Internet Governance Main
Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence and Women’s Political Participation in India: A Position Paper
— by Yesha Tshering Paul, Amrita Sengupta — last modified Dec 18, 2024 07:12 PM
AI for Healthcare: Understanding Data Supply Chain and Auditability in India
— by Amrita Sengupta (PI), Shweta Mohandas (Co-PI), (In alphabetical order) Abhineet Nayyar, Chetna VM, Puthiya Purayil Sneha, Yatharth — last modified Nov 30, 2024 08:17 AMThis report aims to understand the prevalence and use of AI auditing practices in the healthcare sector. By mapping the data supply chain underlying AI technologies, the study aims to unpack i) how AI systems are developed and deployed to achieve healthcare outcomes and, ii) how AI audits are perceived and implemented by key stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem.
Online Censorship: Perspectives From Content Creators and Comparative Law on Section 69A of the Information Technology Act
— by Divyansha Sehgal, Gurshabad Grover — last modified Aug 26, 2024 07:05 AMThis study presents a comparative analysis of Indian censorship law and experiences of people who have had their online content censored.
Draft Circular on Digital Lending – Transparency in Aggregation of Loan Products from Multiple Lenders
— by Garima Agrawal — last modified Jul 03, 2024 04:40 PMCIS is grateful for the opportunity to submit comments on the “Draft Circular on Digital Lending: Transparency in Aggregation of Loan Products from Multiple Lenders” to the Reserve Bank of India. We welcome the opportunity provided to comment on the guidelines, and we hope that the final guidelines will consider the interests of all the stakeholders to ensure that it protects the privacy and digital rights of all consumers, including marginalised and vulnerable users, while encouraging innovation and improved service delivery in the fintech ecosystem. Our comments look at two concerns addressed by the draft guidelines, i.e. reducing information asymmetry and market fairness. In addition to this we share comments around a third concern that requires additional scrutiny, i.e. data privacy and security.
Legal Advocacy Manual
— by Radhika, Shruti Trikanad and Torsha Sarkar — last modified Jul 01, 2024 08:16 AMThe Legal Advocacy Manual summarizes the key legal and constitutional questions and jurisprudence related to laws that affect the right to freedom of expression and privacy online, including internet shutdowns, content takedown, online surveillance and device seizure.
A Guide to Navigating Your Digital Rights
— by Anamika Kundu, Radhika, Shruti Trikanad, Torsha Sarkar — last modified Jul 01, 2024 08:18 AMComments to the Draft Digital Competition Bill, 2024
— by Abhineet Nayyar, Isha Suri, and Pallavi Bedi (in alphabetical order) — last modified Jun 11, 2024 10:13 AMThis submission is a response by researchers at the Centre for Internet and Society India (CIS) to the draft Digital Competition Bill, 2024, published by the Committee on Digital Competition Law (CDCL), Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), (hereafter “draft DCB” or “draft Bill”).
Consultation on Gendered Information Disorder in India
— by Amrita Sengupta and Yesha Tshering Paul — last modified Oct 15, 2024 10:57 AMOn 14th and 15th March 2024, Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) collaborated with Point of View (POV) to organise a consultation in Mumbai to explore the phenomenon of gendered information disorder in India, spanning various aspects from healthcare and sexuality to financial literacy, and the role of digital mediums, social media platforms and AI in exacerbating these issues.
India’s parental control directive and the need to improve stalkerware detection
— by Divyank Katira — last modified Apr 04, 2024 02:20 PMWe analyse a child-monitoring app being developed by the Indian government and question whether it is an effective way to enact parental controls. We highlight how such monitoring apps are often repurposed for digital stalking and play a role in intimate partner violence. We also evaluate the protection provided by antivirus tools in detecting such stalkerware apps and describe how we collected technical evidence to help improve the detection of these apps.
Reconfiguring Data Governance: Insights from India and the EU
— by Swati Punia, Srishti Joshi, Siddharth Peter De Souza, Linnet Taylor, Jhalak M. Kakkar, Isha Suri, Arindrajit Basu, and Anushka Mittal — last modified Feb 20, 2024 12:30 AMThis policy paper is the result of a workshop organised jointly by the Tilburg Institute of Law, Technology and Society, Netherlands, the Centre for Communication Governance at the National Law University Delhi, India and the Centre for Internet & Society, India in January, 2023. The workshop brought together a number of academics, researchers, and industry representatives in Delhi to discuss a range of issues at the core of data governance theory and practice.
Information Disorders and their Regulation
— by Torsha Sarkar, Shruti Trikanad, and Anoushka Soni — last modified Jan 31, 2024 02:20 PMThe Indian media and digital sphere, perhaps a crude reflection of the socio-economic realities of the Indian political landscape, presents a unique and challenging setting for studying information disorders.
DoT’s order to trace server IP addresses will lead to unintended censorship
— by Divyank Katira — last modified Jan 25, 2024 11:19 AMDigital Delivery and Data System for Farmer Income Support
— by Sameet Panda — last modified Oct 18, 2023 11:40 PMThis report, jointly published by the Centre for Internet & Society and Privacy International, highlights the digital systems deployed by the government to augment farmer income. It analyses the PM-Kisan and Kalia schemes in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
Detecting Encrypted Client Hello (ECH) Blocking
— by Divyank Katira — last modified Sep 05, 2023 12:10 PMA new internet protocol makes it harder for internet service providers to censor websites. We made a technical intervention to check if censors are interfering with its deployment.
Deceptive Design in Voice Interfaces: Impact on Inclusivity, Accessibility, and Privacy
— by Saumyaa Naidu and Shweta Mohandas — last modified Aug 08, 2023 03:22 PMThis article was commissioned by the Pranava Institute, as part of their project titled Design Beyond Deception, supported by the University of Notre Dame - IBM's Tech Ethics Lab.” The article examines the design of voice interfaces (VI) to anticipate potential deceptive design patterns in VIs. It also presents design and regulatory recommendations to mitigate these practices.
Health Data Management Policies - Differences Between the EU and India
— by Shweta Mohandas — last modified Jul 10, 2023 04:36 PMThrough this issue brief we would like to highlight the differences in approaches to health data management taken by the EU and India, and look at possible recommendations for India, in creating a privacy preserving health data management policy.
CoWIN Breach: What Makes India's Health Data an Easy Target for Bad Actors?
— by Shweta Mohandas and Pallavi Bedi — last modified Jul 04, 2023 09:39 AMRecent health data policies have failed to even mention the CoWIN platform.
CensorWatch: On the Implementation of Online Censorship in India
— by Divyank Katira — last modified Mar 15, 2023 11:58 AMResults from a nation-wide empirical study on web censorship
Civil Society’s second opinion on a UHI prescription
— by Pallavi Bedi and Shweta Mohandas — last modified Feb 15, 2023 08:20 AMOn January 13, Pallavi Bedi and Shweta Mohandas from CIS participated in an online collaboration organised by Internet Freedom Foundation for a joint submission to the Consultation Paper on Operationalising Unified Health Interface (UHI) in India released by the National Health Authority.
Comments to the proposed amendments to The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
— by Divyansha Sehgal and Torsha Sarkar — last modified Feb 07, 2023 03:21 PMThis note presents comments by the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), India, on the proposed amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“proposed amendments”). We thank Isha Suri for her review of this submission.
The Centre for Internet and Society’s comments and recommendations to the: The Digital Data Protection Bill 2022
— by Shweta Mohandas and Pallavi Bedi — last modified Jan 20, 2023 02:35 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) published its comments and recommendations to the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, on December 17, 2022.
‘Techplomacy’ and the negotiation of AI standards for the Indo-Pacific
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Oct 21, 2022 05:16 PMResearchers at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute have partnered with the Centre for Internet and Society (Bengaluru) to produce a ‘techplomacy guide’ on negotiating AI standards for stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific.
Demystifying Data Breaches in India
— by Pawan Singh — last modified Oct 17, 2022 04:14 PMDespite the rate at which data breaches occur and are reported in the media, there seems to be little information about how and when they are resolved. This post examines the discourse on data breaches in India with respect to their historical forms, with a focus on how the specific terminology to describe data security incidents has evolved in mainstream news media reportage.
Getting the (Digital) Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Right
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Oct 03, 2022 02:56 PMOn the eve of the Tokyo Quad Summit in May 2022, President Biden unveiled the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), visualising cooperation across the Indo-Pacific based on four pillars: trade; supply chains; clean energy, decarbonisation and infrastructure; and tax and anti-corruption. Galvanised by the US, the other 13 founding members of the IPEF are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The first official in-person Ministerial meeting was held in Los Angeles on 9 September 2022.
NHA Data Sharing Guidelines – Yet Another Policy in the Absence of a Data Protection Act
— by Shweta Mohandas and Pallavi Bedi — last modified Sep 29, 2022 03:17 PMIn July this year, the National Health Authority (NHA) released the NHA Data Sharing Guidelines for the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY) just two months after publishing the draft Health Data Management Policy.
Surveillance Enabling Identity Systems in Africa: Tracing the Fingerprints of Aadhaar
— by Shruti Trikanad and Vrinda Bhandari — last modified Aug 09, 2022 08:17 AMBiometric identity systems are being introduced around the world with a focus on promoting human development and social and economic inclusion, rather than previous goals of security. As a result, these systems being encouraged in developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, sometimes with disastrous consequences.
Deployment of Digital Health Policies and Technologies: During Covid-19
— by Pallavi Bedi — last modified Jul 21, 2022 02:49 PMIn the last twenty years or so, the Indian government has adopted several digital mechanisms to deliver services to its citizens.
What Are The Consumer Protection Concerns With Crypto-Assets?
— by Aman Nair and Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Jul 18, 2022 03:22 PMExisting consumer protection regulations are not sufficient to cover the extent of protection that a crypto-investor would require.
Comments to the draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
— by Anamika Kundu, Digvijay Chaudhary, Divyansha Sehgal, Isha Suri and Torsha Sarkar — last modified Jul 07, 2022 02:39 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) presented its comments on the draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (‘the rules’), which were released on 6 June, 2022 for public comments.
Central Bank Digital Currencies: A solution to India’s financial woes or just a piece of the puzzle?
— by Aman Nair — last modified Jul 04, 2022 10:04 AMThe Government’s Increased Focus on Regulating Non-Personal Data: A Look at the Draft National Data Governance Framework Policy
— by Digvijay Chaudhary and Anamika Kundu — last modified Jun 30, 2022 01:24 PMDigvijay Chaudhary and Anamika Kundu wrote an article on the National Data Governance Framework Policy. It was edited by Shweta Mohandas.
Working paper on Non-Financial Use Cases of Blockchain Technology
— by Vipul Kharbanda and Aman Nair — last modified Jun 28, 2022 12:09 PMMaking Voices Heard
— by Shweta Mohandas — last modified Jun 27, 2022 04:18 PMWe are happy to announce the launch of our final report on the study ‘Making Voices Heard: Privacy, Inclusivity, and Accessibility of Voice Interfaces in India. The study was undertaken with support from the Mozilla Corporation.
CIS Issue Brief on regulating Crypto-asset advertising in India
— by Aman Nair and Vipul Kharbanda — last modified May 25, 2022 07:46 AMComments to the Draft National Health Data Management Policy 2.0
— by Anamika Kundu, Shweta Mohandas and Pallavi Bedi — last modified May 24, 2022 04:06 PMAnamika Kundu, Shweta Mohandas and Pallavi Bedi along with 9 other organizations / individuals drafted comments to the Draft National Health Data Management Policy 2.0.
CCTVs in Public Spaces and the Data Protection Bill, 2021
— by Anamika Kundu and Digvijay S Chaudhary — last modified Apr 28, 2022 02:29 AMThis article has been authored by Ms. Anamika Kundu, Research Assistant at the Centre for Internet and Society, and Digvijay S. Chaudhary, Researcher at the Centre for Internet and Society. This blog is a part of RSRR’s Blog Series on the Right to Privacy and the Legality of Surveillance, in collaboration with the Centre for Internet & Society.
Rethinking Acquisition of Digital Devices by Law Enforcement Agencies
— by Harikartik Ramesh — last modified May 02, 2022 09:27 AMThis article has been selected as a part of The Right to Privacy and the Legality of Surveillance series organized in collaboration with the RGNUL Student Research Review (RSRR) Journal.
Decoding India’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Apr 06, 2022 09:13 AMComments to the draft Motor Vehicle Aggregators Scheme, 2021
— by Chiara Furtado, Aayush Rathi and Abhishek Sekharan — last modified Apr 01, 2022 03:25 PMThis submission presents a response by researchers at the Centre for Internet and Society, India (CIS) to the draft Motor Vehicle Aggregators Scheme, 2021 published by the Transport Department, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, (hereafter “draft Scheme”).
Personal Data Protection Bill must examine data collection practices that emerged during pandemic
— by Shweta Mohandas and Anamika Kundu — last modified Mar 30, 2022 03:15 PMThe PDP bill is speculated to be introduced during the winter session of the parliament soon. The PDP Bill in its current form provides wide-ranging exemptions which allow government agencies to process citizen’s data in order to fulfil its responsibilities. The bill could ensure that employers have some responsibility towards the data they collect from the employees.
Cybernorms: Do they matter IRL (In Real Life): Event Report
— by Veronica Ferrari (Association for Progressive Communications), Sheetal Kumar (Global Partners Digital), Enrico Calandro (Research ICT Africa) and Arindrajit Basu (the Centre for Internet and Society) — last modified Mar 24, 2022 04:24 PMThe year 2021 saw several cyber attacks on critical infrastructure such as oil pipelines, businesses such as airlines and meat-packing companies, and, crucially, healthcare providers such as vaccine suppliers. Several of these attacks were attributed to nation-states while others were carried out by non-state actors.
Response to MeitY's India Digital Ecosystem Architecture 2.0 Comment Period
— by Divyank Katira, Shweta Mohandas, Shruti Trikanand — last modified Mar 22, 2022 06:31 AMCIS has submitted a response to MeitY's India Digital Ecosystem Architecture 2.0 Comment Period
Nothing to Kid About – Children's Data Under the New Data Protection Bill
— by Shweta Mohandas and Anamika Kundu — last modified Mar 10, 2022 01:19 PMThe pandemic has forced policymakers to adapt their approach to people's changing practices, from looking at contactless ways of payment to the shifting of educational institutions online.
Clause 12 Of The Data Protection Bill And Digital Healthcare: A Case Study
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 01, 2022 03:07 PMIn light of the state’s emerging digital healthcare apparatus, how does Clause 12 alter the consent and purpose limitation model?
How Function Of State May Limit Informed Consent: Examining Clause 12 Of The Data Protection Bill
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 01, 2022 02:56 PMThe collective implication of leaving out ‘proportionality’ from Clause 12 is to provide very wide discretionary powers to the state.
CIS Comments and Recommendations on the Data Protection Bill, 2021
— by Pallavi Bedi and Shweta Mohandas — last modified Feb 14, 2022 04:07 PMThis document is a revised version of the comments we provided on the 2019 Bill on 20 February 2020, with updates based on the amendments in the 2021 Bill.
Notes for India as the digital trade juggernaut rolls on
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Feb 09, 2022 03:04 PMSitting out trade negotiations could result in the country losing out on opportunities to shape the rules.
Submission to the Facebook Oversight Board: Policy on Cross-checks
— by [in alphabetical order] Anamika Kundu, Digvijay Singh, Divyansha Sehgal and Torsha Sarkar — last modified Feb 09, 2022 05:31 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) submitted public comments to the Facebook Oversight Board on a policy consultation.
What does the 2022 Finance Bill mean for crypto-assets in India?
— by Vipul Kharbanda, Aman Nair — last modified Feb 03, 2022 06:31 AMReport on Regulation of Private Crypto-assets in India
— by Aman Nair, Vipul Kharbanda, Aryan Gupta — last modified Jan 27, 2022 09:16 AMCall for respondents: the implementation of government-ordered censorship
— by Gurshabad Grover and Divyansha Sehgal — last modified Jan 04, 2022 08:10 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society is conducting interviews with people whose content has been affected by blocking orders from the Indian Government.
Online caste-hate speech: Pervasive discrimination and humiliation on social media
— by Damni Kain, Shivangi Narayan, Torsha Sarkar and Gurshabad Grover — last modified Dec 15, 2021 10:55 AMA research report on the contours of online caste-hate speech and how social media platforms moderate such expression.
Launching CIS’s Flagship Report on Private Crypto-Assets
— by Aman Nair — last modified Dec 13, 2021 09:11 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society is launching its flagship report on regulating private crypto-assets in India, as part of its newly formed Financial Technology (or Fintech) research agenda. The event will be held on Zoom, at 17:30 IST on Wednesday, 15th December, 2021
International Cyber Law Toolkit scenario: Internet blockage
— by Arindrajit Basu and Gurshabad Grover — last modified Sep 26, 2021 03:06 PMArindrajit Basu and Gurshabad Grover’s scenario and international law analysis Internet Blockage was published as part of the NATO Co-operative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence’s Cyber Law Toolkit as part of its September 2021 annual update.
Facial Recognition Technology in India
— by Elonnai Hickok, Pallavi Bedi, Aman Nair and Amber Sinha — last modified Sep 02, 2021 04:21 PMThe Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project, University of Essex, UK and the Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) have jointly published a research paper on facial recognition technology. Authors, Elonnai Hickok, Pallavi Bedi, Aman Nair and Amber Sinha, examine technological tools such as CCTV and FRT which are increasingly being deployed by the government.
Fundamental Right to Privacy — Four Years of the Puttaswamy Judgment
— by Pranav M B — last modified Aug 24, 2021 04:55 AMTechno-solutionist Responses to COVID-19
— by Amber Sinha, Pallavi Bedi and Aman Nair — last modified Aug 10, 2021 03:34 PMThe Indian state has increasingly adopted a digital approach to service delivery over the past decade, with vaccination being the latest area to be subsumed by this strategy. In the context of the need for universal vaccination, the limitations of the government’s vaccination platform Co-WIN need to be analysed.
Do We Really Need an App for That? Examining the Utility and Privacy Implications of India’s Digital Vaccine Certificates
— by Divyank Katira — last modified Aug 03, 2021 05:13 AMWe examine the purported benefits of digital vaccine certificates over regular paper-based ones and analyse the privacy implications of their use.
Finding Needles in Haystacks - Discussing the Role of Automated Filtering in the New Indian Intermediary Liability Rules
— by Shweta Mohandas and Torsha Sarkar — last modified Aug 03, 2021 07:28 AMOn the 25th of February this year The Government of India notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The new Rules broaden the scope of which entities can be considered as intermediaries to now include curated-content platforms (Netflix) as well as digital news publications. This blogpost analyzes the rule on automated filtering, in the context of the growing use of automated content moderation.
Comments on proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020
— by Vipul Kharbanda, Rajat Misra, Arindrajit Basu and Aman Nair — last modified Jul 27, 2021 02:45 PMHealth IDs: Voluntary or Mandatory?
— by Pallavi Bedi — last modified Jul 22, 2021 01:29 PMOn August 15, 2020, the prime minister launched the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) with the objective of improving and streamlining the Indian healthcare system. In December 2020, the Central Government, notified the National Digital Health Mission: Health Data Management Policy (Health Data Policy) seeking to create a digital health ecosystem under the NDHM. A core pillar of the Health Data Policy is to create a unique health identity (UHID) for every Indian citizen.
The Ministry And The Trace: Subverting End-To-End Encryption
— by Gurshabad Grover, Tanaya Rajwade and Divyank Katira — last modified Jul 12, 2021 08:18 AMA legal and technical analysis of the 'traceability' rule and its impact on messaging privacy.
State of Consumer Digital Security in India
— by Pranav M B — last modified Jul 05, 2021 11:07 AMThis report attempts to identify the existing state of digital safety in India, with a mapping of digital threats, which will aid stakeholders in identifying and addressing digital security problems in the country. This project was funded by the Asia Foundation.
Comments on the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021
— by Tanvi Apte, Anubha Sinha and Torsha Sarkar — last modified Jul 05, 2021 05:59 AMIn this submission, we examine the constitutionality and legality of the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which was released by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Right to Exclusion, Government Spaces, and Speech
— by Torsha Sarkar — last modified Jul 02, 2021 12:05 PMThe conclusion of the litigation surrounding Trump blocking its critiques on Twitter brings to forefront two less-discussed aspects of intermediary liability: a) if social media platforms could be compelled to ‘carry’ speech under any established legal principles, thereby limiting their right to exclude users or speech, and b) whether users have a constitutional right to access social media spaces of elected officials. This essay analyzes these issues under the American law, as well as draws parallel for India, in light of the ongoing litigation around the suspension of advocate Sanjay Hegde’s Twitter account.
At the Heart of Crypto Investing, There is Tether. But Will its Promise Pan Out?
— by Aman Nair — last modified Jul 01, 2021 02:46 PMThe $18.5 million fine levied by the New York attorney general’s office earlier this year to settle a legal dispute, raises more questions than answers.
Submission to the Facebook Oversight Board in Case 2021-008-FB-FBR: Brazil, Health Misinformation and Lockdowns
— by Tanvi Apte and Torsha Sarkar — last modified Jul 01, 2021 07:34 AMIn this note, we answer questions set out by the Board, pursuant to case 2021-008-FB-FBR, which concerned a post made by a Brazilian sub-national health official, and raised questions on health misinformation and enforcement of Facebook's community standards.
On the legality and constitutionality of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
— by Torsha Sarkar, Gurshabad Grover, Raghav Ahooja, Pallavi Bedi and Divyank Katira — last modified Jun 21, 2021 11:52 AMThis note examines the legality and constitutionality of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The analysis is consistent with previous work carried out by CIS on issues of intermediary liability and freedom of expression.
A Comparative Analysis of Cryptocurrency Reporting in Financial Statements
— by Aryan Gupta — last modified Jun 15, 2021 05:25 AMCIS Comments on the Phase III of E-Courts draft policy
— by Aman Nair, Arinjay Vyas, Pallavi Bedi, Garima Saxena — last modified Jun 03, 2021 12:33 PM
Beyond Public Squares, Dumb Conduits, and Gatekeepers: The Need for a New Legal Metaphor for Social Media
— by Amber Sinha — last modified May 31, 2021 10:23 AMIn the past few years, social networking sites have come to play a central role in intermediating the public’s access to and deliberation of information critical to a thriving democracy. In stark contrast to early utopian visions which imagined that the internet would create a more informed public, facilitate citizen-led engagement, and democratize media, what we see now is the growing association of social media platforms with political polarization and the entrenchment of racism, homophobia, and xenophobia.
Regulating Sexist Online Harassment as a Form of Censorship
— by Amber Sinha — last modified May 31, 2021 09:56 AMThis paper is part of a series under IT for Change’s project, Recognize, Resist, Remedy: Combating Sexist Hate Speech Online. The series, titled Rethinking Legal-Institutional Approaches to Sexist Hate Speech in India, aims to create a space for civil society actors to proactively engage in the remaking of online governance, bringing together inputs from legal scholars, practitioners, and activists. The papers reflect upon the issue of online sexism and misogyny, proposing recommendations for appropriate legal-institutional responses. The series is funded by EdelGive Foundation, India and International Development Research Centre, Canada.
Community Data and Decisional Autonomy: Dissecting an Indian Legal Innovation for Emerging Economies
— by Amber Sinha and Arindrajit Basu — last modified Jul 14, 2021 05:22 AMRead this paper configuring community data with Indian constitutional jurisprudence by Amber Sinha and Arindrajit Basu
Rethinking Data Exchange & Delivery Models
— by Pallavi Bedi, Amber Sinha — last modified Apr 08, 2021 06:36 AMComments and recommendations to the Guidelines for “Influencer Advertising on Digital Media”
— by Torsha Sarkar and Shweta Mohandas — last modified Apr 05, 2021 09:58 AMIn February, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) had issued draft rules for regulation of digital influencers, with an aim to "understand the peculiarities of [online] advertisements and the way consumers view them", as well as to ensure that: "consumers must be able to distinguish when something is being promoted with an intention to influence their opinion or behaviour for an immediate or eventual commercial gain". In lieu of this, we presented our responses.
Recommendations for the Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network (Co-Win) platform
— by Pallavi Bedi — last modified Mar 25, 2021 01:14 PMRegulating Sexist Online Harassment: A Model of Online Harassment as a Form of Censorship
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 11, 2021 04:14 AMAmber Sinha wrote a paper on regulating sexist online harassment, and how online harassment serves as a form of censorship, for the “Recognize, Resist, Remedy: Addressing Gender-Based Hate Speech in the Online Public Sphere” project, a collaborative project between IT for Change, India and InternetLab, Brazil.
New intermediary guidelines: The good and the bad
— by Torsha Sarkar — last modified Mar 15, 2021 01:52 PMIn pursuance of the government releasing the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, this blogpost offers a quick rundown of some of the changes brought about the Rules, and how they line up with existing principles of best practices in content moderation, among others.
The Government needs to make sure our emails don't destroy the environment
— by Aman Nair — last modified Jan 25, 2021 02:17 PMThe Government's data centre policy must be more reflective of energy requirements and sustainable practices to effectively ensure that India's growing digital user base doesn't hurt the environment.
TIkTok: It’s time for Biden to make a decision on his digital policy with China
— by Aman Nair — last modified Jan 22, 2021 06:11 AMAs the United State's new president comes into office he is faced with creating a cohesive digital relations policy that corrects some of the damage done by his predecessor. This article is the first part of a series analysing his policies and challenges.
Response to Mozilla DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and Trusted Recursive Resolver (TRR) Comment Period
— by Gurshabad Grover, Divyank Katira — last modified Jan 19, 2021 07:35 AMCIS has submitted a response to Mozilla's DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and Trusted Recursive Resolver (TRR) Comment Period
PDP Bill is coming: WhatsApp Privacy Policy analysis
— by Pallavi Bedi & Shweta Reddy — last modified Jan 19, 2021 08:12 AMWhatsApp started off the new year with changes to its privacy policy that has several implications for data protection and the digital governance ecosystem at large. This post is the first in a series by CIS unpacking the various implications of the policy.
Widening the Horizons of Surveillance - Lateral Surveillance Mechanisms
— by Mira Swaminathan & Shubhika Saluja — last modified Jan 08, 2021 11:10 AMThis paper sheds light on the issues and challenges associated with lateral surveillance mechanisms.
Widening the Horizons of Surveillance - Lateral Surveillance Mechanisms
— by Mira Swaminathan & Shubhika Saluja — last modified Jan 08, 2021 11:01 AMThis paper sheds light on the issues and challenges associated with lateral surveillance mechanisms.
Response to the Pegasus Questionnaire issued by the SC Technical Committee
— by Anamika Kundu, Digvijay, Arindrajit Basu, Shweta Mohandas and Pallavi Bedi — last modified Apr 13, 2022 02:45 PMOn March 25, 2022, the Supreme Court appointed Technical Committee constituted to examine the allegations of alleged unauthorised surveillance using the Pegasus software released a questionnaire seeking responses and comments from the general public.
CIS Seminar Series
— by Cheshta Arora — last modified Apr 11, 2022 03:19 PMThe CIS seminar series will be a venue for researchers to share works-in-progress, exchange ideas, identify avenues for collaboration, and curate research. We also seek to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on research exchange, and foster collaborations among researchers and academics from diverse geographies. Every quarter we will be hosting a remote seminar with presentations, discussions and debate on a thematic area.
CIS comments on the Revised Non Personal Governance Framework Report
— by Pallavi Bedi, Anubha Sinha and Aman Nair — last modified Mar 22, 2021 05:39 AMInteroperability and Portability as a Lever to Enhance User Choice and Privacy in Messaging Platforms
— by Kamesh Shekar — last modified Jul 06, 2021 11:37 AMPandemic Technology takes its Toll on Data Privacy
— by Aman Nair and Pallavi Bedi — last modified Jun 26, 2021 06:52 AMThe absence of any legal framework has meant these tools are now being used for purposes beyond managing the pandemic.
The Competition Law Case Against Whatsapp’s 2021 Privacy Policy Alteration
— by Aman Nair and Arindrajit Basu — last modified Mar 24, 2021 04:12 PMHaving examined the privacy implications of Whatsapp's changes to its privacy policy in 2021, this issue brief is the second output in our series examining the effects of those changes. This brief examines the changes in the context of data sharing between Whatsapp and Facebook as being an anticompetitive action in violation of the Indian Competition Act, 2002.
CIS Comments on the National Strategy on Blockchain
— by Vipul Kharbanda & Aman Nair — last modified Mar 22, 2021 05:34 AMNotes From a Foreign Field: The European Court of Human Rights on Russia’s Website Blocking
— by Gurshabad Grover — last modified Feb 13, 2021 08:42 AMThis blogpost summarises the human rights principles applied by the Court to website blocking, and discusses how they can be instructive to petitions in the Delhi High Court that challenge arbitrary censorship in India.
The Boss Will See You Now - The Growth of Workplace Surveillance in India, is Data Protection Legislation the Answer?
— by Shweta Mohandas and Deepika Nandagudi Srinivasa — last modified Jan 25, 2021 12:37 PMThe use of pervasive technologies to monitor employees was picking up pace in India, the pandemic accelerated it. The pandemic has changed the way we work either through permanent work from home mandates for those who can work remotely, to heightened social distancing norms for office goers.
The Geopolitics of Cyberspace: A Compendium of CIS Research
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Nov 15, 2021 02:48 PMCyberspace is undoubtedly shaping and disrupting commerce, defence and human relationships all over the world. Opportunities such as improved access to knowledge, connectivity, and innovative business models have been equally met with nefarious risks including cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns, government driven digital repression, and rabid profit-making by ‘Big Tech.’ Governments have scrambled to create and update global rules that can regulate the fair and equitable uses of technology while preserving their own strategic interests.
A Guide to Drafting Privacy Policy under the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019
— by Shweta Reddy — last modified Sep 20, 2021 10:34 AMThe Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, (PDP Bill) which is currently being deliberated by the Joint Parliamentary Committee, is likely to be tabled in the Parliament during the winter session of 2021.
Media Market Risk Ratings: India
— by Torsha Sarkar, Pranav M Bidare, and Gurshabad Grover — last modified Jan 25, 2022 01:29 PMThe Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) are launching a study into the risk of disinformation on digital news platforms in India, creating an index that is intended to serve donors and brands with a neutral assessment of news sites that they can utilise to defund disinformation.
Beyond the PDP Bill: Governance Choices for the DPA
— by Trishi Jindal and S.Vivek — last modified Nov 10, 2021 07:32 AMThis article examines the specific governance choices the Data Protection Authority (DPA) in India must deliberate on vis-à-vis its standard-setting function, which are distinct from those it will encounter as part of its enforcement and supervision functions.
Does Google’s bid to replace third party cookies with FLOCs protect user privacy?
— by Maria Jawed — last modified Jun 18, 2021 10:01 AMIn its efforts to deprecate third-party cookies, Google, in August 2019, has brought an alternative plan with its new Privacy Sandbox platform. This plan promises to preserve anonymity when serving tailored advertising. While unveiling the system, Google explained that even though advertising is necessary to keep the web available to everyone, the web ecosystem is at risk if privacy policies do not keep pace with evolving expectations. But does this new framework help users in any way?
Big Tech’s privacy promise to consumers could be good news — and also bad news
— by Rajat Kathuria and Isha Suri — last modified Jan 18, 2023 11:25 PMRajat Kathuria, Isha Suri write: Its use as a tool for market development must balance consumer protection, innovation, and competition.
UN Questionnaire on Digital Innovation, Technologies and Right to Health
— by Pahlavi and Shweta Mohandas — last modified Nov 21, 2022 04:10 PMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) contributed to the questionnaire put out by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on digital innovation, technologies and the right to health. The responses were authored by Pahlavi and Shweta Mohandas, and edited by Indumathi Manohar.
India Digital Freedom Series: Internet Shutdowns, Censorship and Surveillance
— by Gurshabad Grover — last modified Jan 11, 2021 10:07 AMA series of reports on digital rights and civic space in India, focusing on four areas where restrictive policies threaten fundamental freedoms and impede public participation: internet shutdowns, censorship, platform governance and surveillance.
Would banning Chinese Telecom Companies make 5g secure in India?
— by Aman Nair — last modified Dec 22, 2020 06:04 AMData driven election campaigning and India's proposed data protection framework
— by Shweta Reddy — last modified Mar 12, 2021 06:23 AMThis essay will examine if the proposed data protection framework of India is equipped to deal with the shift towards data driven elections.
Government COVID-19 Responses in the Context of Privacy : Part II
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Dec 09, 2020 04:17 AMThis is the second part in a two part series of posts analysing the privacy implications of the state’s responses to COVID-19.
Comments on Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture
— by Shweta Reddy, Pallavi Bedi, Anubha Sinha, Shweta Mohandas — last modified Dec 09, 2020 06:18 AMCIS has submitted comments to the Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture
Intermediary liability and Safe Harbour: On due diligence and automated filtering
— by Gurshabad Grover — last modified Nov 29, 2020 09:17 PMThis post discusses this ‘due diligence’ obligation in the intermediary liability regime in India, with a focus on its scope and whether it includes the possibility of automated content filtering.
The PDP Bill 2019 Through the Lens of Privacy by Design
— by Saumyaa Naidu, Akash Sheshadri, Shweta Mohandas, and Pranav M Bidare; Edited by Arindrajit Basu, Shweta Reddy; With inputs from Amber Sinha — last modified Nov 13, 2020 07:51 AMThis paper evaluates the PDP Bill based on the Privacy by Design approach. It examines the implications of Bill in terms of the data ecosystem it may lead to, and the visual interface design in digital platforms. This paper focuses on the notice and consent communication suggested by the Bill, and the role and accountability of design in its interpretation.
CIS Comments on Draft ODR Report
— by Aman Nair & Pallavi Bedi — last modified Mar 22, 2021 05:24 AMThe Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Demanding your Data
— by Rekha Jain — last modified Nov 10, 2020 05:44 PMThe increasing digitalization of the economy and ubiquity of the Internet, coupled with developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) has given rise to transformational business models across several sectors.
Reclaiming AI Futures: Call for Contributions and Provocations
— by Divij Joshi — last modified Nov 18, 2020 09:04 AMCIS is pleased to share this call for contributions by Mozilla Fellow Divij Joshi. CIS will be working with Divij to edit, collate, and finalise this publication. This publication will add to Divij’s work as part of the AI observatory. The work is entirely funded by Divij Joshi.
CIS Report on Legal and Policy Implications of Autonomous Weapons Systems
— by Anoushka Soni, Elizabeth Dominic — last modified Mar 22, 2021 05:31 AMInvestigating Encrypted DNS Blocking in India
— by Divyank Katira — last modified Oct 27, 2020 11:21 AMWe find that encrypted DNS protocols are not blocked in India and share our test methodology.
Comments to National Digital Health Mission: Health Data Management Policy
— by Shweta Mohandas, Pallavi Bedi, Shweta Reddy, and Saumyaa Naidu — last modified Oct 05, 2020 03:56 PMCIS has submitted comments to the National Health Data Management Policy. We welcome the opportunity provided to our comments on the Policy and we hope that the final Policy will consider the interests of all the stakeholders to ensure that it protects the privacy of the individual while encouraging a digital health ecosystem.
Mapping Web Censorship & Net Neutrality Violations
— by Pranav M B — last modified Oct 05, 2020 07:59 AMCIS digital policy organisation tracker
— by Centre for Internet & Society — last modified Sep 25, 2020 01:20 PMUpdate: We, at CIS, acknowledge our error and insensitivity in publishing this tracker in its current form. Missing key organisations and movements is a disservice to the list, and an erasure of the contributions of our colleagues to our shared area of work. We also acknowledge grave flaws in our methodology in preparing this list. For all these mistakes, we unreservedly apologise. Based on feedback received from the community, we have taken down this tracker.
Government’s COVID-19 Responses in the Context of Privacy: Part I
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Sep 24, 2020 10:02 AMRecommendations for EU cyber diplomacy
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Sep 19, 2020 01:32 PMWritten statement by Arindrajit Basu delivered at the EU Cyber Direct Civil Society Forum 2020
Regulatory Road for Cryptocurrencies: Comments on the Report of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Virtual Currencies
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Aug 31, 2020 05:33 AMOn 22nd July 2019, the Inter ministerial committee that was constituted to study the issues related to virtual currencies submitted its report. It is important to analyze the various aspects of cryptocurrencies that have been considered to evaluate the Committee’s proposed next steps.
Fundamental Right to Privacy — Three Years of the Puttaswamy Judgment
— by Pranav M B — last modified Aug 24, 2020 07:46 AMComments on NITI AAYOG Working Document: Towards Responsible #AIforAll
— by Shweta Mohandas, Arindrajit Basu and Ambika Tandon — last modified Aug 18, 2020 06:25 AMThe NITI Aayog Working Document on Responsible AI for All released on 21st July 2020 serves as a significant statement of intent from NITI Aayog, acknowledging the need to ensure that any conception of “Responsible AI” must fulfill constitutional responsibilities, incorporated through workable principles. However, as it is a draft document for discussion, it is important to highlight next steps for research and policy levers to build upon this report.
The 5G Factor:A Primer
— by Nikhil Dave — last modified Jul 20, 2020 09:02 PMDespite the seemingly unending challenges, the task of acting against Huawei and China presents even more complex problems, and it seems writing off Huawei from the future of 5G, may be a premature call.
The State of Secure Messaging
— by Divyank Katira — last modified Jul 17, 2020 08:12 AMA look at the protections provided by and threats posed to secure communication online.
Engaging with the Covid-19 Crisis
— by Pranav M B — last modified Jul 15, 2020 09:31 AMIn the last six months, COVID-19 has had a far-reaching impact on the world, including on the digital sphere, how people interact with it, and its mediation of social and economic exchanges. Researchers and practitioners at the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) have responded to this dynamic landscape from different lenses.
A Survey of Covid 19 Apps Launched by State Governments in India
— by Pallavi Bedi, and Amber Sinha — last modified Jul 14, 2020 08:14 AMUse of mobile phones by vulnerable communities: A survey of sex workers and gay men in Karnataka
— by Megha Malnad, Parimala, Nagina, and Tasneem Mewa — last modified Jul 14, 2020 06:32 AMThis report has been authored by Megha Malnad, Parimala, Nagina, and Tasneem Mewa, and edited by Ambika Tandon, Gurshabad Grover and Rajesh Srinivas.
Social Entitlements for the Transgender Community
— by Deepa Krishnappa and Tasneem Mewa — last modified Jul 14, 2020 06:27 AMThis report has been authored by Deepa Krishnappa and Tasneem Mewa, and edited by Ambika Tandon, Gurshabad Grover and Rajesh Srinivas.
Event Report: How Safe is Your Harbour? Discussions on Intermediary Liability and User Rights
— by Anna Liz Thomas, Shubhika Saluja, Kanav Khanna and Dipto Ghosh — last modified Jul 10, 2020 12:50 PMThis report provides an overview of the proceedings and outcomes of the panel discussions on intermediary liability, organised at The Energy Research Institute’s (TERI) in Bangalore, on 20 January 2020.
