The Centre for Internet and Society
http://editors.cis-india.org
These are the search results for the query, showing results 151 to 165.
Opportunities for TV White Spaces in India Workshop
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/iitb-june-21-2013-opportunities-for-tv-white-spaces-in-india-workshop
<b>Shyam Ponappa, a fellow at the Centre for Internet and Society is participating in a workshop on TV White Space. The workshop is being organized by the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and sponsored by the Ford Foundation at the Royal Hotel Plaza in New Delhi on June 21, 2013.</b>
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<p><a class="external-link" href="http://www.ee.iitb.ac.in/~oftvwsii/index.html">See the original published by the Indian Institute of Technology website here</a></p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: justify; ">About the Workshop</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">This workshop will discuss the regulatory aspects of TV white space with a focus on Indian requirements. We believe that making the most efficient use of the TV white space spectrum will offer tremendous benefits to the low-income broadband users in India. It will also provide opportunities to the academia and indigenous industries for research and development, thereby creating intellectual property related to methods feasible for TV white space spectrum usage and access in India.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The workshop is intended for researchers, policy makers, and industry professionals working in the area of TV white spaces. The discussions will provide exposure to the TV white space applications and regulations across the world. The regulatory framework for TV white space present elsewhere in the world will be in focus, and we will provide suggestions for the same in India. This workshop may sow the seeds of developing a regulatory framework for TV white space operation in India.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The program consists of an overview of the TV white space regulations and standards from different countries around the world, and a discussion on the TV white space regulations necessary for the Indian context.</p>
<table class="listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Time</th><th>Details</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">09:30 10:00 <br /></span></td>
<td><span class="style21">Inauguration and Introduction </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">10:00 10:30 <br /></span></td>
<td><span class="style21">WhiteSpace Applications, Regulations and Technologies, <i>Dr. Apurva Mody, White Space Alliance </i></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">10:30 11:00 </span></td>
<td><span class="style21">Tea Break </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">11:00 11:30 </span></td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><span class="style21">Geo-location Database – U.S. TV White Spaces and Beyond<br /> <i>John Malyar, iConnective</i></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">11:30 12:00 <br /></span></td>
<td><span class="style21">TV White Space Detection and Spectrum Characterization in India, <i>Prof. Vinay Ribeiro (IIT Delhi) and Prof. Animesh Kumar (IIT Bombay)</i>. Based on collective work done at IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">12:00 12:30 <br /></span></td>
<td><span class="style21">White Space Opportunities in South India<br /> <i>Prof. Zafar Ali Khan, IIT Hyderabad</i></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">12:30 14:00 </span></td>
<td><span class="style21">Lunch </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">14:00 14:30</span></td>
<td><span class="style21">Enabling the Global Spectrum Village, <i>Jeffery Yan, Microsoft</i></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">14:30 15:00</span></td>
<td><span class="style21">TI solutions for TV white space<br /> <i>Jose Frangline, Texas Instruments </i></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">15:00 16:00 </span></td>
<td><span class="style21">Panel Discussion</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">16:00 16:30 <br /></span></td>
<td><span class="style21">Tea Break</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">16:30 17:00</span></td>
<td><span class="style21">Regulations of Ofcom,<i> Dr. Reza Karimi, Technical Policy Director, Ofcom </i></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span class="style21">17:00 17:30 <br /></span></td>
<td><span class="style21">Regualtions of FCC<i>, </i><i>Dr. Julius Knapp, Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology, FCC </i></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/iitb-june-21-2013-opportunities-for-tv-white-spaces-in-india-workshop'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/iitb-june-21-2013-opportunities-for-tv-white-spaces-in-india-workshop</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaTelecom2013-09-18T04:51:11ZNews ItemLaw & Order through Traffic Systems
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-article-opinion-shyam-ponappa-june-5-2013-law-and-order-through-traffic-systems
<b>A TV white space system for traffic management may induce us to observe discipline and law-abiding behaviour, writes Shyam Ponappa in an article published in the Business Standard on June 5, 2013. </b>
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<p><a class="external-link" href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/law-order-through-traffic-systems-113060501165_1.html">Read the original column published in the Business Standard</a>. This was <a class="external-link" href="http://organizing-india.blogspot.in/2013/06/law-order-through-traffic-systems.html">cross-posted in Organizing India Blogspot</a>.</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>India coasts on a post-feudal-colonial mélange of currents and tides, with the brigandage of opportunistic politics fed by our (the voters’) greed for short-term benefits. The result is grotesque populism and corruption in lieu of the deferred gratification of pleasing cities and countryside with the appurtenances of proper governance: sidewalks and drains, toilets, transport, administration and order. We must develop solutions with an integrated, problem-solving approach, not just wait.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>In such chaotic times, should we even consider minor themes, like trying to bring order to our traffic, and our behaviour on our roads? Yes, if one accepts that turmoil and crises provide opportunities as much as threats, and because these areas are among the few in which there may be chances of success if there are well-directed efforts. Instead of passively being buffeted by fate, we can do something about it: analyse the causes of our horrific traffic, devise an approach to mitigate or contain some factors, and formulate and implement solutions. Also, the technology is readily available, and the solutions need not be all-encompassing efforts on a countrywide scale, or not at all. Hence this pitch for a technology- and institution-driven, systems approach to </span><a class="storyTags" href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Traffic+management" target="_blank">traffic management</a><span> that could potentially change the way we are. The big assumptions are: (a) that systems can induce order and law-abiding behaviour on our roads, for a start, and (b) that this will reduce </span><a class="storyTags" href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Traffic+accidents" target="_blank">traffic accidents</a><span>. Let's consider how.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><b><span>Traffic Accidents & Deaths</span></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>Information on traffic accidents is available from the National Crime Records Bureau at the ministry of home affairs. The latest report available is for 2011. There were 473,084 reported traffic accidents in 2011, comprising 440,123 </span><a class="storyTags" href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Road+accidents" target="_blank">road accidents</a><span>, 2,385 "rail-road accidents" and 30,576 "other railway accidents". The figure for accidental deaths from unnatural causes was 367,194, of which traffic accidents accounted for 165,072. The latter included road and rail accidents, but excluded deaths from drowning and accidents involving aircraft. Road traffic accidents and deaths countrywide and for the Union territory of Delhi for the last five years are shown in the graphs below.</span></span></p>
<table class="plain">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/RoadTest.png" alt="Road test" class="image-inline" title="Road test" /></th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>While frightful enough, the graphs do not quite convey the horrid rough-and-tumble unpleasantness of our roads. Could there be some way to bring order to this aspect of our lives? Perhaps, if we can imagine better scenarios, and then apply ourselves to act collectively to achieve them. It may be possible to introduce systems that elicit better governance and behaviour, as in the following instances.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span><b>Wireless smart grids and TV white space</b></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>An early example of augmenting existing communications networks with TV "white space" (ie, the unused TV spectrum) devices was implemented in America, in the city of Wilmington in North Carolina and its environs of New Hanover County. The City of Wilmington has about 100,000 people in about 105 square kilometres, while the county has a population of nearly 200,000 in an area of about 515 square kilometres. </span><a href="#fn1" name="fr1">[1]</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Because of the distance between localities, the extent of wetlands and waterways, and the dense foliage, extending broadband coverage to all its residential areas was difficult and expensive. In January 2012, Spectrum Bridge helped with installing a wireless overlay in three locations using TV white spaces to provide broadband connectivity. Additional equipment enabled real-time traffic monitoring to improve efficiency, reducing congestion and travel time, as well as aiding in law enforcement, in disaster management such as hurricane evacuations, and in enabling broadband connectivity for public schools. The coverage extended to the parks and recreational areas, providing better facilities for citizens, as well as more efficient environmental monitoring. The point is that communications can be effected much more effectively and efficiently through using TV "white space" bands.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In April 2012, a different group including Google, Microsoft, the BBC, and so on set up a smart grid in the university town of Cambridge in England, using TV white space in six locations covering a radius of about 6 km, comparable to central New Delhi. This network covers a population of about 125,000 and enables the management not only of services like electricity meters, but also of air quality sensors, street lights, traffic management, and parking spaces.<a href="#fn2" name="fr2">[2]</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b><span>Traffic and law enforcement systems for India</span></b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>Now consider New Delhi and the National Capital Region. </span><span>While it has a huge population over an extensive area, central New Delhi covers a radius of some 6-7 km, as do other localities in the city and its environs. Apart from the scale of population and geography, there are also the differences in culture or ethos with the instances mentioned earlier.</span></span><br /> <span><br /></span> <span>Yet, if our authorities could pull together a coordinated effort to develop and implement a network that would support wireless webcams, it may well provide a basis for governance that could work. If initiated for traffic and area management, there could be major improvements in bringing order through non-discretionary traffic management, as also in upholding law enforcement for the safety of citizens.</span><br /> <span><br /></span> <span>There may be an outcry from civil liberties champions, but residents will likely welcome the benefits, although they might cavil at unpopular but essential disciplines like system extensions to electricity and water metering. It will also bring about the cutting of the knot of India's welter of unimplemented laws.</span><br /> <span><br /></span> <span>The elements of this system would have to consist of really good overall design for the wireless overlay using TV white space bands, initially for a system of web cameras. These spectrum bands are unused despite being very effective for long-range communications. There would need to be some form of automated action report generation systems - for example, penalties for traffic violations. Also needed would be appropriate institutional support so that violators cannot ignore penalties, like fast-track collection processes that do not require recourse to an overburdened and dilatory judicial system. In addition, some degree of surveillance for crisis detection and rapid response would be necessary to deal with law enforcement.</span><br /> <span><br /></span> <span>The actual implementation could be modular by location and purpose while maintaining an integrated systems approach, so that areas of action as well as locations could be phased and need not be done simultaneously on a massive scale. In other words, it need not have the ab initio monumental scale of the UID, and could perhaps avoid some of the controversial design issues confronting the latter. It needs the approach, coordination and effort that achieved the Metro.</span></p>
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<p>[<a href="#fr1" name="fn1">1</a>].<a class="external-link" href="http://www.spectrumbridge.com/ProductsServices/WhiteSpacesSolutions/success-stories/wilmington.aspx">http://www.spectrumbridge.com/ProductsServices/WhiteSpacesSolutions/success-stories/wilmington.aspx</a></p>
<p>[<a href="#fr2" name="fn2">2</a>].<a class="external-link" href="http://gigaom.com/2012/04/25/brits-score-white-space-first-with-city-wide-network/">http://gigaom.com/2012/04/25/brits-score-white-space-first-with-city-wide-network/</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-article-opinion-shyam-ponappa-june-5-2013-law-and-order-through-traffic-systems'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-article-opinion-shyam-ponappa-june-5-2013-law-and-order-through-traffic-systems</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecom2013-07-03T05:29:14ZBlog EntryMay 2013 Bulletin
http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/may-2013-bulletin
<b>The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) welcomes you to the fifth issue of its newsletter for 2013. We bring you an overview of our research, report of events held by us and announcement of upcoming ones, events we participated in, and recent media coverage.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/celebrating-5-years-of-cis">Celebrating 5 Years of CIS</a></b><br />CIS is now 5 years old and we just celebrated this by holding an open exhibition in our offices in Bangalore and Delhi from May 20 to 23, showcasing our work and accomplishments over the period. We had about 170 visitors from the general public coming in to our office. Renowned artists like Tara Kelton, Kiran Subbaiah, Navin Thomas, Abhishek Hazra and Sharath Chandra Ram exhibited their work. The four day event attracted press coverage: <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/bangalore-mirror-vandana-kamath-may-18-2013-ngo-invites-public-to-peruse-its-accounts">Bangalore Mirror</a> (May 18, 2013), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/dna-india-may-19-2013-subir-ghosh-a-lifetime-of-five-years-on-the-internet">DNA</a> (May 19, 2013), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-may-22-2013-cis-highlights-changes-ushered-in-by-the-internet">Hindu</a> (May 22, 2013), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/prajavani-may-24-2013-report-on-pavanaja-talk-at-cis">Prajavani</a> (May 23, 2013), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/udayavani-may-25-2013-report-on-cis-5-years-celebration">Udayavani</a> (May 25, 2013) and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/bangalore-mirror-vandana-kamath-may-31-2013-shooting-cyber-cafes-before-they-die">Bangalore Mirror</a> (May 31, 2013). <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-5-years-all-posters.zip">Download all posters that were part of the exhibition here</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/google-policy-fellowship-call-for-applications-2013"><b>Google Policy Fellowship</b></a><br />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 Fellowship focus areas include Access to Knowledge, Openness in India, Freedom of Expression, Privacy, and Telecom. Send in your applications for the position by June 15, 2013.</p>
<p><b>Jobs</b><br /> CIS invites applications for the posts of <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/vacancy-for-developer">Developer</a> (NVDA Screen Reader Project), and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/programme-officer-internet-governance">Programme Officer</a> (Internet Governance). To apply send your resume to <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> and <a href="mailto:pranesh@cis-india.org">pranesh@cis-india.org</a>.</p>
<h3><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility">Accessibility</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is doing two projects in partnership with the <b>Hans Foundation</b>. One is to create a national resource kit of state-wise laws, policies and programmes on issues relating to persons with disabilities in India and another for developing a screen reader and text-to- speech synthesizer for Indian languages. CIS is also working with the World Blind Union and other similar organisations to develop a Treaty for the Visually Impaired helped by the WIPO:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>National Resource Kit for Persons with Disabilities<br /></b>Anandhi Viswanathan from CIS and Manojna Yeluri from the Centre for Law and Policy Research are working in this project. Draft chapters have been published. Feedback and comments are invited from readers for the chapters on Sikkim and Odisha:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-sikkim-chapter-call-for-comments">The Sikkim Chapter</a> (by Manojna Yeluri, May 30, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-odisha-call-for-comments">The Odisha Chapter</a> (by Anandhi Viswanathan, May 31, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p>Note: <i>All of these are early drafts and will be reviewed and updated</i>.</p>
<p><b>Banking Accessibility</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/survey-on-banking-accessibility">Survey on Banking Accessibility</a> (by Vrinda Maheshwari, May 30, 2013). G3ict is a survey on accessibility of financial services in banks for persons with disabilities around the world. The survey is available <a href="http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1187917/Survey-on-Banking-Accessibility">here</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Organised</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/global-accessibility-awareness-day-event">Global Accessibility Awareness Day</a> (May 9, 2013, TERI, Southern Regional Centre, Domlur, Bangalore).</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/a2k">Access to Knowledge</a> and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness">Openness</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Wikimedia Foundation <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">awarded</a> CIS a two year grant of INR 26,000,000 to support and develop the growth of Indic language communities and projects by community collaborations and partnerships. This is being carried out by the Access to Knowledge team based in Delhi. CIS is also doing a project (Pervasive Technologies) on examining the relationship between production of pervasive technologies and intellectual property. CIS also promotes openness including open government data, open standards, open access, and free/libre/open source software through its Openness programme.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Access to Knowledge (Wikipedia)</b><br />Beginning from September 1, 2012, Wikimedia Foundation <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">awarded</a> CIS a two-year grant of INR 26,000,000 to support and develop free knowledge in India. The <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Access_To_Knowledge/Team" title="Access To Knowledge/Team">A2K team</a> consists of three members based in Bangalore: <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">T. Vishnu Vardhan</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">Dr. U.B. Pavanaja</a> and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Subhashish Panigrahi</a> and one team member <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Nitika Tandon</a> who is working from Delhi office. <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Noopur Raval</a>, Programme Officer has left the organisation. April 24, 2013 was her last working day.</p>
