, surely) want to promote the tweet.” He is also in favour of (in support of; on the side of) increasing trust by making the algorithms (the list of instructions and rules that a computer needs to do to complete a task) open source (it refers to something people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible) and using technology to spot spam bots (a computer program that helps to spread spam (i.e. irrelevant or inappropriate messages) across the Internet). Would that improve the situation? Perhaps. Would he do away with the safeguards Twitter has built over time? One hopes not. But Mr. Musk may realise in the journey that the issue of free speech is not so black-and-white (categorical, unequivocal, absolute, uncompromising, unconditional, unqualified, unambiguous, clear, clear-cut, positive, straightforward, definite, definitive) from the vantage point (it means a position from which you can see things well; point of view, viewpoint, standpoint, opinion, position, way of thinking, outlook, perspective, angle) of a platform owner. For (because, since), he is no longer just only a Twitter user with over 80 million followers.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.free speech (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मुक्त भाषण, बोलने की आजादी
English Meaning - the right to express one’s opinions publicly (without any restraint).

2.safeguard (noun)

Hindi Meaning - रक्षा,  सुरक्षा, उपाय
English Meaning - protection, defence, security, safety measure.

3.hate speech (noun)

Hindi Meaning - द्वेषपूर्ण भाषण, अपमानजनक भाषण
English Meaning - abusive or disrespectful speech.

4.critic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आलोचक, समीक्षक, निन्दा करने वाला
English Meaning - criticizer, censurer, castigator, attacker, fault-finder.

5.matter (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मामला,  विषय
English Meaning - content, subject matter, substance.

6.humanity (noun)
 
Hindi Meaning - इंसानियत, मानव जाति
English Meaning - human beings, humankind, the human race.

7.influential (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रभावशाली, शक्तिशाली, मजबूत
English Meaning - powerful, strong; significant, important.

8.certainly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - निश्चित रूप से, निस्संदेह
English Meaning - surely, definitely, unquestionably.

9.considering (preposition)

Hindi Meaning - ध्यान में रखते हुए, सामने रखते हुए 
English Meaning - taking (something) into consideration; in view of; taking into account; in the light of.

10.healthy (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - स्वस्थ, लाभकारी, अच्छा
English Meaning - beneficial, good, active.

11.aggressively (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - उग्रता के साथ, दृढ़ता से
English Meaning - forcefully, fiercely, strongly, assertively, decidedly, determinedly, firmly, resolutely.

12.interest (noun)

Hindi Meaning - रुचि, भागीदारी, वरीयता
English Meaning - common concerns (in politics/business); involvement, preference.

13.bully (verb)

Hindi Meaning - धमकाना, दबाव डालना, ज़बरदस्ती करना
English Meaning - pressure, pressurize, intimidate, coerce, strong-arm, force, compel.

14.inability (noun)

Hindi Meaning - असमर्थता
English Meaning - lack of ability, incapability, incapacity, powerlessness, impotence, helplessness.

15.convincingly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - विश्वसनीय रूप से, स्पष्ट रूप से
English Meaning - credibly, believably, clearly.

16.entrepreneur (noun)

English Meaning - businessman, businesswoman, business person.

17.make a pitch (phrase)

English Meaning - say/do something in support of someone or something.

18.do away with (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - abolish, quash, get rid of, discard, remove, eliminate, discontinue, cancel, stop, end, terminate.

19.liken something/someone to (verb)

English Meaning - compare, equate, corelate, match.

20.ironic (adjective)

English Meaning - strange, unexpected, odd, paradoxical.

21.qualm (noun)

English Meaning - misgiving, doubt, reservation, second thought, worry, concern, hesitation, reluctance, apprehension.

22.put the/a spotlight on (phrase)

English Meaning - to draw/bring attention to something; highlight, accentuate, underscore, underline.

23.come across (phrase)

English Meaning - seem, appear, look, give the impression of being; be perceived, get through, be understood, be comprehended, be taken in.

24.indulge in (verb)

English Meaning - become involved in (an undesirable activity).

25.play (noun)

English Meaning - enjoyment, pleasure; functioning, activity.

26.authorities (noun)

English Meaning - officials, officialdom, the people in charge, the bureaucracy, the system.

27.put in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - submit, present, (something formally); request, seek, ask for, apply for something formally.

28.withhold (verb)

English Meaning -  hold back, keep back, stop; check, suppress, repress, restrain. 

29.offensive (adjective)

English Meaning - hostile, attacking, aggressive, threatening; objectionable, displeasing, provocative, provoking, humiliating.

30.abuse (noun)

English Meaning - mistreatment, maltreatment, ill treatment, exploitation. 

31.disinformation (noun)

English Meaning - fake news, made-up story, false information, lie, falsehood.

32.unleash (verb)

English Meaning - let loose, release, let something go uncontrollably.

33.perception (noun)

English Meaning - understanding, discernment, recognition/realization; interpretation.

34.move (noun)

English Meaning - step, action, act, measure.

35.make a point of (phrase)

English Meaning - put emphasis on.

36.at times (phrase)

English Meaning - sometimes, occasionally, from time to time, now and then.

37.interested (adjective)

English Meaning - partisan, partial, biased, prejudiced, one-sided, preferential, discriminatory.

38.rather than (phrase)

English Meaning - instead of.

39.disinterested (adjective)

English Meaning - unbiased, unprejudiced, impartial, neutral, non-partisan, non-discriminatory, uninvolved, dispassionate, impersonal.

40.inconsistency (noun)

English Meaning - unpredictability, inconstancy, lack of consistency, changeableness, variability, instability, irregularity, unevenness.

41.label (verb)

English Meaning - categorize, classify, describe, identify.

42.suffice (verb)

English Meaning - be enough, be sufficient, be adequate.

43.keenly (adverb)

English Meaning - interestingly, enthusiastically, eagerly.

44.ideology (noun)

English Meaning - beliefs, ideals, principles, doctrine; system of belief, set of principles.

45.a light touch (phrase)

English Meaning - the capability to tackle something tactfully.

46.moderate (verb)

English Meaning - regulate, control; mediate, judge.

47.in doubt (phrase)

English Meaning - doubtful, uncertain, open to question, unsure, unconfirmed, undecided, undetermined.

48.gray area (noun)

English Meaning - an unclear situation (a situation in which it is tough to judge what is right/wrong). 

49.perhaps (adverb)

English Meaning - maybe, possibly.

50.necessarily (adverb)

English Meaning - inevitably, certainly, surely.

51.in favour of (phrase)

English Meaning - in support of; on the side of.

52.algorithm (noun)

English Meaning - the list of instructions and rules that a computer needs to do to complete a task.

53.open source (noun)

English Meaning - it refers to something people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible.

54.spam bot (noun)

English Meaning - a computer program that helps to spread spam (i.e. irrelevant or inappropriate messages) across the Internet.

55.black and white (adjective)

English Meaning - categorical, unequivocal, absolute, uncompromising, unconditional, unqualified, unambiguous, clear, clear-cut, positive, straightforward, definite, definitive.

56.vantage point (noun)

English Meaning - it means a position from which you can see things well; point of view, viewpoint, standpoint, opinion, position, way of thinking, outlook, perspective, angle.

57.for (conjunction)

English Meaning - because, since.