Investigating TLS blocking in India
— by Simone Basso, Gurshabad Grover and Kushagra Singh — last modified Jul 09, 2020 01:23 AMA study into Transport Layer Security (TLS)-based blocking by three popular Indian ISPs: ACT Fibernet, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio.
Towards Algorithmic Transparency
— by Radhika Radhakrishnan, and Amber Sinha — last modified Jul 15, 2020 01:16 PMThis policy brief examines the issue of transparency as a key ethical component in the development, deployment, and use of Artificial Intelligence.
Response to the ‘Call for Comments’ on The Santa Clara Principles on Transparency and Accountability
— by Torsha Sarkar and Suhan S — last modified Jul 01, 2020 05:56 AMThe Santa Clara Principles on Transparency and Accountability, proposed in 2018, provided a robust framework of transparency reporting for online companies dealing with user-generated content. In 2020, the framework underwent a period of consultation "to determine whether the Santa Clara Principles should be updated for the ever-changing content moderation landscape." In lieu of this, we presented our responses, which are in-line with our previous research and findings on transparency reporting of online companies, especially in context of the Indian digital space.
Remove misinformation, but be transparent please!
— by Torsha Sarkar — last modified Jun 29, 2020 11:46 AMThe Covid-19 pandemic has seen an extensive proliferation of misinformation and misleading information on the internet - which in turn has highlighted a heightened need for online intermediaries to promptly and effectively deploy its content removal mechanisms. This blogpost examines how this necessity may affect the best practices of transparency reporting and obligations of accountability that these online intermediaries owe to their users, and formulates recommendations to allow preservation of information regarding Covid-19 related content removal, for future research.
Donald Trump is attacking the social media giants; here’s what India should do differently
— by Anna Liz Thomas and Gurshabad Grover — last modified Jun 25, 2020 09:07 AMFor a robust and rights-respecting public sphere, India needs to ensure that large social media platforms receive adequate protections, and are made more responsible to its users.
Cryptocurrencies in India get a second wind
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Jun 19, 2020 03:59 PMAn analysis of the Supreme Court judgment cryptocurrency judgment.
Guest Report: Bridging the Concerns with Recommending Aarogya Setu
— by Siddharth Sonkar — last modified Jun 24, 2020 05:19 AMKeywords: Aarogya Setu, Constitutionality, Digital Contact Tracing, Location Data, Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, Exemptions, Personal Data, Sensitive Personal Data, Mosaic Theory, Surveillance, Privacy, Governing Law, Necessity, Intensity of Review, disparate Impact, Proportionality
Geo-economic impacts of the coronavirus: Global Supply Chains (Part I)
— by Nikhil Dave — last modified Jun 16, 2020 08:17 AMThis two part blog post looks at the geo-economic impacts of the coronavirus by examining crucial impacts of developments in China. Part I looks at the impact of China's shutdown on global supply chains and part two, considers the implications for the future of 5G technology.
The debate over internet governance and cyber crimes: West vs the rest?
— by Elizabeth Dominic — last modified Jun 08, 2020 07:04 AMThe post looks at the two models proposed for internet governance and the role of cyber crimes in shaping the debate. In this context, it will also critically analyze the Budapest Convention (the “convention”) and the recently proposed Russian Resolution (the “resolution”), and the strategies adopted in each to deal with the menace of cybercrimes. It will also briefly discuss India’s stances on these issues.
Freedom of Expression in India: Key Research and Findings
— by Torsha Sarkar — last modified Jun 12, 2020 03:19 AMOver the last two years, CIS has carried out critical research on the issue of freedom of expression in India. We have continued our work on intermediary liability, as well as expanded our expertise to emerging areas, like online extreme speech. Researchers have also closely tracked developments around internet shutdowns, and the impact of social media and data on democratic processes in the country.
Essay: Watching Corona or Neighbours? - Introducing ‘Lateral Surveillance’ during COVID-19
— by Mira Swaminathan and Shubhika Saluja — last modified May 22, 2020 06:39 AMSurveillance is already suspected to have become the ‘new normal’ considering the extensive amounts of money that is being invested by governments around the globe. The only way out of this pandemic is to take a humane approach to surveillance wherein the discriminatory tendencies of the people while spreading information about those infected are factored in to prevent excessive harm.
Rumours, Misinformation and Self-Verification of Facts in the Age of COVID-19
— by Mira Swaminathan — last modified Apr 21, 2020 01:09 PMEfforts taken by the government or social media platforms can only be realised if an individual asks herself -- 'what can I do to verify this piece of information'?
Why should we care about takedown timeframes?
— by Torsha Sarkar — last modified Apr 10, 2020 04:58 AMThe issue of content takedown timeframe - the time period an intermediary is allotted to respond to a legal takedown order - has received considerably less attention in conversations about intermediary liability. This article examines the importance of framing an appropriate timeframe towards ensuring that speech online is not over-censored, and frames recommendations towards the same.
After the Lockdown
— by Shyam Ponappa — last modified Apr 09, 2020 10:05 AMIndia’s ‘Self-Goal’ in Telecom
— by Shyam Ponappa — last modified Apr 09, 2020 07:18 AMCIS Comments on 'Pre Draft' of the Report of the UN Open Ended Working Group
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Apr 06, 2020 12:26 PMCIS submitted comments on the 'pre draft' report of the United Nations Open Ended Working Group on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security.
CIS Comments on NODE Consultation Paper
— by Aman Nair, Elonnai Hickok&Arindrajit Basu — last modified Apr 01, 2020 05:22 AMCIS submitted comments in response to MEITY's Consultation Paper on National Open Digital Ecosystems (NODEs) The comments were authored by Aman Nair, Elonnai Hickok and Arindrajit Basu with inputs from Gurshabad Grover.
Announcing In Flux, the CIS Podcast
— by Pranav M B — last modified Mar 11, 2020 09:23 AMIn Flux is a podcast on technology, law, policy, politics and more brought to you by the Centre for Internet and Society, India. Our episodes will explore questions around contemporary issues, and provide multidisciplinary perspectives, centred around research done by CIS. True to its name, In Flux will engage with the quickly changing and dynamic space at the intersection of technology and law. This podcast is one of our many steps to make our research more accessible to both academic and non-academic audiences.
‘Future of Work’ in India’s IT/IT-es Sector
— by Aayush Rathi and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Apr 28, 2020 09:52 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society has recently undertaken research into the impact of Industry 4.0 on work in India. Industry 4.0, for the purposes of the research, is conceptualised as the technical integration of cyber physical systems (CPS) into production and logistics and the use of the ‘internet of things’ (connection between everyday objects) and services in (industrial) processes. By undertaking this research, CIS seeks to complement and contribute to the discourse and debates in India around the impact of Industry 4.0. In furtherance of the same, this report seeks to explore several key themes underpinning the impact of Industry 4.0 specifically in the IT/IT-es sector and broadly on the nature of work itself.
RBI Ban on Cryptocurrencies not backed by any data or statistics
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Mar 05, 2020 06:35 PMIn March 2020, the Supreme Court of India quashed the RBI order passed in 2018 that banned financial services firms from trading in virtual currency or cryptocurrency. Keeping this policy window in mind, the Centre for Internet & Society will be releasing a series of blog posts and policy briefs on cryptocurrency regulation in India
Cryptocurrency Regulation in India – A brief history
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Mar 05, 2020 06:36 PMIn March 2020, the Supreme Court of India quashed the RBI order passed in 2018 that banned financial services firms from trading in virtual currency or cryptocurrency. Keeping this policy window in mind, the Centre for Internet & Society will be releasing a series of blog posts and policy briefs on cryptocurrency regulation in India
A Compilation of Research on the PDP Bill
— by Pranav M B — last modified Mar 05, 2020 08:04 AMThe most recent step in India’s initiative to create an effective and comprehensive Data Protection regime was the call for comments to the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, which closed last month. Leading up to the comments, CIS has published numerous research pieces with the goal of providing a comprehensive overview of how this legislation would place India within the global scheme, and how the local situation has developed, as well as analysing its impacts on citizens’ rights.
Governing ID: Kenya’s Huduma Namba Programme
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 02, 2020 01:19 PMGoverning ID: Use of Digital ID in the Healthcare Sector
— by Shruti Trikanad — last modified Mar 02, 2020 01:21 PMGoverning ID: India’s Unique Identity Programme
— by Vrinda Bhandari — last modified Mar 02, 2020 11:38 AMGoverning ID: Use of Digital ID for Verification
— by Shruti Trikanad — last modified Mar 02, 2020 11:16 AMCounter-comments to Traffic Management Practices (TMPs) and Multi-Stakeholder Body for Net Neutrality
— by Torsha Sarkar and Kanav Khanna — last modified Mar 02, 2020 10:57 AMThis submission presents counter-comments by CIS in response to the consultation paper floated by the TRAI on the topic of ‘Traffic Management Practices (TMPs) and Multi-Stakeholder Body for Net Neutrality’. These counter-comments take stock of the submissions made by commentators on these issue, and also CIS’ previous work on areas of net neutrality.
Governing ID: A Framework for Evaluation of Digital Identity
— by Vrinda Bhandari, Shruti Trikanad, and Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 02, 2020 01:22 PMGoverning ID: Introducing our Evaluation Framework
— by Shruti Trikanad — last modified Mar 02, 2020 08:03 AMComparison of the Personal Data Protection Bill with the General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Protection Act
— by Pallavi Bedi — last modified Feb 21, 2020 01:12 PMDivergence between the General Data Protection Regulation and the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019
— by Pallavi Bedi — last modified Feb 21, 2020 11:08 AMHow the Data Protection Bill Regulates Social Media Platforms
— by Tanaya Rajwade and Gurshabad Grover — last modified Feb 19, 2020 11:53 AMThe Bill gives the Centre the power to designate certain social media intermediaries as significant data fiduciaries.
Law and Politics of Global Governance Course Outline
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Feb 14, 2020 12:06 PMArindrajit Basu taught a course on various prospects and challenges of global governance at NUJS, including the geo-politics of emerging technologies.
Content takedown and users' rights
— by Torsha Sarkar, Gurshabad Grover — last modified Feb 17, 2020 05:18 AMAfter Shreya Singhal v Union of India, commentators have continued to question the constitutionality of the content takedown regime under Section 69A of the IT Act (and the Blocking Rules issued under it). There has also been considerable debate around how the judgement has changed this regime: specifically about (i) whether originators of content are entitled to a hearing, (ii) whether Rule 16 of the Blocking Rules, which mandates confidentiality of content takedown requests received by intermediaries from the Government, continues to be operative, and (iii) the effect of Rule 16 on the rights of the originator and the public to challenge executive action. In this opinion piece, we attempt to answer some of these questions.
Comments to the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019
— by Amber Sinha, Elonnai Hickok, Pallavi Bedi, Shweta Mohandas, Tanaya Rajwade — last modified Feb 21, 2020 10:13 AMThe Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 11, 2019.
Internet shutdowns: Its legal and commercial dimensions in Kashmir
— by Gurshabad Grover — last modified Feb 10, 2020 12:51 PMHow India Censors The Web
— by Gurshabad Grover — last modified Jun 12, 2020 08:12 AMAn empirical study of web censorship in India
Comments to National Security Council on National Cybersecurity Strategy 2020
— by Elonnai Hickok and Arindrajit Basu — last modified Jan 13, 2020 09:18 AMCIS submitted brief comments to the National Security Council on the National Cybersecurity Strategy within the 5000 character limit provided. CIS will continue producing outputs building on these ideas.
Automated Facial Recognition Systems and the Mosaic Theory of Privacy: The Way Forward
— by Arindrajit Basu, Siddharth Sonkar — last modified Jan 02, 2020 02:12 PMArindrajit Basu and Siddharth Sonkar have co-written this blog as the third of their three-part blog series on AI Policy Exchange under the parent title: Is there a Reasonable Expectation of Privacy from Data Aggregation by Automated Facial Recognition Systems?
Automated Facial Recognition Systems (AFRS): Responding to Related Privacy Concerns
— by Arindrajit Basu, Siddharth Sonkar — last modified Jan 02, 2020 02:09 PMArindrajit Basu and Siddharth Sonkar have co-written this blog as the second of their three-part blog series on AI Policy Exchange under the parent title: Is there a Reasonable Expectation of Privacy from Data Aggregation by Automated Facial Recognition Systems?
Decrypting Automated Facial Recognition Systems (AFRS) and Delineating Related Privacy Concerns
— by Arindrajit Basu, Siddharth Sonkar — last modified Jan 02, 2020 02:01 PMArindrajit Basu and Siddharth Sonkar have co-written this blog as the first of their three-part blog series on AI Policy Exchange under the parent title: Is there a Reasonable Expectation of Privacy from Data Aggregation by Automated Facial Recognition Systems?
Pegasus snoopgate, an opportune moment to revisit legal framework governing state surveillance framework
— by Gurshabad Grover and Tanaya Rajwade — last modified Jul 09, 2020 01:30 AMRevelations of hacking call for a relook at India’s surveillance regime
Extra-Territorial Surveillance and the Incapacitation of Human Rights
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Jan 02, 2020 11:02 AMThis paper was published in Volume 12 (2) of the NUJS Law Review.
ICANN takes one step forward in its human rights and accountability commitments
— by Akriti Bopanna and Ephraim Percy Kenyanito — last modified Dec 19, 2019 11:35 AMAkriti Bopanna and Ephraim Percy Kenyanito take a look at ICANN's Implementation Assessment Report for the Workstream 2 recommendations and break down the key human rights considerations in it. Akriti chairs the Cross Community Working Party on Human Rights at ICANN and Ephraim works on Human Rights and Business for Article 19, leading their ICANN engagement.
Call for Comments: Model Security Standards for the Indian Fintech Industry
— by Pranav M B — last modified Dec 16, 2019 01:16 PMIn Twitter India’s Arbitrary Suspensions, a Question of What Constitutes a Public Space
— by Torsha Sarkar — last modified Dec 12, 2019 04:54 PMA discussion is underway about the way social media platforms may have to operate within the tenets of constitutional protections of free speech.
RTI Application to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on content code violations by radio stations
— by Torsha Sarkar — last modified Dec 11, 2019 12:58 PMA Deep Dive into Content Takedown Timeframes
— by Torsha Sarkar — last modified Jun 26, 2020 11:59 AMSince the 1990s, internet usage has seen a massive growth, facilitated in part, by growing importance of intermediaries, that act as gateways to the internet. Intermediaries such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs), web-hosting providers, social-media platforms and search engines provide key services which propel social, economic and political development. However, these developments are also offset by instances of users engaging with the platforms in an unlawful manner. The scale and openness of the internet makes regulating such behaviour challenging, and in turn pose several interrelated policy questions.
Project on Gender, Health Communications and Online Activism with City University
— by Ambika Tandon — last modified Dec 02, 2019 09:38 AMCIS is a partner on the project 'Gender, Health Communications and Online Activism in the Digital Age'. The project is lead by Dr. Carolina Matos, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Media in the Department of Sociology at City University.
Blockchain: A primer for India
— by Anusha Madhusudhan — last modified Mar 30, 2020 01:32 PMThis report is presently being updated.
Draft Security Standards for The Financial Technology Sector in India
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Nov 18, 2019 09:51 AMInformation security standards provide a framework for the secure development, implementation and maintenance of information systems and technology architecture. This document includes draft information security standards, which seek to ensure that not only the data of users is dealt with in a secure and safe manner but also that the smaller businesses in the fintech industry have a specific standard to look at in order to limit their liabilities for any future breaches.
Introducing the Cybersecurity Visuals Media Handbook
— by Saumyaa Naidu and Arindrajit Basu — last modified Dec 06, 2019 09:29 AMThe need for intervention in the cybersecurity imagery in media publications was realised during a brainstorming workshop that was conducted by CIS with illustrators, designers, and cybersecurity researchers.
Guest post: Before cyber norms, let’s talk about disanalogy and disintermediation
— by Pukhraj Singh — last modified Nov 18, 2019 10:14 AMIn a guest post in relation to CIS’s recently held roundtable onIndia’s cyber defense strategy, Pukhraj Singh looks at the critical fissures – at the technical and policy levels – in global normative efforts to secure cyberspace. By charting out the key vectors and power asymmetries among key stakeholders – both leading state actors and private actors like Microsoft – Singh posits that there is much to be done before we circumscribe cyber operations within legal strictures.
India’s Role in Global Cyber Policy Formulation
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Nov 13, 2019 02:13 PMThe past year has seen vigorous activity on the domestic cyber policy front in India. On key issues—including intermediary liability, data localization and e-commerce—the government has rolled out a patchwork of regulatory policies, resulting in battle lines being drawn by governments, industry and civil society actors both in India and across the globe.
Event Report: Consultation on Draft Information Technology (Fintech Security Standards) Rules
— by Anindya Kanan — last modified Nov 12, 2019 06:38 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society is in the process of drafting certain data security standards for Fintech entities. As part of the process of drafting, a consultation roundtable was organized to get inputs from industry executives, lawyers and policy experts working in this field.
Reliance Jio is using SNI inspection to block websites
— by Gurshabad Grover and Kushagra Singh — last modified Jul 09, 2020 01:31 AMReliance Jio, the most popular ISP in India, is employing a deep packet inspection technique to block websites for its users.
CIS’ Comments to the Christchurch Call
— by Tanaya Rajwade, Elonnai Hickok, and Raouf Kundil Peedikayil — last modified Nov 04, 2019 02:13 PMIn the wake of the Christchurch terror attacks, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron co-chaired the Christchurch Call to Action in May 2018 to “bring together countries and tech companies in an attempt to bring to an end the ability to use social media to organise and promote terrorism and violent extremism.”
Through the looking glass: Analysing transparency reports
— by Torsha Sarkar, Suhan S and Gurshabad Grover — last modified Nov 02, 2019 05:48 AMAn analysis of companies' transparency reports for government requests for user data and content removal
Department of Labour Interaction Program: Online Business Platforms
— by Bharath Gururagavendran — last modified Oct 29, 2019 06:05 AMThe Department of Labour convened an interaction program of sorts at Vikas Soudha in Bangalore on 21st October, 2019 to hear the issues plaguing the emergent gig economy.
Comments to the Code on Social Security, 2019
— by Aayush Rathi , Amruta Mahuli and Ambika Tandon — last modified Oct 27, 2019 03:57 AMThis submission presents a response by researchers at the Centre for Internet & Society, India (CIS) to the draft Code on Social Security, 2019 (hereinafter “ Draft Code ”) prepared by the Government of India’s Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Comments to the United Nations Human Rights Commission Report on Gender and Privacy
— by Aayush Rathi, Ambika Tandon and Pallavi Bedi — last modified Dec 30, 2019 05:40 PMThis submission to UNHRC presents a response by researchers at the CIS to ‘gender issues arising in the digital era and their impacts on women, men and individuals of diverse sexual orientations gender identities, gender expressions and sex characteristics’. It was prepared by Aayush Rathi, Ambika Tandon, and Pallavi Bedi in response to a report of consultation by a thematic taskforce established by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy on ‘Privacy and Personality’ (hereafter, HRC Gender Report).
“Politics by other means”: Fostering positive contestation and charting ‘red lines’ through global governance in cyberspace
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Oct 21, 2019 03:40 PMThe past year has been a busy one for the fermentation of global governance efforts in cyberspace with multiple actors-states, industry, and civil society spearheading a variety of initiatives. Given the multiplicity of actors, ideologies, and vested interests at play in this ecosystem, any governance initiative will be, by default, political, and desirably so.
The Mother and Child Tracking System - understanding data trail in the Indian healthcare systems
— by Ambika Tandon — last modified Dec 30, 2019 05:18 PMReproductive health programmes in India have been digitising extensive data about pregnant women for over a decade, as part of multiple health information systems. These can be seen as precursors to current conceptions of big data systems within health informatics. In this article, published by Privacy International, Ambika Tandon presents some findings from a recently concluded case study of the MCTS as an example of public data-driven initiatives in reproductive health in India.
Farming the Future: Deployment of Artificial Intelligence in the agricultural sector in India
— by Elonnai Hickok, Arindrajit Basu, Siddharth Sonkar and Pranav M B — last modified Oct 16, 2019 01:41 PMThis case study was published as a chapter in the joint UNESCAP-Google publication titled Artificial Intelligence in Public Service Delivery. The chapter in its final form would not have been possible without the efforts and very useful interventions by our colleagues at Digital Asia Hub,Google, and UNESCAP.
We need a better AI vision
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Oct 14, 2019 01:55 PMArtificial intelligence conjures up a wondrous world of autonomous processes but dystopia is inevitable unless rights and privacy are protected.
AI for Good
— by Shweta Mohandas and Saumyaa Naidu — last modified Oct 13, 2019 05:32 AMCIS organised a workshop titled ‘AI for Good’ at the Unbox Festival in Bangalore from 15th to 17th February, 2019. The workshop was led by Shweta Mohandas and Saumyaa Naidu. In the hour long workshop, the participants were asked to imagine an AI based product to bring forward the idea of ‘AI for social good’.
Designing a Human Rights Impact Assessment for ICANN’s Policy Development Processes
— by Collin Kure, Akriti Bopanna and Austin Ruckstuhl — last modified Oct 03, 2019 02:43 PMAs co-chairs of Cross Community Working Party on Human Rights (CCWP-HR) at International Corporation of Names and Numbers (ICANN), Akriti Bopanna and Collin Kurre executed a Human Rights Impact Assessment for ICANN's processes. It was the first time such an experiment was conducted, and unique because of being a multi-stakeholder attempt.
AI: Full Spectrum Regulatory Challenge Launch Workshop [Reference Files]
— by Pranav M B — last modified Aug 04, 2020 06:08 AMThese are the files released at the AI Full Spectrum Regulatory Challenge Launch Event, organised by CIS, and CCG-NLUD on September 27 2019. At the event, Sunil Abraham discussed the draft policy brief linked below, which is an output of the Regulatory Practices Lab at CIS.
Artificial Intelligence: a Full-Spectrum Regulatory Challenge [Working Draft]
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Aug 04, 2020 06:10 AMSetting International Norms of Cyber Conflict is Hard, But that Doesn't Mean that We Should Stop Trying
— by Arindrajit Basu and Karan Saini — last modified Oct 14, 2019 03:04 PMLast month, cyber-defense analyst and geostrategist Pukhraj Singh penned a stinging epitaph, published by MWI, for global norms-formulation processes that are attempting to foster cyber stability and regulate cyber conflict—specifically, the Tallinn Manual.
Comparison of the Manila Principles to Draft of The Information Technology [Intermediary Guidelines(Amendment) Rules], 2018
— by Akriti Bopanna and Gayatri Puthran — last modified Jun 01, 2020 07:48 AMThis paper looks at the Manila Principles intermediary liability framework in comparison to the amended draft Information Technology [Intermediaries Guidelines (Amendment)] Rules, 2018 introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in December, 2018.
Examining the Constitutionality of the Ban on Broadcast of News by Private FM and Community Radio Stations
— by Gurshabad Grover, Torsha Sarkar, Rajashri Seal and Neil Trivedi — last modified Sep 27, 2019 04:36 PMGurshabad Grover and Torsha Sarkar along with Rajashri Seal and Neil Trivedi co-authored a paper that examined the constitutionality of the government prohibition on the broadcast of news against private and community FM channels.
Capturing Gender and Class Inequities: The CCTVisation of Delhi
— by Aayush Rathi and Ambika Tandon — last modified Sep 27, 2019 03:24 PMAmbika Tandon and Aayush Rathi generated empirical evidence about the CCTV programme well underway in Delhi. The case study was published by Centre for Development Informatics, Global Development Institute, SEED, in the Development Informatics working paper series housed at the University of Manchester.
Core Concepts and Processes
— by Shruti Trikanand and Amber Sinha — last modified Oct 17, 2019 04:06 PMWhen we embarked on this research project, we began with the primary questions of what constitutes a digital identity system. In the last few years, with the rise in national digital identity projects, there has been significant academic and media attention to the idea, benefits and risks of a digital identity system.
Submission to Global Commission on Stability of Cyberspace on the definition of Cyber Stability
— by Arindrajit Basu and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Sep 11, 2019 02:52 PM"The Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace released a public consultation process that sought to solicit comments and obtain feedback on the definition of “Stability of Cyberspace”, as developed by the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC).
Doing Standpoint Theory
— by Ambika Tandon and Aayush Rathi — last modified Sep 19, 2019 02:22 PMFeminist research methodology has evolved from different epistemologies, with several different schools of thought. Some of the more popular ones are feminist standpoint theory, feminist empiricism, and feminist relativism.
Future of Work in the ASEAN
— by Aayush Rathi — last modified Mar 05, 2020 07:22 PMA literature review of the future of work in automotive manufacturing and IT services in the ASEAN region, authored by Aayush Rathi, Vedika Pareek, Divij Joshi, and Pranav M B.
Kashmir’s information vacuum
— by Aayush Rathi and Akriti Bopanna — last modified Sep 02, 2019 04:34 AMLegislative backing is being appropriated to normalise communication shutdowns.
Linking Aadhaar with social media or ending encryption is counterproductive
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Aug 28, 2019 01:39 AMShould Aadhaar be used as KYC for social media accounts? We have recently seen a debate on this question with even the courts hearing arguments in favour and against such a move.
A judicial overreach into matters of regulation
— by Gurshabad Grover — last modified Aug 28, 2019 01:28 AMA PIL on Aadhaar sheds light on some problematic trends
Rethinking the intermediary liability regime in India
— by Torsha Sarkar — last modified Aug 16, 2019 01:49 AMThe article consolidates some of our broad thematic concerns with the draft amendments to the intermediary liability rules, published by MeitY last December.
Design and Uses of Digital Identities - Research Plan
— by Amber Sinha and Pooja Saxena — last modified Aug 17, 2019 07:58 AMIn our research project about uses and design of digital identity systems, we ask two core questions: a) What are appropriate uses of ID?, and b) How should we think about the technological design of ID? Towards the first research question, we have worked on first principles and will further develop definitions, legal tests and applications of these principles. Towards the second research question, we have first identified a set of existing and planned digital identity systems that represent a paradigm of how such a system can be envisioned and implemented, and will look to identify key design choices which are causing divergence in paradigm.
Holding ID Issuers Accountable, What Works?
— by Shruti Trikanad and Amber Sinha — last modified Aug 08, 2019 10:23 AMThe Appropriate Use of Digital Identity
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Aug 08, 2019 10:24 AMComments to the ID4D Practitioners’ Guide
— by Yesha Tshering Paul, Prakriti Singh, and Amber Sinha — last modified Aug 08, 2019 10:25 AMPrivate Sector and the cultivation of cyber norms in India
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Aug 07, 2019 03:18 PMInformation Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become a regular facet of modern existence. The growth of cyberspace has challenged traditional notions of global order and uprooted the notion of governance itself. All over the world, the private sector has become a critical player, both in framing cyber regulations and in implementing them.
Comments on the National Digital Health Blueprint
— by Samyukta Prabhu, Ambika Tandon, Torsha Sarkar and Aayush Rathi — last modified Aug 07, 2019 01:24 PMThe Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had released the National Digital Health Blueprint on 15 July 2019 for comments. The Centre for Internet & Society submitted its comments.
Event Report: Community Discussion on Open Standards
— by Karan Saini, Prem Sylvester and Anishka Vaishnav — last modified Aug 02, 2019 06:51 AMThis community discussion organised by HasGeek was held at the office of the Centre for Internet and Society in Bangalore, India on June 20, 2019.
In India, Privacy Policies of Fintech Companies Pay Lip Service to User Rights
— by Shweta Mohandas — last modified Jul 31, 2019 02:21 AMA study of the privacy policies of 48 fintech companies that operate in India shows that none comply with even the basic requirements of the IT Rules, 2011.
The Digital Identification Parade
— by Aayush Rathi and Ambika Tandon — last modified Jul 30, 2019 12:19 AMNCRB’s proposed Automated Facial Recognition System impinges on right to privacy, is likely to target certain groups.
India is falling down the facial recognition rabbit hole
— by Prem Sylvester and Karan Saini — last modified Jul 25, 2019 01:40 PMIts use as an effective law enforcement tool is overstated, while the underlying technology is deeply flawed.
What is the problem with ‘Ethical AI’? An Indian Perspective
— by Arindrajit Basu and Pranav M.B. — last modified Jul 21, 2019 02:57 PMOn 22 May 2019, the OECD member countries adopted the OECD Council Recommendation on Artificial Intelligence. The Principles, meant to provide an “ethical framework” for governing Artificial Intelligence (AI), were the first set of guidelines signed by multiple governments, including non-OECD members: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, and Romania.
Old Isn't Always Gold: FaceApp and Its Privacy Policies
— by Mira Swaminathan and Shweta Reddy — last modified Aug 09, 2019 10:12 AMLeaving aside the Red Scare for a moment, FaceApp's own rebuttal of privacy worries are highly problematic in nature.
DIDP #34 On granular detail on ICANN's budget for policy development process
— by Akriti Bopanna — last modified Jul 06, 2019 01:23 AMICANN has Advisory Committees which help guide the policy recommendations that the ICANN community develops while its Supporting Organizations are charged with developing policy recommendations for a particular aspect of ICANN's operations. Supporting Organizations are composed of volunteers from the community. ICANN publishes a combined budget for all these bodies under the head of policy development and CIS inquired about the financial resources allocated to each of them specifically.
The Impact of Consolidation in the Internet Economy on the Evolution of the Internet
— by Akriti Bopanna and Gurshabad Grover — last modified Jul 03, 2019 12:53 PMThe Centre for Internet and Society in partnership with the Internet Society organized an event on the impact of consolidation in the Internet economy. It was divided into two roundtable discussions, the first one focusing on the policies and regulation while the latter dealt with the technical evolution of the Internet. This report contributed to the Internet Society’s 2019 Global Internet Report on Consolidation in the Internet Economy.
Picking ‘Wholes’ - Thinking in Systems Workshop
— by Saumyaa Naidu — last modified Jun 05, 2019 02:35 PMA System's Thinking masterclass was conducted by Dinesh Korjan on 27th and 28th May in the CIS Delhi office.
Announcement of a Three-Region Research Alliance on the Appropriate Use of Digital Identity
— by Amber Sinha — last modified May 13, 2019 09:06 AMOmidyar Network has recently announced its decision to invest in establishment of a three-region research alliance — to be co-led by the Institute for Technology & Society (ITS), Brazil, the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT) , Kenya, and the CIS, India — on the Appropriate Use of Digital Identity. As part of this Alliance, we at the CIS will look at the policy objectives of digital identity projects, how technological policy choices can be thought through to meet the objectives, and how legitimate uses of a digital identity framework may be evaluated.
Workshop on Feminist Information Infrastructure
— by Ambika Tandon — last modified Jul 09, 2019 03:35 PMThe Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) organised a workshop on feminist infrastructure in collaboration with Blank Noise and Sangama, on 29th October, 2018. The purpose of the workshop was to disseminate the findings from a two-month long project being undertaken by researchers at Blank Noise and Sangama, with research support and training from CIS.
RTI Application to BSNL for the list of websites blocked in India
— by Gurshabad Grover — last modified May 09, 2019 09:43 AMA Right to Information (RTI) request to a public company operating as an ISP for the list of websites and URLs blocked in India, and copies of such blocking orders issued by the Government of India.
Will the WTO Finally Tackle the ‘Trump’ Card of National Security?
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified May 08, 2019 02:22 PMThe election of Donald Trump has marked a foundational challenge to the rules-based international order based on “free and fair trade”.
An Analysis of the RBI’s Draft Framework on Regulatory Sandbox for Fintech
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified May 08, 2019 01:57 PMThe term Fintech is generally used to describe innovative technology and technological processes being used in the financial services sector.
Why the TikTok ban is worrying
— by Gurshabad Grover — last modified May 05, 2019 10:11 AMRather than critically examining the infringement of liberties by the political executive, the Indian courts are becoming an additional threat to the right to freedom of expression, which we must be increasingly wary of.
How privacy fares in the 2019 election manifestos | Opinion
— by Aayush Rathi and Ambika Tandon — last modified May 02, 2019 01:49 AMWe now have a rights-based language around privacy in the mainstream political discourse but that’s where it ends.
FinTech in India: A Study of Privacy and Security Commitments
— by Aayush Rathi and Shweta Mohandas — last modified May 02, 2019 11:20 AMThe unprecedented growth of the fintech space in India has concomitantly come with regulatory challenges around inter alia privacy and security concerns. This report studies the privacy policies of 48 fintech companies operating in India to better understand some of these concerns.
International Cooperation in Cybercrime: The Budapest Convention
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Apr 29, 2019 10:35 PMIn today’s increasingly digitized world where an increasing volume of information is being stored in the digital format, access to data generated by digital technologies and on digital platforms is important in solving crimes online and offline.
CIS Response to ICANN's proposed renewal of .org Registry
— by Akriti Bopanna — last modified Apr 28, 2019 02:16 AMWe thank ICANN for the opportunity to comment on this issue of its proposed renewal of the .org Registry Agreement with the operator, Public Interest Registry (PIR). Supporting much of the community , we too find severe issues with the proposed agreement. These centre around the removal of price caps and imposing obligations being currently deliberated in an ongoing Policy Development Process (PDP).
To preserve freedoms online, amend the IT Act
— by Gurshabad Grover — last modified Apr 16, 2019 10:09 AMLook into the mechanisms that allow the government and ISPs to carry out online censorship without accountability.
CIS Response to Call for Stakeholder Comments: Draft E-Commerce Policy
— by Arindrajit Basu, Vipul Kharbanda, Elonnai Hickok and Amber Sinha — last modified Apr 10, 2019 12:12 PMCIS is grateful for the opportunity to submit to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion comments to the draft National e-commerce policy.
DIDP #33 On ICANN's 2012 gTLD round auction fund
— by Akriti Bopanna — last modified Jul 09, 2019 03:51 PMThis DIDP was filed to inquire about the state of the funds ICANN received from the last gTLD auctions.
CIS Response to Draft E-Commerce Policy
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Apr 26, 2019 06:40 AMCIS is grateful for the opportunity to submit comments to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion on the draft national e-commerce policy. This response was authored by Amber Sinha, Arindrajit Basu, Elonnai Hickok and Vipul Kharbanda.
Improving the Processes for Disclosing Security Vulnerabilities to Government Entities in India
— by Karan Saini, Pranesh Prakash and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Apr 01, 2019 12:02 PMThe aim of this policy brief is to recommend changes pertaining to current legislation, policy and practice to the Government of India regarding external vulnerability reporting and disclosure. The changes we recommend within this brief aim to strengthen the processes around voluntary vulnerability and bug disclosure by third parties.
The Localisation Gambit: Unpacking policy moves for the sovereign control of data in India
— by Arindrajit Basu, Elonnai Hickok and Aditya Singh Chawla — last modified May 21, 2019 03:24 PMEdited by: Pranav M.B., Vipul Kharbanda and Amber Sinha Research Assistance: Anjanaa Aravindan
Comments on the Draft Second Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention)
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Feb 25, 2019 04:48 PMFollowing consultations with data protection, civil society, industry and others, during the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) meeting from 29 November 2018 onwards, the Cybercrime Convention Committee has sought additional contributions regarding the provisional draft text for a Second Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime (“Budapest Convention”).
Resurrecting the marketplace of ideas
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Feb 22, 2019 02:18 AMThere is no ‘silver bullet’ for regulating content on the web. It requires a mix of legal and empirical analysis.
CIS Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Speech and Expression: Surveillance Industry and Human Rights
— by Elonnai Hickok, Arindrajit Basu, Gurshabad Grover, Akriti Bopanna, Shweta Mohandas, Martyna Kalvaityte — last modified Feb 20, 2019 10:48 AMCIS responded to the call for submissions from the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Speech and Expression. The submission was on the Surveillance Industry and Human Rights.
Unbox Festival 2019: CIS organizes two Workshops
— by Saumyaa Naidu — last modified Feb 26, 2019 01:53 AMCentre for Internet & Society organized two workshops at the Unbox Festival 2019, in Bangalore, on 15 and 17 February 2019.
Data Infrastructures and Inequities: Why Does Reproductive Health Surveillance in India Need Our Urgent Attention?
— by Aayush Rathi and Ambika Tandon — last modified Dec 30, 2019 04:44 PMIn order to bring out certain conceptual and procedural problems with health monitoring in the Indian context, this article by Aayush Rathi and Ambika Tandon posits health monitoring as surveillance and not merely as a “data problem.” Casting a critical feminist lens, the historicity of surveillance practices unveils the gendered power differentials wedded into taken-for-granted “benign” monitoring processes. The unpacking of the Mother and Child Tracking System and the National Health Stack reveals the neo-liberal aspirations of the Indian state.
Intermediary liability law needs updating
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Feb 13, 2019 12:05 AMThe time has come for India to exert its foreign policy muscle. There is a less charitable name for intermediary liability regimes like Sec 79 of the IT Act — private censorship regimes.
CIS Comment on ICANN's Draft FY20 Operating Plan and Budget
— by Akriti Bopanna — last modified Feb 12, 2019 11:44 PMAt the Centre for Internet and Society, we are grateful for the opportunity to provide our comments on the proposed draft of ICANN’s FY20 Operating Plan and Budget along with their Five-Year Operating Plan Update. As part of the public comment process, ICANN provided a list of documents which can be found here that included their highlights of the budget, the total draft budget for FY20, an operating plan segregated by portfolios, amongst others.
The Future of Work in the Automotive Sector in India
— by Harsh Bajpai, Ambika Tandon, and Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 18, 2020 09:00 AMThis report empirically studies the future of work in the automotive sector in India. The report has been authored by Harsh Bajpai, Ambika Tandon and Amber Sinha. Rakhi Sehgal and Aayush Rathi have edited the report.
Response to the Draft of The Information Technology [Intermediary Guidelines (Amendment) Rules] 2018
— by Gurshabad Grover, Elonnai Hickok, Arindrajit Basu, Akriti — last modified Feb 07, 2019 08:06 AMIn this response, we aim to examine whether the draft rules meet tests of constitutionality and whether they are consistent with the parent Act. We also examine potential harms that may arise from the Rules as they are currently framed and make recommendations to the draft rules that we hope will help the Government meet its objectives while remaining situated within the constitutional ambit.
CIS Submission to UN High Level Panel on Digital Cooperation
— by Aayush Rathi, Ambika Tandon, Arindrajit Basu and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Feb 07, 2019 07:26 AMThe UN high-level panel on Digital Cooperation issued a call for inputs that called for responses to various questions. CIS responded to the call for inputs.
CIS Submission to UN High Level Panel on Digital Co-operation
— by Aayush Rathi, Ambika Tandon, Arindrajit Basu and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Feb 19, 2019 01:41 AMThe High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation was convened by the UN Secretary-General to advance proposals to strengthen cooperation in the digital space among Governments, the private sector, civil society, international organizations, academia, the technical community and other relevant stakeholders. The Panel issued a call for input that called for responses to various questions. CIS responded to the call for inputs.