<p><b>Announcements</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/resources/access-to-knowledge-work-plan">Access to Knowledge Work Plan</a> (April 2013 - June 2014): CIS has announced its detailed plan detailed plan with projection of outcomes and expected impact of the A2K programme activities. The document has been made in consultation with various stakeholders and keeping in mind the objectives, opportunities and challenges faced by each of the Indian language Wikimedia projects. Feel free to share any feedback.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">WMF-A2K Revised Budget (draft) and Utilization (Sept 2012 - Feb 2013): In our effort to increase transparency with the working of CIS-A2K programme, we are <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WMF-A2K_Grant_Budget_and_Utilization_Sept12_-Feb13.pdf">sharing</a> with you the A2K Programme Budget along with the Utilization for the period Sept. 2012 to February 2013. The proposed revisions to the budget along with some notes are <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WMF-A2K_Revised_Budget_%28draft%29_and_Utilization_Sept_12-Feb_13.pdf">here</a>.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WMF-A2K_Grant_Budget_and_Utilization_Sept12_-Feb13.pdf">WMF-A2K Grant Budget and Utilization</a> (Sept 2012 – February 2013): CIS has given an open disclosure of the Access to Knowledge budget to Wikimedia India and the global community.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/cis-signs-mou-with-tiss">CIS Signs MOU with TISS, Mumbai</a>: has signed a MoU with TISS as part of which we will collaboratively work towards building Digital Knowledge Partnerships with select higher education institutions.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">India Access to Knowledge IRC can be accessed here: <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/India_Access_To_Knowledge/IRC/13th_May">May 13, 2013</a> (All Language Discussion) and <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/India_Access_To_Knowledge/IRC/26th_May">May 26, 2013</a> (Odia Language Discussion). </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entries</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/odia-wikipedia-needs-assessment">Odia Wikipedia: Needs Assessment</a> (by Subhashish Panigrahi, May 11, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/access-to-knowledge-work-plan-synopsis-of-feedback-by-wikipedians">Access to Knowledge Work Plan: Synopsis of Feedback by Wikipedians</a> (by Nitika Tandon, May 20, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/wikipedia-introductory-session">Wikipedia Introductory Session organized for Data and India portal consultants</a> (by Subhashish Panigrahi, May 30, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/kannada-wikipedia-workshop-udupi-april-29-2013">Kannada Wikipedia Workshop</a> (April 29, 2013, Govinda Pai Research Centre, MGM College Udupi). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja led the workshop and gave a talk on Kannada Wikipedia</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/kannada-irc-meet-may-7-2013">Kannada IRC Meet</a> (organised by the Wikipedia Community, May 7, 2013). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja participated in this.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Event</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/digital-humanities-for-indian-higher-education">Digital Humanities for Indian Higher Education</a> (co-organised in collaboration with HEIRA-CSCS, Tumkur University, CILHE-TISS and CCS (IISc), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, July 13, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Press Coverage</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/prajavani-may-24-2013-report-on-cis-celebrates-5-years">CIS Celebrates 5 Years: A Report in Prajavani</a> (Prajavani, May 23, 2013). Prajavani published a report of Dr. U.B. Pavanja’s talk “From Palm Leaf to Tablet – Journey of Kannada”.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/udayavani-may-25-2013-cis-celebrates-5-years">CIS Celebrates 5 Years: A Report in Udayavani</a> (Udayavani, May 25, 2013). Udayavani published a report of the evening programme hosted as part of the Centre for Internet and Society's 5 year celebrations in its Bangalore edition.</li>
</ul>
<p><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Access to Knowledge (Previously IP Reforms)</span><br />Blog Entry</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blog/unfortunate-rise-of-india-slapp-suit">On the Unfortunate Rise of the Indian SLAPP Suit</a> (by Ujwala Uppaluri, May 27, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Openness</b></span><br /><b>Research Papers</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/current-science-vol-101-10-1287-s-gunasekharan-s-arunachalam-use-of-open-access-journals-by-indian-researchers">Use of Open Access Journals by Indian Researchers</a> (by Subbiah Gunasekharan and Prof. Subbiah Arunachalam, May 27, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/use-made-of-open-access-journals-by-indian-researchers-to-publish-their-findings">Use made of Open Access Journals by Indian Researchers to Publish their Findings</a> (by Madhan Muthu and Prof. Subbiah Arunachalam, May 28, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Comments</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/comments-on-draft-icar-open-access-policy">Draft ICAR Open Access Policy</a> (by Nehaa Chaudhari, May 28, 2013). The comments were submitted to the Indian Council for Agricultural Research.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Hosted</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/rhok-bangalore-2013">RHoK Global Event</a> (Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, June 1 – 2, 2013). A report of the event would be published soon.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/internet-governance">Internet Governance</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Internet Governance programme conducts research around the various social, technical, and political underpinnings of global and national Internet governance, and includes online privacy, freedom of speech, and Internet governance mechanisms and processes. We began two new projects earlier this year. The first one, with Privacy International, London to facilitate research and events around surveillance, and freedom of speech and expression and the second one with Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto on mapping of cyber security actors in South Asia and South East Asia:</p>
<p><b>Cyber Stewards Project</b><br />Laird Brown, a strategic planner and writer with core competencies on brand analysis, public relations and resource management and Purba Sarkar who in the past worked as a strategic advisor in the field of SAP Retail are working in this project.</p>
<p><b>Video Interview</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-1-christopher-soghoian">An Interview with Christopher Soghoian</a> (May 28, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Event</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/geo-politics-of-information-controls">The Geopolitics of Information Controls: A Presentation by Masashi Crete-Nishihata</a> (TERI, Bangalore, June 19, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Privacy</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comparative-analysis-of-dna-profiling-legislations-across-the-world">Comparative Analysis of DNA Profiling Legislations from Across the World</a> (by Srinivas Atreya, May 23, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Co-organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/report-on-the-third-privacy-round-table-meeting">3rd Privacy Round Table meeting</a> (co-organised with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Data Security Council of India, Chennai, May 18, 2013). Maria Xynou participated in this event and gives an overview of the discussions and recommendations.</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/consilience-2013-law-technology-committee-nls-bangalore">Consilience – 2013</a> (co-organised with the Law and Technology Committee of National Law School of India University, Bangalore, May 25, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/towards-a-global-network-of-internet-and-society-cultures">ICT, Law and Innovation: Recent Developments, Challenges and Lessons Learned</a> (organised by Bilgi University, Istanbul, May 2013). Chinmayi Arun was a speaker on the Internet Governance panel at Towards a Global Network of Internet and Society Centres.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">India’s Politics of Free Expression (co-sponsored by the Asian Studies Centre, Free Speech Debate, the Oxford India Society and Ideas for India Oxbridge Exchange, May 31, 2013 at Nissan Lecture Theatre, St. Antony’s College, Oxford). Chinmayi Arun was a speaker at the <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/sant-ox-ac-uk-may-31-2013-bapsybanoo-marchioness-winchester-lectures">Bapsybanoo Marchioness of Winchester Lectures</a> on 'India's Politics of Free Expression'.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Event</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/privacy-round-table-mumbai">Privacy Round Table, Mumbai</a> (Mayfair Banquets, Mumbai, June 15, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entry</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-surveillance-industry-in-india-at-least-76-companies-aiding-our-watchers">The Surveillance Industry in India: At Least 76 Companies Aiding Our Watchers!</a> (by Maria Xynou, May 2, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Media Coverage</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/mumbai-mirror-anand-holla-may-4-2013-sex-on-the-go">Sex on-the-go</a> (by Anand Holla, Mumbai Mirror, May 4, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-business-line-may-5-2013-cis-anniversary">CIS anniversary</a> (Hindu Business Line, May 5, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/times-of-india-indu-nandakumar-may-7-2013-cms-to-make-govt-privy-to-phone-calls-text-messages-and-social-media-conversations">Central Monitoring System to make government privy to phone calls, text messages and social media conversations</a> (by Indu Nandakumar, May 7, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/quartz-may-8-2013-leo-mirani-messaging-apps-find-another-foe-in-indias-market-regulator">Messaging apps find another foe in India’s market regulator</a> (Quartz, May 8, 2013). Elonnai Hickok is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/tech-2-may-9-2013-indias-rs-400-crore-central-monitoring-system-to-snoop-on-all-communication">India's Rs 400-crore Central Monitoring System to snoop on all communication</a> (Tech 2, May 9, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/global-post-talia-ralph-jason-overdorf-may-9-2013-is-indias-govt-becoming-big-brother">Is India's government becoming Big Brother?</a> (by Talia Ralph and Jason Overdorf, May 9, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-telegraph-op-ed-may-15-2013-world-wide-playground">Worldwide Playground</a> (Telegraph, May 15, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/bangalore-mirror-vandana-kamath-may-18-2013-ngo-invites-public-to-peruse-its-accounts">NGO invites public to peruse its accounts</a> (by Vandana Kamath, May 18, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/livemint-anirban-sen-may-19-2013-online-privacy-should-not-come-at-the-cost-of-security">Online privacy should not come at the cost of security: Sunil Abraham</a> (by Anirban Sen, May 19, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/dna-india-may-19-2013-subir-ghosh-a-lifetime-of-five-years-on-the-internet">A lifetime of five years on the internet</a> (by Subir Ghosh, DNA, May 19, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-may-22-2013-cis-highlights-changes-ushered-in-by-the-internet">CIS highlights changes ushered in by the Internet</a> (Hindu, May 22, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/asian-correspondent-chan-myae-khine-may-22-2013-burma-to-host-internet-freedom-forum">Burma to host first Internet freedom forum</a> (by Chan Myae Khine, Asian Correspondent, May 22, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/businesswire-may-30-2013-inet-bangkok-to-explore-internet-impact-on-thailand-economy-and-society">INET Bangkok to Explore Internet’s Impact on Thailand’s Economy and Society</a> (BusinessWire, May 30, 2013). Sunil Abraham is participating in this conference. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/bangalore-mirror-vandana-kamath-may-31-2013-shooting-cyber-cafes-before-they-die">Shooting cyber cafes before they die</a> (by Bangalore Mirror, May 31, 2013). CIS’s film on Cyber Cafes is mentioned in this article.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span class="visualHighlight"><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access">Knowledge Repository on Internet Access</a></span><br />CIS in partnership with the Ford Foundation is executing a project on Internet Access. It covers the history of the internet, technologies involved, principle and values of internet access, broadband market and universal access and will touch upon various polices and regulations which has an impact on internet access and bodies and mechanism which are responsible for formulation policies related to internet access. The blog posts and modules will be published in a new website: <a href="http://www.internet-institute.in">www.internet-institute.in</a>.</p>
<p><b>Ongoing Event</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/institute-on-internet-and-society">Institute on Internet and Society</a> (supported by Ford Foundation, Golden Palms Resort, Bangalore, June 8 – 14, 2013). The <a href="http://internet-institute.in/repository/agenda-revised-by-sv">agenda</a> for the event has been finalised.</li>
</ul>
<p>The following unit was published recently:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/network-connections-modes-of-access">Network Connections and Modes of Access</a> (by Srividya Vaidyanathan, May 30, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/telecom">Telecom</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is involved in promoting access and accessibility of telecommunications services and resources and has provided inputs to ongoing policy discussions and consultation papers published by TRAI. It has prepared reports on unlicensed spectrum and accessibility of mobile phones for persons with disabilities and also works with the USOF to include funding projects for persons with disabilities in its mandate:</p>
<p><b>Newspaper Column</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-may-9-2013-shyam-ponappa-configuring-a-non-toothless-trai">Configuring a 'Non-Toothless' Regulator</a> (TRAI) (by Shyam Ponappa, Business Standard, May 9, 2013 and Organizing India Blogspot, May 10, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/">About CIS</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Centre for Internet and Society is a non-profit research organization that works on policy issues relating to freedom of expression, privacy, accessibility for persons with disabilities, access to knowledge and IPR reform, and openness (including open government, FOSS, open standards, etc.), and engages in academic research on digital natives and digital humanities.<br /> <b>Follow us elsewhere</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Get short, timely messages from us on <a href="https://twitter.com/cis_india">Twitter</a></li>
<li>Join the CIS group on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/28535315687/">Facebook</a></li>
<li>Visit us at <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/">http://cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<p><b>Support Us</b><br />Please help us defend consumer / citizen rights on the Internet! Write a cheque in favour of ‘The Centre for Internet and Society’ and mail it to us at No. 194, 2nd ‘C’ Cross, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Bengaluru – 5600 71.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Request for Collaboration</b><br />We invite researchers, practitioners, and theoreticians, both organisationally and as individuals, to collaboratively engage with Internet and society and improve our understanding of this new field. To discuss the research collaborations, write to Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, at <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> or Nishant Shah, Director – Research, at <a href="mailto:nishant@cis-india.org">nishant@cis-india.org</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>CIS is grateful to its donors, Wikimedia Foundation, Ford Foundation, Privacy International, UK, Hans Foundation and the Kusuma Trust which was founded by Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, philanthropists of Indian origin, for its core funding and support for most of its projects.</i></p>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/may-2013-bulletin'>http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/may-2013-bulletin</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceOpennessResearchers at Work2013-08-13T11:51:46ZPageA lifetime of five years on the internet
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/dna-india-may-19-2013-subir-ghosh-a-lifetime-of-five-years-on-the-internet
<b>Centre for Internet and Society observes its fifth anniversary on Sunday.</b>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The article by Subir Ghosh was <a class="external-link" href="http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/1836745/report-a-lifetime-of-five-years-on-the-internet">published in DNA on May 19, 2013</a>. Sunil Abraham is quoted in this.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Five years is a long time in the internet space. The past five years, certainly, has been. And so has it been for the Centre for Internet and Society that completes five years here.<br /><br />When a group of citizens got together to come under a platform called CIS five years ago, they had wanted to work on policy issues about the internet that had a bearing on society. They, in fact, still do; except that the new media space itself has undergone a metamorphosis. Five years ago social media was just starting off, few people had smart phones, and online speech was not a burning issue.<br /><br />Sunil Abraham, executive director of city-based CIS, affirms this, and goes on to assert: “Five years ago, privacy was not a mainstream concern. Today, many different actors and stakeholders are interested in the configuration of the draft Privacy Bill. We first warned the public about the draconian measures in the IT Act during the 2008 amendment. Four years later, many more people are familiar with problematic sections and are adopting various strategies to amend the Act and it’s associated rules.”<br /><br />Likewise, five years ago, people dismissed “shared spectrum” as a pipe dream; today “shared spectrum” is mentioned in the National Telecom Policy. CIS usually thinks ahead, and works on a range of issues.<br /><br />“For internet adoption in India to grow dramatically from the dismal statistics today, we need to ensure continued access to cheap devices and affordable and ubiquitous broadband,” says Abraham.<br /><br />“With Ericsson suing Micromax for Rs100 crore, the mobile wars have come to India. If we have to protect innovation in sub-100 dollar devices, we need to configure our patent and copyright policy carefully.”<br /><br />But since CIS works primarily on policy issues, shouldn’t it have been based in Delhi rather than in Bangalore? “We do have a small office in Delhi. But we are headquartered in Bangalore because we need to keep learning from technologists and the technical community,” explains Abraham.<br /><br />When an organisation calling itself the Centre for Internet and Society (www.cis-india.org) observes its fifth anniversary, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that many of the activities related to the anniversary celebrations (May 20-23) have precious little to do with the internet, and is more about society itself. And yes, an entire evening is devoted to Kannada. There’s a talk by Chandrashekhara Kambara on ‘Kannada in the modern era,’ and another by UB Pavanaja titled ‘From Palm Leaf to Tablet – Journey of Kannada’.<br /><br />“We are looking at the complete eco-system. For instance, during the digitalisation of TV in India, what will happen to the internet? Do TV promoting policies undermine the growth of broadband? On the second day we look at the connection between another older technology - cinema and the Internet.”</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/dna-india-may-19-2013-subir-ghosh-a-lifetime-of-five-years-on-the-internet'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/dna-india-may-19-2013-subir-ghosh-a-lifetime-of-five-years-on-the-internet</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceOpennessResearchers at Work2013-05-20T09:04:28ZNews ItemConfiguring a 'Non-Toothless' Regulator (TRAI)
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-may-9-2013-shyam-ponappa-configuring-a-non-toothless-trai
<b>A proposal to give the telecom regulator the right to impose penalties marks a sea change in the government's approach to regulation.</b>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Shyam Ponappa's column was published in <a class="external-link" href="http://organizing-india.blogspot.in/2013/05/configuring-non-toothless-regulator-trai.html">Organizing India Blogspot</a> on May 10, 2013 and in the <a class="external-link" href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/configuring-a-non-toothless-trai-113050900979_1.html">Business Standard</a> on May 9, 2013.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>On April 27, this newspaper carried a report on the department of telecom's proposed amendments to powers of the regulator in the Telecom Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill. These amendments are remarkable, because they are an institutional evolution of the kind that we have rarely experienced, but need much more. Such salutary changes are heartening at a time of perceived drift in governance and stalled decisions. They are also important for our institutional development as examples of change initiated from within for legacy systems.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>According to the report, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai's) role will be extended to include the power to:</span></p>
