Sulli Deals

"Sulli Deals" was an open-source app created by an unidentified group wherein photos of some 100 Muslim women were put up for auction describing them as "deal of the day." ^[1] An FIR was filed by the Delhi Police with NCW India taking suo moto cognisance of the matter on 8th July^[2] but the identity of the creators still remains unknown^[3].

Background

On 4th of July, 2021 several muslim women pictures were posted on twitter as "deal of the day"^[4]. After which several accounts started speaking against the app which was hosted on Github as "open-source project." After multiple complaints, Github took the app down and suspended the "sullideals" account which hosted the app. ^[5]

This was not the first time muslim women were harrassed by right-wing delinquents on social media. In May 2021, a youtuber named Liberal Doge "auctioned" Pakistani women in his livestream and some group of anonymous accounts harassed Hasiba Amin, the National Convenor of Congress IT Cell ^[6] According to analysts, the same group of people were behind the Sulli Deals app, however Liberal Doge refused to have any connection with the sulli deals issue. ^[7]

Reaction

Commentators have described the app as targeted harrassment against Muslim women with NCW taking suo moto cognizance over the matter and Delhi Police Cyber Cell registering an FIR under section 354-A ^[8] One of the targeted women, Pilot Hina Khan filed a separate FIR with Delhi Police under section 509 and section 66,67 of the IT Act. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote to the IT minister demanding strict and urgent action against the creators of the app. ^[9]. In addition to that, 56 MPs across party lines signed a letter to the home minister Amit Shah seeking redressal^[10]

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi showed solidarity with the targeted women and assured to pursue the case to prevent further misuse of social media.^[11] More than 800 women-rights activists from all over India released a statement seeking action against the culprits ^[12]

Both Github and Twitter were criticized for failing to prevent further harassment of Muslim women post the auction fiasco and not taking quick action against the sullideals account^[13]^[14]. As of November 2021, the identity of the creators of the app is still unknown with Github refusing to share data to Indian authorities through the usual CrPC notice.^[15]

References

[1] ttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-57764271

[2] ttps://www.thequint.com/neon/gender/sulli-deals-github-app-no-arrest-muslim-women-bias

[3] ttps://internetfreedom.in/118-days-since-still-no-justice-for-those-targeted-by-the-sulli-deals-incident/

[4] ttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/12/sulli-deals-a-virtual-auction-of-indian-muslim-women

[5] ttps://www.dawn.com/news/1633549

[6] ttps://www.thequint.com/neon/gender/pakistani-women-eid-photos-misogyny-youtube

[7] ttps://www.vice.com/en/article/88ndgx/muslim-women-islamophobia-hate-app-india

[8] ttps://www.shethepeople.tv/news/auction-muslim-women-sulli-deals-cyberbullying-github-delhi-fir/

[9] ttps://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/take-urgent-actions-in-sulli-deals-case-sena-mp-priyanka-chaturvedi-writes-to-it-minister/articleshow/84891207.cms

[10] ttps://indianexpress.com/article/india/sulli-deals-congress-mp-md-jawaid-urges-amit-shah-to-punish-guilty-7425292/

[11] ttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/12/sulli-deals-a-virtual-auction-of-indian-muslim-women

[12] ttps://thewire.in/women/sulli-deals-muslim-women-cyber-harassment-statement

[13] ttps://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/sulli-deals-3-weeks-on-no-response-from-github-police-in-the-dark-7423483/

[14] ttps://theprint.in/india/muslim-women-being-auctioned-on-social-media-congress-leader-named-files-complaint/659063/

[15] ttps://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/probe-in-sulli-deals-case-hits-legal-hurdle/article35987910.ece

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