India should reconsider its proposed regulation of online content
— by Gurshabad Grover — last modified Jan 24, 2019 04:59 PMThe lack of technical considerations in the proposal is also apparent since implementing the proposal is infeasible for certain intermediaries. End-to-end encrypted messaging services cannot “identify” unlawful content since they cannot decrypt it. Presumably, the government’s intention is not to disallow end-to-end encryption so that intermediaries can monitor content.
Response to GCSC on Request for Consultation: Norm Package Singapore
— by Arindrajit Basu, Gurshabad Grover and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jan 27, 2019 03:43 PMThe GCSC opened a public comment procedure to solicit comments and obtain additional feedback. CIS responded to the public call-offering comments on all six norms and proposing two further norms.
The DNA Bill has a sequence of problems that need to be resolved
— by Shweta Mohandas and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jan 15, 2019 02:36 AMIn its current form, it’s far from comprehensive and fails to adequately address privacy and security concerns.
How to make EVMs hack-proof, and elections more trustworthy
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jan 14, 2019 03:34 PMFree and fair elections are the expression of democratic emancipation. India has always led by example: the Nehru Committee sought universal adult franchise in 1928, at a time when France didnât let women vote, and laws in the USA allowed disqualification of poor, illiterate, and African-American voters. But how reliable are our voting systems, particularly in terms of security?
Response to TRAI Consultation Paper on Regulatory Framework for Over-The-Top (OTT) Communication Services
— by Gurshabad Grover — last modified Jan 11, 2019 04:01 PMThis submission presents a response to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s Consultation Paper on Regulatory Framework for Over-The-Top (OTT) Communication Services.
Registering for Aadhaar in 2019
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Jan 03, 2019 02:59 PMIt is a lot less scary registering for Aadhaar in 2019 than it was in 2010, given how the authentication modalities have since evolved.
Economics of Cybersecurity: Literature Review Compendium
— by Natallia Khaniejo — last modified May 01, 2021 06:09 AMThe twenty first century has witnessed an unprecedented conflation of everyday experiences and technosocial practices. The emergence of technologies like the Internet of Things, Cloud Computing, Digital Payment infrastructures are all emblematic of this conflation of technology with economic, social and political modes of existence.
Is the new ‘interception’ order old wine in a new bottle?
— by Elonnai Hickok, Vipul Kharbanda, Shweta Mohandas and Pranav M. Bidare — last modified Dec 29, 2018 04:02 PMThe government could always authorise intelligence agencies to intercept and monitor communications, but the lack of clarity is problematic.
Private-public partnership for cyber security
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Dec 26, 2018 03:02 PMGiven the decentralised nature of cyberspace, the private sector will have to play a vital role in enforcing rules for security.
Mapping cybersecurity in India: An infographic
— by Arindrajit Basu, Karan Saini, Aayush Rathi and Swaraj Barooah — last modified Dec 23, 2018 04:57 PMThis infographic maps the key stakeholder, areas of focus and threat vectors that impact cybersecurity policy in India. Broadly, policy-makers should concentrate on establishing a framework where individuals feel secure and trust the growing digital ecosystem. The infographic therefore serves as a ready reference point for the research that we have done and hope to continue through our cybersecurity work at CIS.
European E-Evidence Proposal and Indian Law
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Dec 23, 2018 04:45 PMIn April of 2018, the European Union issued the proposal for a new regime dealing with cross border sharing of data and information by issuing two draft instruments, an E-evidence Regulation (“Regulation”) and an E-evidence Directive (“Directive”), (together the “E-evidence Proposal”). The Regulation is a direction to states to put in place the proper legislative and regulatory machinery for the implementation of this regime while the Directive requires the states to enact laws governing service providers so that they would comply with the proposed regime.
Feminist Methodology in Technology Research: A Literature Review
— by Ambika Tandon — last modified Dec 25, 2018 03:18 PMThis literature review has been authored by Ambika Tandon, with contributions from Mukta Joshi. Research assistance was provided by Kumarjeet Ray and Navya Sharma. The publication has been designed by Saumyaa Naidu.
Event Report on Intermediary Liability and Gender Based Violence
— by Akriti Bopanna — last modified Dec 21, 2018 07:16 AMThis report is a summary of the proceedings of the Roundtable Conference organized by the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) at the Digital Citizen Summit, an annual summit organized by the Digital Empowerment Foundation. It was conducted at the India International Centre in New Delhi on November 1, 2018 from 11.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
A Gendered Future of Work
— by Ambika Tandon and Aayush Rathi — last modified Jul 21, 2020 06:29 AMThis paper aims to contextualise the narrative around digitalisation and automation with reference to women's labour in India. The paper has been authored by Ambika Tandon and Aayush Rathi, edited by Elonnai Hickok and Rakhi Sehgal. Research assistance has been provided by Divya Kushwaha.
A Critical Look at the Visual Representation of Cybersecurity
— by Paromita Bathija, Padmini Ray Murray, and Saumyaa Naidu — last modified Aug 21, 2019 08:00 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society and design collective Design Beku came together on the 15th of November for a workshop on Illustrations and Visual Representations of Cybersecurity. Images in the public sphere such as visuals in the media, Wikipedia commons, and stock images - play a vital role in the public’s perception of cybercrime and cybersecurity.
Cyberspace and External Affairs:A Memorandum for India Summary
— by Arindrajit Basu and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Dec 01, 2018 04:10 AMThis memorandum seeks to summarise the state of the global debate in cyberspace; outline how India can craft it’s global strategic vision and finally, provides a set of recommendations for the MEA as they craft their cyber diplomacy strategy.
Regulating the Internet: The Government of India & Standards Development at the IETF
— by Aayush Rathi, Gurshabad Grover and Sunil Abraham — last modified Jan 22, 2019 07:29 AMThe institution of open standards has been described as a formidable regulatory regime governing the Internet. Given the regulatory and domestic policy implications that technical standards can have, there is a need for Indian governmental agencies to focus adequate resources geared towards achieving favourable outcomes at standards development fora.
ICANN Workstream 2 Recommendations on Accountability
— by Akriti Bopanna — last modified Nov 23, 2018 02:56 PMOne of the most significant initiatives to improve the accountability of the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) commenced in 2014, when the Cross Community Working Group on Accountability was created. Its role was to develop a set of proposed enhancements to ICANN’s accountability to the global Internet community. This resulted in the first Work Stream (WS1) recommendations, which were eventually approved and incorporated into the bylaws of ICANN in 2016. These included a provision expressing the need for a second WS since the first one, done on a tight deadline,did not cover all the requisite issues. Instead WS1 only focused on issues that were needed to complete the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority(IANA) transition.
Budapest Convention and the Information Technology Act
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Nov 20, 2018 04:18 PMThe Convention on Cybercrime adopted in Budapest (“Convention”) is the fist and one of the most important multilateral treaties addressing the issue of internet and computer crimes.
DIDP #32 On ICANN's Fellowship Program
— by Akriti Bopanna — last modified Nov 12, 2018 03:58 PMIn furtherance of its capacity building functions, ICANN selects Fellows for every public meeting. These are individuals from underserved and underrepresented communities who are trained to become active participants in the ICANN community.
Clarification on the Information Security Practices of Aadhaar Report
— by Amber Sinha and Srinivas Kodali — last modified Nov 05, 2018 12:08 PMWe are issuing a second clarificatory statement on our report titled “Information Security Practices of Aadhaar (or lack thereof): A documentation of public availability of Aadhaar numbers with sensitive personal financial information” published on May 1, 2017.
Lessons from US response to cyber attacks
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Nov 01, 2018 05:53 AMPublicly attributing the attacks to a state or non-state actor is vital for building a credible cyber deterrence strategy.
Conceptualizing an International Security Regime for Cyberspace
— by Elonnai Hickok and Arindrajit Basu — last modified Oct 26, 2018 03:09 PMThis paper was published as part of the Briefings from the Research and Advisory Group (RAG) of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC) for the Full Commission Meeting held at Bratislava in 2018.
Discrimination in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Oct 26, 2018 02:47 PMThe dawn of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been celebrated by both government and industry across the globe. AI offers the potential to augment many existing bureaucratic processes and improve human capacity, if implemented in accordance with principles of the rule of law and international human rights norms. Unfortunately, AI-powered solutions have often been implemented in ways that have resulted in the automation, rather than mitigation, of existing societal inequalities.
377 Bites the Dust: Unpacking the long and winding road to the judicial decriminalization of homosexuality in India
— by Agnidipto Tarafder and Arindrajit Basu — last modified Oct 18, 2018 12:39 AMAn informal case comment tracing the journey and assessing the societal implications the recent 377 (Navtej Johar v Union of India).
Why Data Localisation Might Lead To Unchecked Surveillance
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Oct 16, 2018 02:08 PMIn recent times, there has been a rash of policies and regulations that propose that the data that Indian entities handle be physically stored on servers in India, in some cases exclusively. In other cases, only a copy needs to be stored.
Comments to The Personal Data Protection Bill
— by Pranav M B — last modified Nov 15, 2019 09:42 AMCIS has conducted extensive research into the areas privacy, data protection, data security, and was also a member of the Committee of Experts constituted under Justice A P Shah. CIS has also been cited multiple times in the Report of the Committee of Experts led by Justice Srikrishna. CIS values the fundamental principles of justice, equality, freedom and economic development. This submission is consistent with CIS’ commitment to these values, the safeguarding of general public interest and the protection of individuals’ right to privacy and data protection. Accordingly, the comments in this submission aim to further these principles. We welcome the opportunity provided to our comments on the Bill and we hope that the final Bill will consider the interests of all the stakeholders to ensure a Bill that protects the privacy of the individual while encouraging a free and fair economy.
Cross-Border Data Sharing and India: A study in Processes, Content and Capacity
— by Amber Sinha, Elonnai Hickok, Udbhav Tiwari and Arindrajit Basu — last modified Sep 29, 2018 12:37 AMA majority of criminal investigations in the modern era necessitate law enforcement access to electronic evidence stored extra-territorially. The conventional methods of compelling the presentation of evidence available for investigative agencies often fail when the evidence is not present within the territorial boundaries of the state.
A trust deficit between advertisers and publishers is leading to fake news
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Oct 02, 2018 06:44 AMTransparency regulations is need of the hour. And urgently for election and political advertising. What do the ads look like? Who paid for them? Who was the target? How many people saw these advertisements? How many times? Transparency around viral content is also required.
Artificial Intelligence in the Governance Sector in India
— by Arindrajit Basu and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Sep 14, 2018 11:37 AMThe use of Artificial Intelligence has the potential to ameliorate several existing structural inefficiencies in the discharge of governmental functions. Our research indicates that the deployment of this technology across sub-sectors is still on the horizons.
India’s post-truth society
— by Swaraj Paul Barooah — last modified Sep 12, 2018 12:16 PMThe proliferation of lies and manipulative content supplies an ever-willing state a pretext to step up surveillance.
AI in India: A Policy Agenda
— by Amber Sinha, Elonnai Hickok and Arindrajit Basu — last modified Sep 05, 2018 03:39 PMThe Srikrishna Committee Data Protection Bill and Artificial Intelligence in India
— by Amber Sinha and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Sep 03, 2018 01:29 PMArtificial Intelligence in many ways is in direct conflict with traditional data protection principles and requirements including consent, purpose limitation, data minimization, retention and deletion, accountability, and transparency.
Consumer Care Society: Silver Jubilee Year Celebrations
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Aug 27, 2018 01:51 PMArindrajit Basu delivered a talk the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Consumer Care Society (CCS )on 'Privacy and Security in the Age of the Internet.
An Analysis of the CLOUD Act and Implications for India
— by Elonnai Hickok and Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Aug 22, 2018 02:55 PMIndia houses the second largest population in the world at approximately 1.35 billion individuals. In such a diverse and dense context, law enforcement could be a challenging job.
DNA ‘Evidence’: Only Opinion, Not Science, And Definitely Not Proof Of Crime!
— by Elonnai Hickok and Murali Neelakantan — last modified Aug 22, 2018 12:43 AMOn August 9, 2018, the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018 was introduced in the Lok Sabha and we commented on some key aspects of it earlier.
ICANN response to DIDP #31 on diversity
— by Akriti Bopanna and Akash Sriram — last modified Aug 21, 2018 05:35 PMThis post summarizes the response of ICANN to our inquiry on the diversity of their employees.
Use of Visuals and Nudges in Privacy Notices
— by Saumyaa Naidu — last modified Aug 22, 2018 01:16 PMNudging in privacy notices can be a privacy-enhancing tool. For example, informing users of how many people would have access to their data would help them make a decision. However, nudges can also be used to influence users towards making choices that compromise their privacy. For example, the visual design of default options on digital platforms currently nudge users to share their data. It is critical to ensure that there is mindful use of nudges, and that it is directed at the well being of the users.
National Health Stack: Data For Data’s Sake, A Manmade Health Hazard
— by Murali Neelakantan, Swaraj Barooah, Swagam Dasgupta and Torsha Sarkar — last modified Sep 16, 2018 05:01 AMOn Oct. 5, 2017, an HIV positive woman was denied admission in Hyderabad’s Osmania General Hospital even though she was entitled to free treatment under India’s National AIDS Control Organisation programme. Another incident around the same time witnessed a 24-year-old pregnant woman at Tikamgarh district hospital in Madhya Pradesh being denied treatment by hospital doctors once she tested positive for HIV. The patient reportedly delivered the twins outside the maternity ward after she was turned away by the hospital, but her newborn twin girls died soon after.
India's Contribution to Internet Governance Debates
— by Sunil Abraham, Mukta Batra, Geetha Hariharan, Swaraj Barooah and Akriti Bopanna — last modified Aug 16, 2018 03:38 PMIndia's Contribution to Internet Governance Debates", an article by Sunil Abraham, Mukta Batra, Geetha Hariharan, Swaraj Barooah and Akriti Bopanna, was recently published in the NLUD Student Law Journal, an annual peer-reviewed journal published by the National Law University, Delhi.
Future of Work: Report of the ‘Workshop on the IT/IT-eS Sector and the Future of Work in India’
— by Ambika Tandon — last modified Mar 05, 2020 07:03 PMThis report provides an overview of the proceedings and outcomes of the Workshop on the IT/IT-eS Sector and the Future of Work in India (hereinafter referred to as the “Workshop”), organised at Omidyar Networks’ office in Bangalore, on June 29, 2018.
The National Health Stack: An Expensive, Temporary Placebo
— by Murali Neelakantan, Swaraj Barooah, Swagam Dasgupta, and Torsha Sarkar — last modified Aug 13, 2018 03:13 PMThe year 2002 saw the introduction of a very ambitious National Program for Information Technology in the United Kingdom with the goal to transform the National Health Service — a pre-existing state-sponsored universal healthcare program. This would include a centralised, digital healthcare record for patients and secure access for 30,000 professionals across 300 hospitals.
Spreading unhappiness equally around
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Jul 31, 2018 02:49 PMThe section of civil society opposed to Aadhaar is unhappy because the UIDAI and all other state agencies that wish to can process data non-consensually.
Lining up the data on the Srikrishna Privacy Draft Bill
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Jul 31, 2018 02:52 AMIn the run-up to the Justice BN Srikrishna committee report, some stakeholders have advocated that consent be eliminated and replaced with stronger accountability obligations. This was rejected and the committee has released a draft bill that has consent as the bedrock just like the GDPR. And like the GDPR there exists legal basis for nonconsensual processing of data for the “functions of the state”. What does this mean for lawabiding persons?
The Potential for the Normative Regulation of Cyberspace: Implications for India
— by Pranav M B — last modified Jul 31, 2018 11:49 PMAuthor: Arindrajit Basu Edited by: Elonnai Hickok, Sunil Abraham and Udbhav Tiwari Research Assistance: Tejas Bharadwaj
Anti-trafficking Bill may lead to censorship
— by Swaraj Barooah and Gurshabad Grover — last modified Aug 02, 2018 01:59 PMThere are a few problematic provisions in the proposed legislation—it may severely impact freedom of expression.
The Centre for Internet and Society’s Comments and Recommendations to the: Indian Privacy Code, 2018
— by Shweta Mohandas, Elonnai Hickok, Amber Sinha and Shruti Trikanand — last modified Jul 20, 2018 01:55 PMThe debate surrounding privacy has in recent times gained momentum due to the Aadhaar judgement and the growing concerns around the use of personal data by corporations and governments.
DIDP #31 Diversity of employees at ICANN
— by Akash Sriram — last modified Aug 21, 2018 09:26 AMWe have requested ICANN to disclose information pertaining to the diversity of employees based on race and citizenship.
CIS submitted a response to a Notice of Enquiry by the US Government on International Internet Policy Priorities
— by Akriti Bopanna and Swagam Dasgupta — last modified Aug 24, 2018 07:05 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society drafted a response to a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) issued by the U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on "International Internet Policy Priorities."
ICANN Diversity Analysis
— by Akriti Bopanna — last modified Aug 29, 2018 11:19 AMThe by-laws of The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) state that it is a non-profit public-benefit corporation which is responsible at the overall level, for the coordination of the “global internet's systems of unique identifiers, and in particular to ensure the stable and secure operation of the internet's unique identifier systems”. As key stakeholders of ICANN are spread across the world, much of the communication discussing the work of ICANN takes place over email. This analysis of the diversity of participation at the ICANN processes, through a study of their mailing lists, was undertaken by Paul Kurian and Akriti Bopanna.
CIS contributes to the Research and Advisory Group of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC)
— by Arindrajit Basu — last modified Jul 05, 2018 04:00 PMThe Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC) is an initiative of the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies and the East West Institute that seeks to promote mutual awareness and understanding among various cyberspace communities. It seeks to develop norms and policies that advance the stability and security of cyberspace.
The AI Task Force Report - The first steps towards India’s AI framework
— by Elonnai Hickok, Shweta Mohandas and Swaraj Paul Barooah — last modified Jun 27, 2018 02:32 PMThe Task Force on Artificial Intelligence was established by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to leverage AI for economic benefits, and provide policy recommendations on the deployment of AI for India.
Comments on the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations
— by Sandeep Kumar, Torsha Sarkar, Swaraj Barooah, Gurshabad Grover — last modified Jun 23, 2018 12:44 AMThis submission presents comments by the Centre for Internet & Society, India (“CIS”) on the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations which was released to the public by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 29th May 2018 for comments and views.
Workshop: IT/IT-es Sector and the Future of Work in India
— by Pranav M B — last modified Jun 22, 2018 07:51 AMComments on the Draft Digital Communications Policy
— by Anubha Sinha, Gurshabad Grover and Swaraj Barooah — last modified Jun 14, 2018 12:43 PMThis submission presents comments by the Centre for Internet & Society, India (“CIS”) on the Draft Digital Communications Policy which was released to the public by the Department of Telecommunications of the Ministry of Communications on 1st May 2018 for comments and views.
NITI Aayog Discussion Paper: An aspirational step towards India’s AI policy
— by Sunil Abraham, Elonnai Hickok, Amber Sinha, Swaraj Barooah, Shweta Mohandas, Pranav M Bidare, Swagam Dasgupta, Vishnu Ramachandran and Senthil Kumar — last modified Jun 13, 2018 01:08 PMThe National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence — a discussion paper on India’s path forward in AI, is a welcome step towards a comprehensive document that reflects the government's AI ambitions. The 115-page discussion paper attempts to be an all encompassing document looking at a host of AI related issues including privacy, security, ethics, fairness, transparency and accountability.
Why NPCI and Facebook need urgent regulatory attention
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Jun 12, 2018 02:07 AMThe world’s oldest networked infrastructure, money, is increasingly dematerialising and fusing with the world’s latest networked infrastructure, the Internet.
Network Disruptions Report by Global Network Initiative
— by Akriti Bopanna — last modified Jun 12, 2018 01:31 AMAround 70% of all known shutdowns in the world took place in India in 2017. The same year Telecom Authority of India (TRAI) released the “Temporary Suspension of Internet Services” giving State and Central Government officials the power to terminate Internet services as per the guidelines.
Comments on the Draft National Policy on Official Statistics
— by Gurshabad Grover and Sandeep Kumar — last modified Jun 07, 2018 02:54 AMThis submission presents comments by the Centre for Internet & Society, India (“CIS”) on the Draft National Policy on Official Statistics which was released to the public by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on 17th May 2018 for comments and views.
CIS contributes to ABLI Compendium on Regulation of Cross-Border Transfers of Personal Data in Asia
— by Amber Sinha and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jun 03, 2018 03:10 PMThe Asian Business Law Institute, based in Singapore published a compendium on “Regulation of cross-border transfer of personal data in Asia”. This was part of an exercise to explore legal convergence around issues such as data protection, enforcement of foreign judgments and principle of restructuring in Asia.
Design Concerns in Creating Privacy Notices
— by Saumyaa Naidu — last modified Jun 06, 2018 01:45 PMThe purpose of privacy notices and choice mechanisms is to notify users of the data practices of a system, so they can make informed privacy decisions.
DIDP Request #30 - Employee remuneration structure at ICANN
— by Paul Kurian and Akriti Bopanna — last modified Aug 24, 2018 06:57 AMWe have requested ICANN to disclose the employee pay structure at ICANN with specific enquiries about the payment across the institutional hierarchy, gender, and region.
Indian Intermediary Liability Regime: Compliance with the Manila Principles on Intermediary Liability
— by Divij Joshi — last modified May 20, 2018 03:14 PMThis report assesses the compliance of the Indian intermediary liability framework with the Manila Principles on Intermediary Liability, and recommends substantive legislative changes to bring the legal framework in line with the Manila Principles.
India's Data Protection Framework Will Need to Treat Privacy as a Social and Not Just an Individual Good
— by Amber Sinha — last modified May 18, 2018 06:22 AMThe idea that technological innovations may compete with privacy of individuals assumes that there is social and/or economic good in allowing unrestricted access to data. However, it must be remembered that data is potentially a toxic asset, if it is not collected, processed, secured and shared in the appropriate way.
Internet Shutdown Stories
— by Ambika Tandon — last modified Sep 03, 2019 09:57 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) has published a collection of stories of the impact of internet shutdowns on people's lives in the country. This book seeks to give a glimpse into the lives of those directly affected by these internet shutdown experiments. When seen in a larger context, we hope that the stories in this book also demonstrate that access to the internet and freedom of speech is not just about an individual’s rights, but are also required for the collective good. This is a project funded by Facebook and MacArthur Foundation, and the stories were provided by 101 Reporters. Case studies from the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Telangana, West Bengal, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, and Uttar Pradesh have been highlighted in this compilation.
AI in the Banking and Finance Industry in India
— by Saman Goudarzi, Elonnai Hickok and Amber Sinha — last modified Jun 19, 2018 11:48 AMThis is a draft report that seeks to map the present state of use of AI in the banking and financial sector in India.
DIDP Request #29 - Revenue breakdown by source for FY 2017
— by Akriti Bopanna — last modified Apr 26, 2018 11:06 AMWe requested ICANN for financial information they have not yet provided for the period ending June 2017.
Revenge Porn Laws across the World
— by Shradha Nigam — last modified Apr 25, 2018 04:58 PMThe following is a compilation of laws dealing with revenge porn if and how they exist across multiple countries and jurisdictions.
What’s up with WhatsApp?
— by Aayush Rathi and Sunil Abraham — last modified Apr 23, 2018 04:45 PMIn 2016, WhatsApp Inc announced it was rolling out end-to-end encryption, but is the company doing what it claims to be doing?
Comments on the Draft Digital Information Security in Healthcare Act
— by Amber Sinha and Shweta Mohandas — last modified May 01, 2018 02:05 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society submitted comments to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India on the draft Digital Information Security in Healthcare Act on April 21, 2018.
A look at two problematic provisions of the draft Anti-trafficking bill
— by Swaraj Paul Barooah — last modified Aug 18, 2018 09:21 AMThis post examines two badly drafted provisions of the new Anti-Trafficking bill that have the potential to severely impinge upon the Freedom of Expression, including through a misunderstanding of intermediary liability.
Artificial Intelligence in Governance: A Report of the Roundtable held in New Delhi
— by Saman Goudarzi and Natallia Khaniejo — last modified May 03, 2018 03:49 PMThis Report provides an overview of the proceedings of the Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Governance, conducted at the Indian Islamic Cultural Centre, in New Delhi on March 16, 2018. The main purpose of the Roundtable was to discuss the deployment and implementation of AI in various aspects of governance within the Indian context. This report summarises the discussions on the development and implementation of AI in various aspects of governance in India. The event was attended by participants from academia, civil society, the legal sector, the finance sector, and the government.
Government gives free publicity worth 40k to Twitter and Facebook
— by Akriti Bopanna — last modified Apr 27, 2018 09:52 AMWe conducted a 2 week survey of newspapers for links between government advertisement to social media giants. As citizens, we should be worried about the close nexus between the Indian government and digital behemoths such as Facebook, Google and Twitter. It has become apparent to us after a 2 week print media analysis that our Government has been providing free publicity worth Rs 40,000 to these entities. There are multiple issues with this as this article attempts at pointing out.
Cambridge Analytica scandal: How India can save democracy from Facebook
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Mar 28, 2018 03:44 PMHegemonic incumbents like Google and Facebook need to be tackled with regulation; govt should use procurement power to fund open source alternatives.
Analysis of ICANN revenue shows ambiguity in their records
— by Sunil Abraham, Arjun Venkatraman and Akriti Bopanna — last modified Apr 27, 2018 10:01 AMWe, The Centre for Internet and Society, have been instrumental in having ICANN become transparent about their revenue with our persistent requests for their sources of revenue.
People Driven and Tech Enabled – How AI and ML are Changing the Future of Cyber Security in India
— by Shweta Mohandas — last modified Mar 11, 2018 03:30 PMOn the 27th of February, Peter Sparkes the Senior Director, Cyber Security Services, Symantec conducted a webinar on the ‘5 Essentials of Every Next-Gen SOC’. In this webinar, he evaluated the problems that Security Operations Centers (SOCs) are currently facing, and explored possible solutions to these problems. The webinar also put emphasis on AI and ML as tools to improve cyber security. This blog draws key insights from the webinar, and explains how AI and ML can improve the cyber security process of Indian enterprises.
A Series of Op-eds on Data Protection
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Feb 19, 2018 02:08 AMI wrote a short series of three op-eds for Asia Times this week.
The Fundamental Right to Privacy - A Visual Guide
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Feb 16, 2018 05:31 AMPrivacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves, or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. This visual guide to the story of privacy law in India and the recent judgement of the Puttaswamy v. Union of India case is developed by Amber Sinha (research and content) and Pooja Saxena (design and conceptualisation).
Unpacking Data Protection Law: A Visual Representation
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Feb 15, 2018 01:22 PMThis visual explainer unpacking data protection law was developed by Amber Sinha (research) and Pooja Saxena (design), and published as part of the Data Privacy Week celebrations on the Privacy International blog. Join the conversation on Twitter using #dataprivacyweek.
AI and Manufacturing and Services in India: Looking Forward
— by Shweta Mohandas and Pranav M. Bidare — last modified Feb 14, 2018 11:13 AMThis Report provides an overview of the proceedings of the Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Manufacturing and Services: Looking Forward (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Roundtable’), conducted at The Energy Resource Institute (TERI), in Bangalore on January 19, 2018.
CIS Submission to the Committee of Experts on a Data Protection Framework for India
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Apr 18, 2018 04:39 PMThis submission presents comments by the Centre for Internet and Society, India (“CIS”) on the ‘White Paper of the Committee of Experts on a Data Protection Framework for India’ (“White Paper”) released by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The White paper was drafted by a Committee of Expert (“Committee”) constituted by the Ministry. CIS has conducted research on the issues of privacy, data protection and data security since 2010 and is thankful for the opportunity to put forth its views. The submission was made on January 31, 2018.
Artificial Intelligence in India: A Compendium
— by Centre for Internet & Society — last modified May 09, 2023 06:56 AMArtificial Intelligence (AI) is fast emerging as a key technological paradigm in different sectors across the globe including India.
Data Protection: We can innovate, leapfrog
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Jan 22, 2018 01:45 AMAbout 27% of India's population is still illiterate or barely literate. Most privacy policies and terms of services for web and mobile applications are in English and therefore it is only 10% of us who can actually read them before we provide our consent.
Mobile net ban during peaceful protest leaves farmers confused
— by Shruti Jain — last modified Jan 19, 2018 03:20 PMStrap: Administration says it was done to prevent rumours from spreading, protesters insist they needed internet to fight it.
‘Hurt sentiments’ cost Udaipur internet access for four days
— by Shruti Jain — last modified Jan 19, 2018 01:51 PMStrap: Authorities suggest it was more than a Facebook post that led to shutdown.
Another Step towards Privacy Law
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jan 18, 2018 01:50 AMA comparison between the 2012 experts’ report and the 2017 white paper on data protection.
Internet Governance Forum Report 2017
— by Shweta Mohandas — last modified Jan 11, 2018 02:13 AMThe twelfth annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 17 to 21 December 2017, on the theme, Shape Your Digital Future!
Fixing Aadhaar: Security developers' task is to trim chances of data breach
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Jan 10, 2018 04:47 PMThe task before a security developer is not only to reduce the probability of identity breach but to eliminate certain occurrences.
New Recommendations to Regulate Online Hate Speech Could Pose More Problems Than Solutions
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Jan 02, 2018 03:06 AMThe T.K. Viswanathan committee’s recommendations could prove to be dangerous for free speech if acted upon without resolving its flaws.
E-administration Efforts are Lame Ducks without Internet
— by Amit Kumar & Sat Singh — last modified Dec 20, 2017 04:05 PMStrap: How Haryana engages with the Digital India dream when one act of vandalism can invite a net ban.
Will Darjeeling Regain the Trust of Tourists?
— by Roshan Gupta — last modified Dec 20, 2017 04:01 PMAn agitation coupled with an internet ban that left tourists stranded, it looks like a tough time ahead for tourism in the Hills.
Silence on the Dera Front
— by Sat Singh — last modified Dec 20, 2017 03:58 PMStrap: How DSS followers, accused of violent protests after their leader was sentenced, manage without the internet.
ISPs in Kashmir Grappling with Mounting Losses Amid Recurrent Shutdowns
— by Safeena Wani — last modified Dec 20, 2017 03:54 PMStrap: Internet savvy youth taking to alternative routes to access the world wide web.
Taxes in the Time of Internet Shutdown
— by Avijit Sarkar — last modified Dec 20, 2017 03:49 PMStrap: Darjeeling businesses buckle under a bandh, network ban, and GST
Every Town had its Jio Dara
— by Ayswarya Murthy — last modified Dec 21, 2017 04:24 PMStrap: In the hills of Darjeeling, residents facing an indefinite internet shutdown were thrown an unexpected lifeline in the form of 'Jio dara', a feeble signal from Sikkim towers that nevertheless kept a small line of communication open between the besieged towns in the region and the rest of the world.
Education and Employment Opportunities Tossed out of the Window
— by Roshan Gupta — last modified Dec 20, 2017 03:41 PMStrap: Schools, students and teachers remember how they survived 100 days of internet shutdown.
Darjeeling’s e-commerce Crumbles after 100 days sans Internet
— by Avijit Sarkar — last modified Dec 20, 2017 03:16 AMStrap: The shutdown on ground and that of the internet have together hurt the economy critically
Days to Derail Work of Two Generations?
— by Mahesh Kumar Shiva — last modified Dec 21, 2017 04:18 PMStrap: How an internet shutdown hurt a family woodwork business.
Internet Shutdowns: A Modern-day Siege
— by Ayswarya Murthy — last modified Dec 19, 2017 04:29 PMStrap: Technology activists, lawyers, politicians and NGOs weigh in on the spate of internet shutdowns in India in 2017.
Sorry, Business Closed until Internet is Back On
— by Nalanda Tambe — last modified Dec 19, 2017 04:25 PMStrap: Exporters say they lose face with international clients when internet shutdowns block deliveries.
The Rising Stars in Music Loath Losing their Only Platform
— by Umar Shah and Mir Farhat — last modified Dec 21, 2017 03:59 PMStrap: The music from Kashmir wants to find a way out, but shutting internet down only adds to the bitterness.
Stock Brokers Don't Love an Internet Shutdown
— by Binita Parikh — last modified Dec 19, 2017 04:20 PMStrap: For a trade that rides on price volatility and fast reactions, an internet shutdown is a costly slowdown.
Internet and Banking: A Trust Broken
— by Roshan Gupta — last modified Dec 19, 2017 04:10 PMStrap: Some cut down their daily meals and some lost their jobs as the banking sector took a major hit during internet shutdowns.
Was there an Unofficial Internet Shutdown in BHU & NTPC?
— by Saurabh Sharma — last modified Dec 19, 2017 04:05 PMStrap: In Varanasi and Raebareli, residents allege internet bans, while govt denies it all.
How Media beat the Shutdown in Darjeeling
— by Manish Adhikary — last modified Dec 19, 2017 03:57 PMStrap:Journalists did what the state was expected to do: fight rumours.
Internet and the Police: Tool to Some, Trash to Others
— by Manoj Kumar — last modified Dec 19, 2017 03:52 PMStrap: Disconnection with colleagues discomforts one part of the administration, but the other quips, what’s the big deal?
Business Woes from Saharanpur's Internet Ban
— by Mahesh Kumar Shiva — last modified Dec 29, 2017 01:24 PMStrap: Three businessmen reveal the price they paid
Online or Offline, Protest Goes On
— by Junaid Nabi Bazaz — last modified Dec 21, 2017 02:53 PMStrap: Kashmiris say internet blockades have no effect on uprisings
Amid Unrest in the Valley, Students See a Dark Wall
— by Aakash Hassan — last modified Dec 21, 2017 02:07 PMStrap: Frequent, prolonged restrictions on internet have kept many from using the learning resource.
Digital Banking Dreams: Interrupted
— by Safeena Wani — last modified Dec 19, 2017 03:24 PMStrap: Internet shutdowns drag banks in J&K far behind.
It Hurts Them Too
— by Mir Farhat — last modified Dec 19, 2017 03:12 PMStrap: Internet shutdown robs security forces' social media lifeline in J&K.
Should Aadhaar be mandatory?
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Dec 18, 2017 03:54 PMThis week, a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court will adjudicate on limited questions of stay orders in the Aadhaar case. After numerous attempts by the petitioners in the Aadhaar case, the court has agreed to hear this matter, just shy of the looming deadline of December 31 for the linking of Aadhaar numbers to avail government services and benefits.
Artificial Intelligence - Literature Review
— by Shruthi Anand — last modified Dec 18, 2017 03:12 PMWith origins dating back to the 1950s Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not necessarily new. However, interest in AI has been rekindled over the last few years, in no small measure due to the rapid advancement of the technology and its applications to real- world scenarios. In order to create policy in the field, understanding the literature regarding existing legal and regulatory parameters is necessary. This Literature Review is the first in a series of reports that seeks to map the development of AI, both generally and in specific sectors, culminating in a stakeholder analysis and contributions to policy-making. This Review analyses literature on the historical development of the technology, its compositional makeup, sector- specific impacts and solutions and finally, overarching regulatory solutions.
AI and Healthcare in India: Looking Forward
— by Shweta Mohandas — last modified Dec 22, 2017 02:20 AMThis Report provides an overview of the proceedings of the Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and healthcare in India: Looking Forward (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Roundtable’), conducted at The Energy Resource Institute (TERI), in Bangalore on November 30, 2017.
Breeding misinformation in virtual space
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Dec 08, 2017 02:24 AMA well-informed citizenry and institutions that provide good information are fundamental to a functional democracy.
India’s Data Protection Regime Must Be Built Through an Inclusive and Truly Co-Regulatory Approach
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Jan 01, 2018 04:18 PMWe must move India past its existing consultative processes for rule-making, which often prompts stakeholders to take adversarial and extremely one-sided positions.
Counter Comments on TRAI's Consultation Paper on Privacy, Security and Ownership of Data in Telecom Sector
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Nov 23, 2017 02:29 PMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) has commented on the Consultation Paper on Privacy, Security and Ownership of Data in Telecom Sector published by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on August 9, 2017.
Breach Notifications: A Step towards Cyber Security for Consumers and Citizens
— by Amelia Andersdotter — last modified Nov 14, 2017 03:38 PMThrough the Digital India project the Indian government is seeking to establish India as a digital nation at the forefront. Increasingly, this means having good cyber-security policies in place and enabling a prosperous business environment for companies that implement sound cyber-security policies. This paper will look at one such policy, which enables investments in cyber-security for IT products and services through giving consumers a way to hold business owners and public authorities to account when their security fails.
A Comparison of Legal and Regulatory Approaches to Cyber Security in India and the United Kingdom
— by Authored by Divij Joshi and edited by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Nov 14, 2017 03:26 PMThis report is the first part of a three part series of reports that compares the Indian cyber security framework with that of the U.K, U.S and Singapore.
Why Presumption of Renewal is Unsuitable for the Current Registry Market Structure
— by Padma Venkataraman — last modified Oct 31, 2017 02:53 AMWith the recent and much protested renewal of the .net legacy Top-Level-Domain (TLD), the question of the appropriate method of renewal has again come to the forefront. While this seems relatively uncontroversial to most, Padma Venkataraman, a law student and intern at CIS looks at presumptive renewal through a critical lens.
CIS’ Efforts Towards Greater Financial Disclosure by ICANN
— by Padma Venkataraman — last modified Oct 31, 2017 02:10 AMCIS has been working towards enhancing transparency and accountability at ICANN since 2014. While initial efforts have resulted in ICANN revealing its sources of income in a granular fashion in 2015, we are yet to see this level of transparency become a default approach within ICANN. Here, Padma Venkataraman chronologically maps CIS’ efforts at enhancing financial transparency and accountability at ICANN, while providing an outline of what remains to be done.
ICANN’s Problems with Accountability and the .WEB Controversy
— by Padma Venkataraman — last modified Oct 28, 2017 03:49 PMThe Post-Transition IANA promised enhanced transparency and accountability to the global multistakeholder community. The series of events surrounding the .WEB auction earlier this year has stirred up issues relating to the lack of transparency and accountability of ICANN. This post examines the .WEB auction as a case study to better understand exact gaps in accountability.
GDPR and India: A Comparative Analysis
— by Aditi Chaturvedi — last modified Nov 28, 2017 03:17 PMAt present, companies world over are in the process of assessing the impact that EU General Data Protection Regulations (“GDPR”) will have on their businesses.
Revisiting Per Se vs Rule of Reason in Light of the Intel Conditional Rebate Case
— by Shruthi Anand — last modified Oct 04, 2017 01:45 PMRecent developments in the European Union (EU) regarding the antitrust case against Intel have brought back into focus two rules of competition law analysis- the per se rule and the rule of reason. In light of the decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union in the matter, this Note examines the application of the two rules to the case in detail. Additionally, it analyzes the statutory and judicial basis for the rules in the context of the EU and Indian competition law regimes, and concludes by identifying some areas in which these concepts would be relevant.