<ul>
<li> impose penalties on operators for non-compliance with its orders and regulations;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> determine how to address consumer grievances and implement a plan; and</li>
</ul>
<p>recommend how spectrum should be audited for efficient usage, and penalise transgressors for inefficiencies.</p>
<p><span><span>In addition, Trai is to be on a par with other independent regulators.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>The right to impose penalties reflects a sea change for the better in the government's approach to regulation. It is especially significant because of the difficulties in setting up the regulator years after privatisation began, as well as in the period thereafter. This amendment has the potential to correct many deficiencies, provided it is implemented properly. Good outcomes, however, are not a foregone conclusion because outcomes require a combination of properly designed systems, people with the required skills in place and functioning well in circumstances that are not adverse.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>Together with the other changes, namely, addressing consumer grievances and recommending how spectrum should be monitored for optimal usage, with the stipulation of penalties for inefficiencies, Trai will be empowered to facilitate usage and access.</span><br /><br /><span>The question is whether these changes sufficiently empower our regulator for our communications needs. The recommendations are good, but do they need improvement? Ideally, what should be the structure, function and powers of the agency in practicable terms, without making the "best" the enemy of the "good"? To formulate answers to these, it is useful to consider relevant benchmarks and markers. Some of the following material is derived from the <a class="external-link" href="http://www.ictregulationtoolkit.org/en/PracticeNote.aspx?id=3120">ICT Regulation Toolkit</a> of the International Telecommunication Union.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Scope</b><br />Some countries have a single-sector regulator for telecommunications, as in Botswana, Spain and Peru. Others have multi-sector regulators, with responsibility over utility sectors that typically include telecommunications, water, electricity and transportation, such as in Jamaica, Costa Rica, Germany, Latvia and Panama. More recently, there has been an increase in "converged regulators" with responsibility over broadcasting, telecommunications and information technology. Today, such regulators are found in most European Union countries, including Finland, Italy and the UK, as well as in Australia, Hong Kong, China, Malawi, Malaysia, South Africa and Tanzania. This is because such structures are considered to be better equipped to address convergent environments where different services are offered over the same platform. Such a move also facilitates the transition to modern, packet-switched "Next Generation Networks".<br /><br /><b>Responsibilities</b><br />Regulators in several countries, such as the US, the UK, and Malaysia, are the designated authorities responsible for spectrum allocation and management for the government; they do not only make recommendations. Should Trai have such a role and responsibility? To understand why the answer needs to be worked out thoroughly, read on.<br /><br />Spectrum monitoring and management undoubtedly need modernised capabilities to provide information and decision support. This includes the use of online tools such as user-friendly databases and graphical user interfaces, and public access in areas not related to security or defence. These technological aspects are one dimension of need.<br /><br />A different dimension is that of institutional readiness and interfaces, and the state of institutional development in counterparty agencies. In other words, it is not simply a matter of elegant logic and organisational design, but also culture and work processes that fit as well as the interrelationships, such as between telecommunications, broadcasting and competition laws, that will ultimately result in effective governance in our context.<br /><br /><b>Qualifications</b><br />What are the desirable qualifications for the head of the regulatory agency? The requirement is for coordinating interdisciplinary issues effectively, in addition to integrity, intellectual capacity, and governance/administrative ability. The first Trai was headed by a judge; thereafter, there was a banker, then people from the Indian Administrative Service. In the US, lawyers head the agency, while in the UK, it is economists; both have very different cultures and institutions from ours. In addition to experience in administration and contracts, knowledge of economics, commercial dealings and coordination using multiple inputs is desirable. Technical expertise, while essential as an input, may not be a key criterion for effective regulation and oversight.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Here are some examples of national anomalies:</p>
<ul>
<li>In Canada, spectrum matters are addressed by Industry Canada rather than by the regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, or CRTC.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">In Singapore, the Infocomm Development Authority has responsibility over telecommunications and information technology matters, but the Media Development Authority licenses over-the-air television and regulates content.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">In Australia, the communications regulator has no authority over competition issues, whereas in the UK, Ofcom has jurisdiction concurrently with the Office of Fair Trading.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>For all these reasons, to properly configure Trai's role and powers, a consultative process is advisable (i.e., solutions collectively formulated that are likely to work) with the help of experienced facilitators who can help elicit convergence through stakeholder interactions. Such issues are ill-served by consultations in the form of a quasi-judicial hearing, which is predicated on the "rightness" of a position in the law.</span></span></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-may-9-2013-shyam-ponappa-configuring-a-non-toothless-trai'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-may-9-2013-shyam-ponappa-configuring-a-non-toothless-trai</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecom2013-06-05T10:10:32ZBlog EntryCIS anniversary
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-business-line-may-5-2013-cis-anniversary
<b>The Centre for Internet and Society will celebrate five years of its existence with an exhibition showcasing its works and accomplishments. </b>
<hr />
<p class="body" style="text-align: justify; ">This was published in <a class="external-link" href="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/cis-anniversary/article4686344.ece">Hindu Business Line</a> on May 5, 2013</p>
<hr />
<p class="body" style="text-align: justify; ">The exhibition will be held concurrently at both Bangalore and Delhi offices from May 20 to 24, 2013, said a press release.</p>
<p class="body" style="text-align: justify; ">“To promote transparency, we're getting the general public to be our auditors by throwing open our account books and contracts which show how we have spent the Rs 8.3 crore received from our donors.”</p>
<p class="body" style="text-align: justify; ">The exhibition will also see artists like Kiran Subbaiah, Tara Kelton, Navin Thomas, Abhishek Hazra, among others exhibiting their works, as well as lectures.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-business-line-may-5-2013-cis-anniversary'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-business-line-may-5-2013-cis-anniversary</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceOpennessResearchers at Work2013-05-06T07:28:07ZNews ItemCelebrating 5 Years of CIS
http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/celebrating-5-years-of-cis
<b>The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) is celebrating 5 years of its existence with an exhibition showcasing its activities and accomplishments. The exhibition will be held at its offices in Bangalore and Delhi from May 20 to 23, 2013.</b>
<hr />
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-5-years-all-posters.zip" class="internal-link">Download all the posters exhibited during the recent exhibition here</a></b>.</p>
<hr />
<p align="JUSTIFY">As a move to promote transparency, CIS is inviting the general public to be its auditors by throwing open its account books and contracts which show how it has spent the Rs. 13.13 crores received from its donors. The four-day event will see renowned artists like Kiran Subbaiah, Tara Kelton, Navin Thomas and Abhishek Hazra featuring their work and also giving live demonstrations.</p>
<h2 align="JUSTIFY"></h2>
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<hr />
<h2 align="JUSTIFY">Agenda</h2>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><i>Open exhibition on all the 4 days from 10.00 a.m. to </i><i>8</i><i>.00 p.m., in Bangalore and Delhi. The evening programmes will be held in Bangalore</i>. <i>Dinner will be served right afterwards.</i></p>
<hr />
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Evening Programmes</b></p>
<hr />
<h3 align="JUSTIFY">May<i> </i>20<i>, </i>2013</h3>
<table class="listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY">18.00<br />19.00</p>
</td>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Why did I buy a set-top box?: What we know, don't know and need to know about Digitalisation </b><b>— A Talk by Vibodh Parthasarathi<br /></b></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY">Why are we being asked to install set-top boxes? How will this change what we want, and pay for, on TV? Grappling with these questions, the talk will evaluate the rationale of the digital migration in cable currently underway, and the less talked about digital migration being planned for the public broadcaster. These scarcely debated and often contentious issues form the core of a recent <a href="http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/reports/mapping-digital-media-india">Country Report on the Media in India</a>, anchored by the speaker. The India Country Report, the first inter-sectoral and policy oriented study of our electronic media landscape, finds the ongoing digitalisation of cable, the infusion of digital tools in the press and the proposed digital switchover of the public broadcaster, posing varied challenges not only to journalism but to public interest at large. This report is part of a global initiative, <a href="http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/projects/mapping-digital-media" target="_blank">Mapping Digital Media</a>, examining opportunities and risks amidst the transitions to a digital media ecology across 50 countries.</p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Video</b></p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N8gCYiYS9VY" width="250"></iframe>
<p align="JUSTIFY"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY">19.00<br />19.30</p>
</td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Film Screening on Cyber Cafes of Rural India by Video Volunteers</b><br />Video Volunteers in partnership with CIS have been documenting the cyber cafes of rural India. Kamini Menon and Christy Raj will do the screening of seven 2-minute films:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><b>Cyber Cafe Trends Slowly Changing in Imphal</b> by Achungmei Kamei (Manipur)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><b>Transgender Interaction with Cyber Cafes </b> by Christy Raj (Karnataka)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><b>Cyber Cafes Prevail Over Mobile Phones in Nagaland</b> by Meribeni Kikon (Nagaland)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><b>Mobile Technology Threatens Cyber Cafes in HP</b> by Avdhesh Negi (Himachal Pradesh)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><b>Cyber Cafe Visit - A Day's Journey</b> by Saroj Paraste (Madhya Pradesh)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><b>The Challenges of Establishing Cyber Cafes</b> by Rohini Pawar (Maharashtra)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><b>The Community Service Centre - Myth or Reality?</b> by Neeru Rathod (Gujarat)<br /><br /><b>Video</b><br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2OxWtwIWNdc" width="250"></iframe> </li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY">19.30<br />20.00</p>
</td>
<td><b>Hindustani Classical Performance by Aditya Dipankar <br /></b><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY">20.00</p>
</td>
<td><b>Dinner</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>RSVP</b>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Bernadette Längle</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> (<a href="mailto:bernadette@cis-india.org">bernadette@cis-india.org</a>), Ph: +91 80 4092 6283</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Prasad Krishna (<a href="mailto:prasad@cis-india.org">prasad@cis-india.org</a>).</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 align="JUSTIFY">May 21, 2013</h3>
<table class="listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>18.00<br />19.00</td>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Screening of Sabaka <br /></b><b> </b>A young elephant trainer in India vows revenge against the cult that killed his family. He seeks help from the local Maharajah who refuses, and he sets out alone to battle the enemy... <a class="external-link" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabaka">Sabaka</a> is a 1954 film produced and directed by Frank Ferrin starring Boris Karloff, Reginald Denny, June Foray, et.al.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>19.00<br />20.00</td>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Slouching towards Tlön: An Encyclopedia for the 2nd century of Indian cinema — A Talk by Lawrence Liang </b><br />Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen’s Encyclopedia of Indian cinema (1994) marked an important moment for the study of Indian film history. In the two decades since its publication we have seen a rise in the academic community working on Indian film history along with the rise of various new archival initiatives online. Materials that were hitherto unavailable have also made their way into the public domain via the efforts of film historians, cinephiles and other enthusiasts. It is perhaps fitting to think about what a collaborative encyclopedia of Indian cinema for the 21st century may look like. Using Rajadhayksha and Willemen’s Encyclopedia as a base, Lawrence has been working on an online version that incorporates moving images, photographs and archival materials and his presentation will open up questions of how one thinks of an online encyclopedia as well as larger conceptual questions of the relationship between the encyclopedias, the internet and moving image archives.</p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Video</b></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><iframe frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2n5ZON8M_0E" width="250"></iframe></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>20.00</td>
<td><b>Dinner</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
<p><b>RSVP</b>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Bernadette Längle (<a href="mailto:bernadette@cis-india.org">bernadette@cis-india.org</a>), Ph: +91 80 4092 6283, </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Prasad Krishna (<a href="mailto:prasad@cis-india.org">prasad@cis-india.org</a>).</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>May 22, 2013</h3>
<p>Cybersecurity, Privacy and Surveillance</p>
<table class="listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY">18.00<br />18.30</p>
</td>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY">“<b>The Indian Surveillance State”</b><b>—</b><b> </b><b>A Talk by Maria Xynou </b><br />The Central Monitoring System confirms that, starting from last month ‘Big Brother’ is a reality in India. But how do authorities get the tech to spy on us? Maria has started investigating surveillance technology companies operating in India. So far, 76 companies have been detected which are producing and selling different types of surveillance gear to Indian law enforcement agencies. Join us to see India´s first investigation of who is aiding our watchers!</p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Video</b></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fshPBINoACs" width="250"></iframe></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY">18.30<br />19.00</p>
</td>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Why Privacy and How?</b> <b>A Talk </b><b>by Bernadette Langle </b><br />"But I have nothing to hide!" That's what most people think. Are you sure? What about all the services you use for free, don't you think the service provider has to spend money on that, and that he needs to earn it somehow? Bernadette will show some alternatives and also how easy it can be, to put your messages in a virtual private envelope as you use to do with messages on paper.</p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Video</b></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DVa8dkda1D0" width="250"></iframe></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY">19.00<br />19.45</p>
</td>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Cyber Security Preview </b><b>—</b><b> </b><b>Presentation</b><b> by Laird Brown</b> and<b> Purba Sarkar </b><br />CIS in cooperation with Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, is developing a film project on cyber security in India from a civil society perspective. Laird will show the preview of the project. The preview will include an overview of the project along with a video footage from the first series of interviews.</p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Video</b></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/moqgZ6tDl4g" width="250"></iframe></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY">19.45<br />20.00</p>
</td>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Faking of Fingerprints: </b><b>A Presentation by </b><b>Bernadette Langle </b><br />Bernadette will give a brief presentation on how easy it is to fake a fingerprint. Afterwards you can get hands-on. Fake a fingerprint yourself and take it with you to your home.</p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Video</b></p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3q6UBK6lLRI" width="250"></iframe>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Video</b></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>20.00</td>
<td><b>Dinner</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
<p><b>RSVP</b>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Bernadette Längle (<a href="mailto:bernadette@cis-india.org">bernadette@cis-india.org</a>), Ph: +91 80 4092 6283, </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Prasad Krishna (<a href="mailto:prasad@cis-india.org">prasad@cis-india.org</a>).</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>May 23, 2013</h3>
<p>Kannada Language and IT</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<table class="listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY">18.00<br />18.15</p>
</td>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Kannada in Modern Era: A Guest Talk</b><b> by Dr. Chandrashekhara Kambara </b><br />Dr. Chandrashekhara will be the chief guest for this session and will give a guest lecture.</p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Video</b></p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9bMUu08f_JU" width="250"></iframe></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY">18.15<br />19.30</p>
</td>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>From Palm Leaf to Tablet – Journey of Kannada: A Talk by Dr. U.B. Pavanaja </b><br />Kannada language which has a history of 2000 years and quite rich in literature started on palm leaves. Kannada advanced with modern times adopting the marvels of Information Technology. This is accomplished by successfully implementing Kannada in various facets of IT. It is being used everywhere from data driven applications to websites to hand held devices like tablets. These aspects will be brought out during the talk.</p>
<p align="JUSTIFY">Summary in Kannada:</p>
