Internet Governance Main
Free Speech and Source Protection for Journalists
Gautam 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
63 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
Vodafone 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?
Internet 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
A 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
Tribunals 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?
Any 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
Gautam 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
Towards 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
On 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
Gautam 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
A 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
CIS 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
The 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
The 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
Gautam Bhatia explores the constitutionality of Section 66A in light of recent events.
FOEX Live: May 28-29, 2014
A 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
A selection of news from across India implicating online freedom of expression and use of digital technology
Legislating for Privacy - Part II
Apart 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
In this 3 part series, Gautam Bhatia explores the concept of net neutrality in the context of Indian law and the Indian Constitution.
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