The Fundamental Right to Privacy: An Analysis
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Oct 04, 2017 11:19 AMLast month’s judgment by the nine judge referral bench was an emphatic endorsement of the the constitutional right to privacy. In the course of a 547 page judgment, the bench affirmed the fundamental nature of the right to privacy reading it into the values of dignity and liberty. In the course of a few short papers, we will dissect the various aspects of the right to privacy as put forth by the nine judge constitutional bench in the Puttaswamy matter. The papers will focus on the sources, structure, scope, breadth, and future of privacy. Here are the first three papers, authored by Amber Sinha and edited by Elonnai Hickok.
Rethinking National Privacy Principles: Evaluating Principles for India's Proposed Data Protection Law
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Sep 11, 2017 02:22 AMThis report is intended to be the first part in a series of white papers that CIS will publish which seeks to contribute to the discussions around the enactment of a privacy legislation in India. In subsequent pieces we will focus on subjects such as regulatory framework to implement, supervise and enforce privacy principles, and principles to regulate surveillance in India under a privacy law.
MediaNama - #NAMAprivacy: The Future of User Data (Delhi, Sep 6)
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Sep 05, 2017 10:22 AMMediaNama is hosting a full day conference on "the future of user data in India", on the 6th of September 2017, which is particularly significant given the recent Supreme Court ruling on the fundamental right to privacy, and two government consultations: one at the TRAI, and another at MEITY. This discussion is supported by Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. Sumandro Chattapadhyay, Research Director, will participate as a speaker in the session titled "regulating storage, sharing and transfer of data."
CIS Statement on Right to Privacy Judgment
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Aug 31, 2017 06:13 PMIn an emphatic endorsement of the right to privacy, a nine judge constitutional bench unanimously upheld a fundamental right to privacy. The events leading to this bench began during the hearings in the ongoing Aadhaar case, when in August 2015, Mukul Rohatgi, the then Attorney General stated that there is no constitutionally guaranteed right to privacy.
Infographic: The Impending Right to Privacy Judgment
— by Amber Sinha and Pooja Saxena — last modified Aug 22, 2017 11:50 PMThe ruling will be important not just for the immediate Aadhaar case but also numerous other matters to do with state intrusions, decisional autonomy and informational privacy.
Here’s why we need a lot more discussion on India’s new DNA Profiling Bill
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Aug 21, 2017 11:48 PMThe DNA Profiling Bill 2017 is still missing a number of safeguards that would enable individual rights. The implications of creating regional and national level DNA databanks need to be fully understood and publicly debated.
Privacy is not a unidimensional concept
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Aug 07, 2017 08:02 AMRight to privacy is important not only for our negotiations with the information age but also to counter the transgressions of a welfare state. A robust right to privacy is essential for all citizens in India to defend their individual autonomy in the face of invasive state actions purportedly for the public good. The ruling of this nine-judge bench will have far-reaching impact on the extent and scope of rights available to us all.
High Level Comparison and Analysis of the Use and Regulation of DNA Based Technology Bill 2017
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Aug 11, 2017 02:16 AMThis blog post seeks to provide a high level comparison of the 2017 and 2015 DNA Profiling Bill - calling out positive changes, remaining issues, and missing provisions.
Should an Inability to Precisely Define Privacy Render It Untenable as a Right?
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Aug 04, 2017 01:49 AMThe judges may still be able to articulate the manner in which limits for a right to privacy may be arrived at, without explicitly specifying them.
Aadhar: Privacy is not a unidimensional concept
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Aug 23, 2017 01:50 AMRight to privacy is important not only for our negotiations with the information age but also to counter the transgressions of a welfare state. A robust right to privacy is essential for all Indian citizens to defend their individual autonomy in the face of invasive state actions purportedly for the public good.
Data Protection: Understanding the General Data Protection Regulation
— by Aditi Chaturvedi — last modified Jul 04, 2017 04:12 PMAs recently as May 27, 2016, the General Data Protection Regulation (REGULATION (EU) 2016/679) (hereinafter referred to as GDPR) was adopted. The Data Protection Directive (1995/46/EC) (hereinafter referred to as DPD) will be replaced by this Regulation.
Cybersecurity Compilation: Indian Context
— by Leilah Elmokadem and edited by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jun 18, 2017 01:16 PMThis document intends to serve as a comprehensive source compiling all the cyber-security related regulations, policies, guidelines, notifications, executive orders, court rulings, etc.
Comments from the Centre for Internet and Society on Renewal of .NET Registry Agreement
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified Jun 06, 2017 01:35 PMThe Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) is grateful for the opportunity to comment on the proposed renewal of the .NET Registry Agreement.
Aadhaar Case: Beyond Privacy, An Issue of Bodily Integrity
— by Amber Sinha and Aradhya Sethia — last modified May 03, 2017 04:02 PMThe insertion of Section 139AA in the Income Tax Act has been challenged and is being heard by a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court.
Comments on the Statistical Disclosure Control Report
— by Srinivs Kodali and Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 13, 2019 12:28 AMThis submission presents comments by the Centre for Internet and Society, India (“CIS”) on the Statistical Disclosure Control Report published on March 30th by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
(Updated) Information Security Practices of Aadhaar (or lack thereof): A documentation of public availability of Aadhaar Numbers with sensitive personal financial information
— by Amber Sinha and Srinivas Kodali — last modified Mar 13, 2019 12:29 AMSince its inception in 2009, the Aadhaar project has been shrouded in controversy due to various questions raised about privacy, technological issues, welfare exclusion, and security concerns. In this study, we document numerous instances of publicly available Aadhaar Numbers along with other personally identifiable information (PII) of individuals on government websites. This report highlights four government projects run by various government departments that have made sensitive personal financial information and Aadhaar numbers public on the project websites.
Internet Shutdowns in 2016
— by Japreet Grewal — last modified Apr 28, 2017 01:50 PMAn internet shutdown is an intentional disruption of internet or electronic communications, rendering them inaccessible or effectively unusable, for a specific population or within a location, often to exert control over the flow of information.
Killing of Yameen Rasheed Reveals Worsening Human Rights Situation in the Maldives
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Apr 25, 2017 10:12 AMA courageous liberal blogger in the Maldives was murdered for his words. The international community needs to act.
Regulating Bitcoin in India
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Apr 20, 2017 01:17 PMThe article discusses the possible contours of future bitcoin regulation in India. Bitcoin, often considered a ‘notorious’ virtual currency limited only to techies or speculators, is currently fighting a battle to become a bona fide mainstream means of exchange.
Brainstorming Session on the Global Conference on Cyberspace (GCCS 2017)
— by Japreet Grewal — last modified Apr 14, 2017 04:43 PMI attended a brainstorming session on the Global Conference on Cyber Space 2017 on April 12, 2017 at Electronics Niketan that was organised by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology. The Global Conference on Cyber Space was first held in London in 2011. Thereafter, it was held in Budapest (2012), Seoul (2013) and the Hague (2015).
Privacy in the Age of Big Data
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Apr 11, 2017 02:43 PMPersonal data is freely accessible, shared and even sold, and those to whom this information belongs have little control over its flow.
Right to be Forgotten: A Tale of Two Judgements
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Apr 07, 2017 02:27 AMIn the last few months, there have been contrasting judgments from two Indian high courts, Karnataka and Gujarat, on matters relating to the right to be forgotten. The two high courts heard pleas on issues to do the right of individuals to have either personal information redacted from the text of judgments available online or removal of such judgment from publically available sources.
Aadhaar marks a fundamental shift in citizen-state relations: From ‘We the People’ to ‘We the Government’
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Apr 04, 2017 04:10 PMYour fingerprints, iris scans, details of where you shop. Compulsory Aadhaar means all this data is out there. And it’s still not clear who can view or use it.
Analysis of Key Provisions of the Aadhaar Act Regulations
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Apr 03, 2017 02:05 PMIn exercise of their powers under of the powers conferred by Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, (Aadhaar Act) the UIDAI has come out with a set of five regulations in late 2016 last year. In this policy brief, we look at the five regulations, their key provisions and highlight point out the unresolved, issues, unaddressed, and created issues as result of these regulations.
It’s the technology, stupid
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Apr 07, 2017 12:53 PMEleven reasons why the Aadhaar is not just non-smart but also insecure.
How Aadhaar compromises privacy? And how to fix it?
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Apr 01, 2017 07:00 AMAadhaar is mass surveillance technology. Unlike targeted surveillance which is a good thing, and essential for national security and public order – mass surveillance undermines security. And while biometrics is appropriate for targeted surveillance by the state – it is wholly inappropriate for everyday transactions between the state and law abiding citizens.
State of Digital Rights in India (Delhi, March 24)
— by Japreet Grewal and Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Mar 27, 2017 01:21 PMThe Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University, Delhi and the Internet Freedom Foundation, in association with Access Now, are hosting a discussion on The State of Digital Rights in India on March 24, 2017 (Friday) from 6.00 pm onwards at Lecture Room-I, India International Centre- Annexe, New Delhi. Japreet Grewal and Sumandro Chattapadhyay will participate in the panel discussions.
Benefits, Harms, Rights and Regulation: A Survey of Literature on Big Data
— by Amber Sinha, Vanya Rakesh, Vidushi Marda and Geethanjali Jujjavarapu — last modified Mar 23, 2017 02:17 AMThis survey draws upon a range of literature including news articles, academic articles, and presentations and seeks to disaggregate the potential benefits and harms of big data, organising them into several broad categories that reflect the existing scholarly literature. The survey also recognises the non-technical big data regulatory options which are in place as well as those which have been proposed by various governments, civil society groups and academics.
Comments on Information Technology (Security of Prepaid Payment Instruments) Rules, 2017
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 23, 2017 01:54 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society submitted comments on the Information Technology (Security of Prepaid Payment Instruments) Rules, 2017. The comments were prepared by Udbhav Tiwari, Pranesh Prakash, Abhay Rana, Amber Sinha and Sunil Abraham.
Can the Judiciary Upturn the Lok Sabha Speaker’s Decision on Aadhaar?
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Feb 27, 2017 03:44 PMWhen ruling on the petition filed by Jairam Ramesh challenging passing the Aadhaar Act as a money Bill, the court has differing precedents to look at.
Privacy Gaps in India's Digital India Project
— by Anisha Gupta and Edited by Amber Sinha — last modified Feb 21, 2017 01:55 AMThis paper seeks to assess the privacy protections under 15 e-governance schemes: Soil Health Card, Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS), Project Panchdeep, U-Dise, Electronic Health Records, NHRM Smart Card, MyGov, eDistricts, Mobile Seva, Digi Locker, eSign framework for Aadhaar, Passport Seva, PayGov, National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP), and Aadhaar.
Big Data in Governance in India: Case Studies
— by Amber Sinha, Vanya Rakesh and Vidushi Marda and Edited by Elonnai Hickok, Sumandro Chattapadhyay and Sunil Abraham — last modified Feb 26, 2017 04:24 PMThis research seeks to understand the most effective way of researching Big Data in the Global South. Towards this goal, the research planned for the development of a Global South big data Research Network that identifies the potential opportunities and harms of big data in the Global South and possible policy solutions and interventions.
50p and Digital Payments Masterclass Learning - CIS
— by Udbhav Tiwari — last modified Jun 15, 2017 12:29 PMSunil Abraham, Saikat Dutta and Udbhav Tiwari from the CIS team attended 50p on the 24 and 25 of January 2017 in Bangalore, India. We had the following learnings from the event, which will shape our work in the digital finance and payments space in the future.
Ranking Digital Rights in India
— by Divij Joshi and Aditya Chawla — last modified Feb 12, 2017 07:22 AMThis report is a study of five Indian telecommunication companies (Tata Communications Ltd., Reliance Communications Limited, Aircel Limited, Vodafone India Private Limited and Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited) and three Indian online service providers (Hike Messenger, Shaadi.com and Rediff.com). The report is an attempt to evaluate the practices and policies of companies which provide internet infrastructure or internet services, and are integral intermediaries to the everyday experience of the internet in India.
Vidhi Doshi - Fingerprint Payments Prompt Privacy Fears in India (The Guardian)
— by Vidhi Doshi — last modified Feb 13, 2017 09:21 AMThis article by Vidhi Doshi on the use of Aadhaar-based payments by private companies in India was published by The Guardian on February 09, 2017. Sumandro Chattapadhyay is quoted in the article.
Survey on Data Protection Regime
— by Aditi Chaturvedi and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Feb 10, 2017 10:47 AMWe request you to take part in this survey aimed at understanding how various organisations view the changes in the Data Protection Regime in the European Union. Recently the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 was passed, which shall replace the present Data Protection Directive DPD 95/46/EC. This step is likely to impact the way of working for many organisations. We are grateful for your voluntary contribution to our research, and all information shared by you will be used for the purpose of research only. Questions that personally identify you are not mandatory and will be kept strictly confidential.
Comparison of General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Directive
— by Aditi Chaturvedi and Edited by Leilah Elmokadem — last modified Feb 07, 2017 02:08 PMRecently, the General Data Protection Regulation (REGULATION (EU) 2016/679) was passed. It shall replace the present Data Protection Directive (DPD 95/46/EC), which is a step that is likely to impact the workings of many organizations. This document intends to offer a clear comparison between the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) a the Data Protection Direction (DPD).
Privacy after Big Data - Workshop Report
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Jan 27, 2017 01:09 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) and the Sarai programme, CSDS, organised a workshop on 'Privacy after Big Data: What Changes? What should Change?' on Saturday, November 12, 2016 at Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in New Delhi.
Seminar on Understanding Financial Technology, Cashless India, and Forced Digitalisation (Delhi, January 24)
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Jan 23, 2017 01:17 PMThe Centre for Financial Accountability is organising a seminar on "Understanding Financial Technology, Cashless India, and Forced Digitalisation" on Tuesday, January 24, at YWCA, Ashoka Road, New Delhi. Sumandro Chattapadhyay will participate in the seminar and speak on the emerging architecture of FinTech in India, as being developed and deployed by UIDAI and NPCI.
The Design & Technology behind India’s Surveillance Programmes
— by Udbhav Tiwari — last modified Jan 20, 2017 03:56 PMThere has been an exponential growth in the pervasive presence of technology in the daily lives of an average Indian citizen over the past few years. While leading to manifold increase in convenience and connectivity, these technologies also allow for far greater potential for surveillance by state actors.
Global Governance Futures 2027 - Session 3, New Delhi
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Jan 15, 2017 11:46 AMThe Global Governance Futures program (GGF) initiated by Global Public Policy Institute and supported by Robert Bosch Stiftung brings together young professionals to look ahead ten years and recommend ways to address global challenges. Sumandro Chattapadhyay will join Ankhi Das (Facebook) and Arun Mohan Sukumar (Observer Research Foundation) on Tuesday, January 17, to discuss the "data governance" scenarios developed by the GGF 2027 Fellows.
Social Media Monitoring
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Jan 16, 2017 02:23 PMWe see a trend of social media and communication monitoring and surveillance initiatives in India which have the potential to create a chilling effect on free speech online and raises question about the privacy of individuals. In this paper, Amber Sinha looks at social media monitoring as a tool for surveillance, the current state of social media surveillance in India, and evaluate how the existing regulatory framework in India may deal with such practices in future.
Comments on the Proposed ICANN Community Anti-Harassment Policy
— by Padma Venkataraman, Rohini Lakshané, Sampada Nayak and Vidushi Marda — last modified Jan 13, 2017 03:56 PMICANN sought community input on the Proposed ICANN Community Anti-Harassment Policy on 7 November 2016. In response to this the Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) submitted its comments.
Comments on the Report of the Committee on Digital Payments (December 2016)
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay and Amber Sinha — last modified Jan 12, 2017 12:32 PMThe Committee on Digital Payments constituted by the Ministry of Finance and chaired by Ratan P. Watal, Principal Advisor, NITI Aayog, submitted its report on the "Medium Term Recommendations to Strengthen Digital Payments Ecosystem" on December 09, 2016. The report was made public on December 27, and comments were sought from the general public. Here are the comments submitted by the Centre for Internet and Society.
New Media, personalisation and the role of algorithms
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Jan 16, 2017 07:20 AMIn his much acclaimed book, The Filter Bubble, Eli Pariser explains how personalisation of services on the web works and laments that they are creating individual bubbles for each user, which run counter to the idea of the Internet as an inherently open place. While Pariser’s book looks at the practices of various large companies providing online services, he briefly touches upon the role of new media such as search engines and social media portals in new curation. Building upon Pariser’s unexplored argument, this article looks at the impact of algorithmic decision-making and Big Data in the context of news reporting and curation.
Mapping of Sections in India’s MLAT Agreements
— by Leilah Elmokadem and Saumyaa Naidu — last modified Dec 31, 2016 06:52 AMThis set of infographics by Leilah Elmokadem and Saumyaa Naidu maps out and compares the various sections that exist in the 39 MLATs (mutual legal assistance treaty) between India and other countries. An MLAT is an agreement between two or more countries, drafted for the purpose of gathering and exchanging information in an effort to enforce public or criminal laws.
Mapping of India’s Cyber Security-Related Bilateral Agreements
— by Leilah Elmokadem and Saumyaa Naidu — last modified Apr 27, 2017 03:14 PMWith the rapid spread of cloud computing and the growth of cyber spaces, large masses of information are now easily transmittable transnationally, necessitating the ratification of new agreements and cooperation efforts amongst states in order to secure cyber spaces and regulate exchanges of information. In an attempt to understand the nature and extent of current international collaborative efforts in cyber security, we have compiled the following data regarding India’s cyber security-related bilateral agreements. The intention of this exercise is to offer a dynamic visualization that demonstrates which countries India has collaborated with on cyber security efforts and initiatives. This is an ongoing map that we will be updating as our research continues.
Incident Response Requirements in Indian Law
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Dec 28, 2016 01:19 AMCyber incidents have serious consequences for societies, nations, and those who are victimised by them. The theft, exploitation, exposure or otherwise damage of private, financial, or other sensitive personal or commercial data and cyber attacks that damage computer systems are capable of causing lasting harm.
The Curious Case of Poor Security in the Indian Twitterverse
— by Udbhav Tiwari — last modified Dec 17, 2016 12:28 AMWhat are the technical, legal and jurisdictional issues around the recent Twitter and email hacks claimed by the ‘Legion Crew’, and what can targeted entities do to better protect themselves?
Inputs to the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation on Public Policy Issues Pertaining to the Internet (WGEC)
— by Sunil Abraham and Vidushi Marda, with inputs from Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 17, 2016 12:20 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) submitted inputs to the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation on Public Policy Issues Pertaining to the Internet (WGEC) on 15 December 2016. The WGEC sought inputs on two questions that will guide the next meeting of the Working Group which is scheduled to take place on the 26-27 January 2017.
ISO/IEC JTC 1 SC 27 Working Group Meetings - A Summary
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Dec 16, 2016 11:53 PMThe Centre for Internet & Society attended the ISO/IEC JTC 1 SC 27 Working Group Meetings from 22 to 27 October 2016 in Abu Dhabi at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
Deep Packet Inspection: How it Works and its Impact on Privacy
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Dec 16, 2016 11:14 PMIn the last few years, there has been extensive debate and discussion around network neutrality in India. The online campaign in favor of Network Neutrality was led by Savetheinternet.in in India. The campaign was a spectacular success and facilitated sending over a million emails supporting the cause of network neutrality, eventually leading to ban on differential pricing. Following in the footsteps of the Shreya Singhal judgement, the fact that the issue of net neutrality has managed to attract wide public attention is an encouraging sign for a free and open Internet in India. Since the debate has been focused largely on zero rating, other kinds of network practices impacting network neutrality have yet to be comprehensively explored in the Indian context, nor their impact on other values. In this article, the author focuses on network management, in general, and deep packet inspection, in particular and how it impacts the privacy of users.
ISIS and Recruitment using Social Media – Roundtable Report
— by Vidushi Marda, Aditya Tejus, Megha Nambiar and Japreet Grewal — last modified Dec 16, 2016 02:19 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society in collaboration with the Takshashila Institution held a roundtable discussion on “ISIS and Recruitment using Social Media” on 1 September 2016 from 5.00 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. at TERI in Bengaluru.
Protection of Privacy in Mobile Phone Apps
— by Hitabhilash Mohanty and Edited by Leilah Elmokadem — last modified Dec 15, 2016 02:18 PMThe term “Fintech” refers to technology-based businesses that compete against, enable and/or collaborate with financial institutions. The year 2015 was a critical year for the Indian fintech industry, which saw the rise of numerous fintech start-ups, incubators and investments from the public and private sector.
Workshop Report - UIDAI and Welfare Services: Exclusion and Countermeasures
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Mar 16, 2019 04:34 AMThis report presents summarised notes from a workshop organised by the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) on Saturday, August 27, 2016, to discuss, raise awareness of, and devise countermeasures to exclusion due to implementation of UID-based verification for and distribution of welfare services.
Enlarging the Small Print: A Study on Designing Effective Privacy Notices for Mobile Applications
— by Meera Manoj — last modified Dec 14, 2016 04:27 PMThe Word’s biggest modern lie is often wholly considered to lie in the sentence “I haveread and agreed to the Terms and Conditions.” It is a well-known fact, backed by empirical research that consumers often skip reading cumbersome privacy notices. The reasons for these range from the lengthy nature, complicated legal jargon and inopportune moments when these notices are displayed. This paper seeks to compile and analyse the different simplified designs of privacy notices that have been proposed for mobile applications that encourage consumers to make informed privacy decisions.
Comments on the Draft National Policy on Software Products
— by Anubha Sinha, Rohini Lakshané, and Udbhav Tiwari — last modified Dec 12, 2016 02:45 PMThe Centre for Internet & Society submitted public comments to the Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeitY), Ministry of Information & Communications Technology, Govt. of India on the National Policy of Software Products on December 9, 2016.
Habeas Data in India
— by Vipul Kharbanda and edited by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Dec 10, 2016 04:01 AMHabeas Data is a latin word which can be loosely translated to mean “have the data”. The right has been primarily conceptualized, designed, ratified, and implemented by various nation-states in the background of a shared common history of decades of torture, terror, and other repressive practices under military juntas and other fascist regimes.
Privacy and Security Implications of Public Wi-Fi - A Case Study
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Dec 12, 2016 12:29 PMToday internet is an essential necessity in everyday work and recognizing its vital role, governments across the world including the Indian government, are giving access to public Wi-Fi. However, use of public Wi-Fi brings along with it certain privacy and security risks. This research paper analyses some of these concerns, along with the privacy policies of key ISPs in India providing public Wi-Fi service in Bangalore-namely D-VoIS and Tata Docomo, as a case study to provide suitable recommendations.
Developer team fixed vulnerabilities in Honorable PM's app and API
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 04, 2016 07:08 PMThe official app of Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, was found to contain a security flaw in 2015 that exposed millions of people's personal data. A few days ago a very similar flaw was reported again. This post by Bhavyanshu Parasher, who found the flaw and sought to get it fixed last year, explains the technical details behind the security vulnerability.
CFI-ACCION - Panel Discussion on 'Big Data: Challenge or Opportunity?' (Delhi, December 06)
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Mar 16, 2019 04:41 AMThe Centre for Financial Inclusion of ACCION International is organising a panel discussion on "Big Data: Challenge or Opportunity?" as an associated event of the Inclusive Finance India Summit 2016, Hotel Ashok, Delhi, December 05-06. The discussion will be held at 12:30 on Tuesday, December 06. It will be moderated by Amy Jensen Mowl, CFI Fellow at IFMR, and M.S. Sriram, Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for Development of Research in Banking Technology. Sumandro Chattapadhyay will participate as a panelist.
The Technology behind Big Data
— by Geethanjali Jujjavarapu and Udbhav Tiwari — last modified Dec 04, 2016 09:53 AMThe authors undertakes a high-level literature review of the most commonly used technological tools and processes in the big data life cycle. The big data life cycle is a conceptual construct that can be used to study the various stages that typically occur in collecting, storing and analysing big data, along with the principles that can govern these processes.
Comments to the BIS on Smart Cities Indicators
— by Elonnai Hickok, Rohini Lakshané and Udbhav Tiwari — last modified Dec 11, 2016 07:56 AMThe Bureau of Indian Standards released the Smart Cities - Indicator on 30 September 2016. The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) presented its views.
Navigating the 'Reconsideration' Quagmire (A Personal Journey of Acute Confusion)
— by Padmini Baruah and Geetha Hariharan — last modified Nov 30, 2016 01:48 PMAn earlier analysis of ICANN’s Documentary Information Disclosure Policy already brought to light our concerns about the lack of transparency in ICANN’s internal mechanisms. Carrying my research forward, I sought to arrive at an understanding of the mechanisms used to appeal a denial of DIDP requests. In this post, I aim to provide a brief account of my experiences with the Reconsideration Request process that ICANN provides for as a tool for appeal.
Demonetisation Survey Limits the Range of Feedback that can be Provided by the User
— by tiwari — last modified Nov 24, 2016 02:50 PMThe government has faced increasingly targeted attacks by the Opposition and the public on the merits of the demonetisation move carried out a fortnight ago. In an attempt to placate this ire and to create a feedback loop that directly engages with the public, the government has decided to conduct a mass survey to gauge public perception. The survey is hosted on the Narendra Modi mobile application that can be found on the Android and iOS app stores. This article will attempt to analyse the mobile application by looking at the design principles followed in the survey and the scope given to survey takers to express their true opinion of the demonetisation move.
CERT-In's Proactive Mandate - A Report on the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team’s Proactive Mandate in the Indian Cyber Security Ecosystem
— by tiwari — last modified Nov 19, 2016 04:14 AMCERT-IN’s proactive mandate is defined in the IT Act, 2000 as well as in the Information Technology (The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team and Manner of Performing Function and Duties ) Rules, 2013 (CERT-In Rules, 2013) both of which postdate the existence of the organisation itself, which has been operational since 2004.
Conference on the Digitalization of the Indian Legal System
— by Leilah Elmokadem — last modified Nov 16, 2016 03:34 PMOn Legal Services Day, November 9, 2016, LegalDesk.com collaborated with iSPIRT to host a conference on the “Digitalization of the Indian Legal System”. The event invited prominent speakers to present their organizations’ work and to participate in a panel discussion followed by a Q&A period for the audience.
Big Data in India: Benefits, Harms, and Human Rights - Workshop Report
— by Vidushi Marda, Akash Deep Singh and Geethanjali Jujjavarapu — last modified Nov 18, 2016 12:58 PMThe Centre for Internet and Society held a one-day workshop on “Big Data in India: Benefits, Harms and Human Rights” at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on the 1st of October, 2016. This report is a compilation of the the issues discussed, ideas exchanged and challenges recognized during the workshop. The objective of the workshop was to discuss aspects of big data technologies in terms of harms, opportunities and human rights. The discussion was designed around an extensive study of current and potential future uses of big data for governance in India, that CIS has undertaken over the last year with support from the MacArthur Foundation.
Privacy after Big Data: Compilation of Early Research
— by Saumyaa Naidu — last modified Nov 12, 2016 01:37 AMEvolving data science, technologies, techniques, and practices, including big data, are enabling shifts in how the public and private sectors carry out their functions and responsibilities, deliver services, and facilitate innovative production and service models to emerge. In this compilation we have put together a series of articles that we have developed as we explore the impacts – positive and negative – of big data. This is a growing body of research that we are exploring and is relevant to multiple areas of our work including privacy and surveillance. Feedback and comments on the compilation are welcome and appreciated.
ICANN Begins its Sojourn into Open Data
— by Padmini Baruah and Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Nov 12, 2016 01:17 AMThe Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) recently announced that it will now set up a pilot project in order to introduce an Open Data initiative for all data that it generates. We would like to extend our congratulations to ICANN on the development of this commendable new initiative, and would be honoured to support the creation of this living document to be prepared before ICANN 58.
How Workstream 2 Plans to Improve ICANN's Transparency
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Nov 11, 2016 10:05 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society has worked extensively on ICANN’s transparency policies. We are perhaps the single largest users of the Documentary Information Disclosure Policy. Our goal in doing so is not to be a thorn in ICANN’s side, but to try and ensure that ICANN, the organisation, as well as the ICANN community have access to the data required to carry out the task of regulating the global domain name system.
Internet's Core Resources are a Global Public Good - They Cannot Remain Subject to One Country's Jurisdiction
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified Nov 14, 2016 06:39 AMThis statement was issued by 8 India civil society organizations, supported by 2 key global networks, involved with internet governance issues, to the meeting of ICANN in Hyderabad, India from 3 to 9 November 2016. The Centre for Internet & Society was one of the 8 organizations that drafted this statement.
If the DIDP Did Its Job
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Nov 07, 2016 12:57 PMHow Long Have Banks Known About The Debit Card Fraud?
— by tiwari — last modified Oct 22, 2016 08:06 AMThe recent security breach in an Indian payment switch provider, confirmed earlier this week by the National Payments Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), has forced domestic banks into damage control mode over the past few days.
RBI Directions on Account Aggregators
— by Vipul Kharbanda and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Oct 21, 2016 03:25 PMThe Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Directions for account aggregator services in India seem to lay great emphasis on data security by allowing only direct access between institutions and do away with data scraping techniques.
MLATs and the proposed Amendments to the US Electronic Communications Privacy Act
— by Vipul Kharbanda and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Dec 28, 2016 01:09 AMIn continuance of our blog post on mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs), we examine a new approach to international bilateral cooperation being suggested in the United States, by creating a mechanism for certain foreign governments to directly approach the data controllers.
Request for Specifics: Rebuttal to UIDAI
— by Hans Varghese Mathews — last modified Oct 30, 2016 03:06 PMResponding to the Unique Identification Authority of India’s article that found “serious mathematical errors” in “Flaws in the UIDAI Process” (EPW 12 March 2016), the main mathematical argument used to arrive at the number of duplicates in the biometric database is explained.
IANA Transition: A Case of the Emperor’s New Clothes?
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified Nov 03, 2016 06:20 AMTransparency is key to engaging meaningfully with ICANN. CIS has filed the most number of Documentary Information Disclosure Policy (DIDP) requests with ICANN, covering a range of subjects including its relationships with contracted parties, financial disclosure, revenue statements, and harassment policies. Asvatha Babu, an intern at CIS, analysed all responses to our requests and found that only 14% of our requests were answered fully.
Internet Democratisation: IANA Transition Leaves Much to be Desired
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified Nov 03, 2016 07:52 AMAt best, the IANA transition is symbolic of Washington’s oversight over ICANN coming to an end. It is also symbolic of the empowerment of the global multistakeholder community. In reality, it fails to do either meaningfully.
Services like TwitterSeva aren’t the silver bullets they are made out to be
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Oct 06, 2016 04:31 PMTwitterSeva is great, but it should not be considered a sufficient replacement for proper e-governance systems. This is because there are several serious shortcomings with the TwitterSeva approach, and it is no wonder that enthusiastic police officers and bureaucrats are somewhat upset with the slow deployment of e-governance applications. They are also right in being frustrated with the lack of usability and scalability of existing applications that hold out the promise of adopting private sector platforms to serve citizens better.
Right to Food Campaign, Ranchi Convention, 2016
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Mar 16, 2019 04:40 AMThe Right to Food Campaign held its 2016 Convention in Ranchi during September 23-25, 2016. While three years have elapsed since the passage of the National Food Security Act, despite improvements in the Public Distribution System (PDS), large implementation gaps remain. This is what the Convention focused on, and gathered researchers and campaigners from across the country to share experiences and case studies on effectiveness and exclusions from the PDS. Sumandro Chattapadhyay took part in a session of the Convention to discuss how UID-linked welfare delivery is being rolled out across key programmes like provision of pension and rationed distribution of essential commodities, and their impact on people's right to welfare services.
Internet Rights and Wrongs
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Sep 22, 2016 11:36 PMWith a rise in PIL's for unwarranted censorship, do we need to step back and inspect if it's about time unreasonable trends are checked?
Glaring Errors in UIDAI's Rebuttal
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Sep 18, 2016 03:22 AMThis response note by Pranesh Prakash questions Unique Identification Authority of India’s reply to Hans Verghese Mathews' article titled “Flaws in the UIDAI Process” (EPW, March 12, 2016), which found “serious mathematical errors” in the article.
Indians Ask: Is Visiting a Torrent Site Really A Crime?
— by Subhashish Panigrahi — last modified Sep 06, 2016 02:09 PMIndia has banned various large-scale torrent sites for a long time — this is old news. But under a new federal policy in India, one can be jailed for three years and fined 300,000 Indian Rupees (~US $4464) for downloading content on any of these blocked websites.
Report on Understanding Aadhaar and its New Challenges
— by Japreet Grewal, Vanya Rakesh, Sumandro Chattapadhyay, and Elonnai Hickock — last modified Mar 16, 2019 04:42 AMThe Trans-disciplinary Research Cluster on Sustainability Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University collaborated with the Centre for Internet and Society, and other individuals and organisations to organise a two day workshop on “Understanding Aadhaar and its New Challenges” at the Centre for Studies in Science Policy, JNU on May 26 and 27, 2016. The objective of the workshop was to bring together experts from various fields, who have been rigorously following the developments in the Unique Identification (UID) Project and align their perspectives and develop a shared understanding of the status of the UID Project and its impact. Through this exercise, it was also sought to develop a plan of action to address the welfare exclusion issues that have arisen due to implementation of the UID Project.
We Truly are the Product being Sold
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified Sep 01, 2016 02:08 AMWhatsApp has announced it will begin sharing user data such as names, phone numbers, and other analytics with its parent company, Facebook, and with the Facebook family of companies. This change to its terms of service was effected in order to enable users to “communicate with businesses that matter” to them. How does this have anything to do with Facebook?
Policy Brief on the Report of the UN Group of Governmental Experts on ICT
— by Elonnai Hickok and Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Aug 23, 2016 03:37 PMIn light of the complex challenges and threats posed to, and by, the field of information telecommunications in cyberspace, in 1998 the draft resolution in the First Committee of the UN General Assembly was introduced and adopted without a vote (A/RES/53/70) ]. Since then, the Secretary General to the General Assembly has invited annual reports on the issue.
Book Review: Apocalypse Now Redux
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Aug 06, 2016 04:16 AMMy review for Arundhati Roy and John Cusack's new book that captures their encounter with Edward Snowden, 'Things that can and cannot be said' is now out. It's an engaging, if somewhat freewheeling, political critique of the times we live in.
Analysis of the Report of the Group of Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security and Implications for India
— by Elonnai Hickok and Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Aug 11, 2016 09:58 AMThis paper analyses the report of the Group of Experts and and India’s compliance with its recommendations based on existing laws and policies. Given the global nature of these challenges and the need for nations to holistically address such challenges from a human rights and security perspective, CIS believes that the Group of Experts and similar international forums are useful and important forums for India to actively engage with.
DIDP Request #28 - ICANN renews Verisign’s RZM Contract?
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 30, 2016 08:10 AMOur request to ICANN was related to our (mistaken) assumption that Verisign and ICANN had signed an agreement for Root Zone Maintenance and had recently renewed it. In that context we had asked for information such as documents reflecting the decision making process, copy of the current RZM agreement, public comments and an audit report of Verisign’s RZM functions.
DIDP Request #27 - On ICANN’s support to new gTLD Applicants
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 30, 2016 08:03 AMIn order to promote access to the New gTLD Program in developing regions, ICANN set up the New gTLD Applicant Support Program (Program) which seeks to facilitate cooperation between gTLD applicants from developing countries and those willing and able to support them financially (and in kind).
DIDP Request #25 - Curbing Sexual Harassment at ICANN
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 30, 2016 06:14 AMMarkus Kummer at Public Forum 2 mentioned that ICANN has standards of behavior regarding sexual harassment that are applicable for its staff.
DIDP Request #23 - ICANN does not Know how Diverse its Comment Section Is
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 30, 2016 05:55 AMWhile researching ICANN and the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG), we came across a diversity analysis report of a public comment section.
DIDP Request #22 - Reconsideration Requests from Parties affected by ICANN Action
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 30, 2016 03:52 AMAccording to ICANN by-laws, ICANN has the responsibility to answer to reconsideration requests filed by those directly affected by its actions.
DIDP Request #21 - ICANN’s Relationship with the RIRs
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 30, 2016 03:42 AMAt CIS, we wanted a clearer understanding of ICANN’s relationship with the 5 internet registries. The large amount contributed by the RIRs to ICANN’s funding lead us to question the nature of this relationship as well as the payment. We wrote to ICANN asking them for these details.
DIDP Request #20 - Is Presumptive Renewal of Verisign’s Contracts a Good Thing?
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 30, 2016 02:01 AMICANN’s contract agreements with different registries contain a presumptive renewal clause. Unless they voluntarily give up their rights or there is a material breach by the registry operator, their contract with ICANN will be automatically renewed.
DIDP Request #19 - ICANN’s role in the Postponement of the IANA Transition
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 29, 2016 04:37 PMIn March 2014, the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) of the United States government announced plans to shift the Internet Assigned Names and Numbers (IANA) functions from ICANN to the global multistakeholder community. The initial deadline set for this was September 2015.
DIDP Request #18 - ICANN’s Internal Website will Stay Internal
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 29, 2016 02:53 PMICANN maintains an internal website accessible to staff and employees. We requested ICANN to provide us with a document with the contents of that website in the interest of transparency and accountability.
DIDP Request #17 - How ICANN Chooses their Contractual Compliance Auditors
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 29, 2016 02:20 AMAt a congressional hearing on internet governance and progress, then President of ICANN Fadi Chehadi indicated that the number of people working on compliance audits grew substantially—from 6 to 24 (we misquoted it as 25)— in the span of a few years.
DIDP Request #16 - ICANN has no Documentation on Registrars’ “Abuse Contacts”
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 29, 2016 02:11 AMRegistrars on contract with ICANN are required to maintain an “abuse contact” - a 24/7 dedicated phone line and e-mail address to receive reports of abuse regarding the registered names sponsored by the registrar.
DIDP Request #15: What is going on between Verisign and ICANN?
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 29, 2016 02:01 AMDuring a hearing of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on “Internet Governance Progress After ICANN 53,” President and CEO of ICANN - Mr Fadi Chehade indicated that ICANN follows up with registries and registrars on receipt of any complaint against them about violations of their contract with ICANN.
DIDP Request #14: Keeping track of ICANN’s contracted parties: Registrars
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 28, 2016 04:34 PMIn September 2016, we filed two separate DIDP requests regarding ICANN’s Contractual Compliance Goals.
DIDP Request #13: Keeping track of ICANN’s contracted parties: Registries
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 28, 2016 03:40 PMOn multiple occasions, Fadi Chehade, then President and CEO of ICANN has emphasized the importance of conducting audits (internal and external) to ensure compliance of ICANN’s contracted parties. At a US congressional hearing, he spoke about the contract monitoring function of ICANN.
DIDP Request #9 - Exactly how involved is ICANN in the NETmundial Initiative?
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 27, 2016 03:53 PMThe importance and relevance of knowing ICANN’s involvement in the NETmundial Initiative cannot be overstated.