<p align="JUSTIFY">ತಾಳೆಗರಿಯಿಂದ ಟ್ಯಾಬ್ಲೆಟ್ ತನಕ ಕನ್ನಡದ ಪಯಣ<br />ಸುಮಾರು ಎರಡು ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಭವ್ಯ ಇತಿಹಾಸವಿರುವ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದ ಉಗಮ ತಾಳೆಗರಿಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಆಯಿತು. ಕನ್ನಡ ಭಾಷೆಯು ಆಧುನಿಕ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನದ ಅದ್ಭುತ ಕೊಡುಗೆಗಳನ್ನು ತನ್ನದಾಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಬೆಳೆಯಿತು. ಮಾಹಿತಿ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಅಂಗಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕನ್ನಡವನ್ನು ಅಳವಡಿಸಿ ಬಳಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದರ ಮೂಲಕ ಇದು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಯಿತು. ಆನ್ವಯಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶವಿರಲಿ, ಪ್ರತಿಸ್ಪಂದನಾತ್ಮಕ ಜಾಲತಾಣವಿರಲಿ, ಕೈಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಡಿದು ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುವ ಟ್ಯಾಬ್ಲೆಟ್ ಇರಲಿ –ಎಲ್ಲ ಕಡೆ ಕನ್ನಡದ ಬಳಕೆ ಆಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಈ ಎಲ್ಲ ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಕಡೆ ಒಂದು ಪಕ್ಷಿನೋಟವನ್ನು ಈ ಭಾಷಣದಲ್ಲಿ ನೀಡಲಾಗುವುದು.</p>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Video</b></p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/w4CiHwpX9X0" width="250"></iframe></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>19.30<br />20.00</td>
<td><b>Carnatic Music Performance by Nirmita Narasimhan<br /></b><br /><b>Video<br /><br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="255" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-P4v5u_Q34M" width="250"></iframe> </b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>20.00</td>
<td><b>Dinner</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
<p><b>RSVP</b>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Bernadette Längle (<a href="mailto:bernadette@cis-india.org">bernadette@cis-india.org</a>), Ph: +91 80 4092 6283 </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Prasad Krishna (<a href="mailto:prasad@cis-india.org">prasad@cis-india.org</a>).</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<hr />
<h3>About the Speakers</h3>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b> </b></p>
<table class="listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/VPforblurb.jpg" alt="Vibodh" class="image-inline" title="Vibodh" /><br />Vibodh Parthasarathi</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; ">
<p><b>Vibodh Parthasarathi </b>works with the Centre for Culture and Media Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. He is also a Board Member at the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore. He maintains a multidisciplinary interest in media and development policy, business history of creative industries, and governance of media infrastructure. At the Centre for Culture, Media & Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, his ongoing research addresses media policy literacy, the TV news industry and the digital switchover in India. He is the co-editor of the critically acclaimed tri-series on Communication Process (Sage).</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Lawrence.png" alt="Lawrence" class="image-inline" title="Lawrence" /></p>
<p>Lawrence Liang</p>
</td>
<td>
<p align="JUSTIFY"><b>Lawrence Liang</b> is the Chairman of the Board at the Centre for Internet and Society. He is a graduate of the National Law School. He subsequently pursued his Masters degree in Law and Development at Warwick, on a Chevening Scholarship. His key areas of interest are law, technology and culture, the politics of copyright and he has been working closely with Sarai, New Delhi on a joint research project Intellectual Property and the Knowledge/Culture Commons. A keen follower of the open source movement in software, Lawrence has been working on ways of translating the open source ideas into the cultural domain. He has written extensively on these issues and is the author of <i>The Public is Watching: Sex, Laws and Videotape</i> and <i>A Guide to Open Content Licenses</i>. Lawrence has taught at NLS, the Asian College of Journalism, NALSAR, etc., and is currently working on a Ph.D. on the idea of cinematic justice at Jawaharlal Nehru University.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_maria.jpg" alt="Maria" class="image-inline" title="Maria" /><br />Maria Xynou</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><b>Maria Xynou</b> is a Policy Associate on the Privacy Project at the CIS. She has previously interned with Privacy International and with the Parliament of Greece. Maria holds a Master of Science in Security Studies from the University College London (UCL). <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Bernadette.jpg" alt="Bernadette" class="image-inline" title="Bernadette" />
<p>Bernadette Langle</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><b>Bernadette Längle </b>recently graduated in social and cultural anthropology, philosophy and computer science. She is also a so-called hacktivist together with one of the oldest hacker associations of the world, the Chaos Computer Club, having a lot of influence in German politics. As one of the core-team organizer of Chaos Communication Congress in Germany she also has a lot of experience in organizing events.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/copy3_of_Laird.png" alt="Laird Brown" class="image-inline" title="Laird Brown" /><br />Laird Brown</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><b>Laird Brown</b> is a strategic planner and writer. His core competencies are brand analysis, public relations, and resource management. Laird has worked at the United Nations in New York; high-tech ventures in North America, Europe, and India; and, is a guest speaker at ICT conferences internationally. He is currently working on a film project for CIS on cyber security in India with Purba Sarkar.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/purba.jpg" alt="Purba" class="image-inline" title="Purba" /><br />Purba Sarkar</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><b>Purba Sarkar</b> is an associate producer with the cyber security film project. She holds a Bachelor in Technology degree from West Bengal University of Technology. Purba worked as a strategic advisor in the field of SAP Retail for 4 years before joining CIS in January, 2013.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Kambara.png" alt="Kambara" class="image-inline" title="Kambara" />Dr.Chandrashekhara Kambara</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><b>Dr. Chandrashekhara Kambara</b> is a prominent poet, playwriter, folklorist, film director in Kannada language. He is also the founder-vice-chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi. He is known for his effective usage of North Karnataka dialect of Kannada language in his plays and poems and is often compared with D.R. Bendre. He has been conferred with many prestigious awards including the Jnanpith Award (the highest literary honour conferred in India) in 2011 for the year 2010, the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Padma Shri by Government of India, Kabir Samman, Kalidas Samman and Pampa Award. After his retirement, Kambara was nominated Member of Karnataka Legislative Council, to which he made significant contributions through his interventions. <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/copy2_of_Pavanaja.png" alt="Pavanaja" class="image-inline" title="Pavanaja" /><br />Dr. U.B. Pavanaja</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><b>Dr U B Pavanaja</b> holds a Master’s degree from Mysore University and Ph.D. from Mumbai University. He was a scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, for about 15 years. He has done advanced research in Taiwan. He resigned from BARC in 1997 and dedicated himself fully for the cause of Computer and Indian languages. He has to his credit many firsts, viz., first Kannada website, first Kannada online magazine, first Indian language (Kannada) website to receive Golden Web Award, first Indian language (Kannada) editor for Palm OS, first Indian language (Kannada) editor for WinCE device (HP Jornado 720), first Indian language version (Kannada) of universally popular Logo (programming language for children) software, etc. His Kannada logo won the Manthan Award for the year 2006. He was a member of the technical advisory committee setup by the Govt. of Karnataka for Standardization of Kannada on Computers (2000). He is also a member of the Kannada Software Committee of Govt. of Karnataka (2008-current). <br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<hr />
<h3>The Artists</h3>
<table class="plain">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Kiran.png" alt="Kiran Subbaiah" class="image-inline" title="Kiran Subbaiah" /><br />Kiran Subbaiah</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><b>Kiran Subbaiah</b> studied sculpture at Santiniketan, MSU Baroda and the RCA London. He was an artist in residence at the Rijksakademie Amsterdam where he worked on art that incorporated informatics and electro-mechanics. He is also known for making videos using custom-built tools that enable him to perform multi-person film-making tasks single-handed. His art is shown extensively in India and abroad. Subbaiah is based in Bangalore and is represented by the Chatterjee and Lal gallery in Mumbai. Kiran will present the Spectator, a robot that can sense the presence of human beings around it. It tries to appreciate them as works of art.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Tara.png" alt="Tara Kelton" class="image-inline" title="Tara Kelton" /><br />Tara Kelton</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><b>Tara Kelton</b> is an artist and designer. She has been living in Brooklyn, USA and Bangalore, India for the last three years. She received her MFA from the Yale School of Art in 2009. Kelton’s video, print, and web-based works investigate moments in which technology alters our perception of the physical world. Kelton has taught at the Srishti School of Art, Design, and Technology and has recently exhibited her work at Vox Populi (USA), Franklin Street Works (USA), GALLERYSKE (Bangalore) and the India Design Forum (Mumbai). Tara will present <i>Trace</i>, a surveillance camera feed drawn in real-time by anonymous online workers.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Navin.png" alt="Navin Thomas" class="image-inline" title="Navin Thomas" /><br />Navin Thomas</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><b>Navin Thomas</b> is a multimedia artist and a professional scrap market junkie, he spends a good quality of his precious time looking for obscure cultural misfits... after destroying most of himself in the 90's, he now spends his time restoring your mother's brother’s tin space toys and other unusual situations.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Abhishek.png" alt="Abhishek Hazra" class="image-inline" title="Abhishek Hazra" />Abhishek Hazra</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><b>Abhishek Hazra</b> approaches his art with a particular emphasis on the study of the historiography of science. He uses videos and prints that often integrate textual fragments drawn from real and fictional scenarios. He has previously exhibited and performed at Science Gallery, Dublin, HEART Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, Denmark, Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Casino Luxembourg Forum d’art Contemporain, Experiment Marathon Reykjavik, Reykjavik Art Museum and Kunstmuseum Bern. Abhishek was most recently an artist in residence at SymbioticA, the Centre for Excellence in Biological Arts, University of Western Australia, Perth. It was first performed as part of Beam Me Up, curated by Reinhard Storz and Gitanjali Dang, which was acknowledged by Pro Helvetia, New Delhi and German Book Office, New Delhi. Abhishek will be presenting #cloudrumble56 (attempted to re-animate sections of the Indian parliamentary archives — specifically, the transcripts of the scientist M.N. Saha's (1893-1956) interventions — through a performance that was transmitted only through live tweets on Twitter).</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/Aditya.png" alt="Aditya Dipankar" class="image-inline" title="Aditya Dipankar" />Aditya Dipankar</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><b>Aditya Dipankar </b>started fiddling with music at the age of 4 when he started learning the <i>tabla</i> and then went on to play it for a long time. Years later, he discovered his strong inclination towards singing. Now, under the noble guidance of Pandit Vijay Sardeshmukh (Senior disciple of Pandit Kumar Gandharva), he is trying to understand the simplicity and spontaneity in the rich tradition of Hindustani classical music.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Nirmita.png" alt="Nirmita Narasimhan" class="image-inline" title="Nirmita Narasimhan" />Nirmita Narasimhan</p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; "><b>Nirmita Narasimhan</b> is a Policy Director at CIS and works on accessibility for persons with disabilities. She was awarded the national award for empowerment of persons with disabilities by the President of India and also received the NIVH Excellence Award. Nirmita Narasimhan is a disciple of Dr. Radha Venkatachalam and renowned maestro Prof. T.R. Subramanyam. She began learning music at the age of 5 and went on to complete her Ph.D. in this subject from the Delhi University. Nirmita has been performing since 1995 and received several accolades such as the Sahitya Kala Parishad Scholarship and prizes in several competitions. She received the Gold medal in MA for standing first in the University and also stood first in MPhil. She has released a CD on Ponnayya Pillai compositions and also sung in an album of <i>varnams</i>. Nirmita has performed in different places in India such as Delhi, Chennai, Tirupathi and Bangalore as well as in Singapore and has also given several thematic concerts such as <i>Eka Raga Sandhya</i> and <i>Pallavi</i> concerts. <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/sharathcopy.jpg" alt="Sharath Chandra Ram" class="image-inline" title="Sharath Chandra Ram" /></p>
<p>Sharath Chandra Ram</p>
</td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Sharath Chandra Ram (Sharathchandra Ramakrishnan) has interests in multimodal art, cognitive science, accessibility, digital humanities and network cultures. He is a faculty at the Centre for Experimental Media Arts at the Srishti School of Art Design and Technology. At the Centre for Internet and Society he helped set up and manage activities at the Metaculture Media Lab : an open hackerspace and alternative platform for research and exchange. His writings and musings at CIS maybe found here: <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/author/sharath">http://cis-india.org/author/sharath</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">He graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in Artificial Intelligence specializing in interactive virtual environments. Previously as a Research Associate at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences he received a special mention award at the International Conference on Consciousness (2012) held at the National Institute of Advanced Studies for his work on ‘Cross modal Integration’. As an amateur radio broadcaster, he is a proponent of the free use of airwaves for relief work, education and transmission art. He has also been a development related radio journalist (PANOS @ Nepal, Voices UNDP@Bangalore), speaker at the International Ham Radio Convention (Port Blair, 2006) and as a film enthusiast has been a Press Reviewer for the Edinburgh International Film Festival.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<hr />
<h2><span class="author-g-ecflmmhkz122zm34g8fj">Locations</span></h2>
<h3><span class="author-g-ecflmmhkz122zm34g8fj">Bangalore</span></h3>
<p>Centre for Internet and Society<br />No. 194, Second 'C' Cross, Domlur,<br />2nd Stage, Bangalore - 560071,<br />Karnataka, India <br />Ph: +91 80 4092 6283 <br /> Fax: +91 80 2535 0955</p>
<h3>Delhi</h3>
<p>Centre for Internet and Society<br />G 15, Top floor<br />Behind Hauz Khas, G Block Market<br />Hauz Khas,<br />New Delhi 110016<br />Ph: + 91 011 40503285</p>
<hr />
<h2>Event Brochure</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-celebrates-5-years.pdf" class="internal-link">Event Flier</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Event Posters/Banners and Videos</h2>
<hr />
<h3>Accessibility</h3>
<ol>
<li>National Resource Kit (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>NVDA E-Speak (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/nvda-espeak.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/nvda-espeak" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>International Collaborations (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/international-collaborations.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/international-collaborations" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Partners (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/partners.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/partners" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Publications (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/publications.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/publications" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Timeline (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/timeline.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/timeline" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Inclusive Planet (PDF, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/inclusive-planet" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>In the below video Anandhi Viswanathan gives a demo of the National Resource Kit project and Rameshwar Nagar gives a demo of the NVDA and ESpeak (Text-to-Speech) project during the exhibition.</i></p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2Z1xfwvkFoQ" width="250"></iframe></p>
<ol> </ol>
<ul>
</ul>
<hr />
<h3>Access to Knowledge</h3>
<ol>
<li>Broadcast Treaty (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/broadcast-treaty.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blog/broadcast-treaty" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Copyright (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/copyright-poster.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blog/copyright" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Software Patent 1 (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/software-patent-1.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blog/software-patent-1" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Software Patent 2 (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/software-patent-2.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blog/software-patent-2" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Pervasive Technologies (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/pervasive-technologies-exhibition-poster.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blog/pervasive-technologies-poster.pdf" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
</ol>
<hr />
<h3>Access to Knowledge (Wikipedia)</h3>
<ol>
<li>Factsheet (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/indian-language-factsheet.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/indian-language-wikipedia-factsheet" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Reaching Out (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/reaching-out.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/reaching-out-to-participants" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Outreach (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/outreach.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/outreach" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Bridging Gender Gap (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/bridging-gender-gap.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/bridging-the-gender-gap" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Press Coverage (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/press-coverage.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blog/wikipedia-press-coverage" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Education Programmes (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/education-programmes.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blog/wiki-education-programs" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Team Achievements (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/achievements.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blog/access-to-knowledge-team-achievements" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Visualization (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/visualization.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blog/indic-wikipedia-project-visualization" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
</ol>
<hr />
<h3>Openness</h3>
<ol>
<li>Open Access to Scholarly Literature (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/open-access-to-scholarly-literature.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/open-access-2-scholarly-literature" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Open Access to Law (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/open-access-to-law-poster.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/open-access-2-law" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Open Standards (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/open-standards-poster.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/open-standards" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Free/Open Source Software (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/foss-poster.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/foss" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
</ol> <ol></ol>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<hr />
<h3>Internet Governance (Free Speech)</h3>
<ol>
