News & Media
India Chills Online Speech
While most governments try to control online freedom of speech in a somewhat restrictive manner, either as a collaborator or as a regulator, rarely do they formulate a law to curb online speech. Rarer still does a government provide sweeping powers to intermediaries like an ISP and administrators of Internet sites to control content based on a long list of criteria. This news was published in 'digital communities' on May 3, 2011.
Digerati See Censorship in New Web Rules
Attention Indian bloggers and social media fiends: the next time you’re composing a witty tweet or posting an edgy item on Facebook, please take care that what you’re writing isn’t “grossly harmful” or “harassing” or “ethnically objectionable” or – oh, the humanity! – “disparaging.” This news was published in the Wall Street Journal on May 2, 2011.
Free expression
Free speech and spirited public debate will be the casualties of new rules issued by India restricting Internet content. This news was published in Watertown Daily Times on May 2, 2011.
India curbs on Bloggers and Internet
The Information Technology Rules 2011 (due diligence observed by intermediaries guidelines) by the Indian government could lead to online censorship, feel human rights activists. This article by Ayyappa Prasad was published in TruthDrive on April 29, 2011.
India's cyber cafes going porn-free
Pornography fans in India who like to indulge in the sexual eye candy at public cyber cafes may be in for a forced intervention as a new government ruling bans porn websites, requires cafe owners to keep a one-year log of all sites accessed by customers and forces customers to produce an ID card prior to use. This news was published on msnbc.com on April 28, 2011.
Thousands queue for iPad 2 across Asia
The iPad 2 went on sale in countries across Asia and beyond Friday as Apple's updated gadget entered an ever more crowded market. This article written by Joyce Woo was published by AFP on April 28, 2011.
New internet rules open to arbitrary interpretation
Six years after an e-commerce CEO's arrest for a pornographic CD sold from his website, the government has introduced a liability on intermediaries such as Facebook and Google to "act within 36 hours" of receiving information about offensive content. This article by Manoj Mitta & Javed Anwer was published in the Times of India on April 27, 2011.
India Puts Tight Leash on Internet Free Speech
Free speech advocates and Internet users are protesting new Indian regulations restricting Web content that, among other things, can be considered “disparaging,” “harassing,” “blasphemous” or “hateful.” This article by Vikas Bajaj was published in the New York Times on April 27, 2011.
India Can Restrict 'Objectionable' Web Content under New Rules
Internet sites and service providers in India now have the authority to order the quick deletion of offensive online content – in a move that is causing great concern among free speech proponents. This article by Ed Silverstein was featured in TMCnet Legal on April 27, 2011.
Iraqi Minister meets Secretary, Indian Ministry of Panchayat Raj
His Excellency Mr. Abdul Kareem El-Samarai, the Iraqi Minister of Science and Technology was among 15 other senior bureaucrats from Iraq who met with Mr. ANP Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj to discuss the Ministry’s efforts at introducing ICT at the Panchayat level through its e-Panchayat initiatives. This was as part of their study tour to India in association with UNDP-Iraq and UNDP-India. They also met with Mr. Shankar Aggarwal, Additional Secretary, DIT earlier in the day who briefed them about the various aspects of the National e-Governance Plan envisaged by the Government of India to make government services accessible and affordable to all Indian citizens. This news was published by the Karnataka News Network on April 27, 2011.
The world is your oyster, by invitation only
Recent trends show the world of social networking actually reflects the social divides and groupings in the real world. This article by Shreya Ray was published in the Livemint on April 26, 2011.
India Proposes Restrictions on Tapping Telephone Calls
An Indian government report has recommended that interception of telephone calls by government agencies should be limited to situations when there is a "public emergency" or "public safety" is at stake. John Riberio's article appeared in the PC World, TechWorld and CIO. Pranesh Prakash, program manager from the Centre for Internet and Society has been quoted in these articles.
Iraqi delegation in Bangalore to study e-governance projects
A 20-member delegation from Iraq, led by its Science and Technology Minister Abdul Kareem El-Samarai, is in this tech hub for a firsthand account of the e-governance projects used for community development and as an interface between the government and citizens. This news was published in the Economic Times, April 20, 2011.
Dark waders
Akhila Seetharaman finds out why a group of artists and researchers are preoccupied with chasing shadows. This article was published in Time Out Bengaluru, Vol. 3, Issue 20, April 15 - 28, 2011.
Beyond Clicktivism
Moral support Hazare has in plenty. Count the missed calls, writes Debarshi Dasgupta in this article published in the Outlook on April 18, 2011.
Gone in a flash
Net-savvy crowds gather in public places for moments of wacky fun, then vanish. This article by Neha Thirani was published in the Times of India Crest Edition on April 16, 2011.
How Web 2.0 responded to Hazare
Social media often fails to give us time to form critical opinions. ‘It mirrored the spectacle that we were being fed by TV channels', says Nishant Shah in an interview with Deepa Kurup. This news was published in the Hindu on April 11, 2011.
Second Expert Meeting on Human Rights and the Internet
The second expert meeting on human rights and the Internet is being organised by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression on 30 and 31 March 2011 in Stockholm (Sweden). Anja Kovacs will participate in this meeting.
India Should Watch Its Internet Watchmen
The month after terrorists attacked Mumbai in 2008, India's government initiated legislation enabling it to eavesdrop on electronic communication and block websites on grounds of national security. There was no public debate before the bill in question was introduced, and hardly any debate inside parliament itself before it passed in 2009. In the law, there were no guidelines about the extent to which an individual's right to privacy would be breached. And there was certainly no mention, and therefore, reassurance, that due process would be followed when it came to restricting access to websites. This article by Rahul Bhatia was published in the Wall Street Journal on March 28, 2011.
Networking its way to better governance
New policy to regulate Government presence on social media. This article by Deepa Kurup was published in the Hindu on March 28, 2011.
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