DIDP Request #10 - ICANN does not know how much each RIR contributes to its Budget
— by Asvatha Babu — last modified Jul 27, 2016 02:57 PMIn an effort to understand the relationship between the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) and ICANN, we requested current and historical information on the contract fees paid by the five RIRs (AfriNIC, ARIN, APNIC, LACNIC and RIPE NCC) to ICANN annually.
One Pokémon to Rule Them All
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jul 25, 2016 01:16 AMAmerica’s head start on the augmented reality game Pokémon Go shows that the interweb is not an egalitarian space.
The Gay Pride Charade
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jul 25, 2016 01:10 AMFor most of the milllenials, news is formed by trends, what goes viral, and often open to speculation, projection, manipulation and deceit.
Perumal Murugan and the Law on Obscenity
— by Japreet Grewal — last modified Aug 09, 2016 01:01 PMNew Approaches to Information Privacy – Revisiting the Purpose Limitation Principle
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Nov 09, 2016 01:54 PMArticle on Aadhaar throwing light on privacy and data protection.
No, India did NOT oppose the United Nations move to “make internet access a human right”
— by Pranesh Prakash and Japreet Grewal — last modified Jul 13, 2016 04:09 PMLast Friday, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) passed a resolution titled “The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet.”
Trans Pacific Partnership and Digital 2 Dozen: Implications for Data Protection and Digital Privacy
— by Shubhangi Heda — last modified Jul 12, 2016 07:56 AMIn this essay, Shubhangi Heda explores the concerns related to data protection and digital privacy under the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement signed recently between United States of America and eleven countries located around the pacific ocean region, across South America, Australia, and Asia. TPP is a free trade agreement (FTA) that emphasises, among other things, the need for liberalising global digital economy. The essay also analyses the critical document titled ‘Digital 2 Dozen’ (D2D), which compiles the key action items within TPP addressing liberalisation of digital economy, and sets up the relevant goals for the member nations.
Cross Border Cooperation on Criminal Matters - A Perspective from India
— by Elonnai Hickok and Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Jul 11, 2016 06:45 AMIn today’s increasingly interconnected world where information and data can be moved to and from different parts of the world in a matter of seconds, more and more transactions are taking place online.
Big Data Governance Frameworks for 'Data Revolution for Sustainable Development'
— by Meera Manoj — last modified Jul 05, 2016 01:13 PMA key component of the process to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals is the call for a global 'data revolution' to better understand, monitor, and implement development interventions. Recently there has been several international proposals to use big data, along with reconfigured national statistical systems, to operationalise this 'data revolution for sustainable development.' This analysis by Meera Manoj highlights the different models of collection, management, sharing, and governance of global development data that are being discussed.
CIS Submission to TRAI Consultation on Free Data
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jul 01, 2016 04:04 PMThe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) held a consultation on Free Data, for which CIS sent in the following comments.
Submission by the Centre for Internet and Society on Revisions to ICANN Expected Standards of Behavior
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified Jun 30, 2016 06:07 AMPrepared by Vidushi Marda, with inputs from Dr. Nirmita Narasimhan and Sunil Abraham.
Jurisdiction: The Taboo Topic at ICANN
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jun 29, 2016 07:51 AMThe "IANA Transition" that is currently underway is a sham since it doesn't address the most important question: that of jurisdiction. This article explores why the issue of jurisdiction is the most important question, and why it remains unaddressed.
List of Blocked 'Escort Service' Websites
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jun 15, 2016 08:33 AMHere is the full list of URLs that Indian ISPs were asked to block on Monday, June 13, 2016.
UN Special Rapporteur Report on Freedom of Expression and the Private Sector: A Significant Step Forward
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified Jun 08, 2016 05:27 PMOn 6 June 2016, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, released a report on the Information and Communications Technology (“ICT”) sector and freedom of expression in the digital age. Vidushi Marda and Pranesh Prakash highlight the most important aspects of the report.
Smart City Policies and Standards: Overview of Projects, Data Policies, and Standards across Five International Smart Cities
— by Kiran A. B., Elonnai Hickok and Vanya Rakesh — last modified Jun 11, 2016 01:29 PMThis blog post aims to review five Smart Cities across the globe, namely Singapore, Dubai, New York City, London and Seoul, the Data Policies and Standards adopted. Also, the research seeks to point the similarities, differences and best practices in the development of smart cities across jurisdictions.
CIS's Comments on the Draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jun 05, 2016 03:06 PMThe Centre for Internet and Society is alarmed by the Draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016, and has recommended that the proposed law be withdrawn in its entirety. It offered the following detailed comments as its submission.
Criminal Defamation and the Supreme Court’s Loss of Reputation
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Jun 03, 2016 03:05 AMThe Supreme Court’s refusal, in Subramanian Swamy v. Union of India, to strike down the anachronistic colonial offence of criminal defamation is wrong. Criminalising defamation serves no legitimate public purpose; the vehicle of criminalisation – sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – is unconstitutional; and the court’s reasoning is woolly at best.
Submission by the Centre for Internet and Society on Draft New ICANN By-laws
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified May 31, 2016 02:49 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society sent its comments on the Draft New ICANN Bylaws. The submission was prepared by Pranesh Prakash, Vidushi Marda, Udbhav Tiwari and Swati Muthukumar. Special thanks to Sunil Abraham for his input and feedback.
Comments on Draft Electronic Health Records Standards
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Dec 15, 2016 08:45 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society submitted its comments on the Draft Electronic Health Records Standards to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Women's Safety? There is an App for That
— by Rohini Lakshané — last modified Jan 10, 2017 02:48 AM“After locking ourselves in a room for more than 6 days, this is what we came out [sic] with. Join us in helping make WOMEN feel SAFE,” read a gloating press release about a smartphone app for women to notify their near ones that they were in distress. It was one among many such PRs frequently landing in my mailbox after the rape and murder of a young student on board a private bus in Delhi in 2012.
Criminal defamation remains and so does the debate
— by Japreet Grewal — last modified May 23, 2016 06:05 AMIdentity of the Aadhaar Act: Supreme Court and the Money Bill Question
— by Vanya Rakesh and Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified May 09, 2016 11:52 AMA writ petition has been filed by former Union minister Jairam Ramesh on April 6 challenging the constitutionality and legality of the treatment of this Act as a money bill. The Supreme Court heard the matter on April 25 and invited the Union government to present its view. It is our view that the Supreme Court can not only review the Lok Sabha speaker’s decision, but should also ask the government to draft the Aadhaar Bill again, this time with greater parliamentary and public deliberation. Vanya Rakesh and Sumandro Chattapadhyay wrote this article on The Wire.
Facebook: A Platform with Little Less Sharing of Personal Information
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jun 05, 2016 02:38 AMAs Facebook becomes less personal, what happens to digital friendship?
Privacy Issues with DRM
— by Jalaj Pandey — last modified May 03, 2016 02:41 AMThis post has been written by Jalaj Pandey interning at CIS. It elaborates upon the various privacy issues with the Digital Rights Management. The author talks about the various ways in which content producers use DRM as a tool to infringe the privacy of the end users.
Cyber Security of Smart Grids in India
— by Elonnai Hickok and Vanya Rakesh — last modified Apr 28, 2016 03:34 PMAn integral component of the ambitious flagship programme of the Indian Government- Digital India, which paves way for a digital data avalanche in the country, is a well-designed digital infrastructure ensuring high connectivity and integration of services, the potential areas being smart cities, smart homes, smart energy and smart grids, to list a few. Likewise, the 100 Smart Cities Mission envisions changing the face of urbanization in India, to manage the exponential growth of population in the cities by creating smart cities with ICT driven solutions, along with big data analytics. Smart grid technologies are key for both these schemes.
The Aadhaar Act is Not a Money Bill
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Apr 25, 2016 10:51 AMWhile the authority of the Lok Sabha Speaker is final and binding, Jairam Ramesh’s writ petition may allow the Supreme Court to question an incorrect application of substantive principles. This article by Amber Sinha was published by The Wire on April 24, 2016.
Can the Matters Dealt with in the Aadhaar Act be the Objects of a Money Bill?
— by Pooja Saxena — last modified Apr 24, 2016 02:15 PMIn this infographic, we highlight the matters dealt with in the Aadhaar Act 2016, recently tabled in and passed by the Lok Sabha as a money bill, and consider if these can be objects of a money bill. The infographic is designed by Pooja Saxena, based on information compiled by Sumandro Chattapadhyay and Amber Sinha.
Can the Aadhaar Act 2016 be Classified as a Money Bill?
— by Pooja Saxena — last modified Apr 25, 2016 01:48 PMIn this infographic, we show if the Aadhaar Act 2016, recently tabled in and passed by the Lok Sabha as a money bill, can be classified as a money bill. The infographic is designed by Pooja Saxena, based on information compiled by Amber Sinha and Sumandro Chattapadhyay.
RTI regarding Smart Cities Mission in India
— by Paul Thottan — last modified Apr 21, 2016 02:25 AMCentre for Internet & Society (CIS) had filed an RTI on 3 February 2016 before the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) regarding the Smart Cities Mission in India. The RTI sought information regarding the role of various foreign governments, private industry, multilateral bodies that will provide technical and financial assistance for this project and information on Government agreements regarding PPP’s for financing the project.
The Last Chance for a Welfare State Doesn’t Rest in the Aadhaar System
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Apr 19, 2016 01:18 PMBoosting welfare is the message, which is how Aadhaar is being presented in India. The Aadhaar system as a medium, however, is one that enables tracking, surveillance, and data monetisation. This piece by Sumandro Chattapadhyay was published in The Wire on April 19, 2016.
Online Censorship on the Rise: Why I Prefer to Save Things Offline
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jun 05, 2016 03:26 AMAs governments use their power to erase what they do not approve of from the web, cloud storage will not be enough.
Aadhaar Act and its Non-compliance with Data Protection Law in India
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Apr 18, 2016 11:43 AMThis post compares the provisions of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, with India's data protection regime as articulated in the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011.
FAQ on the Aadhaar Project and the Bill
— by Elonnai Hickok, Vanya Rakesh, and Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Apr 13, 2016 02:06 PMThis FAQ attempts to address the key questions regarding the Aadhaar/UIDAI project and the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016 (henceforth, Bill). This is neither a comprehensive list of questions, nor does it contain fully developed answers. We will continue to add questions to this list, and edit/expand the answers, based on our ongoing research. We will be grateful to receive your comments, criticisms, evidences, edits, suggestions for new answers, and any other responses. These can either be shared as comments in the document hosted on Google Drive, or via tweets sent to the information policy team at @CIS_InfoPolicy.
Surveillance Project
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Apr 05, 2016 03:21 PMThe Aadhaar project’s technological design and architecture is an unmitigated disaster and no amount of legal fixes in the Act will make it any better.
A Large Byte of Your Life
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jun 05, 2016 03:35 AMWith the digital, memory becomes equated with storage. We commit to storage to free ourselves from remembering.
Mapping MAG: A study in Institutional Isomorphism
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Mar 03, 2017 12:59 AMThe paper is an update to a shorter piece of MAG analysis that had been conducted in July 2015. At that time our analysis was limited by the MAG membership data that was made available by the Secretariat. Subsequently we wrote to the Secretariat and this paper is based on the data shared by them including for the years for which membership details were previously not available.
Will Aadhaar Act Address India’s Dire Need For a Privacy Law?
— by Nehaa Chaudhari — last modified Apr 05, 2016 04:01 PM
Too Clever By Half: Strengthening India’s Smart Cities Plan with Human Rights Protection
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Mar 22, 2016 01:49 PMThe data involved in planning for urbanized and networked cities are currently flawed and politically-inflected. Therefore, we must ensure that basic human rights are not violated in the race to make cities “smart”.
CIS' Statement on Sexual Harassment at ICANN55
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified Mar 21, 2016 03:22 PMThe National Privacy Principles
— by Pooja Saxena and Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 21, 2016 09:48 AMIn this infographic, we try to break down the National Privacy Principles developed by the Group of Experts on Privacy led by the Former Chief Justice A.P. Shah in 2012.
Aadhaar Bill 2016 Evaluated against the National Privacy Principles
— by Pooja Saxena and Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 21, 2016 08:38 AMIn this infographic, we evaluate the privacy provisions of the Aadhaar Bill 2016 against the national privacy principles developed by the Group of Experts on Privacy led by the Former Chief Justice A.P. Shah in 2012. The infographic is based on Vipul Kharbanda’s article 'Analysis of Aadhaar Act in the Context of A.P. Shah Committee Principles,' and is designed by Pooja Saxena, with inputs from Amber Sinha.
Vulnerabilities in the UIDAI Implementation Not Addressed by the Aadhaar Bill, 2016
— by Pooja Saxena and Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 21, 2016 08:33 AMIn this infographic, we document the various issues in the Aadhaar enrolment process implemented by the UIDAI, and highlight the vulnerabilities that the Aadhaar Bill, 2016 does not address. The infographic is based on Vidushi Marda’s article 'Data Flow in the Unique Identification Scheme of India,' and is designed by Pooja Saxena, with inputs from Amber Sinha.
Salient Points in the Aadhaar Bill and Concerns
— by Amber Sinha and Elonnai Hickok — last modified Mar 21, 2016 04:37 AMSince the release of the Aadhaar Bill, the Centre for Internet and Society has been writing a number of posts analyzing the Bill and calling out problematic areas and the implications of the same. This post is meant to contribute to this growing body of writing and call out our major concerns with the Bill.
The Digital is Political
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jun 05, 2016 03:58 AMTo speak of technology is to speak of human life and living.
Adoption of Standards in Smart Cities - Way Forward for India
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Apr 11, 2016 03:04 AMWith a paradigm shift towards the concept of “Smart Cities’ globally, as well as India, such cities have been defined by several international standardization bodies and countries, however, there is no uniform definition adopted globally. The glue that allows infrastructures to link and operate efficiently is standards as they make technologies interoperable and efficient.
Sexual Harassment at ICANN
— by Padmini Baruah — last modified Apr 06, 2016 02:40 PMPadmini Baruah represented the Centre for Internet & Society at ICANN in the month of March 2016. In a submission to ICANN she is calling upon the ICANN board for implementing a system for investigating cases related to sexual harassments.
Analysis of Aadhaar Act in the Context of A.P. Shah Committee Principles
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Mar 17, 2016 07:43 PMWhilst there are a number of controversies relating to the Aadhaar Act including the fact that it was introduced in a manner so as to circumvent the majority of the opposition in the upper house of the Parliament and that it was rushed through the Lok Sabha in a mere eight days, in this paper we shall discuss the substantial aspects of the Act in relation to privacy concerns which have been raised by a number of experts. In October 2012, the Group of Experts on Privacy constituted by the Planning Commission under the chairmanship of Justice AP Shah Committee submitted its report which listed nine principles of privacy which all legislations, especially those dealing with personal should adhere to. In this paper, we shall discuss how the Aadhaar Act fares vis-à-vis these nine principles.
Privacy Concerns Overshadow Monetary Benefits of Aadhaar Scheme
— by Pranesh Prakash and Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 17, 2016 04:12 PMSince its inception in 2009, the Aadhaar system has been shrouded in controversy over issues of privacy, security and viability. It has been implemented without a legislative mandate and has resulted in a PIL in the Supreme Court, which referred it to a Constitution bench. On Friday, it kicked up more dust when the Lok Sabha passed a Bill to give statutory backing to the unique identity number scheme.
List of Recommendations on the Aadhaar Bill, 2016 - Letter Submitted to the Members of Parliament
— by Amber Sinha, Sumandro Chattapadhyay, Sunil Abraham, and Vanya Rakesh — last modified Mar 21, 2016 08:50 AMOn Friday, March 11, the Lok Sabha passed the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016. The Bill was introduced as a money bill and there was no public consultation to evaluate the provisions therein even though there are very serious ramifications for the Right to Privacy and the Right to Association and Assembly. Based on these concerns, and numerous others, we submitted an initial list of recommendations to the Members of Parliaments to highlight the aspects of the Bill that require immediate attention.
Press Release, March 15, 2016: The New Bill Makes Aadhaar Compulsory!
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 16, 2016 10:11 AMWe published and circulated the following press release on March 15, 2016, to highlight the fact that the Section 7 of the Aadhaar Bill, 2016 states that authentication of the person using her/his Aadhaar number can be made mandatory for the purpose of disbursement of government subsidies, benefits, and services; and in case the person does not have an Aadhaar number, s/he will have to apply for Aadhaar enrolment.
Press Release, March 11, 2016: The Law cannot Fix what Technology has Broken!
— by Japreet Grewal and Sunil Abraham — last modified Mar 16, 2016 10:10 AMWe published and circulated the following press release on March 11, 2016, as the Lok Sabha passed the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016. This Bill was proposed by finance minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley to give legislative backing to Aadhaar, being implemented by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
An Urgent Need for the Right to Privacy
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Mar 17, 2016 07:40 AMAlong with a group of individuals and organisations from academia and civil society, we have drafted and are signatories to an open letter addressed to the Union government and urging the same to "urgently take steps to uphold the constitutional basis to the right to privacy and fulfil it’s constitutional and international obligations." Here we publish the text of the open letter. Please follow the link below to support it by joining the signatories.
The New Aadhaar Bill in Plain English
— by Amber Sinha, Vanya Rakesh and Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Mar 11, 2016 04:41 AMWe have put together a plain English version of the The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016.
Are we Losing the Right to Privacy and Freedom of Speech on Indian Internet?
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 16, 2016 02:44 PMThe article was published in DNA on March 10, 2016.
Aadhaar Bill fails to incorporate suggestions by the Standing Committee
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Mar 10, 2016 03:58 PMIn 2011, a standing committee report led by Yashwant Sinha had been scathing in its indictments of the Aadhaar BIll introduced by the UPA government. Five years later, the NDA government has introduced a new bill which is a rehash of the same. I look at the concerns raised by the committee report, none of which have been addressed by the new bill.
Aadhaar Bill 2016 & NIAI Bill 2010 - Comparing the Texts
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Mar 09, 2016 11:25 AMThis is a quick comparison of the texts of the Aadhaar Bill 2016 and the National Identification Authority of India Bill 2010. The new sections in the former are highlighed, and the deleted sections (that were part of the latter) are struck out.
A comparison of the 2016 Aadhaar Bill, and the 2010 NIDAI Bill
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Mar 09, 2016 04:08 AMThis blog post does a clause-by-clause comparison of the provisions of National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010 and the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016
Aadhaar: Still Too Many Problems
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Apr 06, 2016 03:31 PMWhile one wishes to welcome govt’s attempt to bring Aadhaar within a legislative framework, the fact is there are too many problems that still remain unaddressed for one to be optimistic.
Flaws in the UIDAI Process
— by Hans Varghese Mathews — last modified Mar 06, 2016 10:40 AMThe accuracy of biometric identification depends on the chance of a false positive: the probability that the identifiers of two persons will match. Individuals whose identifiers match might be termed duplicands. When very many people are to be identified success can be measured by the (low) proportion of duplicands. The Government of India is engaged upon biometrically identifying the entire population of India. An experiment performed at an early stage of the programme has allowed us to estimate the chance of a false positive: and from that to estimate the proportion of duplicands. For the current population of 1.2 billion the expected proportion of duplicands is 1/121, a ratio which is far too high.
Comments by the Centre for Internet and Society on the Report of the Committee on Medium Term Path on Financial Inclusion
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Mar 01, 2016 01:53 PMApart from item-specific suggestions, CIS would like to make one broad comment with regard to the suggestions dealing with linking of Aadhaar numbers with bank accounts. Aadhaar is increasingly being used by the government in various departments as a means to prevent fraud, however there is a serious dearth of evidence to suggest that Aadhaar linkage actually prevents leakages in government schemes. The same argument would be applicable when Aadhaar numbers are sought to be utilized to prevent leakages in the banking sector.
‘A Good Day for the Internet Everywhere': India Bans Differential Data Pricing
— by Subhashish Panigrahi — last modified Feb 25, 2016 01:21 AMIndia distinguished itself as a global leader on network neutrality on February 8, when regulators officially banned “differential pricing”, a process through which telecommunications service providers could or charge discriminatory tariffs for data services offered based on content.
Net Neutrality Advocates Rejoice As TRAI Bans Differential Pricing
— by Subhashish Panigrahi — last modified Feb 23, 2016 02:10 AMIndia would not see any more Free Basics advertisements on billboards with images of farmers and common people explaining how much they benefited from this Facebook project.
World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Feb 17, 2016 05:03 PMThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) had published a book in 2014 that examines free speech, expression and media development. The chapter contains a Foreword by Irina Bokova, Director General, UNESCO. Pranesh Prakash contributed to Independence: Introduction - Global Media Chapter. The book was edited by Courtney C. Radsch.
Free Speech and Public Order
— by Gautam Bhatia — last modified Feb 18, 2016 06:23 AMIn this post, Gautam Bhatia has explained the law on public order as a reasonable restriction to freedom of expression under Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India.
Free Speech and the Law on Sedition
— by Siddharth Narrain — last modified Feb 17, 2016 09:13 AMSiddharth Narrain explains how the law in India has addressed sedition.
Internet Freedom
— by Sunil Abraham and Vidushi Marda — last modified Feb 15, 2016 02:51 AMThe modern medium of the web is an open-sourced, democratic world in which equality is an ideal, which is why what is most important is Internet freedom.
A Case for Greater Privacy Paternalism?
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Feb 20, 2016 07:28 AMThis is the second part of a series of three articles exploring the issues with the privacy self management framework and potential alternatives.
There is No Such Thing as Free Basics
— by Subhashish Panigrahi — last modified Feb 14, 2016 11:37 AMIndia would not see the rain of Free Basics advertisements on billboards with images of farmers and common people explaining how much they could benefit from this Firefox project. Because the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has taken a historical step by banning the differential pricing without discriminating services.
India Electronics Week 2016 & the IoT Show
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Feb 12, 2016 03:12 AMThe India Electronics Week 2016 was held at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre from 11th-13th January 2016, along with Bangalore's biggest IoT Exhibition and Conference, bringing the global electronics industry together. The event also had the EFY Expo 2016, supported by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology & the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India.
Database on Big Data and Smart Cities International Standards
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Feb 11, 2016 03:49 PMThe Centre for Internet and Society is in the process of mapping international standards specifically around Big Data, IoT and Smart Cities. Here is a living document containing a database of some of these key globally accepted standards.
Facebook's Fall from Grace: Arab Spring to Indian Winter
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Feb 11, 2016 03:51 PMFacebook’s Free Basics has been permanently banned in India! The Indian telecom regulator, TRAI has issued the world’s most stringent net neutrality regulation! To be more accurate, there is more to come from TRAI in terms of net neutrality regulations especially for throttling and blocking but if the discriminatory tariff regulation is anything to go by we can expect quite a tough regulatory stance against other net neutrality violations as well.
The Internet Has a New Standard for Censorship
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Jan 30, 2016 09:17 AMThe introduction of the new 451 HTTP Error Status Code for blocked websites is a big step forward in cataloguing online censorship, especially in a country like India where access to information is routinely restricted.
CIS's Comments on the CCWG-Accountability Draft Proposal
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jan 29, 2016 03:17 PMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) gave its comments on the failures of the CCWG-Accountability draft proposal as well as the processes that it has followed.
Summary of the Public Consultation by Vigyan Foundation, Oxfam India and G.B. Pant Institute, Allahabad
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Jan 28, 2016 03:22 PMOn December 22nd and 23rd a public consultation was organized by the Vigyan Foundation, Oxfam India and G.B. Pant Institute, Allahabad at the GB Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad to discuss the issues related to making Allahabad into a Smart City under the Smart On December 22nd and 23rd a public consultation was organized by the Vigyan Foundation, Oxfam India and G.B. Pant Institute, Allahabad at the GB Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad to discuss the issues related to making Allahabad into a Smart City under the Smart City scheme of the Central Government. An agenda for the same is attached herewith. City scheme of the Central Government.
Transparency in Surveillance
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Jan 23, 2016 03:11 PMTransparency is an essential need for any democracy to function effectively. It may not be the only requirement for the effective functioning of a democracy, but it is one of the most important principles which need to be adhered to in a democratic state.
NASSCOM-DSCI Annual Information Security Summit 2015 - Notes
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Jan 19, 2016 07:58 AMNASSCOM-DSCI organised the 10th Annual Information Security Summit (AISS) 2015 in Delhi during December 16-17. Sumandro Chattapadhyay participated in this engaging Summit. He shares a collection of his notes and various tweets from the event.
Big Data in the Global South - An Analysis
— by Tanvi Mani — last modified Jan 24, 2016 02:54 AMThe Creation of a Network for the Global South - A Literature Review
— by Tanvi Mani — last modified Feb 04, 2016 01:13 PMNature of Knowledge
— by Scott Mason — last modified Jan 30, 2016 11:42 AMA Critique of Consent in Information Privacy
— by Amber Sinha and Scott Mason — last modified Jan 18, 2016 02:20 AMThe idea of informed consent in privacy law is supposed to ensure the autonomy of an individual in any exercise which involves sharing of the individual's personal information. Consent is usually taken through a document, a privacy notice, signed or otherwise agreed to by the participant.
Human Rights in the Age of Digital Technology: A Conference to Discuss the Evolution of Privacy and Surveillance
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Jan 11, 2016 02:12 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society organised a conference in roundtable format called ‘Human Rights in the Age of Digital Technology: A Conference to discuss the evolution of Privacy and Surveillance. The conference was held at Indian Habitat Centre on October 30, 2015. The conference was designed to be a forum for discussion, knowledge exchange and agenda building to draw a shared road map for the coming months.
Facebook Free Basics: Gatekeeping Powers Extend to Manipulating Public Discourse
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified Jan 09, 2016 01:43 PM15 million people have come online through Free Basics, Facebook's zero rated walled garden, in the past year. "If we accept that everyone deserves access to the internet, then we must surely support free basic internet services. Who could possibly be against this?" asks Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, in a recent op-ed defending Free Basics.
Reply to RTI Application under RTI Act of 2005 from Vanya Rakesh
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Jan 13, 2016 02:40 AMUnique Identification Authority of India replied to the RTI application filed by Vanya Rakesh.
Free Basics: Negating net parity
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Jan 03, 2016 05:58 AMResearchers funded by Facebook were apparently told by 92 per cent of Indians they surveyed from large cities, with Internet connection and college degree, that the Internet “is a human right and that Free Basics can help bring Internet to all of India.” What a strange way to frame the question given that the Internet is not a human right in most jurisdictions.
Eight Key Privacy Events in India in the Year 2015
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Jan 03, 2016 05:43 AMAs the year draws to a close, we are enumerating some of the key privacy related events in India that transpired in 2015. Much like the last few years, this year, too, was an eventful one in the context of privacy.
Benefits and Harms of "Big Data"
— by Scott Mason — last modified Dec 30, 2015 02:48 AMToday the quantity of data being generated is expanding at an exponential rate. From smartphones and televisions, trains and airplanes, sensor-equipped buildings and even the infrastructures of our cities, data now streams constantly from almost every sector and function of daily life.
Facebook Shares 10 Key Facts about Free Basics. Here's What's Wrong with All 10 of Them.
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Dec 25, 2015 02:59 PMShweta Sengar of Catch News spoke to Sunil Abraham about the recent advertisement by Facebook titled "What Net Neutrality Activists won't Tell You or, the Top 10 Facts about Free Basics". Sunil argued against the validity of all the 'top 10 facts'.
Ground Zero Summit
— by Amber Sinha — last modified Jan 03, 2016 06:06 AMThe Ground Zero Summit which claims to be the largest collaborative platform in Asia for cyber-security was held in New Delhi from 5th to 8th November. The conference was organised by the Indian Infosec Consortium (IIC), a not for profit organisation backed by the Government of India. Cyber security experts, hackers, senior officials from the government and defence establishments, senior professionals from the industry and policymakers attended the event.
Smart Cities in India: An Overview
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Jan 11, 2016 01:30 AMThe Government of India is in the process of developing 100 smart cities in India which it sees as the key to the country's economic and social growth. This blog post gives an overview of the Smart Cities project currently underway in India. The smart cities mission in India is at a nascent stage and an evolving area for research. The Centre for Internet and Society will continue work in this area.
RTI response regarding the UIDAI
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Dec 22, 2015 02:57 AMThis is a response to the RTI filed regarding UIDAI
CIS's Position on Net Neutrality
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Dec 09, 2015 01:06 PMAs researchers committed to the principle of pluralism we rarely produce institutional positions. This is also because we tend to update our positions based on research outputs. But the lack of clarity around our position on network neutrality has led some stakeholders to believe that we are advocating for forbearance. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Please see below for the current articulation of our common institutional position.
Security Research
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Jan 03, 2016 09:55 AMThe Centre Internet and Society, India has been researching privacy policy in India since the year 2010 with the following objectives.
Sectoral Privacy Research
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Jan 03, 2016 09:46 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society, India has been researching privacy in India since the year 2010, with special focus on the following issues.
Privacy Policy Research
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Jan 03, 2016 09:40 AMThe Centre Internet and Society, India has been researching privacy policy in India since the year 2010 with the following objectives.
DNA Research
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Jul 21, 2016 11:02 AMIn 2006, the Department of Biotechnology drafted the Human DNA Profiling Bill. In 2012 a revised Bill was released and a group of Experts was constituted to finalize the Bill. In 2014, another version was released, the approval of which is pending before the Parliament. This legislation will allow the government of India to Create a National DNA Data Bank and a DNA Profiling Board for the purposes of forensic research and analysis. Here is a collection of our research on privacy and security concerns related to the Bill.
UID Research
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Jan 03, 2016 09:59 AMThe Centre Internet and Society, India has been researching privacy policy in India since the year 2010 with the following objectives.
The Humpty-Dumpty Censorship of Television in India
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Nov 29, 2015 08:37 AMThe Modi government’s attack on Sathiyam TV is another manifestation of the Indian state’s paranoia of the medium of film and television, and consequently, the irrational controlling impulse of the law.
The Short-lived Adventure of India’s Encryption Policy
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Nov 29, 2015 09:03 AMWritten for the Berkeley Information Privacy Law Association (BIPLA).
The Case of Whatsapp Group Admins
— by Japreet Grewal — last modified Dec 08, 2015 10:25 AMPredictive Policing: What is it, How it works, and its Legal Implications
— by Rohan George — last modified Nov 24, 2015 04:31 PMThis article reviews literature surrounding big data and predictive policing and provides an analysis of the legal implications of using predictive policing techniques in the Indian context.
Policy Brief: Oversight Mechanisms for Surveillance
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Nov 24, 2015 06:09 AM
WhatsApps with fireworks, apps with diyas: Why Diwali needs to go beyond digital
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Nov 23, 2015 01:27 PMThe idea of a 'digital' Diwali reduces our social relationships to a ledger of give and take. The last fortnight, I have been bombarded with advertisements selling the idea of a “Digital Diwali”. We have become so used to the idea that everything that is digital is modern, better and more efficient.
Summary Report Internet Governance Forum 2015
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Nov 30, 2015 10:47 AMCentre for Internet and Society (CIS), India participated in the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) held at Poeta Ronaldo Cunha Lima Conference Center, Joao Pessoa in Brazil from 10 November 2015 to 13 November 2015. The theme of IGF 2015 was ‘Evolution of Internet Governance: Empowering Sustainable Development’. Sunil Abraham, Pranesh Prakash & Jyoti Panday from CIS actively engaged and made substantive contributions to several key issues affecting internet governance at the IGF 2015. The issue-wise detail of their engagement is set out below.
Comments on the Draft Outcome Document of the UN General Assembly’s Overall Review of the Implementation of WSIS Outcomes (WSIS+10)
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Nov 18, 2015 06:33 AMFollowing the comment-period on the Zero Draft, the Draft Outcome Document of the UN General Assembly's Overall Review of implementation of WSIS Outcomes was released on 4 November 2015. Comments were sought on the Draft Outcome Document from diverse stakeholders. The Centre for Internet & Society's response to the call for comments is below.
Breaking Down ICANN Accountability: What It Is and What the Internet Community Wants
— by Ramya Chandrasekhar — last modified Nov 05, 2015 03:29 PMAt the recent ICANN conference held in Dublin (ICANN54), one issue that was rehashed and extensively deliberated was ICANN's accountability and means to enhance the same. In light of the impending IANA stewardship transition from the NTIA to the internet's multi-stakeholder community, accountability of ICANN to the internet community becomes that much more important. In this blog post, some aspects of the various proposals to enhance ICANN's accountability have been deconstructed and explained.
ISO/IEC/ JTC 1/SC 27 Working Groups Meeting, Jaipur
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Dec 21, 2015 02:38 AMI attended this event held from October 26 to 30, 2015 in Jaipur.
How India Regulates Encryption
— by Pranesh Prakash & Japreet Grewal — last modified Jul 23, 2016 01:24 PMConnected Trouble
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Oct 28, 2015 04:47 PMThe internet of things phenomenon is based on a paradigm shift from thinking of the internet merely as a means to connect individuals, corporations and other institutions to an internet where all devices in (insulin pumps and pacemakers), on (wearable technology) and around (domestic appliances and vehicles) humans beings are connected.
Do we need a Unified Post Transition IANA?
— by Pranesh Prakash, Padmini Baruah and Jyoti Panday — last modified Oct 27, 2015 12:46 AMAs we stand at the threshold of the IANA Transition, we at CIS find that there has been little discussion on the question of how the transition will manifest. The question we wanted to raise was whether there is any merit in dividing the three IANA functions – names, numbers and protocols – given that there is no real technical stability to be gained from a unified Post Transition IANA. The analysis of this idea has been detailed below.
The 'Global Multistakholder Community' is Neither Global Nor Multistakeholder
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Nov 03, 2016 10:42 AMCIS research shows how Western, male, and industry-driven the IANA transition process actually is.
Crowdsourcing Incidents of Communication Privacy Violation in India
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Oct 16, 2015 10:49 AMIn the context of several ongoing threads of debates and policy discussions, we are initiating this effort to crowdsource incidents of violation of digital/online/telephonic privacy of persons and organisations in India. The full list of submitted incidents is publicly shared, under Creative Commons Attributions-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Please contribute and share with your friends and colleagues.
Comments on the Zero Draft of the UN General Assembly’s Overall Review of the Implementation of WSIS Outcomes (WSIS+10)
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Oct 16, 2015 02:44 AMOn 9 October 2015, the Zero Draft of the UN General Assembly's Overall Review of implementation of WSIS Outcomes was released. Comments were sought on the Zero Draft from diverse stakeholders. The Centre for Internet & Society's response to the call for comments is below.
Peering behind the veil of ICANN's DIDP (II)
— by Padmini Baruah — last modified Oct 15, 2015 03:14 AMIn a previous blog post, I had introduced the concept of ICANN’s Documentary Information Disclosure Policy (“DIDP”) and their extremely vast grounds for non-disclosure. In this short post, I have made an analysis of every DIDP request that ICANN has ever responded to, to point out the flaws in their policy that need to be urgently remedied.
Contestations of Data, ECJ Safe Harbor Ruling and Lessons for India
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Oct 14, 2015 02:40 PMThe European Court of Justice has invalidated a European Commission decision, which had previously concluded that the 'Safe Harbour Privacy Principles' provide adequate protections for European citizens’ privacy rights for the transfer of personal data between European Union and United States. The inadequacies of the framework is not news for the European Commission and action by ECJ has been a long time coming. The ruling raises important questions about how the claims of citizenship are being negotiated in the context of the internet, and how increasingly the contestations of personal data are being employed in the discourse.
The Legal Validity of Internet Bans: Part II
— by Geetha Hariharan and Padmini Baruah — last modified Oct 08, 2015 11:17 AMIn recent months, there has been a spree of bans on access to Internet services in Indian states, for different reasons. The State governments have relied on Section 144, Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 to institute such bans. Despite a legal challenge, the Gujarat High Court found no infirmity in this exercise of power in a recent order. We argue that it is Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000, and the Website Blocking Rules, which set out the legal provision and procedure empowering the State to block access to the Internet (if at all it is necessary), and not Section 144, CrPC.
The Legal Validity of Internet Bans: Part I
— by Geetha Hariharan and Padmini Baruah — last modified Oct 08, 2015 11:18 AMIn recent months, there has been a spree of bans on access to Internet services in Indian states, for different reasons. The State governments have relied on Section 144, Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 to institute such bans. Despite a legal challenge, the Gujarat High Court found no infirmity in this exercise of power in a recent order. We argue that it is Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000, and the Website Blocking Rules, which set out the legal provision and procedure empowering the State to block access to the Internet (if at all it is necessary), and not Section 144, CrPC.
Hits and Misses With the Draft Encryption Policy
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Sep 26, 2015 04:46 PMMost encryption standards are open standards. They are developed by open participation in a publicly scrutable process by industry, academia and governments in standard setting organisations (SSOs) using the principles of “rough consensus” – sometimes established by the number of participants humming in unison – and “running code” – a working implementation of the standard. The open model of standards development is based on the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) philosophy that “many eyes make all bugs shallow”.
Open Governance and Privacy in a Post-Snowden World : Webinar
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Oct 04, 2015 11:09 AMOn 10th September 2015, the OGP Support Unit, the Open Government Guide, and the World Bank held a webinar on “Open Governance and Privacy in a Post-Snowden World” presented by Carly Nyst, Independent consultant and former Legal Director of Privacy International and Javier Ruiz, Policy Director of Open Rights Group. This is a summary of the key issues that were discussed by the speakers and the participants.
Peering behind the veil of ICANN’s DIDP (I)
— by Padmini Baruah — last modified Oct 15, 2015 02:42 AMOne of the key elements of the process of enhancing democracy and furthering transparency in any institution which holds power is open access to information for all the stakeholders. This is critical to ensure that there is accountability for the actions of those in charge of a body which utilises public funds and carries out functions in the public interest.
Sustainable Smart Cities India Conference 2015, Bangalore
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Sep 21, 2015 02:24 AMNispana Innovative Platforms organized a Sustainable Smart Cities India Conference 2015, in Bangalore on 3rd and 4th September, 2015. The event saw participation from people across various sectors including Government Representatives from Ministries, Municipalities, Regulatory Authorities, as well as Project Management Companies, Engineers, Architects, Consultants, Handpicked Technology Solution Providers and Researchers. National and International experts and stakeholders were also present to discuss the opportunities and challenges in creating smart and responsible cities as well as citizens, and creating a roadmap for converting the smart cities vision into a reality that is best suited for India.
DIDP Request #12: Revenues
— by Aditya Garg — last modified Sep 14, 2015 03:32 PMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) sought information from ICANN on their revenue streams by sending them a second request under their Documentary Information Disclosure Policy. This request and their response have been described in this blog post.
DIDP Request #11: NETmundial Principles
— by Aditya Garg — last modified Sep 14, 2015 03:08 PMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) followed up on the implementation of the NETmundial Principles that ICANN has been endorsing by sending them a second request under their Documentary Information Disclosure Policy. This request and their response have been described in this blog post.
