Technology without Accountability

Technology is nothing. What's important is that you have a faith in people.  - Steve Jobs

Citizens are sold technocratic quick fixes without solving underlying problems.

India once used to be Luddite country, hating technological solutions. Now, however, the pendulum may be swinging too far in the other direction. Technology can certainly bring about quantum jumps in service delivery. But it is no substitute for accountability and humaneness which ultimately connects governments to people. Take the case of two road accident deaths in western UP. A ‘100’ helpline call to rescue two schoolboys helped summon three cops, but they refused to ply the injured to hospital and soil their Toyota Innova. Policing has come a long way with technology driven helplines and swanky official vehicles. But imperious attitudes to distressed citizens aren’t changing.

Such callousness abounds even as the Union road transport ministry is prodding states to enforce GPS-based location tracking and panic buttons in taxis and buses by April 1. Commuters have a tough time persuading auto rickshaws to operate on metered fares. So one certainly shouldn’t hold one’s breath that those GPS kits and panic buttons will be fitted and operational. And even if they are, will there be anybody at the other end to respond to a panic button being pressed? Control rooms are needed to monitor panic calls and police must be mobilised. Police reforms are needed to institute effective policing. Recruiting more constables to police streets, separating crime investigation from law and order duties, and improving response times and protocols are all imperative.

Technology cannot improve public trust in institutions without accountability. Even Delhi government’s plan to install CCTV cameras in classrooms and allow parents to watch their children over the internet is in line with this sarkari neo-populism. Making CCTV images generally available could promote voyeurism and make children more vulnerable to stalkers. Parents send children to schools trusting institutional frameworks that give principals and teachers absolute control over school and classrooms. Governments can conduct routine inspections to identify wayward teachers, check learning outcomes and ensure safety of students.
Mobile apps are no replacement for beat constables on streets, teachers in classrooms and support staff on campus. Equally important is a foolproof system of supervision that institutes accountability. Otherwise CCTVs and panic buttons will fall through the cracks of imperfect structures, perhaps even amplifying their defects. Expensive technology is not going to bell this cat. What is needed is to build accountability into our institutions, not escape it and pass the buck.