<li>Blocking of Websites (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/blocking-websites.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/blocking-websites" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Freedom of Speech (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/freedom-of-speech.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/free-speech" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Intermediary Liability (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/intermediary-liability-poster.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/intermediary" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Internet Governance Forum (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/internet-governance-forum.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/igf" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
</ol> <ol></ol>
<hr />
<h3>Internet Governance (Privacy)</h3>
<ol>
<li>Privacy Events (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/privacy-events.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/events" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Timeline (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/privacy-timeline.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/events" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>UID (1) (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/uid" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/uid" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/unique-identity" class="internal-link"></a>UID (2) (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/uid-2.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/unique-identity" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>DNA (1) (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/dna-1.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/dna-1" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>DNA (2) (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/dna-2.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/dna-2" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
</ol>
<hr />
<h3>Telecom</h3>
<ol>
<li>Institutional Framework for Indian Telecommunication (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/institutional-framework-for-indian-telecommunication.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/institutional-framework" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Growth of Telecom Industry in India (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/growth-of-telecom-industry-in-india.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/growth-of-telecom" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Delicensed Spectrum (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/delicensed-spectrum.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/delicensed" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Spectrum Sharing (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/spectrum-sharing.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/spectrum" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
</ol>
<hr />
<h3>RAW Monographs</h3>
<ol>
<li>Archives and Access (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/archives-and-access.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities/archives-access" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Internet, Society and Space in Indian Cities (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/internet-society-and-space.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities/internet-society-space" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>The Last Cultural Mile (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/last-cultural-mile.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities/last-cultural-mile" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Porn, Law, Video Technology (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/porn-law-video-technology.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities/porn-law-video-technology" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Re:Wiring Bodies (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/rewiring-bodies.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities/re-wiring-bodies" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Community Informatics and Open Government Data (Special Issue) (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/community-informatics-open-govt-data.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities/spl-issue-community-informatics-and-ogd" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
</ol> <ol></ol>
<hr />
<h3>News and Media</h3>
<ol>
<li>Media Coverage (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/media-coverage.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/MC.png/view" class="external-link">PNG</a>)</li>
<li>Organizational Chart (<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/organizational-chart.pdf" class="internal-link">PDF</a>)</li>
</ol>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/celebrating-5-years-of-cis'>http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/celebrating-5-years-of-cis</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceOpennessResearchers at WorkEvent2014-02-25T09:15:58ZEventFrom Open Citizen Radio Networks to the Race for .RADIO gTLD
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/open-citizen-radio-networks-to-race-for-.radio-gtld
<b>In light of the recent shutdown of INDYMEDIA ATHENS server and its associated antagonistic Internet radio streaming services, Radio98FM and Radio Entasi, Sharath Chandra Ram, takes a look at open radio networks run by citizen operators as well as the politics around internet radio and it’s growing potential as a medium for citizen activism.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">On the afternoon of April 11, 2013, the president of the National University of Athens (NTUA) ,Simos Simopolous ordered the university’s Network Operations Centre (NOC) to pull the network plug off the IndyMedia Athens server that shared the university’s network infrastructure. With it went down the Internet radio stream of Radio98FM, an independent radio station broadcasting from within NUTA along with Radio Entasi. The takedown as it were later revealed, was an order by the Minister of Public Order, Nikos Dendias followed by the MP Adonis Georgiadis of the New Democracy Party tweeting in praise of the Minister’s decision. (Translate Tweet here : <a href="http://bit.ly/ZiBDuR">http://bit.ly/ZiBDuR</a> ) Indymedia Athens still continues to be accessible through the Tor network at <a href="http://gutneffntqonah7l.onion/">http://gutneffntqonah7l.onion/</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The choice and use of broadcast networks in political and citizen uprisings have had a culturally specific side to it. The massive 2006 democracy movement in Nepal was fuelled entirely by pirate FM radio broadcasts, as most mountainous regions have no access to telephony, Internet or print news delivery services. Recently the world saw the power of social media , youtube and Twitter -- in Iran after the police killed student activist Neda and later in the landmark crisis of Tunisia.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">By combining the power of seamless accessibility that the audio medium provides by allowing the user to multi-task, along with the viral broadcasting ability of the Internet, we indeed have an effective tool for networked citizen science. Are there popular models that the community can emulate, and what are the barriers to entry in a trans-medial paradigm such as Internet audio re-transmission?</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">An Overview of Open Radio Networks</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Let’s a take a quick peek into the wireless radio –VoIP service named <a href="http://www.echolink.org"><b>ECHOLINK</b></a> that I am fortunate to have had access to, over the last decade. Available to only ‘licensed’ and verified amateur radio operators, one maybe rest assured that strict legalities have unfortunately made such an open and transparent trans-medial global networked infrastructure impossible for commercial deployment or of use to the common citizen.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The ECHOLINK network was made possible thanks to the relentless efforts of amateur radio operators from around the world. It has enabled numerous wireless VHF local repeaters and links around the globe to be accessible over the Internet from practically any remote machine/device connected to the Internet, for both transmission as well as reception.</p>
<table class="listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/LinkingExample.png" alt="Linking Example" class="image-inline" title="Linking Example" /></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/Echolink.png" alt="Echolink" class="image-inline" title="Echolink" /></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">A memorable event was when I connected to a local Florida repeater from my bedroom’s PC and ended up conversing with an amateur radio operator who was driving around in his car through the Hurricane Katrina flooded streets with a VHF Handheld FM Transceiver, limited food supply and a gallon of reserve fuel canned in his backseat. Despite this, there was a sense of brethren and calm in his crackling radio voice that made it to the Florida repeater and then all the way to my home-station in Bangalore.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">More recently, after the Fukushima Tsunami and Nuclear fallout, we observed that the Japanese government had jammed almost every radio repeater link, including the Emergency Amateur Radio service in Japan as they did not want any international contact to be made regarding the situation. Nevertheless after hours of trying, I intercepted a number of conference link nodes in Japan with people passing on information to each other about the deteriorating conditions in various prefectures. Below is a recorded excerpt from a conversation between two concerned citizens that I intercepted:</p>
<table class="listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F88260833" width="100%"></iframe><br /></th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>The Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP)</b> was a precursor to the Echolink network, invented by Dave Cameron (Callsign: VE7LTD) who installed the first three Windows O/S based IRLP nodes in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, followed by a more reliable Linux Node (VE7RHS) in 1998, after which the IRLP network soon spread worldwide. Amateur Radio operators with a VHF handheld transceiver and a custom (also DIY) IRLP interface hardware could connect to any local node within their RF Range and by using particular DTMF codes could establish a connection to any other node in the world by referring to a global list of node numbers. (<a href="http://status.irlp.net/">http://status.irlp.net/</a>).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.echoirlp.net/">ECHOIRLP</a> enables Radio network node owners to support both IRLP as well as ECHOLINK networks on their repeater. A publically open trans-medial network such as this would certainly transform global information dissemination and accessibility, citizen journalism, community networks as well as disaster management.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Impedances and Emerging Trends in Commercial radio webcasting:</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Similar radio network paradigms, albeit highly commercial, already exist within the mobile phone infrastructure, and with location-based services and audio databases like Spotify and audio detection apps like SoundHound on the rise, one could expect a huge boom in Internet radio services with contextual advertising on personal devices in the coming years. As with the press wars during the early 1930s in America, when newspapers viewed radio broadcasting as a formidable competitor, various impedances have kept Internet streaming away from the space that local wireless broadcasters and telecommunications networks have enjoyed for so long.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Unlike in the US or EU Copyright law, in India, there is currently no copyright law that clearly regulates Internet webcasting and radio retransmission on the Internet. In the United States however, webcasting of copyrighted audio content as well as internet retransmission of over-the air FM and AM radio broadcasts are subject to a <b>per-performance royalty</b> and an <b>‘ephemeral’ license fee.</b> For the royalty calculations, transmission to each individual recipient is considered to be one ‘performance’. Estimating the market value of a ‘performance’ however is tricky, and the standing example that served as a reference, was the agreement reached between the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) that represents a majority of record labels that own copyrighted sound recordings and YAHOO! Inc , a then major webcaster and Internet re-transmitter. The RIAA-Yahoo! Agreement involved a lump sump payment of USD 1.25 million for the first 1.5 billion transmissions that amounted to about 0.08 cents/performance. The initial proposal by the CARP (Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel) however, set this at 0.14 cents/performance for pure internet webcasts and 0.07 cents/performance for over-the air retransmissions, which later was rejected and equalized to 0.07cents/performance for both, after another recommendation by the Register of Copyrights was accepted by the Librarian of Congress.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In addition to this, an ephemeral license fee has to be paid by a webcaster and is currently set to be at about 8.8 per cent of the gross performance fee. ‘Ephemeral recordings’ in traditional broadcasting refer to the temporary copy made off a phono-record to facilitate transmission of the final studio mix. The twist in webcasting however is that temporary server copies necessary for Internet retransmission are subject to this ephemeral license fee.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Another limitation is bandwidth. Unlike wireless radio broadcasting that has a radial spread over line of sight depending on the wattage of transmission, the number of listeners that a server’s Internet radio streaming can tend to simultaneously, depends on the available bandwidth at the transmitting end. For instance, a 128kbps homebrew audio transmitted over a 1Mbps line using ShoutCast or Icecast, could probably support no more than 10 listeners although the advantage that listeners maybe geographically disparate cannot be overlooked.</p>
<p class="callout" style="text-align: justify; ">The possibility of having a central webspace that provides access to streams of re-transmission of say, every FM news channel across the world still remains unfeasible. The logical next step would be to install multiple repeater servers that can access radio Internet servers located in different parts of the world retransmitting both commercial FM broadcasts as well as independent radio broadcasts, and constructed similar to the Echolink infrastructure. Ofcourse this would only be possible with a community-funded initiative led by the global amateur radio community in tandem with commercial pubic service broadcasters who agree to sacrifice on re-transmission royalties in view of mass accessibility. This collaboration now seems very possible with the latest .RADIO gTLD community based application that was filed by the EBU in 2013.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">The .RADIO TLD competition</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">With ICANN launching the gTLD program, a notable contest has started for ownership of the <b>.radio</b> gTLD. The latest applicant is the Eurovision Broadcasting Union (EBU), the largest international association of broadcasters with supporters including the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU) and the Association Mondiale des Radiodiffuseurs Communautaires (AMARC). The EBU has filed for a ‘community based designation’ application, a move that has been actively supported by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), (<a href="http://goo.gl/H23YF">http://goo.gl/H23YF</a>), the founding fathers of the global amateur radio community. The European Broadcasting union, created in 1950, is a not-for-profit association and is one of the key sector members and technical advisors of the International Telecommunications Union. It’s primary function has been to advocate and negotiate the interests of European public broadcasters.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">But three other standard applications for the <b>.RADIO</b> domain have been made to the ICANN<b> </b>as early as in 2012 by – BRS Media, AFILIAS and Tin Dale (LLC) all of whom have decried the latest application of EBU. BRS Media, as early as in 1998, entered into an ingenious agreement with the Federated States of Micronesia (country code .FM) and Armenia (country code .AM) and began offering the pricey .FM and .AM domains to Internet radio broadcasters and media services. AFILIAS Inc., who own the .MOBI and .INFO top level domains with it’s employees and investors in the ICANN Board have applied for 31 additional TLDs apart from .RADIO.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The ICANN reviews each applicant on the basis of descriptions of their mission and purpose of interest in the .RADIO TLD. While all the others allow ‘Open registrations’ of second level .RADIO domain-names by any organization, the EBU application entails a much more restrictive registration process where the initial round of registrations shall be limited to existing broadcasters, trademark owners, internet radio, amateur radio broadcasters and radio professionals.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The support of AMARC as well as the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), (<a href="http://goo.gl/H23YF">http://goo.gl/H23YF</a>), has helped EBU to fulfill ICANN’s important pre-requisites for a community-based TLD application – that is “to substantiate its status as representative of the community it names in application by submission of written endorsements in support of the application.”</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Does this mean that we shall finally see the dawn of widely accessible Internet radio and digital re-transmissions of over the air broadcasts, with the amateur radio networks working in tandem with commercial public service broadcasters? Will the EBU truly be a representative of the global broadcasting community and will it treat US counterparts no different from EU and rest of the world? And finally, what impact shall all this have on Internet governance, dissemination of public opinion and citizen interventions? These are but some of the burning questions that shall surface in the near future.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Key References</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.echolink.org">http://www.echolink.org</a><b></b></li>
<li><a href="http://www.irlp.net/">http://www.irlp.net/</a></li>
<li>Summary of the Determination of the Librarian of Congress on Rates and Terms for Webcasting and Ephemeral Recordings (<a href="http://goo.gl/xPEj8">http://goo.gl/xPEj8</a>)</li>
<li><a href="http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/">http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/</a><b></b></li>
<li><a href="http://www.arrl.org/">http://www.arrl.org/</a></li>
</ul>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/open-citizen-radio-networks-to-race-for-.radio-gtld'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/open-citizen-radio-networks-to-race-for-.radio-gtld</a>
</p>
No publishersharathTelecom2013-05-05T05:00:01ZBlog EntryApril 2013 Bulletin
http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/april-2013-bulletin
<b>The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) welcomes you to the fourth issue of its newsletter for the year 2013. In this issue we bring you an overview of our research programs, updates of events organised by us, events we participated in, news and media coverage, and videos of some of our recent events.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/celebrating-5-years-of-cis"><b>Celebrating 5 Years of CIS</b></a><br />We at the Centre for Internet and Society celebrate 5 years of existence with an exhibition showcasing our work and accomplishments over this time. The exhibition will be held concurrently at both our Bangalore and Delhi offices from May 20 to 24, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/google-policy-fellowship-call-for-applications-2013">Google Policy Fellowship</a></b><br />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. Fellowship focus areas include Access to Knowledge, Openness in India, Freedom of Expression, Privacy, and Telecom Send in your applications for the position by June 15, 2013.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>Jobs</b><br /> CIS invites applications for the posts of <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/vacancy-for-developer">Developer</a> (NVDA Screen Reader Project), and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/programme-officer-internet-governance">Programme Officer</a> (Internet Governance). To apply send your resume to <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> and <a href="mailto:pranesh@cis-india.org">pranesh@cis-india.org</a>. CIS also invites applications for the post of <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/programme-officer-pilot-projects-access-to-knowledge">Programme Officer</a> (Access to Knowledge, Pilot Projects). To apply for this position send your resume to <a href="mailto:vishnu@cis-india.org">vishnu@cis-india.org</a>.</p>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility">Accessibility</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is doing two projects in partnership with the <b>Hans Foundation</b>. One is to create a national resource kit of state-wise laws, policies and programmes on issues relating to persons with disabilities in India and another is for developing a screen reader and text-to- speech synthesizer for Indian languages. CIS is also working with the World Blind Union and many other organisations to develop a Treaty for the Visually Impaired helped by the WIPO:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>National Resource Kit for Persons with Disabilities</b><br />Anandhi Viswanathan from CIS and Manojna Yeluri from the Centre for Law and Policy Research are working in this project. Draft chapters have been published. Feedback and comments are invited from readers for the chapters on Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-himachal-pradesh-call-for-comments">The Himachal Pradesh Chapter</a> (by Anandhi Viswanathan, April 30, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-goa-call-for-comments">Goa Chapter</a> (by Anandhi Viswanathan, April 30, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-jammu-kashmir-call-for-comments">The Jammu & Kashmir Chapter</a> (by Anandhi Viswanathan, April 30, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-rajasthan-call-for-comments">The Rajasthan Chapter</a> (by Manojna Yeluri, April 30, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p>Note: <i>All of these are early drafts and will be reviewed and updated</i>.</p>