CIS Submission on CCWG-Accountability 2nd Draft Proposal on Work Stream 1 Recommendations
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Nov 23, 2015 02:58 PMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) submitted the below to ICANN's CCWG-Accountability.
Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012 v/s 2015 Bill
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Sep 06, 2015 02:10 PMThis entry analyses the Human DNA Profiling Bill introduced in 2012 with the provisions of the 2015 Bill
Data Flow in the Unique Identification Scheme of India
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified Sep 03, 2015 05:02 PMThis note analyses the data flow within the UID scheme and aims at highlighting vulnerabilities at each stage. The data flow within the UID Scheme can be best understood by first delineating the organizations involved in enrolling residents for Aadhaar. The UIDAI partners with various Registrars usually a department of the central or state Government, and some private sector agencies like LIC etc– through a Memorandum of Understanding for assisting with the enrollment process of the UID project.
Response by the Centre for Internet and Society to the Draft Proposal to Transition the Stewardship of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Functions from the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Nov 29, 2015 06:35 AMThis proposal was made to the Global Multistakeholder Community on August 9, 2015. The proposal was drafted by Pranesh Prakash and Jyoti Panday. The research assistance was provided by Padmini Baruah, Vidushi Marda, and inputs from Sunil Abraham.
Supreme Court Order is a Good Start, but is Seeding Necessary?
— by Elonnai Hickok and Rohan George — last modified Sep 07, 2015 01:21 PMThis blog post seeks to unpack the ‘seeding’ process in the UIDAI scheme, understand the implications of the Supreme Court order on this process, and identify questions regarding the UID scheme that still need to be clarified by the court in the context of the seeding process.
Are we Throwing our Data Protection Regimes under the Bus?
— by Rohan George — last modified Sep 10, 2015 02:02 PMIn this blog post Rohan examines why the principle of consent is providing us increasingly less of an aegis in protecting our data.
CIS Comments and Recommendations to the Human DNA Profiling Bill, June 2015
— by Elonnai Hickok, Vipul Kharbanda and Vanya Rakesh — last modified Sep 02, 2015 05:09 PMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) submitted a clause-by-clause comments on the Human DNA Profiling Bill that was circulated by the Department of Biotechnology on June 9, 2015.
Responsible Data Forum: Discussion on the Risks and Mitigations of releasing Data
— by Vanya Rakesh — last modified Sep 06, 2015 02:29 PMThe seedy underbelly of revenge porn
— by Prasad Krishna — last modified Sep 27, 2015 02:25 PMIntimate photos posted by angry exes are becoming part of an expanding online body of dirty work.
Security: Privacy, Transparency and Technology
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Sep 15, 2015 10:53 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) has been involved in privacy and data protection research for the last five years. It has participated as a member of the Justice A.P. Shah Committee, which has influenced the draft Privacy Bill being authored by the Department of Personnel and Training. It has organised 11 multistakeholder roundtables across India over the last two years to discuss a shadow Privacy Bill drafted by CIS with the participation of privacy commissioners and data protection authorities from Europe and Canada.
A Review of the Policy Debate around Big Data and Internet of Things
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Aug 17, 2015 08:36 AMThis blog post seeks to review and understand how regulators and experts across jurisdictions are reacting to Big Data and Internet of Things (IoT) from a policy perspective.
Right to Privacy in Peril
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Aug 13, 2015 03:32 PMIt seems to have become quite a fad, especially amongst journalists, to use this headline and claim that the right to privacy which we consider so inherent to our being, is under attack. However, when I use this heading in this piece I am not referring to the rampant illegal surveillance being done by the government, or the widely reported recent raids on consenting (unmarried) adults who were staying in hotel rooms in Mumbai. I am talking about the fact that the Supreme Court of India has deemed it fit to refer the question of the very existence of a fundamental right to privacy to a Constitution Bench to finally decide the matter, and define the contours of such right if it does exist.
Big Data and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules 2011
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Aug 11, 2015 07:01 AMExperts and regulators across jurisdictions are examining the impact of Big Data practices on traditional data protection standards and principles. This will be a useful and pertinent exercise for India to undertake as the government and the private and public sectors begin to incorporate and rely on the use of Big Data in decision making processes and organizational operations.This blog provides an initial evaluation of how Big Data could impact India's current data protection standards.
Comparison of the Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012 with: CIS recommendations, Sub-Committee Recommendations, Expert Committee Recommendations, and the Human DNA Profiling Bill 2015
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Aug 10, 2015 03:20 AMThis blog a comparison of 1. The Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012 vs. the Human DNA Profiling Bill 2015, 2. CIS's main recommendations vs. the 2015 Bill 3. The Sub-Committee Recommendations vs. the 2015 Bill 4. The Expert Committee Recommendations vs. the 2015 Bill.
CIS submission to the UNGA WSIS+10 Review
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Aug 09, 2015 04:24 PMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) submitted its comments to the non-paper on the UNGA Overall Review of the Implementation of the WSIS outcomes, evaluating the progress made and challenges ahead.
Policy Paper on Surveillance in India
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Aug 03, 2015 03:27 PMThis policy brief analyses the different laws regulating surveillance at the State and Central level in India and calls out ways in which the provisions are unharmonized. The brief then provides recommendations for the harmonization of surveillance law in India.
Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group Analysis
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Apr 12, 2016 10:02 AMThis analysis has been done to see the trend in the selection and rotation of the members of the Multistakeholder advisory group (MAG) in the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). The MAG has been functional for nine years from 2006-2015. The analysis is based on data procured, collated and organised by Pranesh Prakash and Jyoti Panday. Shambhavi Singh, Law Student, NLU Delhi who was interning with CIS at the time also assisted with the organisation and analysis of the data.
Role of Intermediaries in Countering Online Abuse
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Aug 02, 2015 04:38 PMThe Internet can be a hostile space and protecting users from abuse without curtailing freedom of expression requires a balancing act on the part of online intermediaries.
Iron out contradictions in the Digital India programme
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Jul 28, 2015 01:04 AMThe Digital India initiative takes an ambitious 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani' approach to develop communication infrastructure, government information systems, and general capacity to digitise public life in India. I of course use 'public life' in the sense of the wide sphere of interactions between people and public institutions.
First draft of Technology Business Incubators: An Indian Perspective and Implementation Guidance Report
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified Jul 25, 2015 04:14 PMThe Centre for Internet and Society presents the first draft of its analysis on technology business incubators("TBI") in India. The report prepared by Sunil Abraham, Vidushi Marda, Udbhav Tiwari and Anumeha Karnatak looks at operating procedures, success stories and lessons that can be learnt from TBIs in India.
Clearing Misconceptions: What the DoT Panel Report on Net Neutrality Says (and Doesn't)
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jul 21, 2015 12:36 PMThere have been many misconceptions about what the DoT Panel Report on Net Neutrality says: the most popular ones being that they have recommended higher charges for services like WhatsApp and Viber, and that the report is an anti-Net neutrality report masquerading as a pro-Net neutrality report. Pranesh Prakash clears up these and other incorrect notions about the report in this brief analysis.
Aadhaar Number vs the Social Security Number
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jul 24, 2015 01:24 AMThis blog calls out the differences between the Aadhaar Number and the Social Security Number
Privacy, Autonomy, and Sexual Choice: The Common Law Recognition of Homosexuality
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Aug 23, 2015 12:20 PMIn the last few decades, all major common law jurisdictions have decriminalised non-procreative sex – oral and anal sex (sodomy) – to allow private, consensual, and non-commercial homosexual intercourse.
A Dissent Note to the Expert Committee for DNA Profiling
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jul 21, 2016 11:01 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society has participated in the Expert Committee for DNA Profiling constituted by the Department of Biotechnology in 2012 for the purpose of deliberating on and finalizing the draft Human DNA Profiling Bill and appreciates this opportunity. CIS respectively dissents from the January 2015 draft of the Bill.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 24) – Shantanu Ghosh
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 15, 2015 02:58 PMCIS interviews Shantanu Ghosh, Managing Director, Symantec Product Operations, India, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 23) – Justin Searle
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 15, 2015 02:44 PMCIS interviews Justin Searle, security expert, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
Freedom of Expression in a Digital Age
— by Geetha Hariharan and Jyoti Panday — last modified Jul 15, 2015 02:42 PMThe Centre for Internet & Society, the Observer Research Foundation, the Internet Policy Observatory, the Centre for Global Communication Studies and the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania organized this conference on April 21, 2015 in New Delhi.
Net Neutrality and the Law of Common Carriage
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Aug 23, 2015 11:09 AMNet neutrality makes strange bedfellows. It links the truck operators that dominate India’s highways, such as those that carry vegetables from rural markets to cities, and Internet service providers which perform a more technologically advanced task.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 22) - Anonymous
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 13, 2015 01:40 PMCIS interviews a Tibetan security researcher and information activist, as part of the Cybersecurity Series. He prefers to remain anonymous.
Free Speech Policy in India: Community, Custom, Censorship, and the Future of Internet Regulation
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Aug 23, 2015 10:12 AMThis note summarises my panel contribution to the conference on Freedom of Expression in a Digital Age at New Delhi on 21 April 2015, which was organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) in collaboration with the Internet Policy Observatory of the Center for Global Communication Studies (CGCS) at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
Regulatory Perspectives on Net Neutrality
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jul 18, 2015 02:46 AMIn this paper Pranesh Prakash gives an overview on why India needs to put in place net neutrality regulations, and the form that those regulations must take to avoid being over-regulation.
India’s digital check
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Sep 15, 2015 02:55 PMAll nine pillars of Digital India directly correlate with policy research conducted at the Centre for Internet and Society, where I have worked for the last seven years. This allows our research outputs to speak directly to the priorities of the government when it comes to digital transformation.
Anti-Spam Laws in Different Jurisdictions: A Comparative Analysis
— by Rakshanda Deka — last modified Jul 02, 2015 04:21 PMThis paper is divided into three sections. The first section puts forth a comparative table of the spam laws of five different countries - the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Singapore and the United Kingdom - based on eight distinct parameters- jurisdiction of the legislation, definition of ‘spam’, understanding of consent, labelling requirements, types of senders covered, entities empowered to sue, exceptions made and penalties prescribed. The second section is a brief background of the problem of spam and it attempts to establish the context in which the paper is written. The third section is a critical analysis of the laws covered in the first section. In an effort to spot the various loopholes in these laws and suggest effective alternatives, this section points out the distinctions between the various legislations and discusses briefly their respective advantages and disadvantages.
The generation of e-Emergency
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Jun 29, 2015 04:40 PMThe next generation of censorship technology is expected to be ‘real-time content manipulation’ through ISPs and Internet companies.
IANA Transition Stewardship & ICANN Accountability (II)
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Jul 31, 2015 03:47 PMThis paper is the second in a multi-part series, in which we provide an overview of submitted proposals and highlight areas of concern that will need attention moving forward. The series is a work in progress and will be updated as the processes move forward. It is up for public comments and we welcome your feedback.
DesiSec: Cybersecurity and Civil Society in India
— by Laird Brown — last modified Jun 29, 2015 04:25 PMAs part of its project on mapping cyber security actors in South Asia and South East Asia, the Centre for Internet & Society conducted a series of interviews with cyber security actors. The interviews were compiled and edited into one documentary. The film produced by Purba Sarkar, edited by Aaron Joseph, and directed by Oxblood Ruffin features Malavika Jayaram, Nitin Pai, Namita Malhotra, Saikat Datta, Nishant Shah, Lawrence Liang, Anja Kovacs, Sikyong Lobsang Sangay and, Ravi Sharada Prasad.
IANA Transition Stewardship & ICANN Accountability (I)
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Jul 31, 2015 02:56 PMThis paper is the first in a multi-part series, in which we provide a background to the IANA transition and updates on the ensuing processes. An attempt to familiarise people with the issues at stake, this paper will be followed by a second piece that provides an overview of submitted proposals and areas of concern that will need attention moving forward. The series is a work in progress and will be updated as the processes move forward. It is up for public comments and we welcome your feedback.
Mastering the Art of Keeping Indians Under Surveillance
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Aug 23, 2015 12:26 PMIn its first year in office, the National Democratic Alliance government has been notably silent on the large-scale surveillance projects it has inherited. This ended last week amidst reports the government is hastening to complete the Central Monitoring System (CMS) within the year.
The Four Parts of Privacy in India
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Aug 23, 2015 01:04 PMPrivacy enjoys an abundance of meanings. It is claimed in diverse situations every day by everyone against other people, society and the state.
Paper-thin Safeguards and Mass Surveillance in India
— by Chinmayi Arun — last modified Jun 20, 2015 10:17 AMThe Indian government's new mass surveillance systems present new threats to the right to privacy. Mass interception of communication, keyword searches and easy access to particular users' data suggest that state is moving towards unfettered large-scale monitoring of communication. This is particularly ominous given that our privacy safeguards remain inadequate even for targeted surveillance and its more familiar pitfalls.
DeitY says 143 URLs have been Blocked in 2015; Procedure for Blocking Content Remains Opaque and in Urgent Need of Transparency Measures
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Apr 30, 2015 07:37 AMAcross India on 30 December 2014, following an order issued by the Department of Telecom (DOT), Internet Service Providers (ISPs) blocked 32 websites including Vimeo, Dailymotion, GitHub and Pastebin.
The Hazards of a Non-neutral Internet
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified May 27, 2015 04:07 PMSpurred by recent events, India’s policy circles are dancing to the complex tunes of net neutrality. Airtel came under fire for pricing calls made over the Internet differentially; it has since withdrawn this plan. Airtel and Reliance Communications are caught in the storm as Airtel Zero and Internet.org, the Facebook-spearheaded product for low-cost Internet access, face stiff criticism for violating net neutrality. Companies like Flipkart, which earlier supported these products, have stepped back and are throwing their weight behind net neutrality. The Department of Telecommunications has set up a six-member panel to consult on net neutrality.
Multiple Aspects Need to be Addressed as the Clamour Grows for Network Neutrality
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Apr 16, 2015 01:33 PMIn the global debate there are four violations of Network Neutrality that are considered particularly egregious.
Don't Do Nothing. Take a Stand on Net Neutrality.
— by T. Vishnu Vardhan — last modified May 08, 2015 02:11 PMAre you wondering what Net Neutrality is, and why the term has suddenly got so much attention in India among the Netizens? Do you need to be concerned about Net Neutrality? We will try to address these in this short post on Net Neutrality.
Shreya Singhal and 66A
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Apr 19, 2015 08:09 AMMost software code has dependencies. Simple and reproducible methods exist for mapping and understanding the impact of these dependencies. Legal code also has dependencies --across court orders and within a single court order. And since court orders are not produced using a structured mark-up language, experts are required to understand the precedential value of a court order.
The Supreme Court Judgment in Shreya Singhal and What It Does for Intermediary Liability in India?
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Apr 17, 2015 11:59 PMEven as free speech advocates and users celebrate the Supreme Court of India's landmark judgment striking down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act of 2000, news that the Central government has begun work on drafting a new provision to replace the said section of the Act has been trickling in.
GSMA Research Outputs
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Apr 06, 2015 02:18 PMThis is a collection of research under our GSMA project that we have undertaken in collaboration with Privacy International. The research has sought to understand different legal and regulatory aspects of security and surveillance in India and consists of blog entries and reports. Any feedback or comment is welcome.
Security, Governments and Data: Technology and Policy
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Apr 04, 2015 05:59 AMOn January 8, 2015, the Centre for Internet and Society, in collaboration with the Observer research foundation, hosted the day long conference "Security, Governments, and Data: Technology and Policy" The conference discussed a range of topics including internet governance, surveillance, privacy, and cyber security.
Three reasons why 66A verdict is momentous
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Mar 29, 2015 04:22 PMEarlier this week, the fundamental right to freedom of expression posted a momentous victory. The nation's top court struck down the much-reviled Section 66A of the IT Act — which criminalized communications that are "grossly offensive", cause "annoyance", etc — as "unconstitutionally vague", "arbitrarily, excessively, and disproportionately" encumbering freedom of speech, and likely to have a "chilling effect" on legitimate speech.
Big win for freedom of speech. Really?
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Mar 29, 2015 01:20 AMThe 66A ruling was historic, but what about the provisions regulating speech online and offline that still exist within the ITA, the IPC and other laws.
What 66A Judgment Means For Free Speech Online
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Mar 27, 2015 04:50 PMThis week India's Supreme Court redefined the boundaries of freedom of speech on the internet. With the Court's decision in Shreya Singhal & Ors. v. Union of India, Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, has been struck down in entirety and is no longer good law.
India's Supreme Court Axes Online Censorship Law, But Challenges Remain
— by Subhashish Panigrahi — last modified Mar 27, 2015 02:38 AMThe Supreme Court of India took a remarkable step to protect free expression on March 24, 2015, striking down controversial section 66A of the IT Act that criminalized “grossly offensive” content online. In response to a public interest litigation filed by Indian law student Shreya Singhal, the court made this landmark judgement calling the section “vague”, “broad” and “unconstitutional”. Since Tuesday's announcement, the news has trended nationally on Twitter, with more than 50,000 tweets bearing the hashtags #Sec66A and #66A.
Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Apr 17, 2015 01:44 AMMuch confusion has resulted from the Section 66A verdict. Some people are convinced that online speech is now without any reasonable restrictions under Article 19 (2) of the Constitution. This is completely false.
Historic day for freedom of speech and expression in India
— by Vidushi Marda — last modified Mar 26, 2015 02:19 AMIn a petition that finds its origin in a simple status message on Facebook, Shreya Singhal vs Union of India marks a historic reinforcement of the freedom of speech and expression in India.
Internet censorship will continue in opaque fashion
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Mar 26, 2015 02:07 AMA division bench of the Supreme Court has ruled on three sections of the Information Technology Act 2000 - Section 66A, Section 79 and Section 69A. The draconian Section 66A was originally meant to tackle spam and cyber-stalking but was used by the powerful elite to crack down on online dissent and criticism.
No more 66A!
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Mar 26, 2015 02:01 AMIn a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has struck down Section 66A. Today was a great day for freedom of speech on the Internet! When Section 66A was in operation, if you made a statement that led to offence, you could be prosecuted. We are an offence-friendly nation, judging by media reports in the last year. It was a year of book-bans, website blocking and takedown requests. Facebook’s Transparency Report showed that next to the US, India made the most requests for information about user accounts. A complaint under Section 66A would be a ground for such requests.
DIDP Request #8: ICANN Organogram
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Mar 17, 2015 11:39 AMCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking details of its oragnisational structure and headcount of all staff. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below.
DIDP Request #7: Globalisation Advisory Groups
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Mar 17, 2015 10:07 AMCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking information regarding the creation and dissolution of the President's Globalisation Advisory Groups. The GAGs were created to advise the ICANN Board on its globalisation efforts, and to address questions on Affirmation of Commitments (AOC), policy structures, legal structure, root server system, the IANA multistakeholder accountability, and Internet governance. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below.
What Does Facebook's Transparency Report Tell Us About the Indian Government's Record on Free Expression & Privacy?
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Apr 05, 2015 05:08 AMGiven India's online population, the number of user data requests made by the Indian government aren't very high, but the number of content restriction requests are not only high on an absolute number, but even on a per-user basis.
DIDP Request #6: Revenues from gTLD auctions
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Mar 10, 2015 10:59 AMCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking information regarding revenues received from gTLD auctions. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below.
DIDP Request #5: The Ombudsman and ICANN's Misleading Response to Our Request
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Mar 06, 2015 11:11 AMCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking details of the complaints received and resolved, parties involved and the nature of complaints under the Ombudsman process. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below. ICANN's response is misleading in its insistence on confidentiality of all Ombudsman complaints and resolutions.
DIDP Request #4: ICANN and the NETmundial Principles
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Mar 05, 2015 08:28 AMCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking details of ICANN's implementation of the NETmundial Principles that it has endorsed widely and publicly. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below.
DIDP Request #3: Cyber-attacks on ICANN
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Mar 05, 2015 08:16 AMCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking details of cyber-attacks on ICANN, and ICANN's internal and external responses to the same. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below.
DIDP Request #2: Granular Revenue/Income Statements from ICANN
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Mar 05, 2015 08:07 AMCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking current and historical details of ICANN's income/revenue from its various sources. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below.
DIDP Request #1: ICANN's Expenditures on "Travel & Meetings"
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Mar 05, 2015 08:00 AMCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking details of expenditure by ICANN at its Meetings. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below.
The Centre for Internet and Society joins Worldwide Campaign to Discover Depth of GCHQ's Illegal Spying
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Mar 01, 2015 06:13 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society has joined an international campaign to allow anyone in the world to request whether Britain’s intelligence agency GCHQ has illegally spied on them.
Right to Information (RTI) Requests to BSNL and MTNL Regarding Security Equipment
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Feb 25, 2015 03:04 PMAs part of research, on July 2, 2013, the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) had sent Right to Information (RTI) requests to two of the largest internet service providers (ISPs) in India: Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) requesting answers to some questions.
Reply to RTI Applications filed with respect to Foreign Contractors and Vendors of IT and Telecommunication Enterprises
— by Lovisha Aggarwal — last modified Feb 25, 2015 02:13 PMAn RTI application was filed by the Sh. Matthew Thomas on August 06, 2014 enquiring about the details of the foreign contractors and vendors of certain Information Technology and Telecommunication enterprises. Mr. Mathews in his application asked some specific questions.
A Selection of Tweets on How to Make Crowdmaps Effectual for Mapping Violence against Women
— by Rohini Lakshané — last modified Mar 12, 2015 12:42 AMThis is a collection of tweets by Rohini Lakshane on making crowdmaps more effective for mapping gender violence. The compilation of tweets has been republished by GenderIT.org.
The Surveillance Industry in India – An Analysis of Indian Security Expos
— by Divij Joshi — last modified Mar 08, 2015 12:25 PMThe author talks about the surveillance industry in India and analyses Indian security expos.
Preliminary Submission on "Internet Governance Issues" to the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Feb 12, 2015 02:52 PMOn January 30, 2015, Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) held a consultation on Internet governance. A committee was set up to draft a report on Internet governance, with a focus on issues relevant to India. The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) is represented on the committee, and has provided its preliminary comments to ASSOCHAM.
Where Does ICANN’s Money Come From? We Asked; They Don’t Know
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Mar 05, 2015 07:43 AMJust how transparent is ICANN? How responsive are they to requests for information? At CIS, we sent ICANN ten questions seeking information about, inter alia, their revenues, commitment to the NETmundial Principles, Globalisation Advisory Groups and organisational structure. Geetha Hariharan wonders at ICANN's reluctance to respond.
Collection of Net Neutrality Definitions
— by Tarun Krishnakumar — last modified Feb 09, 2015 01:33 PMAs part of CIS's inquiry into 'Network Neutrality' in the developing world, we have collected a set of definitions of the term from different sources. The definitions were collated and compiled by Manoj Kurbet, Maitreya Subramaniam and Tarun Krishnakumar under the guidance of Sunil Abraham.
ICANN accountability, IANA transition and open questions
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Feb 06, 2015 11:39 AMOn February 3, 2015, the Centre for Communication Governance (NLU, Delhi) hosted a pre-event briefing in light of ICANN52 (Singapore, February 7-12, 2015). Geetha Hariharan attended the event.
Search Engine and Prenatal Sex Determination: Walking the Tight Rope of the Law
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Feb 12, 2015 06:05 AMIn Sabu George v. Union of India, the Supreme Court is looking at the constitutionality of sex-selection ads appearing on search engines, either as search results or ads placed on the search pages. Balaji Subramanian and Geetha Hariharan analyse the relevant provision of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994.
Security and Surveillance – Optimizing Security while Safeguarding Human Rights
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Feb 13, 2015 02:41 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) on December 19, 2014 held a talk on “Security and Surveillance – Optimizing Security while Safeguarding Human Rights.
A Study of the Privacy Policies of Indian Service Providers and the 43A Rules
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jan 13, 2015 02:37 AMIndian Netizens Criticize Online Censorship of ‘Jihadi’ Content
— by Subhashish Panigrahi — last modified Feb 10, 2015 02:43 AMThe article on online censorship by Subhashish Panigrahi was published in Global Voices on January 6, 2015.
Relationship Between Privacy and Confidentiality
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Dec 30, 2014 02:27 PMThe laws of breach of confidentiality and breach of privacy at first glance seem very similar to each other. If a doctor releases health information relating to a patient that s/he is treating then such an act would give rise to a claim both under the law of privacy as well as under the law of confidentiality.
Locating Constructs of Privacy within Classical Hindu Law
— by Ashna Ashesh and Bhairav Acharya — last modified Jan 01, 2015 01:56 PMThis white paper seeks to locate privacy in Classical Hindu Law, and by doing so, displace the notion that privacy is an inherently ‘Western’ concept that is the product of a modernist legal system.
Reply to RTI filed with BSNL regarding Network Neutrality and Throttling
— by Tarun Krishnakumar — last modified Dec 22, 2014 02:45 PMAs part of its work on Network Neutrality, the Centre for Internet and Society through Tarun Krishnakumar had filed a Right To Information (RTI) application with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL), a state-owned teleco holding a market share of 65 per cent in the Indian land line and broadband markets — regarding its position on and adherence to Network Neutrality principles.
Overview of the Constitutional Challenges to the IT Act
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 19, 2014 09:01 AMThere are currently ten cases before the Supreme Court challenging various provisions of the Information Technology Act, the rules made under that, and other laws, that are being heard jointly. Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan who's arguing Anoop M.K. v. Union of India has put together this chart that helps you track what's being challenged in each case.
Identifying Aspects of Privacy in Islamic Law
— by Vidushi Marda and Bhairav Acharya — last modified Jan 01, 2015 02:04 PMThis white paper seeks to identify aspects of privacy in Islamic Law and demonstrate that the notion of privacy was recognized and protected in traditional Islamic law.
Is India’s website-blocking law constitutional? – I. Law & procedure
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Dec 11, 2014 11:02 AMSection 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, along with its corresponding Rules, set out the procedure for blocking of websites in India. Over two posts, Geetha Hariharan examines the constitutional validity of Section 69A and the Blocking Rules.
Revolving Door Analysis: IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group
— by Lakshmi Venkataraman — last modified Dec 16, 2014 05:44 AMThe IANA Stewardship Coordination Group (ICG) is the body that will accept and coordinate different proposals for IANA transition. It will make the global Internet community's final proposal for transition to the NTIA. Lakshmi Venkataraman finds that a majority of the ICG's membership have had longstanding affiliations with I-star organisations. What will this mean for IANA transition?
ICANN reveals hitherto undisclosed details of domain names revenues
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Dec 12, 2014 05:08 AMFollowing requests from CIS, ICANN has shared a detailed list of its revenues from domain names for the fiscal year ending June 2014. Such level of detail has, until now, been unavailable. Historical data is still to be made available.
Cyber bullying is a crime, but open to interpretation: Expert
— by Prasad Krishna — last modified Dec 07, 2014 10:54 AMThe social media attack on a Doordarshan anchor who made a series of gaffes at the recent Goa film festival would qualify as cyber bullying, experts say, but hasten to add there is not much that can be done to prevent such behaviour online, given the humungous size of the virtual universe.
Introduction: About the Privacy and Surveillance Roundtables
— by Manoj Kurbet — last modified Nov 27, 2014 01:34 PMThe Privacy and Surveillance Roundtables is a Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) initiative, in partnership with the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), as well as local partners. The Roundtable will be closed-door deliberation involving multiple stakeholders. Through the course of these discussions we aim to deliberate upon the current legal framework for surveillance in India, and discuss possible frameworks for surveillance in India.
The Socratic debate: Whose internet is it anyway?
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 09, 2014 01:35 PMIn the US, President Obama recently spoke out on the seemingly arcane topic of net neutrality. What is more astounding is that the popular satire news show host John Oliver spent a 13-minute segment talking about it in June, telling Internet trolls to “focus your indiscriminate rage in a useful direction” by visiting the US Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) website and submitting comments on its weak draft proposal on net neutrality.
White Paper on RTI and Privacy V1.2
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Nov 09, 2014 02:53 AMThis white paper explores the relationship between privacy and transparency in the context of the right to information in India. Analysing pertinent case law and legislation - the paper highlights how the courts and the law in India address questions of transparency vs. privacy.
India's Statement at ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, 2014
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Nov 04, 2014 05:50 AMIndia's Draft Resolution at the ITU Plenipot, which we have previously blogged about, was not passed following discussions at the Ad Hoc Working Group on Internet-related Resolutions. Subsequently, India made a statement at the Working Group of the Plenary, emphasizing the importance of the issues and welcoming further discussions. The statement was delivered by Mr. Ram Narain, DDG-IR, Department of Telecommunications and Head of India's Delegation at PP-14. The full text of the statement is provided below.
Good Intentions, Recalcitrant Text – II: What India’s ITU Proposal May Mean for Internet Governance
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Nov 03, 2014 07:07 AMThe UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is hosting its Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-14) this year in South Korea. At PP-14, India introduced a new draft resolution on ITU's Role in Realising Secure Information Society. The Draft Resolution has grave implications for human rights and Internet governance. Geetha Hariharan explores.
DNA Database for Missing Persons and Unidentified Dead Bodies
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Nov 04, 2014 03:46 PMThis blog discusses the possible implications of the public interest litigation that has been placed before the Supreme Court petitioning for the establishment of a DNA database in respect to unidentified bodies.
Good Intentions, Recalcitrant Text - I: Why India’s Proposal at the ITU is Troubling for Internet Freedoms
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Nov 02, 2014 03:13 PMThe UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is hosting its Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-14) this year in South Korea. At PP-14, India introduced a new draft resolution on ITU's Role in Realising Secure Information Society. The Draft Resolution has grave implications for human rights and Internet governance. Geetha Hariharan explores.
The Gujarat High Court Judgment on the Snoopgate Issue
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Oct 27, 2014 04:40 AM
Big Data and Positive Social Change in the Developing World: A White Paper for Practitioners and Researchers
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Oct 01, 2014 03:52 AMI was a part of a working group writing a white paper on big data and social change, over the last six months. This white paper was produced by a group of activists, researchers and data experts who met at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Centre to discuss the question of whether, and how, big data is becoming a resource for positive social change in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Anvar v. Basheer and the New (Old) Law of Electronic Evidence
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Dec 04, 2014 03:53 PMThe Supreme Court of India revised the law on electronic evidence. The judgment will have an impact on the manner in which wiretap tapes are brought before a court.
Centre for Internet and Society joins the Dynamic Coalition for Platform Responsibility
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Oct 07, 2014 10:54 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) has joined the multistakeholder cooperative engagement amidst stakeholders towards creating Due Diligence Recommendations for online platforms and Model Contractual Provisions to be enshrined in ToS. This blog provides a brief background of the role of dynamic coalitions within the IGF structure, establishes the need for the coalition and provides an update on the action plan and next steps for interested stakeholders.
Report on CIS' Workshop at the IGF:'An Evidence Based Framework for Intermediary Liability'
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Sep 24, 2014 10:47 AMAn evidence based framework for intermediary liability' was organised to present evidence and discuss ongoing research on the changing definition, function and responsibilities of intermediaries across jurisdictions.
Biometrics: An ‘Angootha Chaap’ nation?
— by Mukta Batra — last modified Sep 19, 2014 06:12 AMThis blog post throws light on the inconsistencies in biometric collection under the UID and NPR Schemes.
UID and NPR: Towards Common Ground
— by Mukta Batra — last modified Oct 15, 2014 01:06 PMThe UID (Unique Identification) and NPR (National Population Register) are both government identity schemes that aggregate personal data, including biometric data for the provision of an identification factor, and aim to link them with the delivery of public utility services.
Roundtable on Indian Privacy Law and Policy
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Dec 27, 2014 02:18 PMThis event was hosted by the Centre for Law and Development of the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) in Kochi. It was attended by members of the faculty of NUALS, some students from the 2nd year, 3rd year, 4th year, and 5th year.
UID: A Data Subject's Registration Tale
— by Mukta Batra — last modified Sep 11, 2014 09:05 AMA person who registered for UIDAI shares their experience of registering for the UID Number, on the condition of anonymity.
CIS@IGF 2014
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Oct 08, 2014 10:31 AMThe ninth Internet Governance Forum (“IGF2014”) was hosted by Turkey in Istanbul from September 2 to 5, 2014.
The Aadhaar Case
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Sep 05, 2014 09:12 AMIn 2012 a writ petition was filed by Justice K.S. Puttaswamy in the Supreme Court of India challenging the policy of the government in making an Aadhaar card for every person in India and its later plans to link various government benefit schemes to the same.
Zero Draft of Content Removal Best Practices White Paper
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Sep 10, 2014 07:11 AMEFF and CIS Intermediary Liability Project is aimed towards the creation of a set of principles for intermediary liability in consultation with groups of Internet-focused NGOs and the academic community.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 21) – Gyanak Tsering
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Sep 06, 2014 05:08 AMCIS interviews Gyanak Tsering, Tibetan monk in exile, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 20) – Saumil Shah
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Sep 06, 2014 05:03 AMCIS interviews Saumil Shah, security expert, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
Privacy in Healthcare: Policy Guide
— by Tanvi Mani — last modified Aug 31, 2014 03:18 PMThe Health Policy Guide seeks to understand what are the legal regulations governing data flow in the health sector — particularly hospitals, and how are these regulations implemented. Towards this objective, the research reviews data practices in a variety of public and private hospitals and diagnostics labs. The research is based on legislation, case law, publicly available documents, and anonymous interviews.
Learning to Forget the ECJ's Decision on the Right to be Forgotten and its Implications
— by Divij Joshi — last modified Aug 19, 2014 05:24 AM“The internet never forgets” is a proposition which is equally threatening and promising.
Second Privacy and Surveillance Roundtable
— by Anandini K Rathore — last modified Aug 09, 2014 04:10 AMOn July 4, 2014, the Centre for Internet and Society in association with the Cellular Operators Association of India organized a privacy roundtable at the India International Centre. The primary aim was to gain inputs on what would constitute an ideal surveillance regime in India.
Surat’s Massive Surveillance Network Should Cause Concern, Not Celebration
— by Joe Sheehan — last modified Sep 06, 2014 03:05 AMThe blog post examines the surveillance network of Surat, a city in Gujarat state in India.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 17) – Nishant Shah
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 31, 2014 05:48 AMCIS interviews Nishant Shah, researcher and academic, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 19) – Lobsang Sangay
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 31, 2014 05:40 AMCIS interviews Lobsang Sangay, Prime Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 18) – Lobsang Gyatso Sither
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 31, 2014 05:34 AMCIS interviews Lobsang Gyatso Sither, Tibetan field coordinator and activist, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
UK’s Interception of Communications Commissioner — A Model of Accountability
— by Joe Sheehan — last modified Jul 24, 2014 06:08 AMThe United Kingdom maintains sophisticated electronic surveillance operations through a number of government agencies, ranging from military intelligence organizations to police departments to tax collection agencies. However, all of this surveillance is governed by one set of national laws outlining specifically what surveillance agencies can and cannot do.
Private Censorship and the Right to Hear
— by Chinmayi Arun — last modified Jul 22, 2014 05:57 AMVery little recourse is available against publishers or intermediaries if these private parties censor an author’s content unreasonably.
First Privacy and Surveillance Roundtable
— by Anandini K Rathore — last modified Aug 09, 2014 04:13 AMThe Privacy and Surveillance Roundtables are a CIS initiative, in partnership with the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), as well as local partners. From June 2014 – November 2014, CIS and COAI will host seven Privacy and Surveillance Roundtable discussions across multiple cities in India. The Roundtables will be closed-door deliberations involving multiple stakeholders.
GNI and IAMAI Launch Interactive Slideshow Exploring Impact of India's Internet Laws
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Jul 17, 2014 12:01 PMThe Global Network Initiative and the Internet and Mobile Association of India have come together to explain how India’s Internet and technology laws impact economic innovation and freedom of expression.
Delhi High Court Orders Blocking of Websites after Sony Complains Infringement of 2014 FIFA World Cup Telecast Rights
— by Anubha Sinha — last modified Jul 08, 2014 07:02 AMOf late the Indian judiciary has been issuing John Doe orders to block websites, most recently in Multi Screen Media v. Sunit Singh and Others. The order mandated blocking of 472 websites, out of which approximately 267 websites were blocked as on July 7, 2014. This trend is an extremely dangerous one because it encourages flagrant censorship by intermediaries based on a judicial order which does not provide for specific blocking of a URL, instead provides for blocking of the entire website.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 15) – Malavika Jayaram
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 07, 2014 01:34 PMCIS interviews Malavika Jayaram, lawyer and researcher, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 16) – Nitin Pai
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 07, 2014 01:18 PMCIS interviews Nitin Pai, policy analyst, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
FOEX Live
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Jul 07, 2014 12:36 PMSelections of news on online freedom of expression and digital technology from across India (and some parts of the world)
Free Speech and Surveillance
— by Gautam Bhatia — last modified Jul 07, 2014 04:59 AMGautam Bhatia examines the constitutionality of surveillance by the Indian state.
Facebook and its Aversion to Anonymous and Pseudonymous Speech
— by Jessamine Mathew — last modified Jul 04, 2014 07:53 AMJessamine Mathew explores Facebook's "real name" policy and its implications for the right to free speech.
The Constitutionality of Indian Surveillance Law: Public Emergency as a Condition Precedent for Intercepting Communications
— by Bedavyasa Mohanty — last modified Aug 04, 2014 04:52 AMBedavyasa Mohanty analyses the nuances of interception of communications under the Indian Telegraph Act and the Indian Post Office Act. In this post he explores the historical bases of surveillance law in India and examines whether the administrative powers of intercepting communications are Constitutionally compatible.
Models for Surveillance and Interception of Communications Worldwide
— by Bedavyasa Mohanty — last modified Jul 10, 2014 07:50 AMThis is an evaluation of laws and practices governing surveillance and interception of communications in 9 countries. The countries evaluated represent a diverse spectrum not only in terms of their global economic standing but also their intrusive surveillance capabilities. The analysis is limited to the procedural standards followed by these countries for authorising surveillance and provisions for resolving interception related disputes.
Reading the Fine Script: Service Providers, Terms and Conditions and Consumer Rights
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Jul 04, 2014 06:31 AMThis year, an increasing number of incidents, related to consumer rights and service providers, have come to light. This blog illustrates the facts of the cases, and discusses the main issues at stake, namely, the role and responsibilities of providers of platforms for user-created content with regard to consumer rights.
ICANN’s Documentary Information Disclosure Policy – I: DIDP Basics
— by Vinayak Mithal — last modified Jul 01, 2014 01:01 PMIn a series of blogposts, Vinayak Mithal analyses ICANN's reactive transparency mechanism, comparing it with freedom of information best practices. In this post, he describes the DIDP and its relevance for the Internet community.
An Evidence based Intermediary Liability Policy Framework: Workshop at IGF
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Jul 04, 2014 06:41 AMCIS is organising a workshop at the Internet Governance Forum 2014. The workshop will be an opportunity to present and discuss ongoing research on the changing definition of intermediaries and their responsibilities across jurisdictions and technologies and contribute to a comprehensible framework for liability that is consistent with the capacity of the intermediary and with international human-rights standards.
