Right to Freedom of Expression vs. Review Bombing

• Context (TH): Malayalam director approached the Kerala High Court seeking a gag on social media and YouTube reviews following a film’s release to protect it from review bombing.
• It is being claimed that review bombing threatens the industry’s financial stability.

Review Bombing

• Review bombing is the act of posting numerous negative reviews, often coordinated, to harm the reputation of a product, service, or content.
• Mainly linked to media and entertainment, review bombing extends to other areas like online marketplaces, apps, and businesses.
• It can be done for various reasons, such as:
  • Protest or grievance
  • Promote competitors’ product
  • Personal vendettas
  • Social or political motivations

Freedom of Expression

• Freedom of expression is a fundamental right guaranteed by Article 19(1)(a) of Indian Constitution.
• It states that all citizens have the right to freedom of speech and expression, subject to certain reasonable restrictions.

Key Elements of Freedom of Expression

• It is solely available to a citizen of India, not to a foreign national.
• It includes the right to express one’s views and opinions about any issue.
• It includes the right to express in any medium, such as by words, writing, printing, etc.
• This right is not absolute; GoI can impose reasonable restrictions in cases which involve:
  • Sovereignty and integrity of India
  • Security of the state
  • Friendly relations with foreign nations
  • Public order, decency and morality
  • Contempt of court
  • Defamation and incitement to an offence.

Reasons Why Review Bombing Should be Protected as Part of Freedom of Expression

• To hold businesses and creators accountable
• To raise consumer awareness
• To hold as a protest against powerful businesses and creators

Reasons Why Restrictions on Review Bombing is Not Violation of Freedom of Expression

• It can misled consumers seeking accurate information.
• It can unfairly harm the reputation and livelihood of creators, businesses, or developers.
• Coordinated review bombing can suppress the genuine opinions of users.
• It is susceptible to manipulation by trolls, competitors, or individuals with malicious intent.
• Prolonged and widespread review bombing can erode trust in online review systems.
• Review bombers often escape accountability, making addressing this practice’s misuse difficult.

Way Forward

• There is a grey area between review bombing and freedom of expression.
• If review bombing is motivated by genuine reasons, it can be a form of freedom of expression.
• But if review bombing is motivated by malicious intent, it misuses freedom of expression.
• So, the interests of creators, businesses, etc., should be protected from review bombing but not at the cost of freedom of expression. So, a proper regulatory body is the need of the hour.