Slow and steady, E activism gathers steam

In April, an online petition on Change.org, a website promoting social change with internet petitions, received 2.2 million "signatures". The 'Prosecute the killer of our son, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin' -petition led to the arrest of George Zimmerman, a neighbourhood watch coordinator in Florida where the shooting took place.

Such internet activism has led to the emergence of free websites dedicated solely to hosting and advocating these petitions. There are dozens of them - Change-. org, Avaaz.org, to name a few. Avijit Michael, country director, India, of Change-. org, says, "Websites like ours provide a number of tools to anyone who wants to see positive change. It starts with the petition tool to help one decide on the message and the target. It also allows a person to share the petition on social networks and, thus, mobilize more people. Finally, he can print the signatures and submit them to the target or mail them directly." When used well, along with media pressure on the target, an online petition, Michael says, serves to showcase how many people support the issue.

But have such petitions worked? In many cases the answer would have to be a resounding 'Yes'. It has startled governments across the world - even in China, where internet is strongly controlled, with outspoken bloggers routinely being detained . It was, however, the sheer power of online activism that led to the release of bloggers such as Ai Weiwei.

Massive campaigns were also launched during the Arab Spring to overthrow despots in the Middle East, and against the notorious Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act - laws that threatened internet freedom. Other success stories included the release of two journalists , Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were imprisoned in North Korea.

In India, though, online advocacy is really yet to take off. It saw some success with the Pink Chaddi campaign against the Sri Ram Sene's campaign against Valentine's Day. But it was more controversy than content that it was noted for. The most visible would have to be the Anna Hazare's anti-graft movement where online petitions were used to drum up more numbers on the streets. Recently, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjeetook to the internet and Facebook to garner support for APJ Abdul Kalam as a presidential candidate. It hasn't , however, managed to create an online wave.

So, what will it take for internet petitioning to become a rage in India - something that becomes a movement in itself and is taken seriously by the government? For one, online activism here is severely limited by inadequate internet access. Also, the internet isn't as valued here as it is, say, in China or the US. But Michael is confident that as internet penetration grows, the number of online campaigns will increase. "Currently, on Change.org, we see at least 50 new campaigns every week," he says.