Report on ICANN 50
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Oct 12, 2014 05:42 AMJyoti Panday attended ICANN 50 in London from 22-26 June. Below are some of the highlights from the meeting.
PMA Policy and COAI Recommendations
— by Dipankar Das — last modified Jul 02, 2014 06:45 AMFree Speech and Civil Defamation
— by Gautam Bhatia — last modified Jul 08, 2014 08:31 AMDoes defamation become a tool in powerful hands to suppress criticism? Gautam Bhatia examines the strict and unrealistic demands of defamation law, and concludes that defamation suits are a weapon to silence dissent and bad press.
FOEX Live: June 16-23, 2014
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Jun 24, 2014 10:23 AMA weekly selection of news on online freedom of expression and digital technology from across India (and some parts of the world).
IANA Transition: Suggestions for Process Design
— by Smarika Kumar — last modified Jun 22, 2014 09:15 AMWith analysis of community-input and ICANN processes, Smarika Kumar offers concrete suggestions for process design. She urges the Indian government to take a stronger position in matters of IANA transition.
CIS Policy Brief: IANA Transition Fundamentals & Suggestions for Process Design
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Jul 08, 2014 08:39 AMIn March 2014, the US government announced that it would transfer oversight of IANA functions to an as-yet-indeterminate global multi-stakeholder body. This policy brief, written by Smarika Kumar and Geetha Hariharan, explains the process concisely.
Understanding IANA Stewardship Transition
— by Smarika Kumar — last modified Jun 22, 2014 03:23 AMSmarika Kumar describes the process of the IANA stewardship transition, and enumerates what the NTIA announcement does and does not do.
WSIS+10 High Level Event: A Bird's Eye Report
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Jun 20, 2014 03:57 PMThe WSIS+10 High Level was organised by the ITU and collaborative UN entities on June 9-13, 2014. It aimed to evaluate the progress on implementation of WSIS Outcomes from Geneva 2003 and Tunis 2005, and to envision a post-2015 Development Agenda. Geetha Hariharan attended the event on CIS' behalf.
Free Speech and Source Protection for Journalists
— by Gautam Bhatia — last modified Jun 19, 2014 08:10 PMGautam Bhatia explores journalistic source protection from the perspective of the right to freedom of speech & expression. In this post, he articulates clearly the centrality of source protection to press freedoms, and surveys the differing legal standards in the US, Europe and India.
UN Human Rights Council urged to protect human rights online
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Jun 19, 2014 01:28 PM63 civil society groups urged the UN Human Rights Council to address global challenges to freedom of expression, privacy and other human rights on the Internet. Centre for Internet & Society joined in the statement, delivered on behalf of the 63 groups by Article 19.
Vodafone Report Explains Government Access to Customer Data
— by Joe Sheehan — last modified Jun 19, 2014 10:38 AMVodafone Group PLC, the world’s second largest mobile carrier, released a report on Friday, June 6 2014 disclosing to what extent governments can request their customers’ data.
Multi-stakeholder Models of Internet Governance within States: Why, Who & How?
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Jun 16, 2014 02:27 PMInternet governance, for long a global exercise, has found new awareness within national frameworks in recent times. Especially relevant for developing countries, effective national IG mechanisms are important to raise awareness and ensure multi-stakeholder participation at technical, infrastructural and public policy levels.
FOEX Live: June 8-15, 2014
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Jun 16, 2014 10:22 AMA weekly selection of news on online freedom of expression and digital technology from across India (and some parts of the world). Please email relevant news/cases/incidents to geetha[at]cis-india.org.
A Review of the Functioning of the Cyber Appellate Tribunal and Adjudicatory Officers under the IT Act
— by Divij Joshi — last modified Jul 03, 2014 05:43 AMTribunals and quasi-judicial bodies are a regular feature of the Indian judicial system, as they provide for easier and less onerous methods for dispute resolution, especially disputes which relate to technical areas and often require technical knowledge and familiarity with specialised factual scenarios.
Content Removal on Facebook — A Case of Privatised Censorship?
— by Jessamine Mathew — last modified Jun 16, 2014 05:23 AMAny activity on Facebook, be it creating an account, posting a picture or status update or creating a group or page, is bound by Facebook’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. These contain a list of content that is prohibited from being published on Facebook which ranges from hate speech to pornography to violation of privacy.
Free Speech and Contempt of Courts – II: Article 19(1)(a) and Indian Law
— by Gautam Bhatia — last modified Jun 16, 2014 05:48 AMGautam Bhatia continues his examination of free speech implications of the law of contempt: the power that equips courts to "protect the dignity of the Bench".
Comments to ICANN Supporting the DNS Industry in Underserved Regions
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Jul 04, 2014 06:48 AMTowards exploring ideas and strategies to help promote the domain name industry in regions that have typically been underserved, ICANN published a call for public comments on May 14, 2014. In particular, ICANN sought comments related to existing barriers to Registrar Accreditation and operation and suggestions on how these challenges might be mitigated. CIS contributed to the comments on this report, which will be used to determine next steps to support the domain name industry in underserved regions.
CIS Comments: Enhancing ICANN Accountability
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Jun 10, 2014 01:03 PMOn May 6, 2014, ICANN published a call for public comments on "Enhancing ICANN Accountability". This comes in the wake of the IANA stewardship transition spearheaded by ICANN and related concerns of ICANN's external and internal accountability mechanisms. Centre for Internet and Society contributed to the call for comments.
Free Speech and Contempt of Court – I: Overview
— by Gautam Bhatia — last modified Jun 08, 2014 03:29 PMGautam Bhatia explores an under-theorised aspect of India's free speech jurisprudence: the contempt power that equips courts to "protect the dignity of the Bench". In this introductory post, he examines jurisprudence from the US and England to inform our analysis of Indian law.
FOEX Live: June 1-7, 2014
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Jun 07, 2014 01:33 PMA weekly selection of news on online freedom of expression and digital technology from across India (and some parts of the world).
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 14) – Menaka Guruswamy
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 21, 2014 10:39 AMCIS interviews Menaka Guruswamy, lawyer at the Supreme Court of India, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
WSIS +10 High Level Event: Open Consultation Process Multistakeholder Preparatory Platform: Phase Six: Fifth Physical Meeting
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Oct 12, 2014 05:31 AMThe fifth physical meeting of the Multistakeholder Preparatory Platform (MPP-WSIS+10), was held from 28-31 May 2014 in Geneva as part as part of the sixth phase of the WSIS +10 High Level Event Open Consultation process. The meeting was aimed at developing draft agreed texts for the WSIS+10 Statement on Implementation on WSIS Outcomes and the Vision Beyond 2015.
Search and Seizure and the Right to Privacy in the Digital Age: A Comparison of US and India
— by Divij Joshi — last modified Jun 02, 2014 06:45 AMThe development of information technology has transformed the way in which individuals make everyday transactions and communicate with the world around us. These interactions and transactions are recorded and stored – constantly available for access by the individual and the company through which the service was used.
Two Arguments Against the Constitutionality of Section 66A
— by Gautam Bhatia — last modified Jun 04, 2014 03:42 AMGautam Bhatia explores the constitutionality of Section 66A in light of recent events.
FOEX Live: May 28-29, 2014
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified May 29, 2014 08:58 AMA selection of news from across India with a bearing on online freedom of expression and use of digital technology
FOEX Live: May 26-27, 2014
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified May 27, 2014 12:42 PMA selection of news from across India implicating online freedom of expression and use of digital technology
Legislating for Privacy - Part II
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified May 28, 2014 09:59 AMApart from the conflation of commercial data protection and privacy, the right to privacy bill has ill-informed and poorly drafted provisions to regulate surveillance.
Net Neutrality, Free Speech and the Indian Constitution – III: Conceptions of Free Speech and Democracy
— by Gautam Bhatia — last modified May 27, 2014 10:21 AMIn this 3 part series, Gautam Bhatia explores the concept of net neutrality in the context of Indian law and the Indian Constitution.
European Court of Justice rules Internet Search Engine Operator responsible for Processing Personal Data Published by Third Parties
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified May 14, 2014 02:18 PMThe Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that an "an internet search engine operator is responsible for the processing that it carries out of personal data which appear on web pages published by third parties.” The decision adds to the conundrum of maintaining a balance between freedom of expression, protecting personal data and intermediary liability.
Net Freedom Campaign Loses its Way
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified May 27, 2014 11:07 AMA recent global meet was a victory for governments and the private sector over civil society interests.
Filtering content on the internet
— by Chinmayi Arun — last modified May 06, 2014 09:33 AM
Networks: What You Don’t See is What You (for)Get
— by Nishant Shah — last modified May 28, 2014 09:30 AMWhen I start thinking about DML (digital media and learning) and other such “networks” that I am plugged into, I often get a little confused about what to call them.
The Embodiment of the Right to Privacy within Domestic Legislation
— by Tanvi Mani — last modified Sep 08, 2014 02:37 AMThe Right to Privacy is a pivotal construct, essential to the actualization of justice, fairness and equity within any democratic society. It is an instrument used to secure the boundaries of an individual’s personal space, in his interaction with not only the rest of society but also the State.
Net Neutrality, Free Speech and the Indian Constitution - II
— by Gautam Bhatia — last modified Apr 29, 2014 07:42 AMIn this 3 part series, Gautam Bhatia explores the concept of net neutrality in the context of Indian law and the Indian Constitution.
NETmundial Day 2
— by Achal Prabhala — last modified Apr 25, 2014 04:58 AMFadi Chehade, the ICANN boss, closed NETmundial 2014 with these words "In Africa we say if you want to go first, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together." He should have added: And if you want to go nowhere, go multi-stakeholder.
NETmundial: Tracking *Multistakeholder* across Contributions
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Apr 25, 2014 09:53 AMThis set of analysis of the contributions submitted to NETmundial 2014 is part of the effort by the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, India, to enable productive discussions of the critical internet governance issues at the meeting and elsewhere.
Brazil passes Marco Civil; the US-FCC Alters its Stance on Net Neutrality
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Apr 24, 2014 10:05 AMHopes for the Internet rise and fall rapidly. Yesterday, on April 23, 2014, Marco Civil da Internet, the Brazilian Bill of Internet rights, was passed by the Brazilian Senate into law.
NETmundial Day 1
— by Achal Prabhala — last modified Apr 24, 2014 09:02 AMBrazilian President Dilma Rousseff's speech at the opening of NETmundial in São Paulo was refreshingly free of the UN-speak that characterised virtually every single other presentation this morning. The experience of sitting for five hours in a room where the word "multi-stakeholder" is repeated at the rate of five mentions per minute is not for the faint-hearted; it almost makes you wish for more of the straight-talking tough-love of people like Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.
NETmundial Transcript Archive
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Apr 23, 2014 02:31 PMWe are archiving the live transcript from the NETmundial meeting (April 23-24, 2014).
NETmundial Roadmap: Defining the Roles of Stakeholders in Multistakeholderism
— by Jyoti Panday — last modified Apr 28, 2014 12:51 PMNETmundial, one of the most anticipated events in the Internet governance calendar, will see the global community convening at Sao Paolo, with an aim to establish 'strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in the world.' This post analyses the submissions at NETmundial that focused on Roadmap, towards an understanding of stakeholder roles in relation to specific governance functions and highlighting the political, technical and architectural possibilities that lie ahead.
NETmundial Day 0
— by Achal Prabhala — last modified Apr 23, 2014 10:58 AMDay O of NETmundial began at Arena NetMundial, an alternative-ish, Brazilian counterpart to the official "multistakeholder" meeting being organised at the very expensive Grand Hyatt. Arena NETmundial began today and will extend until the last day of NETmundial; it's being organised at the very democratic Centro Cultural São Paulo - free to all, no registration required - and offers space for a whole host of organised and spontaneous activity.
Accountability of ICANN
— by Smarika Kumar — last modified May 28, 2014 10:50 AMThe issue of how to ensure the legitimacy and accountability of ICANN is a concern which finds voice in many of the proposals. Four broad stands can be gleaned from the submissions to NETmundial '14 on this issue.
NETmundial - Word Clouds of Contributions by Types of Organisation
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Apr 25, 2014 09:51 AMThis set of analysis of the contributions submitted to NETmundial 2014 is part of the effort by the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, India, to enable productive discussions of the critical internet governance issues at the meeting and elsewhere.
NETmundial - Which Governments Have Not Submitted Contributions to NETmundial?
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Apr 25, 2014 09:47 AMNETmundial - Which Countries Have Not Submitted Contributions to NETmundial?
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Apr 25, 2014 09:40 AMThis set of analysis of the contributions submitted to NETmundial 2014 is part of the effort by the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, India, to enable productive discussions of the critical internet governance issues at the meeting and elsewhere.
NETmundial - Contributions by Types of Organisation
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Apr 25, 2014 09:57 AMThis set of analysis of the contributions submitted to NETmundial 2014 is part of the effort by the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, India, to enable productive discussions of the critical internet governance issues at the meeting and elsewhere.
NETmundial - Contributions by Countries of Origin
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Apr 25, 2014 09:55 AMThis set of analysis of the contributions submitted to NETmundial 2014 is part of the effort by the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, India, to enable productive discussions of the critical internet governance issues at the meeting and elsewhere.
NETmundial - Comparing Appearance of Fifty Most Frequent Words
— by Sumandro Chattapadhyay — last modified Apr 25, 2014 09:59 AMThis set of analysis of the contributions submitted to NETmundial 2014 is part of the effort by the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, India, to enable productive discussions of the critical internet governance issues at the meeting and elsewhere.
Banking Policy Guide
— by Kartik Chawla — last modified Jan 22, 2015 02:54 PMTo gain a practical perspective on the existing banking practices and policies in India in this project, an empirical study of five separate and diverse banks has been conducted. The forms, policy documents, and other relevant and available documents of these banks have been analysed in this project.
NETmundial and Suggestions for IANA Administration
— by Smarika Kumar — last modified Apr 23, 2014 04:00 AMFollowing NTIA's announcement to give up control over critical Internet functions, the discussion on how that role should be filled has gathered steam across the Internet governance space.
Principles for Internet Governance: NETmundial 2014 — What do the Contributions Reveal?
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Apr 23, 2014 04:01 AMThe Global Multi-stakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance (NETmundial) is scheduled for April 23-24, 2014. Towards its stated end of establishing "strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in the world", NETmundial sought contributions from stakeholders around the world on two topics: (1) Set of Internet governance principles; (2) Roadmaps for the further evolution of the Internet governance system.
South African Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013
— by Divij Joshi — last modified May 05, 2014 06:59 AMAs the rapid spread of technology in developing countries allows exponentially increasing availability of and access to personal data through automatic data processing, governments are beginning to recognize the necessity to evolve policies addressing data security and privacy concerns.
Privacy Law in India: A Muddled Field - I
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified May 05, 2014 06:17 AMThe absence of a statute expressing the legislative will of a democracy to forge a common understanding of privacy is a matter of concern, says BHAIRAV ACHARYA in the first of a two part series.
Very Big Brother
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Apr 14, 2014 11:39 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society, the organization I work for, currently serves on a committee established by the Government of India's Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology in January 2013. The committee has been charged with preparing a report on the draft Human DNA Profiling Bill.
Report of the Group of Experts on Privacy vs. The Leaked 2014 Privacy Bill
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Apr 14, 2014 06:10 AMFollowing our previous post comparing the leaked 2014 Privacy Bill with the leaked 2011 Privacy Bill, this post will compare the recommendations provided in the Report of the Group of Experts on Privacy by the Justice AP Shah Committee to the text of the leaked 2014 Privacy Bill. Below is an analysis of recommendations from the Report that are incorporated in the text of the Bill, and recommendations in the Report that are not incorporated in the text of the Bill.
Net Neutrality, Free Speech and the Indian Constitution - I
— by Gautam Bhatia — last modified Apr 29, 2014 08:03 AMIn this post, I will explore net neutrality in the context of Indian law and the Indian Constitution.
Who Governs the Internet? Implications for Freedom and National Security
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Apr 05, 2014 04:23 PMThe second half of last year has been quite momentous for Internet governance thanks to Edward Snowden. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff became aware that they were targets of US surveillance for economic not security reasons. They protested loudly.
Between the Local and the Global: Notes Towards Thinking the Nature of Internet Policy
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Apr 04, 2014 03:49 AMThis post by Nishant Shah is part of a series related to the 2014 Milton Wolf Seminar on Media and Diplomacy: The Third Man Theme Revisited: Foreign Policies of the Internet in a Time Of Surveillance and Disclosure, which takes place in Vienna, Austria from March 30 – April 1, 2014.
Marco Civil da Internet: Brazil’s ‘Internet Constitution’
— by Geetha Hariharan — last modified Jun 19, 2014 10:38 AMOn March 25, 2014, Brazil's lower house of parliament passed bill no. 2126/2011, popularly known as Marco Civil da Internet. The Marco Civil is a charter of Internet user-rights and service provider responsibilities, committed to freedom of speech and expression, privacy, and accessibility and openness of the Internet. In this post, the author looks at the pros and cons of the bill.
Leaked Privacy Bill: 2014 vs. 2011
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Apr 01, 2014 10:52 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society has recently received a leaked version of the draft Privacy Bill 2014 that the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India has drafted.
Intermediary Liability Resources
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jul 03, 2014 06:45 AMWe bring you a list of intermediary resources as part of research on internet governance. This blog post will be updated on an ongoing basis.
The Age of Shame
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Apr 04, 2014 04:05 AMThe ability to capture private images is breeding a dangerous form of digital shaming. Within the online space, where wonderments often run rife, and conspiracy theories travel at the speed of light, there are many dark recesses where netizens half-jokingly, self-referentially, in a spirit of part-truth, part-exaggeration, often wonder on what the real reason is for the internet to exist.
CIS Statement at ICANN 49's Public Forum
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jun 04, 2014 05:31 AMThis was a statement made by Pranesh Prakash at the ICANN 49 meeting (on March 27, 2014), arguing that ICANN's bias towards the North America and Western Europe result in a lack of legitimacy, and hoping that the IANA transition process provides an opportunity to address this.
European Union Draft Report Admonishes Mass Surveillance, Calls for Stricter Data Protection and Privacy Laws
— by Divij Joshi — last modified Sep 30, 2014 08:52 AMEver since the release of the “Snowden files”, the secret documents evidencing the massive scale of surveillance undertaken by America’s National Security Agency and publically released by whistle-blower Edward Snowden, surveillance in the digital age has come to the fore of the global debate on internet governance and privacy.
Privacy worries cloud Facebook's WhatsApp Deal
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Mar 20, 2014 05:59 AMPrivacy activists in the United States have asked the competition regulator or the Federal Trade Commission to put on hold Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp. Why have they done this when Facebook has promised to leave WhatsApp untouched as a standalone app?
Net Neutrality and Privacy
— by Divij Joshi — last modified Mar 20, 2014 05:01 AMThe highly contentious and polarising debate on net-neutrality will have a large impact on shaping the future of the internet and ultimately on the users of the internet. One important issue which needs to be prioritized while debating the necessity or desirability of a legal regime which advocates net-neutrality is its implication on privacy.
NTIA to give up control of the Internet's root
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Mar 18, 2014 06:21 PMOn Friday evening the U.S. government's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it was setting into motion a transition to give up a few powers that it holds over some core Internet functions, and that this would happen by September 2015. Pranesh Prakash provides a brief response to that announcement.
New Standard Operating Procedures for Lawful Interception and Monitoring
— by Divij Joshi — last modified Mar 20, 2014 05:13 AMGovernment issues new guidelines to TSP’s to assist Lawful Interception and Monitoring.
Comparison of Section 35(1) of the Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill and Section 4 of the Identification Act Revised Statute of Canada
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Mar 03, 2014 08:20 AMA comparison of section 35(1) of the Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill, section 4 of the Identification Act, Revised Statute of Canada, and a review of international best practices.
Big Democracy, Big Surveillance: India's Surveillance State
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Feb 28, 2014 10:35 AMIn India, surveillance is on the rise by the state to tackle crime and terrorism, and private companies are eager to meet the demand.
Surveillance and the Indian Constitution - Part 3: The Public/Private Distinction and the Supreme Court’s Wrong Turn
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Mar 06, 2014 11:02 PMAfter its decision in Gobind, the Supreme Court's privacy floodgates opened; a series of claims involving private parties came before its docket, and the resulting jurisprudence ended up creating confusion between state-individual surveillance, and individual-individual surveillance.
UIDAI Practices and the Information Technology Act, Section 43A and Subsequent Rules
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Mar 06, 2014 07:00 AMUIDAI practices and section 43A of the IT Act are analyzed in this post.
Open Call for Comments: The Privacy Protection Bill 2013 drafted by the Centre for Internet and Society
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Feb 25, 2014 05:38 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society is announcing an Open Call for Comments to the CIS Privacy Protection Bill 2013.
CIS Welcomes 52nd Report on Cyber Crime, Cyber Security, and Right to Privacy
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Feb 24, 2014 10:49 AMThe “Fifty Second Report on Cyber Crime, Cyber Security, and Right to Privacy” issued by the 2013 -2014 Standing Committee on Information Technology on February 12th 2014, highlights the urgent need for reform in India’s cyber security framework and the need for the much awaited privacy legislation to be finalized and made into a law.
Calcutta High Court Strengthens Whistle Blower Protection
— by Divij Joshi — last modified Feb 24, 2014 06:38 AMCalcutta High Court has ordered for protection of whistle blower's privacy in its November 20, 2013 order. The court has directed the government to accept RTI applications without the applicant's personal details.
Will You be Paid to Post a Picture?
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Mar 06, 2014 11:58 AMThe wave of free information production on the web is on the wane.
The Internet Way
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Feb 14, 2014 06:59 AMDr. Nishant Shah's review of the book “The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon” by Bantam Press/Random House Group, London was published in Biblio Vol. 19 No.8 (1&2), January – February 2014.
February 11: The Day We Fight Back Against Mass Surveillance
— by Divij Joshi — last modified Feb 14, 2014 06:00 AMThe expansive surveillance being perpetuated by governments and corporations is the single biggest threat to individual liberties in the digital age.
Video Games: A Case Study of a Cross-cultural Video Collaboration
— by Larissa Hjorth and Nishant Shah — last modified Jan 31, 2014 12:02 PMA new book focusing on Palestinian artists’ video, edited by Bashir Makhoul and published by Palestinian Art Court- al Hoash, 2013, includes a chapter co-authored by Larissa Hjorth and Nishant Shah.
India's Central Monitoring System (CMS): Something to Worry About?
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Feb 22, 2014 01:50 PMIn this article, Maria Xynou presents new information about India's controversial Central Monitoring System (CMS) based on official documents which were shared with the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS). Read this article and gain an insight on how the CMS actually works!
Making the Powerful Accountable
— by Chinmayi Arun — last modified Jan 30, 2014 06:43 AMIf powerful figures are not subjected to transparent court proceedings, the opacity in the face of a critical issue is likely to undermine public faith in the judiciary.
Surveillance and the Indian Constitution - Part 2: Gobind and the Compelling State Interest Test
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jan 27, 2014 06:03 PMGautam Bhatia analyses the first case in which the Supreme Court recognized a constitutional right to privacy, Gobind v. State of Madhya Pradesh, and argues that the holding in that case adopted the three-pronged American test of strict scrutiny, compelling State interest, and narrow tailoring in its approach to privacy violations.
Interview with Mathew Thomas from the Say No to UID campaign - UID Court Cases
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jan 27, 2014 12:47 PMThe Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) recently interviewed Mathew Thomas from the Say No to UID campaign about his ongoing efforts to challenge the UID scheme legally in the Bangalore High Court and Supreme Court of India. Read this interview and gain an interesting insight on recent legal developments with regards to the UID!
GNI Assessment Finds ICT Companies Protect User Privacy and Freedom of Expression
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jan 20, 2014 06:17 AMElonnai Hickok analyses a public report recently published by GNI on the independent assessment process for Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo. The report finds Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo to be in compliance with the GNI principles on privacy and freedom of expression.
Electoral Databases – Privacy and Security Concerns
— by Snehashish Ghosh — last modified Jan 16, 2014 11:07 AMIn this blogpost, Snehashish Ghosh analyzes privacy and security concerns which have surfaced with the digitization, centralization and standardization of the electoral database and argues that even though the law provides the scope for protection of electoral databases, the State has not taken any steps to ensure its safety.
Surveillance and the Indian Constitution - Part 1: Foundations
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jan 23, 2014 03:12 PMIn this insightful seven-part series, Gautam Bhatia looks at surveillance and the right to privacy in India from a constitutional perspective, tracing its genealogy through Supreme Court case law and compares it with the law in the USA.
Letter requesting public consultation on position of GoI at WGEC
— by Snehashish Ghosh — last modified Jan 08, 2014 06:36 PMSnehashish Ghosh on behalf of the Centre for Internet and Society sent a letter to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, requesting for a public consultation on India's position at the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation (WGEC).
Big Brother is watching you
— by Chinmayi Arun — last modified Jan 06, 2014 09:31 AMIndia has no requirements of transparency whether in the form of disclosing the quantum of interception or in the form of notification to people whose communication was intercepted.
India's Identity Crisis
— by Malavika Jayaram — last modified Jan 09, 2014 07:56 AMMalavika Jayaram's article was published in 2013 Internet Monitor Annual Report: Reflections on the Digital World, published by Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 13) - Pranesh Prakash
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jan 20, 2014 06:20 AMCIS interviews Pranesh Prakash, lawyer and policy director with Centre for Internet and Society, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
Can Bitcoin Be Banned by the Indian Government?
— by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Apr 07, 2017 12:56 PMThe paper analyses the laws and regulations that apply to Bitcoin in India, and comes to the conclusion that the government has wide powers that it can exercise, if it wishes, to regulate Bitcoin. Given the lack of existing legal and regulatory analysis on this issue in India, we greatly welcome comments on this issue.
Brochures from Expos on Smart Cards, e-Security, RFID & Biometrics in India
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Dec 26, 2013 05:24 AMElectronics Today organised a series of expos on smart cards, e-security, RFID and biometric technology in Delhi on 16-18 October 2013. The Centre for Internet and Society is sharing the brochures it collected from these public expos for research purposes.
Misuse of Surveillance Powers in India (Case 1)
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 06, 2013 09:37 AMIn this series of blog posts, Pranesh Prakash looks at a brief history of misuse of surveillance powers in India. He notes that the government's surveillance powers have been freqently misused, very often without any kind of judicial or political redressal. This, he argues, should lead us as concerned citizens to demand a scaling down of the government's surveillance powers and pass laws to put it place more robust oversight mechanisms.
I Just Pinged to Say Hello
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Nov 30, 2013 08:36 AMA host of social networks find us more connected than ever before, but leave us groping for words in the digital space.
CIS Supports the UN Resolution on “The Right to Privacy in the Digital age”.
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Nov 30, 2013 07:25 AMThe United Nations adopted the resolution on the right to privacy recently. It recognised privacy as a human right, integral to the right to free expression, and also declared that mass surveillance could have negative impacts on human rights.
Seventh Privacy Round-table
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Nov 20, 2013 09:58 AMOn October 19, 2013, the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) in collaboration with the Federation for Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Data Security Council of India, and Privacy International held a “Privacy Round-table” in New Delhi at the FICCI Federation House.
Why 'Facebook' is More Dangerous than the Government Spying on You
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Nov 23, 2013 08:38 AMIn this article, Maria Xynou looks at state and corporate surveillance in India and analyzes why our "choice" to hand over our personal data can potentially be more harmful than traditional, top-down, state surveillance. Read this article and perhaps reconsider your "choice" to use social networking sites, such as Facebook.
First Look: CIS Cybersecurity documentary film
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Dec 17, 2013 08:16 AMCIS presents the trailer of its documentary film DesiSec: Cybersecurity & Civil Society in India
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 12) - Namita Malhotra
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Nov 18, 2013 10:03 AMCIS interviews Namita Malhotra, researcher and lawyer at Alternative Law Forum, Bangalore, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
Interview with Caspar Bowden - Privacy Advocate and former Chief Privacy Adviser at Microsoft
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Nov 06, 2013 08:16 AMMaria Xynou recently interviewed Caspar Bowden, an internationally renowned privacy advocate and former Chief Privacy Adviser at Microsoft. Read this exciting interview and gain an insight on India's UID and CMS schemes, on the export of surveillance technologies, on how we can protect our data in light of mass surveillance and much much more!
Open Secrets
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Nov 30, 2013 08:21 AMWe need to think of privacy in different ways — not only as something that happens between people, but between you and corporations.
Mapping Digital Media: Broadcasting, Journalism and Activism in India: A Public Consultation
— by Samantha Cassar — last modified Nov 07, 2013 03:38 AMLawyers, researchers, journalists and activists gathered on Sunday, October 27, 2013 at the Bangalore International Centre in response to India’s country report on Mapping Digital Media, which examines citizen’s access to quality news and information across different industries, and impacts on media freedoms as a result of digitisation. Respondents examined themes related to regulation, journalism and activism, and engaging discussions took place among attendees.
Spy Files 3: WikiLeaks Sheds More Light On The Global Surveillance Industry
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Nov 14, 2013 04:21 PMIn this article, Maria Xynou looks at WikiLeaks' latest Spy Files and examines the legality of India's surveillance technologies, as well as their potential connection with India's Central Monitoring System (CMS) and implications on human rights.
What India can Learn from the Snowden Revelations
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Oct 25, 2013 07:29 AMBig Brother is watching, across cyberspace and international borders. Meanwhile, the Indian government has few safeguards in theory and fewer in practice. There’s no telling how prevalent or extensive Indian surveillance really is.
An Interview with Jacob Kohnstamm, Dutch Data Protection Authority and Chairman of the Article 29 Working Party
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Oct 25, 2013 04:50 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society interviewed Jacob Kohnstamm, Dutch Data Protection Authority and Chairman of the Article 29 Working Party.
Interview with Dr. Alexander Dix - Berlin Data Protection and Freedom of Information Commissioner
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Nov 06, 2013 09:29 AMMaria Xynou recently interviewed Berlin's Data Protection and Freedom of Information Commissioner: Dr. Alexander Dix. View this interview and gain an insight on recommendations for better data protection in India!
Open Letter to Members of the European Parliament of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Oct 23, 2013 05:00 AMAn open letter was sent to the Members of the European Parliament of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee on the proposed EU Regulation. The letter was apart of an initiative that Privacy International and a number of other NGO's are undertaking.
Tweets from Bali IGF 2013
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Oct 28, 2013 09:09 AMCIS is logging all tweets with the words "igf2013", "igf13", "igf", "bestbits", and "genderit" during the Intenet Governance Forum going on in the Bali this week, and making it available in downloadable files.
Interview with the Tactical Technology Collective on Privacy and Surveillance
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Oct 18, 2013 09:56 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society recently interviewed Anne Roth from the Tactical Technology Collective in Berlin. View this interview and gain an insight on why we should all "have something to hide"!
Interview with Bruce Schneier - Internationally Renowned Security Technologist
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Oct 17, 2013 08:54 AMMaria Xynou recently interviewed Bruce Schneier on privacy and surveillance. View this interview and gain an insight on why we should all "have something to hide"!
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 11) - Anja Kovacs
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Oct 15, 2013 03:25 PMCIS interviews Anja Kovacs, researcher and activist, and director of the Internet Democracy, Project as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
Interview with Big Brother Watch on Privacy and Surveillance
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Oct 15, 2013 02:24 PMMaria Xynou interviewed Emma Carr, the Deputy Director of Big Brother Watch, on privacy and surveillance. View this interview and gain an insight on why we should all "have something to hide"!
Concerns Regarding DNA Law
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Oct 29, 2013 10:09 AMRecently, a long government process to draft a law to permit the collection, processing, profiling, use and storage of human DNA is nearing conclusion. There are several concerns with this government effort. Below, we present broad-level issues to be kept in mind while dealing with DNA law.
The India Privacy Monitor Map
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Oct 09, 2013 04:26 PMThe Centre for Internet and Society has started the first Privacy Watch in India! Check out our map which includes data on the UID, NPR and CCTNS schemes, as well as on the installation of CCTV cameras and the use of drones throughout the country.
Re: The Human DNA Profiling Bill, 2012
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Oct 29, 2013 10:00 AMThis short note speaks to legal issues arising from the proposed Human DNA Profiling Bill, 2012 ("DBT Bill") that was circulated drafted under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, which seeks to collect human DNA samples, profile them and store them. These comments are made clause-by-clause against the DBT Bill.
An Analysis of the Cases Filed under Section 46 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 for Adjudication in the State of Maharashtra
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Oct 01, 2013 03:29 PMThis is a brief review of some of the cases related to privacy filed under section 46 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 ("the Act") seeking adjudication for alleged contraventions of the Act in the State of Maharashtra.
A Privacy Meeting with the Federal Trade Commission in New Delhi
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Oct 03, 2013 10:25 AMOn September 20, the Centre for Internet and Society held a roundtable meeting with Betsy Broder, Counsel for International Consumer Protection, and Sarah Schroeder, Attorney, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), United States. The meeting took place at the Imperial, Janpath, New Delhi and discussed both the U.S framework to privacy and potential frameworks and challenges to privacy in India.
Privacy (Protection) Bill, 2013: Updated Third Draft
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Oct 01, 2013 12:25 PMThe Centre for Internet and Society has been researching privacy in India since 2010 with the objective of raising public awareness around privacy, completing in depth research, and driving a privacy legislation in India. As part of this work, we drafted the Privacy (Protection) Bill, 2013.
The National Cyber Security Policy: Not a Real Policy
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Sep 25, 2013 09:49 AMCyber security in India is still a nascent field without an organised law and policy framework. Several actors participate in and are affected by India's still inchoate cyber security regime. The National Cyber Security Policy (NCSP) presented the government and other stakeholders with an opportune moment to understand existing legal limitations before devising a future framework. Unfortunately, the NCSP's poor drafting and meaningless provisions do not advance the field.
CIS and International Coalition Calls upon Governments to Protect Privacy
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Sep 25, 2013 07:21 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) along with the International Coalition has called upon governments across the globe to protect privacy.
The Central Monitoring System: Some Questions to be Raised in Parliament
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Sep 25, 2013 10:30 AMThe following are some model questions to be raised in the Parliament regarding the lack of transparency in the central monitoring system.
The National Privacy Roundtable Meetings
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Mar 21, 2014 10:03 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society ("CIS"), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry ("FICCI"), the Data Security Council of India ("DSCI") and Privacy International are, in partnership, conducting a series of national privacy roundtable meetings across India from April to October 2013. The roundtable meetings are designed to discuss possible frameworks to privacy in India.
Transparency Reports — A Glance on What Google and Facebook Tell about Government Data Requests
— by Prachi Arya — last modified Sep 13, 2013 09:44 AMTransparency Reports are a step towards greater accountability but how efficacious are they really?
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 10) - Lawrence Liang
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Sep 10, 2013 08:31 AMCIS interviews Lawrence Liang, researcher and lawyer, and co-founder of Alternative Law Forum, Bangalore, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
Privacy Law Must Fit the Bill
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Sep 12, 2013 06:25 AMThe process of updating Indian privacy policy has gained momentum ever since the launch of the UID project and also the leak of the Radia tapes. The Department of Personnel and Training has lead the drafting of privacy bill for the last three years. This bill will ideally articulate privacy principles and establish the office of the privacy commissioner and most importantly have an over-riding effect over 50 odd existing laws, rules and policies with privacy implications.
An Interview with Suresh Ramasubramanian
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Sep 06, 2013 09:37 AMSuresh Ramasubramanian is the ICS Quality Representative - IBM SmartCloud at IBM. We from the Centre for Internet and Society conducted an interview on cybersecurity and issues in the Cloud.
Indian government to bar politicians from using Gmail for official business
— by Prasad Krishna — last modified Sep 05, 2013 09:52 AMUS-based email services seen as too risky.
Report on the Sixth Privacy Roundtable Meeting, New Delhi
— by Prachi Arya — last modified Aug 30, 2013 03:04 PMIn 2013 the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) drafted the Privacy Protection Bill as a citizens' version of a privacy legislation for India. Since April 2013, CIS has been holding Privacy Roundtables in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and DSCI, with the objective of gaining public feedback to the Privacy Protection Bill and other possible frameworks for privacy in India. The following is a report on the Sixth Privacy Roundtable held in New Delhi on August 24, 2013.
Out of the Bedroom
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Sep 06, 2013 08:32 AMWe have shared it with our friends. We have watched it with our lovers. We have discussed it with our children and talked about it with our partners. It is in our bedrooms, hidden in sock drawers. It is in our laptops, in a folder marked "Miscellaneous". It is in our cellphones and tablets, protected under passwords. It is the biggest reason why people have learned to clean their browsing history and cookies from their browsers.
Freedom from Monitoring: India Inc Should Push For Privacy Laws
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Aug 21, 2013 07:04 AMMore surveillance than absolutely necessary actually undermines the security objective.
FinFisher in India and the Myth of Harmless Metadata
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Aug 13, 2013 11:30 AMIn this article, Maria Xynou argues that metadata is anything but harmless, especially since FinFisher — one of the world's most controversial types of spyware — uses metadata to target individuals.
Ethical Issues in Open Data
— by Kovey Coles — last modified Aug 07, 2013 09:19 AMOn August 1, 2013, I took part in a web meeting, organized and hosted by Tim Davies of the World Wide Web foundation. The meeting, titled “Ethical issues in Open Data,” had an agenda focused around privacy considerations in the context of the open data movement.
'Ethical Hacker' Saket Modi Calls for Stronger Cyber Security Discussions
— by Kovey Coles — last modified Aug 05, 2013 01:11 PMTwenty-two year old Saket Modi is the CEO and co-founder of Lucideus, a leading cyber security company in India which claims to have worked with 4 out of 5 top global e-commerce companies, 4 out of 10 top IT companies in the world, and 3 out of 5 top banks of the Asia Pacific.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 9) - Saikat Datta
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Aug 05, 2013 05:24 AMCIS interviews Saikat Datta, Resident Editor of DNA, Delhi, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
Guidelines for the Protection of National Critical Information Infrastructure: How Much Regulation?
— by Jonathan Diamond — last modified Aug 01, 2013 04:48 AMJuly has been a busy month for cyber security in India. Beginning with the release of the country’s first National Cyber Security Policy on July 2 and followed just this past week by a set of guidelines for the protection of national critical information infrastructure (CII) developed under the direction of the National Technical Research Organization (NTRO), India has made respectable progress in its thinking on national cyber security.
More than a Hundred Global Groups Make a Principled Stand against Surveillance
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jul 31, 2013 02:26 PMFor some time now there has been a need to update understandings of existing human rights law to reflect modern surveillance technologies and techniques.