<p><b>Events Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/girls-in-ict-day-mithra-jyothi">Girls in ICT Day</a> (April 25, 2013, Mitra Jyothi Auditorium, HSR Layout, Bangalore). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja gave a talk on Social Media and Kannada Language for Women with Disabilities. Sara Morais wrote an event report.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/events/global-accessibility-awareness-day-2013">Global Accessibility Awareness Day</a> (May 9, 2013, TERI, Southern Regional Centre, Domlur, Bangalore).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Announcement</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/cis-itu-d-sector-membership">CIS Gets ITU-D Sector Membership</a>: CIS has become a sector member of ITU-D.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/a2k">Access to Knowledge</a> and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness">Openness</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Wikimedia Foundation <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">awarded</a> CIS a two year grant of INR 26,000,000 to support and develop the growth of Indic language communities and projects by community collaborations and partnerships. This is being carried out by the Access to Knowledge team based in Delhi. CIS is also doing a project (Pervasive Technologies) on examining the relationship between production of pervasive technologies and intellectual property. CIS also promotes openness including open government data, open standards, open access, and free/libre/open source software through its Openness programme.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan"><b>Wikipedia</b></a><br />Beginning from September 1, 2012, Wikimedia Foundation <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">awarded</a> CIS a two-year grant of INR 26,000,000 to support and develop free knowledge in India. The <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Access_To_Knowledge/Team" title="Access To Knowledge/Team">A2K team</a> consists of four members based in Delhi: <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">T. Vishnu Vardhan</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Nitika Tandon</a> and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Subhashish Panigrahi</a>, and one team member <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">Dr. U.B. Pavanaja</a> who is working from Bangalore office. <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Noopur Raval</a>, Programme Officer has left the organisation. April 24, 2013 was her last working day.</p>
<p><b>Indic Wikipedia Visualisation Project</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/indic-wikipedia-visualisation-project-visualising-page-views-and-project-pages">Indic Wikipedia Visualisation Project #2: Visualising Page Views and Project Pages</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entries</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/indian-wiki-women-history-month">Indian WikiWomen celebrate Women’s History Month</a> (by Netha Hussain, April 29, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/konkani-wikipedia-analysis">Analysis of Konkani Wikipedia: Facts & Challenges</a> (by Nitika Tandon, April 30, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/odia-wikipedia-needs-assessment">Odia Wikipedia: Needs Assessment</a> (by Subhashish Panigrahi, April 30, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Organised</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/kannada-wikipedia-workshop-udupi-april-29-2013">Kannada Wikipedia Workshop</a> (April 29, 2013, Govinda Pai Research Centre, MGM College Udupi). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja led the workshop and gave a talk on Kannada Wikipedia.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Events Co-organised</b><br />The following events were organised in the month of March but reports were written during the month of April. Vishnu Vardhan and Subhashish Panigrahi held meetings with wikipedians:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wiki-meet-up-kolkata">Kolkata Wiki Community Meetup</a> (organised by CIS and Kolkata Wiki Community, March 14, 2013). </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/odia-wikipedia-cuttack-community-meetup-march-16-2013">Odia Wikipedia - Cuttack Community Meetup</a> (organised by CIS and Odia Wiki Community, Cuttack, March 16, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/odia-wikipedia-meet-up-bhubaneswar-march-17-2013">Odia Wikipedia – Bhubaneswar Community Meetup</a> (organised by CIS and Odia Wiki Community, Bhubaneswar, March 17, 2013). </li>
</ul>
<p>The following event was organised in the month of April. We will be publishing the report soon:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/telegu-wiki-mahotsavam-2013">Telugu Wiki Mahotsavam 2013</a> (organised by Telugu Wikipedia Community and CIS, Hyderabad, April 9 – 11, 2013). Vishnu Vardhan was one of the trainers at the Wikipedia Academy at Centre for Good Governance on April 9, 2013. Vishnu Vardhan spoke about the Access to Knowledge work in one of the sessions of Wikimedia Meeting with Media Heads on April 10, 2013. Vishnu Vardhan gave a talk on A2K’s plans for the growth of Telegu Wikipedia in 2013-14 at the Telegu Wikipedia general meeting on April 11, 2013. Vishnu Vardhan also gave a talk about Access to Knowledge in the digital era at the Wiki Chaitanya Vedika on April 11, 2013.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Other </b><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k"><b>Access to Knowledge</b></a><b> Updates</b></p>
<p><b>WIPO</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blog/cis-intervention-eu-blocking-wipo-treaty-for-blind">CIS Intervention on the Treaty for the Visually Impaired at SCCR/SS/GE/2/13</a> (Geneva, April 18 – 20, 2013). Pranesh Prakash participated in the session and spoke about the rights of the visually impaired.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/internet-governance">Internet Governance</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Internet Governance programme conducts research around the various social, technical, and political underpinnings of global and national Internet governance, and includes online privacy, freedom of speech, and Internet governance mechanisms and processes. Currently, CIS is doing a project with <b>Privacy International</b>, London to facilitate research and events around surveillance, and freedom of speech and expression.</p>
<p><b>Information Technology</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/it-amendment-act-69-a-rules-draft-and-final-version-comparison">IT (Amendment) Act, 2008, 69A Rules: Draft and Final Version Comparison</a> (by Jadine Lannon, April 27, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/indian-telegraph-act-419-a-rules-and-it-amendment-act-69-rules">Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, 419A Rules and IT (Amendment) Act, 2008, 69 Rules</a> (by Jadine Lannon, April 28, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/it-amendment-act-69-rules-draft-and-final-version-comparison">IT (Amendment) Act, 2008, 69 Rules: Draft and Final Version Comparison</a> (by Jadine Lannon, April 30, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/it-amendment-act-69-b-draft-and-final-version-comparison">IT (Amendment) Act, 2008, 69B Rules: Draft and Final Version Comparison</a> (by Jadine Lannon, April 30, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Resources</b><br />The below rules were published recently:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/resources/it-procedure-and-safeguards-for-interception-monitoring-and-decryption-of-information-rules-2009">Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009</a></li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/resources/it-procedure-and-safeguard-for-monitoring-and-collecting-traffic-data-or-information-rules-2009">Information Technology (Procedure and safeguard for Monitoring and Collecting Traffic Data or Information) Rules, 2009</a></li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/resources/indian-telegraph-act-section-419-a-rules">Rules Under Section 419A of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885</a></li>
</ul>
<p><b>Newspaper Column</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/indian-express-april-6-2013-nishant-shah-off-the-record">Off the Record</a> (by Nishant Shah, Indian Express, April 6, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Privacy</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/indias-big-brother-the-central-monitoring-system">India´s ´Big Brother´: The Central Monitoring System</a> (CMS) (by Maria Xynou, April 8, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Events Organised</b><br />Maria Xynou gives an overview of the discussions and recommendations from the privacy round tables held in Delhi and Bangalore:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/report-on-the-first-privacy-round-table-meeting">A Privacy Round Table in Delhi</a> (organized by CIS and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, FICCI Federation House, Tansen Marg, New Delhi, April 3, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/report-on-the-2nd-privacy-round-table">A Privacy Round Table in Bangalore</a> (organized by CIS and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Jayamahal Palace, Jayamahal Road, Bangalore, April 20, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Announcements</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">2nd Expert Committee meeting on draft 'Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012': The Department of Biotechnology has constituted an Expert Committee to discuss various issues of this Bill in detail. Sunil Abraham has been nominated as one of the members of this Committee. A meeting of this Expert Committee has been scheduled for May 13, 2013 under the Chairmanship of Dr. T. S. Rao, Adviser, DBT.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Chinmayi Arun is one of the international experts supporting the Internet & Jurisdiction project, a global multi-stakeholder dialogue process.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Events</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/privacy-round-table-chennai">A Privacy Round Table in Chennai</a> (co-organised with Data Security Council of India and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Residency Towers, Sir Thyagaraja Road, T Nagar, Chennai, May 18, 10.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/consilience-2013-law-technology-committee-nls-bangalore">Consilience – 2013</a> (National Law School of India University, Bangalore, May 26 – 27, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Other Event Hosted</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/a-talk-by-marialaura-ghidni">Or-bits.com — A Talk by Marialaura Ghidini</a> (CIS, Bangalore, April 19, 2013). Marialaura Ghidini gave a talk abou the creation and activities of or-bits.com, a web-based curatorial platform that she founded in 2009.</li>
</ul>
<h3>News and Media</h3>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-april-1-2013-prashant-jha-clarify-and-define-terms-in-it-rules-panel-tells-govt">Clarify and define terms in IT rules, panel tells govt</a>. (by Prashant Jha, Hindu, April 1, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/privacy-surgeon-simon-davies-april-9-2013-india-takes-its-first-serious-step-toward-privacy-regulation">India takes its first serious step toward privacy regulation – but it may be misguided</a> (Privacy Surgeon, April 9, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/ndtv-video-april-11-2013-the-social-network-regulating-social-media-unrealistic-impossible-necessary">Regulating Social Media: Unrealistic, Impossible, Necessary?</a> (NDTV, April 11, 2013). Pranesh Prakash participated in a discussion on social media aired on NDTV.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/hindustan-times-zia-haq-april-12-2013-social-media-may-influence-160-lok-sabha-seats-in-2014">Social media may influence 160 LS seats in 2014</a> (by Zia Haq, Hindustan Times, April 12, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wall-street-journal-april-15-2013-r-jai-krishna-vote-will-social-media-impact-the-election">Vote: Will Social Media Impact the Election?</a> (by R. Jai Krishna, Wall Street Journal, April 15, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/d-w-april-15-2013-untangling-the-web-of-indias-ungovernable-net">Untangling the web of India's 'ungovernable' Net</a> (Deutsche Welle, April 15, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/gni-annual-report-mentions-cis">CIS in GNI Annual Report</a> (April 25, 2013). CIS gets mentioned in GNI Annual Report. Sunil Abraham is quoted in it. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/india-together-april-27-2013-satarupa-sen-bhattacharya-is-free-speech-an-indian-value">Is free speech an Indian value?</a> (by Satarupa Sen Bhattacharya, India Together, April 27, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h3><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access">Knowledge Repository on Internet Access</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS in partnership with the Ford Foundation is executing a project on Internet Access. It covers the history of the internet, technologies involved, principle and values of internet access, broadband market and universal access and will touch upon various polices and regulations which has an impact on internet access and bodies and mechanism which are responsible for formulation policies related to internet access. The blog posts and modules will be published in a new website: <a href="http://www.internet-institute.in">www.internet-institute.in</a>.</p>
<p><b>Upcoming Event</b><br />We are hosting an “Institute on Internet and Society” with the support of Ford Foundation India, which is to be held from June 8, 2013 to June 14, 2013. Call for registration and relevant details have been <a href="http://www.internet-institute.in/">announced</a>.</p>
<p>The following units have been published:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/internet-infrastructure">Internet Infrastructure</a> (by Srividya Vaidyanathan, April 30, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/isp-introduction">Internet Service Provider – Introduction</a> (by Srividya Vaidyanathan, April 30, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h3><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/telecom">Telecom</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is involved in promoting access and accessibility of telecommunications services and resources and has provided inputs to ongoing policy discussions and consultation papers published by TRAI. It has prepared reports on unlicensed spectrum and accessibility of mobile phones for persons with disabilities and also works with the USOF to include funding projects for persons with disabilities in its mandate:</p>
<p><b>Newspaper Column</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-april-4-2013-prioritizing-communications-energy">Prioritizing Communications & Energy</a> (by Shyam Ponappa, Business Standard and Organizing India Blogspot, April 4, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entry</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/open-citizen-radio-networks-to-race-for-.radio-gtld">From Open Citizen Radio Networks to the Race for .RADIO gTLD</a> (by Sharath Chandra Ram, April 30, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Broadband Policy Course (organised by Lirne Asia, Bangalore, April 5 – 6, 2013). Nirmita Narasimhan and Snehashish Ghosh attended the course.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/">About CIS</a></h2>
<p>The Centre for Internet and Society is a non-profit research organization that works on policy issues relating to freedom of expression, privacy, accessibility for persons with disabilities, access to knowledge and IPR reform, and openness (including open government, FOSS, open standards, etc.), and engages in academic research on digital natives and digital humanities.<br /> <b>Follow us elsewhere</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Get short, timely messages from us on <a href="https://twitter.com/cis_india">Twitter</a></li>
<li>Join the CIS group on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/28535315687/">Facebook</a></li>
<li>Visit us at <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/">http://cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<p><b>Support Us</b><br />Please help us defend consumer / citizen rights on the Internet! Write a cheque in favour of ‘The Centre for Internet and Society’ and mail it to us at No. 194, 2nd ‘C’ Cross, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Bengaluru – 5600 71.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Request for Collaboration</b><br />We invite researchers, practitioners, and theoreticians, both organisationally and as individuals, to collaboratively engage with Internet and society and improve our understanding of this new field. To discuss the research collaborations, write to Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, at <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> or Nishant Shah, Director – Research, at <a href="mailto:nishant@cis-india.org">nishant@cis-india.org</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>CIS is grateful to its donors, Wikimedia Foundation, Ford Foundation, Privacy International, UK, Hans Foundation and the Kusuma Trust which was founded by Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, philanthropists of Indian origin, for its core funding and support for most of its projects.</i></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/april-2013-bulletin'>http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/april-2013-bulletin</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceDigital HumanitiesCISRAWOpenness2013-05-31T08:07:38ZPagePrioritizing Communications & Energy
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-april-4-2013-prioritizing-communications-energy
<b>After curbing unproductive expenditure and imports, we must focus on developing communications and energy.</b>
<hr />
<p>Shyam Ponappa's article was published in the Business Standard on April 4, 2013 and <a class="external-link" href="http://organizing-india.blogspot.in/2013/04/prioritizing-communications-energy.html">mirrored in Organizing India Blogspot</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>A difficult aspect of addressing our economy, apart from necessary firefighting, is that of prioritisation,</span><span> </span><span>whether it is through organisation (or reorganisation), management and execution, or all these combined with policy reforms. With infrastructure growing for years at only about half the rate that gross domestic product has, crisis and turmoil are inevitable without systemic remedies. How should the authorities address the many deficiencies if our need is comprehensive, integrated improvement in systems?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><b><span>Prerequisite: control expenses</span></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>First, a caveat: meta-processes such as managing cash flows and the balance of imports to exports, our most urgent problems, must be dealt with as a prerequisite. Giving out more cash than receipts has to stop. Many countries have come to grief on welfare spending before they could afford it, and no one has found a magical way out. India is not likely to find one either, so we do have to end this unsustainable indulgence. Second, hard as it is, without investment in capacity augmentation and system building, we cannot escape the cycle of deficiencies and crises. If we can get help from the International Monetary Fund now, that's what we should seek, and use it judiciously.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><b><span>Communications and energy</span></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Communications is a compelling priority, because of the bang for the buck it provides, compounded by correcting past mistakes. Other infrastructure deficiencies, while equally critical or even more so - think energy, water, sanitation and transportation - require much more by way of capital, human resources, and organisation, and generally do not yield as much return as quickly. Also, other sectors often require co-ordinated action by state and local governments in concert with the central government.<br /><br />There are areas that need central policy correctives, too. For energy, an urgent requirement is a solar energy policy to induce the spread of equipment. The policy should include tax rebates and the concept of Net Energy Metering, as in California, that facilitates selling excess power to the grid. In the US, for instance, of the new capacity commissioned in 2012, nearly half was from renewable energy - of which 40 per cent was from wind, with a substantial share from solar. We have to find a balance between the inducements that led to overbuilding in Spain and our own backward-leaning policies, as we have abundant sunshine that is not adequately used as well as high energy imports. Italy, Spain and Australia are apparently close to price parity in solar and conventional fuels; perhaps there's scope for selective adaptation of some of their policies.<br /><br />The difficulty with communications alone, however, is evident from the growth of mobile telephony in India. The proliferation of networks and equipment with the need for standby generation because of unreliable grid power has resulted in:</span></p>
