> Who do they define as a candidate? A political candidate is one who is a member of a political party and is running for a public office or has already been e

> Who do they define as a candidate? A political candidate is one who is a member of a political party and is running for a public office or has already been elected to such offices in the past. (Yes, I am discounting independent candidates as they are a minor aberration that, in my opinion, shouldn't be allowed in mature democracies). Whether the democratic system is presidential or parliamentary, political parties are one of the common institutions and base political units that are part of a democratic political system. > If I'm running for student council would it apply to me? No, since it is not a public office. This law is targeted to protect the free speech rights and political views of active politicians and elected representatives. For example, Twitter, under pressure from the current right-wing government of India deliberately tried to sabotage the social media outreach of an elected Member of Parliament and an opposition leader: “I want to bring your attention to what I believe is Twitter’s unwitting complicity in curbing free and fair speech in India,” Mr. Gandhi wrote in the letter to the Twitter chief executive, Parag Agrawal. “I have been reliably, albeit discreetly, informed by people at Twitter India that they are under immense pressure by the government to silence my voice.” (Source: India’s Rahul Gandhi Says His Twitter Following Was Squashed by Modi Government - https://www.wsj.com/articles/indian-opposition-figure-rahul-gandhi-says-his-twitter-following-was-restricted-11643207184 https://www.wsj.com/articles/indian-opposition-figure-rahul-... ). The proposed laws can actually protect tech platforms from this kind of government pressure too, which should be welcomed by us. > Similarly, who is a "journalist"? Anyone can declare they are one. Just like shouting "I declare bankruptcy" doesn't activate bankruptcy laws in your favour, "declaring" yourself a journalist doesn't make you a journalist in most countries.