India's National Cyber Security Policy in Review
— by Jonathan Diamond — last modified Jul 31, 2013 10:40 AMEarlier this month, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology released India’s first National Cyber Security Policy. Years in the making, the Policy sets high goals for cyber security in India and covers a wide range of topics, from institutional frameworks for emergency response to indigenous capacity building.
The Audacious ‘Right to Be Forgotten’
— by Kovey Coles — last modified Jul 31, 2013 10:08 AMThere has long been speculation over the permanency of our online presence. Posting about excessively-personal details, commenting in a way which is later embarrassing, being caught in unflattering public photos; to our chagrin, all of these unfortunate situations often persist on the web, and can continue to haunt us in future years.
Report on the 5th Privacy Round Table meeting
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 26, 2013 08:24 AMThis report entails an overview of the discussions and recommendations of the fifth Privacy Round Table in Calcutta, on 13th July 2013.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 8) - Jeff Moss
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 30, 2013 09:25 AMCIS interviews Jeff Moss, Chief Security Officer for ICANN, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
You Have the Right to Remain Silent
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jul 22, 2013 06:59 AMReflecting upon the state of freedom of speech and expression in India, in the wake of the shut-down of the political satire website narendramodiplans.com.
Parsing the Cyber Security Policy
— by Chinmayi Arun — last modified Jul 22, 2013 06:37 AMAn effective cyber-security policy must keep up with the rapid evolution of technology, and must never become obsolete. The standard-setting and review bodies will therefore need to be very nimble, says Chinmayi Arun.
CII Conference on "ACT": Achieve Cyber Security Together"
— by Kovey Coles — last modified Jul 26, 2013 08:17 AMThe Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) organized a conference on facing cyber threats and challenges at Hotel Hilton in Chennai on July 13, 2013. Kovey Coles attended this conference and shares a summary of the event in this blog post.
DSCI Best Practices Meet 2013
— by Kovey Coles — last modified Jul 26, 2013 08:18 AMThe DSCI Best Practices Meet 2013 was organized on July 12, 2013 at Hyatt Regency, Anna Salai in Chennai. Kovey Coles attended the meet and shares a summary of the happenings in this blog post.
Interview with Mr. Reijo Aarnio - Finnish Data Protection Ombudsman
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 19, 2013 01:02 PMMaria Xynou recently interviewed Mr. Reijo Aarnio, the Finnish Data Protection Ombudsman, at the CIS' 5th Privacy Round Table. View this interview and gain an insight on recommendations for better data protection in India!
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 7) - Jochem de Groot
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 30, 2013 09:26 AMCIS interviews Jochem de Groot, former policy advisor to the Netherlands government, as part of the Cybersecurity Series
Can India Trust Its Government on Privacy?
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jul 15, 2013 10:35 AMIn response to criticisms of the Centralized Monitoring System, India’s new surveillance program, the government could contend that merely having the capability to engage in mass surveillance won’t mean that it will. Officials will argue that they will still abide by the law and will ensure that each instance of interception will be authorized.
How Surveillance Works in India
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jul 15, 2013 10:20 AMWhen the Indian government announced it would start a Centralized Monitoring System in 2009 to monitor telecommunications in the country, the public seemed unconcerned. When the government announced that the system, also known as C.M.S., commenced in April, the news didn’t receive much attention.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 6) - Lhadon Tethong
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Aug 01, 2013 09:54 AMCIS interviews Lhadon Tethong, Tibetan human rights activist, as part of the Cybersecurity Series
Moving Towards a Surveillance State
— by Srinivas Atreya — last modified Jul 15, 2013 05:57 AMThe cyberspace is a modern construct of communication and today, a large part of human activity takes place in cyberspace. It has become the universal platform where business is executed, discourse is conducted and personal information is exchanged. However, the underbelly of the internet is also seen to host activities and persons who are motivated by nefarious intent.
India:Privacy in Peril
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Sep 25, 2013 09:56 AMThe danger of mass surveillance in India is for real. The absence of a regulating law is damning for Indians who want to protect their privacy against the juggernaut of state and private surveillance.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 5) - Amelia Andersdotter
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Aug 01, 2013 09:54 AMCIS interviews Amelia Andersdotter, member of the European parliament, as part of the Cybersecurity Series
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 4) - Marietje Schaake
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 12, 2013 10:24 AMCIS interviews Marietje Schaake, member of the European parliament, as part of the Cybersecurity Series
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 3) - Eva Galperin
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Aug 01, 2013 09:55 AMCIS interviews Eva Galperin, Global Policy Analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
The Difficult Balance of Transparent Surveillance
— by Kovey Coles — last modified Jul 15, 2013 04:23 AMIs it too much to ask for transparency in data surveillance? On occasion, companies like Microsoft, Facebook, and the other silicon valley giants would say no. When customers join these services, each company provides their own privacy statement which assures customers of the safety and transparency that accompanies their personal data.
Privacy Protection Bill, 2013 (With Amendments based on Public Feedback)
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jul 12, 2013 10:50 AMIn 2013 CIS drafted the Privacy Protection Bill as a citizens' version of a privacy legislation for India. Since April 2013, CIS has been holding Privacy Roundtables in collaboration with FICCI and DSCI, with the objective of gaining public feedback to the Privacy Protection Bill and other possible frameworks for privacy in India.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 2) - Ram Mohan
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 12, 2013 10:27 AMCIS interviews Ram Mohan, a pioneer in the field of Internet security and internationalization, as part of the Cybersecurity Series
SEBI and Communication Surveillance: New Rules, New Responsibilities?
— by Kovey Coles — last modified Jul 12, 2013 10:51 AMIn this blog post, Kovey Coles writes about the activities of the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), discusses the importance of call data records (CDRs), and throws light on the significant transition in governmental leniency towards access to private records.
The State is Snooping: Can You Escape?
— by Snehashish Ghosh — last modified Apr 29, 2019 03:09 PMBlanket surveillance of the kind envisaged by India's Centralized Monitoring System achieves little, but blatantly violates the citizen's right to privacy; Snehashish Ghosh explores why it may be dangerous and looks at potential safeguards against such intrusion.
Open Letter to Prevent the Installation of RFID tags in Vehicles
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 10:59 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) has sent this open letter to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) to urge them not to intall RFID tags in vehicles in India.
Way to watch
— by Chinmayi Arun — last modified Jul 01, 2013 10:17 AMThe domestic surveillance regime in India lacks adequate safeguards.
Report on the 4th Privacy Round Table meeting
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 11:04 AMThis report entails an overview of the discussions and recommendations of the fourth Privacy Round Table in Mumbai, on 15th June 2013.
Interview with the Citizen Lab on Internet Filtering in India
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jun 26, 2013 09:47 AMMaria Xynou recently interviewed Masashi Crete-Nishihata and Jakub Dalek from the Citizen Lab on internet filtering in India. View this interview and gain an insight on Netsweeper and FinFisher!
Interview with Mr. Billy Hawkes - Irish Data Protection Commissioner
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 11:06 AMMaria Xynou recently interviewed Mr. Billy Hawkes, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, at the CIS´ 4th Privacy Round Table meeting. View this interview and gain an insight on recommendations for data protection in India!
Open Letter to "Not" Recognize India as Data Secure Nation till Enactment of Privacy Legislation
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jul 12, 2013 11:07 AMIndia shouldn't be granted the status of "data secure nation" by Europe until it enacts a suitable privacy legislation, points out the Centre for Internet and Society in this open letter.
World Wide Rule
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jul 01, 2013 10:26 AMNishant Shah's review of Schmidt and Cohen's book was published in the Indian Express on June 14, 2013.
Indian surveillance laws & practices far worse than US
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jul 12, 2013 11:09 AMExplosive would be just the word to describe the revelations by National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden.
India Subject to NSA Dragnet Surveillance! No Longer a Hypothesis — It is Now Officially Confirmed
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Nov 06, 2013 10:20 AMAs of last week, it is officially confirmed that the metadata of everyone´s communications is under the NSA´s microscope. In fact, the leaked data shows that India is one of the countries which is under NSA surveillance the most!
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 1) - Christopher Soghoian
— by Purba Sarkar — last modified Jul 12, 2013 10:26 AMCIS interviews Christopher Soghoian, cybersecurity researcher and activist, as part of the Cybersecurity Series
A Technological Solution to the Challenges of Online Defamation
— by Eduardo Bertoni — last modified Jul 02, 2013 02:47 PMWhen people are insulted or humiliated on the Internet and decide to take legal action, their cases often follow a similar trajectory.
Comparative Analysis of DNA Profiling Legislations from Across the World
— by Srinivas Atreya — last modified Jul 12, 2013 11:30 AMWith the growing importance of forensic data in law enforcement and research, many countries have recognized the need to regulate the collection and use of forensic data and maintain DNA databases. Across the world around 60 countries maintain DNA databases which are generally regulated by specific legislations. Srinivas Atreya provides a broad overview of the important provisions of four different legislations which can be compared and contrasted with the Indian draft bill.
Report on the 3rd Privacy Round Table meeting
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 11:35 AMThis report entails an overview of the discussions and recommendations of the third Privacy Round Table meeting in Chennai, on 18th May 2013.
Google Policy Fellowship Programme: Call for Applications
— by Prasad Krishna — last modified May 17, 2013 01:01 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) is inviting applications for the Google Policy Fellowship programme. Google is providing a USD 7,500 stipend to the India Fellow, who will be selected by July 1, 2013.
The Surveillance Industry in India: At Least 76 Companies Aiding Our Watchers!
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 11:59 AMMaria Xynou is conducting research on surveillance technology companies operating in India. So far, 76 companies have been detected which are currently producing and selling different types of surveillance technology. This post entails primary data on the first ever investigation of the surveillance industry in India. Check it out!
IT (Amendment) Act, 2008, 69B Rules: Draft and Final Version Comparison
— by Jadine Lannon — last modified Apr 30, 2013 09:47 AMJadine Lannon has performed a clause-by-clause comparison of the Draft 69B Rules and official 69B Rules under Section 69B in order to better understand how the two are similar and how they differ. Notes have been included on some changes we deemed to be important.
IT (Amendment) Act, 2008, 69 Rules: Draft and Final Version Comparison
— by Jadine Lannon — last modified Apr 30, 2013 09:56 AMJadine Lannon has performed a clause-by-clause comparison of the Draft 69 Rules and official 69 Rules under Section 69B in order to better understand how the two are similar and how they differ. Very brief notes have been included on some changes we deemed to be important.
Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, 419A Rules and IT (Amendment) Act, 2008, 69 Rules
— by Jadine Lannon — last modified Apr 30, 2013 10:04 AMJadine Lannon has performed a clause-by-clause comparison of the 419A Rules of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and the 69 Rules under Section 69 of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 in order to better understand how the two are similar and how they differ. Though they are from different Acts entirely, the Rules are very similar. Notes have been included on some changes we deemed to be important.
IT (Amendment) Act, 2008, 69A Rules: Draft and Final Version Comparison
— by Jadine Lannon — last modified Apr 30, 2013 10:10 AMJadine Lannon has performed a clause-by-clause comparison of the 69A draft rules and 69A rules for Section 69A of the IT Act in order to better understand how the two differ. While there has been reshuffling of the clauses in the official rules, the content itself has not changed significantly. Notes have been included on some changes we deemed to be important.
Report on the 2nd Privacy Round Table meeting
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 11:54 AMThis post entails a report on the second Privacy Round Table meeting which took place on 20th April 2013.
Report on the 1st Privacy Round Table meeting
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 30, 2013 11:11 AMThis report entails an overview of the discussions and recommendations of the first Privacy Round Table meeting in New Delhi, on 13th April 2013.
India's 'Big Brother': The Central Monitoring System (CMS)
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Dec 06, 2013 09:39 AMIn this post, Maria Xynou looks at India´s Central Monitoring System (CMS) project and examines whether it can target individuals´ communications data, regardless of whether they are involved in illegal activity.
Off the Record
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Apr 26, 2013 05:58 AMSocial networks track our world but not relationships. We live in a world where things happen. And yet, with the presence of digital objects, the things that happen have increased in intensity and volume.
Comments on the Information Technology (Electronic Service Delivery) Rules, 2011
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Jul 12, 2013 12:12 PMBhairav Acharya on behalf of the Centre for Internet and Society prepared the following comments on the Information Technology (Electronic Services Delivery) Rules, 2011. These were submitted to the Committee on Subordinate Legislation of the 15th Lok Sabha. These were submitted to the Committee on Subordinate Legislation of the 15th Lok Sabha.
WGIG+8: Stock-Taking, Mapping, and Going Forward
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Apr 04, 2013 06:49 AMOn February 27, 2013, the Centre for Internet and Society conducted a workshop on the Working Group on Internet Governance report, titled "WGIG+8: Stock-Taking, Mapping, and Going Forward" at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) + 10 meeting at Fontenoy Building, conference room # 7, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris from 9.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m.
Comments on the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Jul 12, 2013 12:13 PMBhairav Acharya on behalf of the Centre for Internet and Society prepared the following comments on the Sensitive Personal Data Rules. These were submitted to the Committee on Subordinate Legislation of the 15th Lok Sabha.
Comments on the Information Technology (Guidelines for Cyber Cafe) Rules, 2011
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Jul 12, 2013 12:15 PMBhairav Acharya on behalf of the Centre for Internet and Society submitted the following comments on the Information Technology (Guidelines for Cyber Cafe Rules), 2011.
The Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2013 — Penalising 'Peeping Toms' and Other Privacy Issues
— by Divij Joshi — last modified Jul 12, 2013 12:17 PMThe pending amendments to the Indian Penal Code, if passed in their current format, would be a huge boost for individual physical privacy by criminalising stalking and sexually-tinted voyeurism and removing the ambiguities in Indian law which threaten the privacy and dignity of individuals.
India's Biometric Identification Programs and Privacy Concerns
— by Divij Joshi — last modified Jul 21, 2016 10:51 AMThe invasiveness of individual identification coupled with the fallibility of managing big data which biometric identification presents poses a huge risk to individual privacy in India.
What’s In a Name? — DNS Singularity of ICANN and The Gold Rush
— by Sharath Chandra Ram — last modified Mar 31, 2013 05:35 AMMarch 2013 being the 28th birthday of the first ever registered Internet domain as well as the exigent launch of the Trademark Clearing House disguised as a milestone in rights protection by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for it’s new gTLD program, Sharath Chandra Ram, dissects the transitory role of ICANN from being a technical outfit to the Boardroom Big Brother of Internet Governance.
Microsoft releases its first report on data requests by law enforcement agencies around the world
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 12:19 PMIn this post, the Centre for Internet and Society presents Microsoft´s report on law enforcement requests, with a focus on data requested by Indian law enforcement agencies.
CIS Welcomes Standing Committee Report on IT Rules
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Apr 03, 2013 10:54 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society welcomes the report by the Standing Committee on Subordinate Legislation, in which it has lambasted the government and has recommended that the government amend the Rules it passed in April 2011 under section 79 of the Information Technology Act.
Driving in the Surveillance Society: Cameras, RFID tags and Black Boxes...
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 03:26 PMIn this post, Maria Xynou looks at red light cameras, RFID tags and black boxes used to monitor vehicles in India.
The Privacy (Protection) Bill 2013: A Citizen's Draft
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Jul 12, 2013 11:50 AMThe Centre for Internet and Society has been researching privacy in India since 2010 with the objective of raising public awareness around privacy, completing in depth research, and driving a privacy legislation in India. As part of this work, Bhairav Acharya has drafted the Privacy (Protection) Bill 2013.
Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012 Analysis
— by Jeremy Gruber — last modified Mar 19, 2013 09:53 AMJeremy Gruber from the Council for Responsible Genetics, US provides an analysis of the Human DNA Profiling Bill, 2012. He says that India’s updated 2012 Human DNA Profiling Bill offers largely superficial changes from its predecessor, the Draft DNA Profiling Bill, 2007.
Workshop on the Unique Identity Number (UID), the National Population Register (NPR) and Governance: What will happen to our data?
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 03:28 PMOn March 2nd, 2013, the Centre for Internet and Society and the Say No to UID campaign organized a workshop to discuss the present state of the UID and NPR schemes. Some of the questions which were addressed included ´How do the UID and NPR impact citizenship´, ´Why and how is national security linked to UID/NPR´, and ´What is the relationship between UID and Big Data´.
Hacking without borders: The future of artificial intelligence and surveillance
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 03:30 PMIn this post, Maria Xynou looks at some of DARPA´s artificial intelligence surveillance technologies in regards to the right to privacy and their potential future use in India.
A Comparison of the Draft DNA Profiling Bill 2007 and the Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 03:32 PMIn this post, Maria Xynou gives us a comparison of the Draft DNA Profiling Bill 2007 and the Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012.
Summary of the CIS workshop on the Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 03:33 PMOn March 1st, 2013, the Centre for Internet and Society organized a workshop which analysed the April 2012 draft Human DNA Profiling Bill and its potential implications on human rights in India.
Unique Identification Scheme (UID) & National Population Register (NPR), and Governance
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Apr 30, 2014 05:03 AMThis post examines the UID, NPR and Governance as it exists in India. The background note gives a summary of what is the NPR, the legal grounding of NPR, its objectives, and the information which could be collected under the NPR. The post also throws light on the UID, its objectives, process of enrollment in UID, how UID is being adopted by different states in India, and finally the differences and controversies in UID and NPR.
Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill (April 2012): High Level Concerns
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jul 12, 2013 03:36 PMIn 2007 the Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill was piloted by the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, with the objective of regulating the use of DNA for forensic and other purposes. In February 2012 another draft of the Bill was leaked. The February 2012 Bill was drafted by the Department of Biotechnology. Another working draft of the Bill was created in April 2012. The most recent version of the Bill seeks to create DNA databases at the state, regional, and national level.
An Introduction to Bitfilm & Bitcoin in Bangalore, India
— by Benson Samuel — last modified Mar 12, 2013 05:58 AMAn event at the Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) was organized on January 23, 2013. The all star team at CIS was awesome at organizing this event for Bitcoin. Live streaming, mainstream newspaper coverage and Twitter based Q&A made this the first Bitcoin event in India that leveraged these mediums of information transfer.
Don’t SLAPP free speech
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Feb 28, 2013 11:22 AMIIPM is proving adept at the tactical use of lawsuits to stifle criticism, despite safeguards. THE DEPARTMENT of Telecommunications, on 14 February, issued orders to block certain web pages critical of the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM).
Women in the IT Industry: Request for Data
— by Jadine Lannon — last modified Mar 06, 2013 10:52 AMFor CIS's research on indicators of female economic empowerment in the IT industry in India, we have sent formal request for participation in a short survey to the six largest IT companies based in India. A copy of the letter of request and survey as well as some details of the request for data can be found in this post.
Research Initiative: Women in India's IT Industry
— by Jadine Lannon — last modified Mar 06, 2013 10:31 AMCIS has begun a brief research project which will examine indicators of female economic empowerment in the IT industry in India. Though the gathering of quantitative and qualitative data from the six largest publicly-traded Indian software companies, we hope to provide insight into state of female employment in one of the most important and rapidly growing economic sectors in the country.
BigDog is Watching You! The Sci-fi Future of Animal and Insect Drones
— by Maria Xynou — last modified Jul 12, 2013 03:38 PMDo you think robotic aeroplanes monitoring us are scary enough? Wait until you read about DARPA´s new innovative and subtle way to keep us all under the microscope! This blog post presents a new reality of drones which is depicted in none other than animal and insect-like robots, equipped with cameras and other surveillance technologies.
Surveillance Camp IV: Disproportionate State Surveillance - A Violation of Privacy
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Feb 19, 2013 12:37 PMThis is the fourth in a series of posts mapping global surveillance challenges discussed at EFF's State Surveillance and Human Rights Camp in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This article has been co-written with Elonnai Hickok — Centre for Internet and Society India, and a speaker at EFF's Camp.
The Omnishambles of UID, shrouded in its RTI opacity
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Feb 19, 2013 11:04 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society sponsored Colonel Mathew Thomas to hold a workshop at the fourth National Right to Information (RTI) organized by the National Campaign for People's Right to Information, held in Hyderabad from February 15 to 18, 2013.
Freedom of Expression Gagged
— by Chinmayi Arun — last modified Feb 18, 2013 08:55 AMThe use of law to bully people into silence, called ‘heckler’s veto’, is not unique to India, writes Chinmayi Arun in this op-ed published in Business Line on February 15, 2013.
Analyzing the Latest List of Blocked URLs by Department of Telecommunications (IIPM Edition)
— by Snehashish Ghosh — last modified Feb 17, 2013 07:35 AMThe Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in its order dated February 14, 2013 has issued directions to the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block seventy eight URLs. The block order has been issued as a result of a court order. Snehashish Ghosh does a preliminary analysis of the list of websites blocked as per the DoT order.
2012: Privacy Highlights in India
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Feb 12, 2013 12:39 PMIn this blog post, Elonnai Hickok summarizes the top privacy moments of 2012 in India. In doing so she lists out the major ones like the Report of Group of Experts on Privacy, the RIM Standoff, the Nira Radia controversy, the Centralized Monitoring System, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, NATGRID, CCTNS, the growth of CCTVs, the leaked DNA Profiling Bill, and the UID project.
A Comparison of Indian Legislation to Draft International Principles on Surveillance of Communications
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jul 12, 2013 03:40 PMThis blog post is a comparison of the relevant Indian legislations allowing governmental access to communications and the Draft International Principles on Surveillance of Communications. The principles, first drafted in October 2012 and developed subsequently seeks to establish an international standard for surveillance of communications in the context of human rights.
Data Retention in India
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jul 12, 2013 03:51 PMAs part of its privacy research, the Centre for Internet and Society has been researching upon data retention mandates from the Government of India and data retention practices by service providers. Globally, data retention has become a contested practice with regards to privacy, as many governments require service providers to retain more data for extensive time periods, for security purposes. Many argue that the scope of the retention is becoming disproportional to the purpose of investigating crimes.
Five Frequently Asked Questions about the Amended ITRs
— by Chinmayi Arun — last modified Jan 30, 2013 05:36 AMThis piece discusses the five major questions that have been the subject of debate after the World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012 (WCIT). The politics surrounding the WCIT are not discussed here but it must be kept in mind that they have played a significant role in the outcome of the conference and in some of the debates about it.
TV versus Social Media: The Rights and Wrongs
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Jan 21, 2013 03:09 AMFor most ordinary Netizens, everyday speech on social media has as much impact as graffiti in a toilet, and therefore employing the 'principle of equivalence' will result in overregulation of new media.
Web of Sameness
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jan 18, 2013 06:17 AMThe social Web has been an ominous space at the start of 2013. It has been awash with horror, pain and grief. The recent gang rape and death of a medical student in Delhi prevents one from being too optimistic about the year to come. My live feeds on various social networks are filled with rue and rage at the gruesome incident and the seeming depravity of our society.
Draft International Principles on Communications Surveillance and Human Rights
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jul 12, 2013 03:55 PMThese principles were developed by Privacy International and the Electronic Frontier Foundation and seek to define an international standard for the surveillance of communications. The Centre for Internet and Society has been contributing feedback to the principles.
Statement of Solidarity on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Internet Users in Bangladesh
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jan 15, 2013 11:51 AMThis is a statement on the violent attack on blogger Asif Mohiuddin by the participants to the Third South Asian Meeting on the Internet and Freedom of Expression that took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 14–15, 2013.
No Civil Society Members in the Cyber Regulations Advisory Committee
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jan 09, 2013 05:56 PMThe Government of India has taken our advice and reconstituted the Cyber Regulations Advisory Commitee. But there is no representation of Internet users, citizens, and consumers — only government and industry interests.
Mining the Web Collective
— by Sharath Chandra Ram — last modified Jan 06, 2013 11:48 PMIn March 2012, Dr Bruno Latour and his team from the Sciences Po Media Lab organized a workshop that assembled a selected group of researchers from India to explore methods of Controversy Mapping. It was hosted by Dr J. Srinivasan, Director of the Divecha Centre for Climate Change at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
State Surveillance and Human Rights Camp: Summary
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Jul 12, 2013 04:02 PMOn December 13 and 14, 2012, the Electronic Frontier Foundation organized the Surveillance and Human Rights Camp held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The meeting examined trends in surveillance, reasons for state surveillance, surveillance tactics that governments are using, and safeguards that can be put in place to protect against unlawful or disproportionate surveillance.
Tomorrow, Today
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jan 02, 2013 05:00 AMOur present is the future that our past had imagined. Around the same time last year, I remember taking stock of the technologies that we live with and wondering what 2012 would bring in.
Internet-driven Developments — Structural Changes and Tipping Points
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Dec 28, 2012 03:34 PMA symposium on Internet Driven Developments: Structural Changes and Tipping Points was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Harvard University from December 6 to 8, 2012. The symposium was sponsored by the Ford Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation and was hosted by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society. In this blog post, I summarize the discussions that took place over the two days and add my own personal reflections on the issues.
The Trouble with Hurried Solutions
— by Chinmayi Arun — last modified Dec 20, 2012 04:23 AMThe World Conference on International Telecommunication showed that countries are not yet ready to arrive at a consensus on regulation and control of the Internet
The Worldwide Web of Concerns
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 27, 2012 04:31 AMThe International Telecommunication Union’s World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) is currently under way in Dubai, after a gap of 25 years. At this conference, the Inter-national Telecommunication Regulations — a binding treaty containing high-level principles — are to be revised.
The Worldwide Web of Concerns
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 10, 2012 05:10 AMThe threat of a ‘UN takeover’ of the Internet through the WCIT is non-existent. However, that does not mean that activists have been crying themselves hoarse in vain.
Online Censorship: How Government should Approach Regulation of Speech
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Dec 05, 2012 07:06 AMWhy is there a constant brouhaha in India about online censorship? What must be done to address this?
Comments on the Proposed Rule 138A of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 Concerning Radio Frequency Identification Tags
— by Bhairav Acharya — last modified Dec 04, 2012 03:32 PMThe Centre for Internet & Society gave its comments on the proposed Rule 138A of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989. The comments were made in response to Notification GSR 738(E) published in the Gazette of India on October 3, 2012.
Section 66-A, Information Technology Act, 2000: Cases
— by Snehashish Ghosh — last modified Dec 06, 2012 09:20 AMIn this blog post Snehashish Ghosh summarizes the facts of a few cases where Section 66-A, Information Technology Act, 2000, has been mentioned or discussed.
Transcripts from WCIT-12
— by Snehashish Ghosh — last modified Dec 03, 2012 02:00 PMWe are archiving copies of the live-transcripts from the World Conference on International Telecommunications, 2012 (WCIT-12) which is being held in Dubai from 3–14 December, 2012.
So Much to Lose
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Dec 07, 2012 04:39 PMUnless you have been hiding under a rock, you have been a witness to the maelstrom of events that accompanied the death of the political leader Bal Thackeray.
Fixing India’s anarchic IT Act
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Nov 30, 2012 06:33 AMSection 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act criminalizes “causing annoyance or inconvenience” online, among other things. A conviction for such an offence can attract a prison sentence of as many as three years.
Breaking Down Section 66A of the IT Act
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 14, 2012 09:51 AMSection 66A of the Information Technology Act, which prescribes 'punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc.' is widely held by lawyers and legal academics to be unconstitutional. In this post Pranesh Prakash explores why that section is unconstitutional, how it came to be, the state of the law elsewhere, and how we can move forward.
Draft nonsense
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 03, 2012 09:08 AMSeriously flawed and dodgily drafted provisions in the IT Act provide the state a stick to beat its citizens with.
DoT Blocks Domain Sites — But Reasons and Authority Unclear
— by Smitha Krishna Prasad — last modified Nov 21, 2012 10:03 AMEarlier this year, ISPs such as Airtel and MTNL blocked a number of domain sites including BuyDomains, Fabulous Domains and Sedo.co.uk. Whereas the Indian Government and courts have previously issued orders blocking websites, these actions have generally been attributed to issues such as posting of inflammatory content or piracy of copyrighted material. However, the reasoning behind blocking domain marketplaces such as the above mentioned sites is not clear.
Arbitrary Arrests for Comment on Bal Thackeray's Death
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jan 02, 2013 03:42 AMTwo girls have been arbitrarily and unlawfully arrested for making comments about the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's death. Pranesh Prakash explores the legal angles to the arrests.
Will The International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) Impact Internet Governance? A Multistakeholder Perspective
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 10, 2012 04:40 AMPranesh Prakash made a presentation at the India Internet Governance Conference (IIGC) held at the FICCI, Federation House, Tansen Marg, New Delhi on October 4 and 5, 2012. The event was organised by the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, FICCI and Internet Society. CIS was one of the supporting organisations.
Statement of Civil Society Members and Groups Participating in the "Best Bits" pre-IGF meeting at Baku in 2012
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 07, 2012 08:06 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society was one of the signatories for this submission made to the ITU on November 16, 2012.
Q&A to the Report of the Group of Experts on Privacy
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Nov 09, 2012 10:20 AMIn January 2012 Justice A.P. Shah formed a committee consisting of a group of experts to contribute to and create a report of recommendations for a privacy legislation in India. The committee met a total of seven times from January to September 2012. The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) was a member of the committee creating the report. This blog post is CIS’s attempt to answer questions that have arisen from media coverage on the report, based on our understanding.
Indian Government's Submission to ITU
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 09, 2012 12:48 AMThe following is the text of the submission made by the Government of India to the World Conference of International Telecommunications, Dubai on November 3, 2012. This is the final version of a draft that was circulated earlier.
Submission on India's Draft Comments on Proposed Changes to the ITU's ITRs
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 07, 2012 04:15 AMGiven below are the responses from the representatives of civil society in India (The Society for Knowledge Commons, Centre for Internet & Society, The Delhi Science Forum, Free Software Movement of India, Internet Democracy Project and Media for Change) to the Government of India's proposals for the upcoming WCIT meeting, in December 2012, in Dubai.
Submission by Indian Civil Society Organisations on Proposals for the Future ITRs and Related Processes
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Dec 07, 2012 08:00 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society was one of the signatories of this submission which was sent in November 2012, in response to the International Telecommunication Union's call for public comments in relation to the revision of International Telecommunication Regulations that are to take place at the ITU's World Conference on International Telecommunications in Dubai from December 3 to 14, 2012.
Rethinking DNA Profiling in India
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Oct 29, 2012 08:00 AMDNA profile databases can be useful tools in solving crime, but given that the DNA profile of a person can reveal very personal information about the individual, including medical history, family history and so on, a more comprehensive legislation regulating the collection, use, analysis and storage of DNA samples needs included in the draft Human DNA Profiling Bill.
Privacy Perspectives on the 2012 -2013 Goa Beach Shack Policy
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Oct 25, 2012 10:23 AMCCTVs in India are increasingly being employed by private organizations and the government in India as a way to increase security and prevent/ deter crime from taking place. When the government mandates the use of CCTV’s for this purpose, it often does so by means of a blunt policy mandate, requiring the installation of CCTV systems, but without any further clarification as to who should oversee the use of the cameras, what bodies should have access to the records, how access should be granted or obtained, and how long the recordings should be retained.
A Public Meeting on DNA Profiling Bill in Delhi
— by Elonnai Hickok — last modified Oct 10, 2012 10:58 AMOn September 27, 2012, the Centre for Internet and Society hosted a public talk at the Indian International Centre focused on the draft DNA Profiling Bill. Presenting at the meeting were international experts Dr. Helen Wallace, director of GeneWatch UK and Jeremy Gruber, president and executive director of the Council for Responsible Genetics US, and Dr. Anupuma Raina, senior scientist at AIIMs.
The Five Monkeys & Ice-cold Water
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Oct 30, 2012 10:43 AMThe Indian government provides leadership, both domestically and internationally, when it comes to access to knowledge.
An Introduction to the Issues in Internet Governance
— by Smarika Kumar — last modified Apr 22, 2014 02:47 AMThat the internet cannot be governed was a central conviction of the early architects of the internet. In many ways it proved true when a majority of nation-States were kept off interference with the functioning of the internet. However with growing popularity of the internet, countries of the world are increasingly vying for control over it. This has become especially significant with the involvement of developing nations into the power struggle.
Analyzing the Latest List of Blocked Sites (Communalism and Rioting Edition) Part II
— by Snehashish Ghosh — last modified Sep 27, 2012 10:42 AMSnehashish Ghosh does a further analysis of the leaked list of the websites blocked by the Indian Government from August 18, 2012 till August 21, 2012 (“leaked list”).
SMS Block as Threat to Free Speech
— by Chinmayi Arun — last modified Sep 02, 2012 09:02 AMIf you could text just one or two people in a day, who would you choose? Many of us have had to make this choice thanks to the order limiting us to five texts a day. Short Message Service (SMS) is not used primarily to send staccato messages like the telegraph was.
India's Internet Jam
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Mar 20, 2014 12:41 PMAs authorities continue to clamp down on digital freedom, politicians and corporations are getting a taste for censorship too. Pranesh Prakash reports.
To regulate Net intermediaries or not is the question
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Aug 26, 2012 06:12 AMGiven the disruption to public order caused by the mass exodus of North-Eastern Indians from several cities, the government has had for the first time in many years, a legitimate case to crackdown on Internet intermediaries and their users.
Social media, SMS are not why NE students left Bangalore
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Aug 28, 2012 10:48 AMI woke up one morning to find that I was living in a city of crisis. Bangalore, where the largest public preoccupations to date have been about bad roads, stray dogs, and occasionally, the lack of night-life, the city was suddenly a space that people wanted to flee and occupy simultaneously.
What lurks beneath the Network
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Aug 25, 2012 07:10 AMThere is a series of buzzwords that have become a naturalised part of discussions around digital social media—participation, collaboration, peer-2-peer, mobilisation, etc. Especially in the post Arab Spring world (and our own home-grown Anna Hazare spectacles), there is this increasing belief in the innate possibilities of social media as providing ways by which the world as we know it shall change for the better. Young people are getting on to the streets and demanding their rights to the future.
Censoring the Internet: A brief manual
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Aug 24, 2012 09:39 AMBlocking websites on the Internet should be proportionate to harm they intend. However, the government of India's approach is against the principles of natural justice.
Analysing Latest List of Blocked Sites (Communalism & Rioting Edition)
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Sep 06, 2012 11:52 AMPranesh Prakash does preliminary analysis on a leaked list of the websites blocked from August 18, 2012 till August 21, 2012 by the Indian government.
The Perils of 'Hactivism'
— by Chinmayi Arun — last modified Aug 20, 2012 09:58 AMCivil disobedience includes accepting the penalty for breaking the law. Untraceable hackers are far removed from this ethic.
Open letter to Hillary Clinton on Internet Freedom
— by Sunil Abraham — last modified Sep 04, 2012 08:28 AMLast month I wrote an open letter to Hillary Clinton. It was based on a presentation I that I made during a panel discussion at a Google sponsored conference titled Internet at Liberty 2012 in Washington DC on May 24, 2012.
Constitutional Analysis of the Information Technology (Intermediaries' Guidelines) Rules, 2011
— by Ujwala Uppaluri — last modified Oct 31, 2012 08:44 AMUjwala Uppaluri provides a constitutional analysis of the Information Technology (Intermediaries' Guidelines) Rules notified in April 2011, and examines its compatibility with Articles 14, 19, 21 of the Constitution of India.
Internet Censorship: Anonymous Can’t be Just Harmful Hackers
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Aug 06, 2012 06:56 AMIf there was ever an interesting time for people concerned with freedom of speech and expression to live in, it is now, and it is definitely in India. It has been a series of battles the last couple of years, where a slightly out-dated government machinery has been trying to control and contain the burgeoning online spaces, only to be put in their place by the new-age tech-ninjas that have risen as the new heroes in our digital times.
Overview and Concerns Regarding the Indian Draft DNA Profiling Act
— by GeneWatch UK & the Council for Responsible Genetics, US — last modified Jul 11, 2012 11:30 AMThe Indian Code of Criminal Procedure was amended in 2005 to enable the collection of a host of medical details from accused persons upon their arrest. Section 53 of the Cr.PC provides that upon arrest, an accused person may be subjected to a medical examination if there are “reasonable grounds for believing” that such examination will afford evidence as to the crime.
Privacy Matters — Medical Privacy
— by Natasha Vaz — last modified Jul 10, 2012 01:41 PMOn June 30, 2012, Privacy India in partnership with the Indian Network for People living with HIV/AIDS, Centre for Internet & Society, IDRC, Society in Action Group, with support from London-based Privacy International, held a public discussion on "Medical Privacy" at the Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration.
Multi-Stakeholder Consultation on ‘Internet Rights, Accessibility, Regulation & Ethics’
— by Prasad Krishna — last modified Jul 25, 2012 10:22 AMDigital Empowerment Foundation, Association for Progressive Communications, Department of Information Technology and National Internet Exchange of India came together to organize an event on "Internet Rights, Accessibility, Regulation & Ethics". This was held at Mirza Ghalib Hall, SCOPE Complex, New Delhi from 9.00 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. on May 3, 2012. Pranesh Prakash was a speaker.
How Facebook is Blatantly Abusing our Trust
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jun 28, 2012 12:42 PM‘Don’t fix it, if it ain’t broken’ is not an adage Facebook seems to subscribe to. Nishant Shah's column on privacy and Facebook was published in First Post on June 27, 2012.
Securing e-Governance
— by Natasha Vaz — last modified Jun 26, 2012 06:45 AMOn June 16, 2012, Privacy India in partnership with the Centre for Internet & Society, Bangalore, International Development Research Centre, Canada, Privacy International, UK and the Society in Action Group, Gurgaon organised a public discussion on “Securing e-Governance: Ensuring Data Protection and Privacy”, at the Ahmedabad Management Association.
Beyond Anonymous: Shit people say on Internet piracy
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jun 13, 2012 02:01 PMThis post is a series of provocations around piracy, censorship and the state of Internet in India. Like all good tasting things, these observations need to be taken with a pinch of salt. But it is the hope of the author that this serves as a response to otherwise very persistent voices that have been demonizing file-sharing online.
IPv6: Embrace The Change
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jun 13, 2012 06:09 AMA moment of transition is always filled with anxiety. There is concern over the unknown and there is a reluctance to move out of the familiar. However, a transition does not necessarily mean migration; or in other words, as we transition to IPv6 as the new protocol for digital and electronic communication, it does not mean that we are going to abandon the internet as we know it.
IPv6: The Transition Challenge
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jun 13, 2012 09:59 AMThe future of our connected networks is Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). Not only is it more efficient and faster than IPv4 which we are currently working with, it is also more reliable and secure.
IPv6: The First Steps
— by Nishant Shah — last modified Jun 05, 2012 07:18 AMThe Centre for Internet & Society has entered into a small collaboration with Tata Telecommunications in India to celebrate the IPv6 day on June 6th. We will write 5500 word vignettes, which will be sent to their global database consisting of more than 900,000 users in the Asia-Pacific.
The Web of Our Strife
— by Pranesh Prakash — last modified Jun 04, 2012 05:45 AMAt the 66th session of the UN General Assembly, India proposed the formation of a Committee on Internet-Related Policies (CIRP) to address what it sees as a policy vacuum in internet governance.
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