<ul>
<li> higher oil imports for diesel for generating electricity;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "> a multiplicity of networks, towers and radio transmission equipment, with substantial investments in spectrum, resulting in a huge drain on capital, in addition to the environmental impact of excessive materials used, high electromagnetic radiation, and a blight on the urban landscape.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Energy for communications</b><br /><span><span>According to a recent statement in Parliament, the annual diesel consumption in 585,000 towers is estimated at over five billion litres. This underscores the need to develop our own approach to the whole range of requirements, from network architecture and organisation to equipment, even as we re-evaluate how to provide countrywide broadband access. The existing paradigms will result in escalating capital cost, operating expenses, and fuel import patterns that are unsustainable.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>Our approach to voice and data communications itself has to evolve. In a way, communications services are an enabler and force-multiplier for other infrastructure, providing a framework and facilitation for structured development. Also, if a systematic approach that serves our needs evolves for this sector, it could provide a template for integrated, goal-directed development of other sectors, starting with the verticals to deliver reliable power to users.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>This undertaking is especially complex in India because of our fragmented organisational structure, with no apparent co-ordination mechanism. Another aspect of the problem is reflected in this quotation from a McKinsey report: “Delays in building ‘hard’ infrastructure often stem from a lack of ‘soft’ infrastructure, such as educated, skilled workers with project-management capabilities.”* There is also a lack of effective institutions and processes for the organisation and management of human and material resources. For instance, fuels such as coal and oil are under different ministries, power generation and distribution; alternative energy and nuclear energy are all separate ministries, as are the railways that transport coal; while another ministry evaluates the environmental impact. Nothing is going to work if each one acts independently without co-ordinating with the others. It’s as though we have not understood the importance of organisation and co-ordination to achieve results, or are consciously ignoring this in an opportunistic free-for-all.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><b><span>Finding our own way</span></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>Google Chairman Eric Schmidt observed recently that India lagged behind the rest of the world in adopting the Web services model and in harnessing the power of the internet, attributing this to failure to invest in high-speed networks, perhaps through complacency because of a strong IT sector. While this could be interpreted as self-serving, our needs would be very well served if the authorities focused on correcting this through policies that induce private sector investment in networks and service delivery, in data centres, and in terrestrial links to supplement our submarine cables. In communications, as in other sectors, we have to fashion our own way because cut-and-paste solutions won’t work, as the contexts are too different. We must explicitly address developing local data centres; terrestrial links with other countries, if feasible; our own designs for rural broadband including common facilities, with efficient, low-powered elements to the extent possible; use renewable energy; explore small-cell architecture in urban settings; and devise policies that facilitate investment in ubiquitous internet access, including spectrum reforms like allocating more bandwidth for Wi-Fi. It would be in our interest to focus on doing what it takes to achieve top-tier Web services in the next five to 10 years.</span></span></p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><i>*“Can India lead the mobile-Internet revolution?”, Laxman Narasimhan, February 2011<br />https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Marketing/Digital_Marketing/Can_India_lead_the_mobile-Internet_revolution_2746</i></span></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-april-4-2013-prioritizing-communications-energy'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-april-4-2013-prioritizing-communications-energy</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecom2013-04-28T07:01:44ZBlog EntryMarch 2013 Bulletin
http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/march-2013-bulletin
<b>The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) welcomes you to the third issue of its newsletter for the year 2013. In this issue we bring you an overview of our research programs, updates of events organised by us, events we participated in, news and media coverage, and videos of some of our recent events.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Jobs</b><br />CIS invites applications for the posts of <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/vacancy-for-developer">Developer</a> (NVDA Screen Reader Project), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/programme-officer-access-to-knowledge-and-openness">Programme Officer</a> (Access to Knowledge and Openness), and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/programme-officer-internet-governance">Programme Officer</a> (Internet Governance). To apply send your resume to <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> and <a href="mailto:pranesh@cis-india.org">pranesh@cis-india.org</a>.</p>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility">Accessibility</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is doing two projects in partnership with the <b>Hans Foundation</b>. One of this is to create a national resource kit of state-wise laws, policies and programmes on issues relating to persons with disabilities in India and another is for developing a screen reader and text-to- speech synthesizer for Indian languages. CIS is also working with the World Blind Union and many other organisations to develop a Treaty for the Visually Impaired helped by the WIPO:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>National Resource Kit for Persons with Disabilities</b><br />Anandhi Viswanathan from CIS and Manojna Yeluri from the Centre for Law and Policy Research are working in this project. Draft chapters have been published. Feedback and comments are invited from readers for the chapters on Lakshadweep, Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-lakshadweep-chapter-call-for-comments">The Lakshadweep Chapter</a> (by Anandhi Viswanathan, March 25, 2013): The union territory of Lakshadweep has not passed any legislation for persons with disabilities, but implements the provisions under the central laws. The benefits currently available to persons with disabilities in Lakshadweep include disability pension, unemployment allowance and grant for setting up kiosks.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-the-meghalaya-chapter-call-for-comments">The Meghalaya Chapter</a> (by Manojna Yeluri, March 25, 2013): Meghalaya is one of the few north-eastern states, which has appointed a Commissioner for Disabilities. Most of the schemes and benefits given to persons with disabilities in Meghalaya are under centrally sponsored schemes. Very few schemes are initiated by the state government. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-uttar-pradesh-chapter-call-for-comments">The Uttar Pradesh Chapter</a> (by Manojna Yeluri, March 31, 2013): The Government of Uttar Pradesh has established shelter homes and vocational training centres in several parts of the states — most recently in Meerut, Bareilly and Gorakhpur. It has also undertaken to finance nearly 4340 corrective surgeries for polio across nine cities of Uttar Pradesh. It also intends to start several projects in 2013. These include the establishment of a Braille Press in order to produce Braille books, magazines and other study material.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Resources<br /></b>We now have a new section on our website which contains all government notifications, RTI applications, and accessibility related resources: cases, statutes, etc. The following were published earlier this month:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/information-about-schemes-for-disabled-haryana">Information about Schemes for Disabled Persons in Haryana</a> We received this notification on schemes and policies for persons with disabilities from the Government of Haryana.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/haryana-notification">Haryana Government Notification</a> (Hindi version): The notification that we received from the state government was in Hindi. We will put up the English translation soon.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/west-bengal-govt-notifications">West Bengal (Govt) Notifications</a>: We received a series of notifications from the West Bengal Government from its various departments such as finance, higher education, transport, health and family welfare, labour, land and land reforms, panchayats and rural development, etc. <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/west-bengal-notifications.zip">OCR versions</a> of the same have been published.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/lakshadweep-govt-notifications">Lakshadweep (Govt) Notifications</a>: Notifications received from the Lakshadweep Government including guidelines for functioning of KIOSKS, grant of unemployment allowance and special jobs to persons with disabilities, issuing identity card to persons with disabilities for availing government benefits, etc., are published. <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/lakshadweep-ocr-notifications">OCR versions</a> have also been put up.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated In</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/discussion-on-intercept-between-uncrpd-and-cedaw">A Discussion on Intercept between UNCRPD & CEDAW</a> (organized by the Shanta Memorial Institute of Rehabilitation – Odisha, CBR Network and Mitra Jyoti, Bangalore, Karnataka, February 4, 2013): Anandhi Viswanathan participated in this event. </li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/a2k">Access to Knowledge</a> and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness">Openness</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Wikimedia Foundation <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">awarded</a> CIS a two year grant of INR 26,000,000 to support and develop the growth of Indic language communities and projects by community collaborations and partnerships. This is being carried out by the Access to Knowledge team based in Delhi. CIS is also doing a project (Pervasive Technologies) on examining the relationship between production of pervasive technologies and intellectual property. CIS also promotes openness including open government data, open standards, open access, and free/libre/open source software through its Openness programme.</p>
<h3><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan"><b>Wikipedia</b></a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Beginning from September 1, 2012, Wikimedia Foundation <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">awarded</a> CIS a two-year grant of INR 26,000,000 to support and develop free knowledge in India. The <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Access_To_Knowledge/Team" title="Access To Knowledge/Team">A2K team</a> consists of four members based in Delhi: <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">T. Vishnu Vardhan</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Nitika Tandon</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Subhashish Panigrahi</a> and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Noopur Raval</a>, and one team member <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">Dr. U.B. Pavanaja</a> who is working from Bangalore office.</p>
<p><b>Indic Wikipedia Visualisation Project</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/indic-wikipedia-visualisation-project-visualising-basic-parameters">Visualising Basic Parameters</a> (by Sajjad Anwar and Sumandro Chattapadhyay, March 26, 2013): Sajjad and Sumandro bring you a visualisation of the growth of Indic Wikipedia in this first post on Indic Wikipedia Visualisation project. They look into the different aspects of the past and present activities of Indic Wikipedias, and divide the visualisation into three different focus areas: (1) basic parameters, (2) geographic patterns of edits, and (3) exploring the topics that receives the greatest number of edits. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/wikipedia-session-at-bits-goa">Introductory Wikipedia session at BITS Goa</a> (organised by CIS, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, Goa, March 7, 2013). The Access to Knowledge team was invited by Nikhil Dixit from BITS to organise a Wikipedia editing session. Nitika Tandon led the session on IP editing. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/kannada-wikipedia-workshop">Kannada Wikipedia Workshop</a> (organised by CIS, Institution of Engineers, JLB Road, Mysore, March 24, 2013). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja led this workshop.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Co-organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/wiki-womens-day-in-goa">Wiki Women's Day in Goa</a> (organised by the Wikimedia India Chapter and CIS, Nirmala Institute of Education, Panaji, Goa, March 8, 2013). Nitika Tandon participated in this workshop held on International Working Women's Day, and shares the developments in this report.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/wikipedia-workshop-for-kannada-science-writers">Wikipedia Workshop for Kannada Science Writers</a> (organised by Wikimedia India Chapter, Karnataka Rajya Vijnana Parishath and CIS, Karnataka Rajya Vijnana Parishath Conference Hall, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Bangalore, March 17, 2013). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja participated in the event.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Event</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/telegu-wiki-mahotsavam-2013">Telugu Wiki Mahotsavam 2013</a> (co-organised with the Telegu Wikipedia community, Hyderabad, April 9 to 11, 2013). Vishnu Vardhan is participating in this event as a speaker. A public event will be held on April 11 from 5.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. at Golden Threshold (Sarojini Naidu's house) in Hyderabad. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Participated</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wikipedia-womens-workshop-bangalore-2013">Wikipedia Women's Workshop Bangalore 2013</a> (organised by Wikimedia India, Servelots Infotech, Jayanagar, Bangalore, March 8, 2013). The event was covered by Kannada Prabha on March 9, 2013. Dr. U.B. Pavanaja participated in the event.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wikipedia-at-avenir">Wikipedia at Avenir</a> (organised by the Wikipedia community, Netaji Subhash Engineering College, Kolkata, West Bengal, March 11, 2013). CIS supported this event. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Event Report from Other Organisations</b><br />Wikipedia Community members helped the Higher Education Innovation and Research Applications Programme (HEIRA) of CSCS Bangalore to organize a day-long workshop on ‘Digital Literacy’ at Ahmednagar College, Ahmednagar, Maharasthra on January 17, 2013. Tanveer Hasan of HEIRA shares with us the developments in <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/ahmednagar-marathi-wikipedia-workshop-report">this report</a>.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<h3><b>Other </b><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness"><b>Openness</b></a><b> Updates</b></h3>
<p><b>Event Report</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/iraqi-public-data-scenario-workshop">Iraqi Public Data Scenario Workshop: A Summary</a> (by Sumandro Chattapadhyay, March 26, 2013): A workshop on public data was conducted by Sunil Abraham and Sumandro Chattapadhyay for the officials of the Government of Iraq. It was organized by UNDP Iraq in Amman, Jordan from October 18 to 23, 2012. Sumandro Chattapadhyay shares with us the developments from the workshop held over five days. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/open-data-camp-2013">Open DataCamp - 2013</a> (organized by Open Data Camp, Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram (inside Christ University Campus), Dairy Circle, Bangalore, March 2 and 3, 2013): Sunil Abraham was a panelist.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>HasGeek</b><br />HasGeek creates discussion spaces for geeks and has organised conferences like the <a href="http://fifthelephant.in/2012/">Fifth Elephant</a>, <a href="http://droidcon.in/2011">Droidcon India 2011</a>, <a href="http://androidcamp.hasgeek.com/">Android Camp</a>, etc. HasGeek is supported by CIS and works from the CIS office in Bengaluru.</p>
<p><b>Upcoming Events</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://pigworkshop.fifthelephant.in/">Pig Workshop</a> (organized by HasGeek, Alchemy Solutions, Domlur, Bangalore, 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.): A workshop on how to use Pig for mining useful information from data. It is open to programmers who have a background in Java programming, some familiarity with Hadoop and MapReduce algorithms, and have worked with large chunks of data.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/fifth-elephant-2013">The Fifth Elephant 2013</a> (organized by HasGeek, July 11 to 13, 2013, NIMHANS Convention Centre, Bangalore). </li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/internet-governance">Internet Governance</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Internet Governance programme conducts research around the various social, technical, and political underpinnings of global and national Internet governance, and includes online privacy, freedom of speech, and Internet governance mechanisms and processes. Currently, CIS is doing a project with <b>Privacy International</b>, London to facilitate research and events around surveillance, and freedom of speech and expression.</p>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
<p><b>Policy</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/draft-human-dna-profiling-bill-april-2012">Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill</a> (April 2012): High Level Concerns (by Elonnai Hickok, March 12, 2013). The post examines the high level concerns that CIS has with the April 2012 draft of the Bill.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/human-dna-profiling-bill-analysis">Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012 Analysis</a> (by Jeremy Gruber, Council for Responsible Genetics, US, March 19, 2013). Jeremy 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.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/privacy-protection-bill-2013-citizens-draft">The Privacy (Protection) Bill 2013: A Citizen's Draft</a> (by Bhairav Acharya, March 26, 2013). Bhairav Acharya has drafted the Privacy (Protection) Bill 2013. It contains provisions that speak to data protection, interception, and surveillance and also establishes the powers and functions of the Privacy Commissioner, and lays out offenses and penalties for contravention of the Bill. The Bill represents a citizen's version of possible privacy legislation for India, and will be shared with key stakeholders including civil society, industry, and government.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Events</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/privacy-round-table">A Privacy Round Table in Delhi</a> (organized by CIS and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, FICCI Federation House, Tansen Marg, New Delhi, April 3, 2013). </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/privacy-round-table-in-bangalore">A Privacy Round Table in Bangalore</a> (organized by CIS and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Jayamahal Palace, Jayamahal Road, Bangalore, April 20, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>Event Organized</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/analyzing-draft-human-dna-profiling-bill">Analyzing the Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012</a> (organized by the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, March 1, 2013): Maria Xynou shares <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/summary-of-cis-workshop-on-dna-profiling-bill-2012">a summary of the workshop</a> in this report.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/global-partners-meeting-london">Global Partners Meeting @ London</a> (organized by Privacy International, London School of Economics and Political Science, March 22 – 25, 2013). Sunil Abraham and Malavika Jayaram participated in the event.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/global-asc-upenn-events-indias-civil-liberties-crisis">India’s Civil Liberties Crisis: Of Bans, Blocks, Bullying and Biometrics</a> (organized by the Center for Global Communication Studies, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, March 28, 2013). Malavika Jayaram participated as a speaker.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/future-of-privacy-in-india-on-april-5-2013-at-oberoi-hotel-new-delhi">Future of Privacy in India</a> (organized by DSCI and ICOMP, Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi, April 5, 2013). Sunil Abraham is a speaker at this event.</li>
</ul>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>Blog Posts</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/hacking-without-borders-the-future-of-artificial-intelligence-and-surveillance">Hacking without borders: The future of artificial intelligence and surveillance</a> (by Maria Xynou, March 15, 2013). In this post, Maria looks at some of DARPA´s artificial intelligence surveillance technologies in regards to the right to privacy and their potential future use in India.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/driving-in-the-surveillance-society-cameras-rfid-black-boxes">Driving in the Surveillance Society: Cameras, RFID tags and Black Boxes...</a> (by Maria Xynou, March 26, 2013). Maria examines red light cameras, RFID tags and black boxes used to monitor vehicles in India.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/microsoft-releases-first-report-on-data-requests-by-law-enforcement-agencies">Microsoft Releases its First Report on Data Requests by Law Enforcement Agencies around the World</a> (by Maria Xynou, March 27, 2013). CIS presents Microsoft´s report on law enforcement requests, with a focus on data requested by Indian law enforcement agencies.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-criminal-law-amendment-bill-2013">The Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2013 — Penalising 'Peeping Toms' and Other Privacy Issues</a> (by Divij Joshi, March 31, 2013). The 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.</li>
</ul>
<h3>IT Act</h3>
<p><b>Featured Blog Post</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-welcomes-standing-committee-report-on-it-rules">CIS Welcomes Standing Committee Report on IT Rules</a> (by Pranesh Prakash, March 27, 2013). CIS 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. The post was quoted in: <a href="http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-28/internet/38098800_1_rules-self-regulation-pranesh-prakash">The Times of India</a> (March 28, 2013), <a href="http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=449591&catid=73">The Statesman</a> (March 28, 2013), <a href="http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-03-28/news/38099676_1_google-chairman-eric-schmidt-government-pranesh-prakash">Economic Times</a> (March 28, 2013), <a href="http://www.dqindia.com/dataquest/news/186012/cis-welcomes-panels-anti-govt-stand-it-rules">Data Quest</a> (March 28, 2013), and <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/clarify-and-define-terms-in-it-rules-panel-tells-govt/article4570291.ece">The Hindu</a> (April 1, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Submissions<br /></b>Bhairav Acharya, on behalf of CIS submitted comments to the Committee on Subordinate Legislation of the 15<sup>th</sup> Lok Sabha for the following rules:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comments-on-it-electronic-service-delivery-rules-2011">Comments on the Information Technology (Electronic Service Delivery) Rules, 2011</a>. The Rules were notified by the Central Government in the Gazette of India vide Notification GSR 316(E) on April 11, 2011.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comments-on-the-it-reasonable-security-practices-and-procedures-and-sensitive-personal-data-or-information-rules-2011">Comments on the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011</a>. The Rules were notified by the Central Government in the Gazette of India vide Notification GSR 313(E) on April 11, 2011.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comments-on-the-it-guidelines-for-cyber-cafe-rules-2011">Comments on the Information Technology (Guidelines for Cyber Cafe) Rules, 2011</a>. The Rules were notified by the Central Government in the Gazette of India vide Notification GSR 315(E) on April 11, 2011.</li>
</ul>
<p>Note: <i>The above rules were submitted earlier but published on our website only recently</i>.</p>
<h3>Unique ID Project</h3>
<p><b>Event Organized</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/uid-and-npr">Unique Identity Number (UID), National Population Register (NPR), and Governance</a> (organized by CIS and Say No to UID Campaign, TERI, Bangalore, March 2, 2013): CIS interviewed Usha Ramanathan and Anant Maringanti. Watch the <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/workshop-on-the-uid-and-npr">videos</a> uploaded in this blog post by Maria Xynou. This was covered in <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/newzfirst-march-3-2013-people-should-resist-enforcement-of-uid-scheme-say-experts">newzfirst</a> on March 3, 2013 and in the <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-march-3-2013-uid-has-no-legal-sanctity">Hindu</a> on March 3, 2013.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Interview</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/uid-and-npr-a-background-note">Unique Identification Scheme (UID) & National Population Register (NPR), and Governance</a> (by Elonnai Hickok, March 14, 2013). The post examines the UID, NPR and Governance as it exists in India. A video on the UID interview Questions and Answers is published.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>News and Media</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/zdnet-mahesh-sharma-march-14-2013-indian-id-crisis-unveils-aadhar-doubts">Indian ID crisis unveils Aadhaar doubts</a> (ZDNet, March 14, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/aeg-india-march-16-2013-new-dollar-one-billion-ric-project-casts-doubts-on-aadhar">New $1 Billion RIC Project Casts Doubts on Aadhaar</a> (AEG India, March 16, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entry</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/indias-biometric-identification-programs-and-privacy-concerns">India's Biometric Identification Programs and Privacy Concerns</a> (by Divij Joshi, March 31, 2013). </li>
</ul>
<h3>Free Speech and Expression</h3>
<p><b>News and Media</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/openmagazine-article-business-prashant-reddy-march-2-2013-foreign-funding-of-ngos">Foreign Funding of NGOs</a> (by Prashant Reddy, Open Magazine, March 2, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/rt-march-1-2013-icelands-proposed-porn-ban">Iceland’s proposed porn ban ‘like repression in Iran, N. Korea’ – activists</a> (RT, March 1, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wsj-march-4-2013-dhanya-ann-thoppil-chidambaram-to-talk-budget-on-google-hangout">Chidambaram to Talk Budget on Google+ Hangout</a> (by Dhanya Ann Thoppil, Wall Street Journal, March 4, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/livemint-ruchita-saxena-march-13-2013-responding-to-govt-requests-is-a-challenge-for-online-firms">Responding to govt requests is a challenge for online firms: Colin Maclay</a> (LiveMint, March 13, 2013). Colin M. Maclay, managing director of Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard mentioned CIS.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/afp-march-18-2013-indian-police-set-up-lab-to-monitor-social-media">Indian police set up lab to monitor social media</a> (originally published by <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iVMgMkOgpXOTaon2VoLdvu2x5oyg?docId=CNG.6d8f555d3498b94bac2fb1046fc7d3a6.4a1">AFP</a>, March 18, 2013, and also carried in <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130318/indian-police-set-lab-monitor-social-media">Global Post</a> on the same day). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wsj-r-jai-krishna-march-20-2013-namaste-mr-eric-schmidt">Namaste, Mr. Eric Schmidt</a> (by R. Jai Krishna, Wall Street Journal, March 20, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/times-of-india-ishan-srivastava-march-28-2013-parliament-panel-blasts-govt-over-ambiguous-internet-laws">Parliament panel blasts govt over ambiguous internet laws</a> (by Ishan Srivastava, The Times of India, March 28, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/times-of-india-atul-sethi-march-30-2013-what-if-the-net-shut-down-for-a-few-days">What if the Net shut down for a few days</a> (by Atul Sethi, The Times of India, March 30, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-times-uk-jerome-starkey-francis-elliott-david-brown-march-21-2013-press-controls-send-wrong-message-to-rest-of-world">Press controls ‘send wrong message to rest of world’</a> (by Jerome Starkey from Johannesburg, Francis Elliott from Delhi and David Brown, The Times, UK). </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Organized</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/freedom-song-film-screening-and-discussion">Freedom Song: Film Screening and Discussion</a> (IIHS Bangalore City Campus, March 21, 2013). Freedom Song, a documentary film produced by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust and directed by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Subi Chaturvedi was screened. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.iijnm.org/iijnmnews-rept.html">Is Social Media Incredible?</a> (organized by Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media, Bangalore, March 2, 2013). Snehashish Ghosh participated in a panel discussion. The New Indian Express <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/new-indian-express-march-4-2013-social-media-undermining-journalistic-credibility">published a post-event report</a>.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/rethinking-the-internet">Rethinking the Internet: The Way Forward</a> (organized by Telecom Italia and Financial iTimes, Telecom Italia Future Centre, Italy, March 21 – 22, 2013). Pranesh Prakash participated in this event.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Others</h3>
<p><b>Events Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/dml-hub-net-dml-2013">DML 2013: Fourth Annual Conference</a> (co-organised by CIS and Digital Media & Learning Research Hub Central, Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers - Chicago, Illinois, March 14 – 16, 2013). We had a special track that ran through the conference on "Whose Change Is It Anyway? Futures, Youth, Technology And Citizen Action In The Global South (And The Rest Of The World)". Noopur Raval was one of the 16 presenters that we had selected on the tracks. Nishant Shah was one of the members in the <a href="http://http/dml2013.dmlhub.net/">Conference Committee</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>Blog Posts</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/wgig-8-stock-taking-mapping-and-going-forward">WGIG+8: Stock-Taking, Mapping, and Going Forward</a> (Fontenoy Building, conference room # 7, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, February 27, 2013). Pranesh Prakash was the moderator for the session. A summary of the discussion has been published.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/dns-singularity-of-icann-and-the-gold-rush">What’s In a Name? — DNS Singularity of ICANN and the Gold Rush</a> (by Sharath Chandra Ram, March 31, 2013). March 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 ICANN for its 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.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/bensonsamuel-an-introduction-to-bitfilm-and-bitcoin-in-bangalore">An Introduction to Bitfilm & Bitcoin in Bangalore, India</a> (by Benson Samuel, March 12, 2013). Video of the event organized by CIS on January 23, 2013 is published in this blog post.</li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access">Knowledge Repository on Internet Access</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS in partnership with the Ford Foundation is executing a project on Internet Access. It covers the history of the internet, technologies involved, principle and values of internet access, broadband market and universal access and will touch upon various polices and regulations which has an impact on internet access and bodies and mechanism which are responsible for formulation policies related to internet access. The blog posts and modules will be published in a new website: <a href="http://www.internet-institute.in">www.internet-institute.in</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Upcoming Event</b><br />We are hosting an “Institute on Internet and Society” in collaboration with the Ford Foundation India, which is to be held from June 8, 2013 to June 14, 2013. Call for registration and relevant details will be announced soon on our website.</p>
<p>The following units have been published:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/internet-protocols">Internet Protocols</a> (by Srividya Vaidyanathan, March 18, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/how-email-works">How email works, how do you get your email? Email Protocols</a> (SMTP, POP, IMAP), SPAM/Phishing (by Srividya Vaidyanathan, March 19, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/internet-corporation-for-assigned-names-and-numbers">Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers</a> (by Snehashish Ghosh, March 19, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/international-telecommunication-union">ITU sectors — ITU-R, ITU-T, ITU-D, etc</a>. (by Snehashish Ghosh, March 27, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/wcit-2012">World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012</a> (by Snehashish Ghosh, March 29, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/telecom">Telecom</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is involved in promoting access and accessibility of telecommunications services and resources and has provided inputs to ongoing policy discussions and consultation papers published by TRAI. It has prepared reports on unlicensed spectrum and accessibility of mobile phones for persons with disabilities and also works with the USOF to include funding projects for persons with disabilities in its mandate:</p>
<p><b>Newspaper Column</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-march-8-2013-are-indias-glory-days-over">Are India's Glory Days Over?</a> (by Shyam Ponappa, <a href="http://organizing-india.blogspot.in/2013/03/are-indias-glory-days-over.html">Organizing India Blogspot</a>, March 8, 2013, originally published in the <a href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/are-india-s-glory-days-over-113030600625_1.html">Business Standard</a>, March 6, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/digital-natives">Digital Natives</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Digital Natives with a Cause? examines the changing landscape of social change and political participation in light of the role that young people play through digital and Internet technologies, in emerging information societies. Consolidating knowledge from Asia, Africa and Latin America, it builds a global network of knowledge partners who critically engage with discourse on youth, technology and social change, and look at alternative practices and ideas in the Global South:</p>
<p><b>Events Participated In</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/video-vortex-9-net-re-assemblies-of-video">Video Vortex # 9 Re:assemblies of Video</a> (organized by the Institute of Network Cultures, Post Media Lab, Moving Image Lab, Leuphana, et.al, February 28 – March 2, 2013). Nishant Shah gave the <a href="http://videovortex9.net/ai1ec_event/reassemblies/?instance_id=292">key note</a>. Videos of the event are published.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities">Digital Humanities</a></h2>
<p>From 2012 to 2015, the Researchers @ Work series is focusing on building research clusters in the field of Digital Humanities. We organised the first Habits of Living workshops in Bangalore last year. The next workshop is being held in Brown University</p>
<p><b>Event Co-organised</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities/blogs/habits-of-living/habits-of-living-networked-affects-glocal-effects">Habits of Living: Networked Affects, Glocal Effects</a> (co-organised with Brown University, March 21 – 23, 2013, Brown University, Rhode Island). Nishant Shah was a <a href="http://www.brown.edu/Conference/Habits/">speaker</a> at this event. He made a presentation on network ontologies.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/trans-review-korean-trans-cine-media-in-global-contexts">Korean Trans Cine-Media in Global Contexts: Asia and the World</a> (organized by Trans-Asia Screen Culture Institute, Cinema Studies, Korean National University of Arts, Korean Film Archive and Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda University, Seoul, March 27 – 29, 2013). Nishant Shah was a speaker at this event. He spoke on "The Asian Intercourse: Reimagining the Inter-Asia moment through ‘net-porn’ in networks".</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/">About CIS</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Centre for Internet and Society is a non-profit research organization that works on policy issues relating to freedom of expression, privacy, accessibility for persons with disabilities, access to knowledge and IPR reform, and openness (including open government, FOSS, open standards, etc.), and engages in academic research on digital natives and digital humanities.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Follow us elsewhere</h3>
<ul>
<li>Get short, timely messages from us on <a href="https://twitter.com/cis_india">Twitter</a></li>
<li>Join the CIS group on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/28535315687/">Facebook</a></li>
<li>Visit us at <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/">http://cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Support Us</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Please help us defend consumer / citizen rights on the Internet! Write a cheque in favour of ‘The Centre for Internet and Society’ and mail it to us at No. 194, 2nd ‘C’ Cross, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Bengaluru – 5600 71.</p>
<h3>Request for Collaboration</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We invite researchers, practitioners, and theoreticians, both organisationally and as individuals, to collaboratively engage with Internet and society and improve our understanding of this new field. To discuss the research collaborations, write to Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, at <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> or Nishant Shah, Director – Research, at <a href="mailto:nishant@cis-india.org">nishant@cis-india.org</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>CIS is grateful to its donors, Wikimedia Foundation, Ford Foundation, Privacy International, UK, Hans Foundation and the Kusuma Trust which was founded by Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, philanthropists of Indian origin, for its core funding and support for most of its projects.</i></p>
<ul>
</ul>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/march-2013-bulletin'>http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/march-2013-bulletin</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceDigital HumanitiesOpennessResearchers at Work2013-04-14T11:45:29ZPageKnowledge Repository on Internet Access
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access
<b>Ford Foundation and the Centre for Internet & Society bring you research on the origins of the Internet in India, its impact on the Indian GDP and topics and debates surrounding the Internet in today's world.</b>
<p><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/files/internet-institute-repository" class="external-link"><b>Knowledge Repository on Internet Access</b></a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaTelecom2016-07-17T03:41:56ZPageAre India's Glory Days Over?
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-march-8-2013-are-indias-glory-days-over
<b>Unless major structural changes are effected, India will miss an economic take-off for many years, writes Shyam Ponappa.</b>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The blog post was published in <a class="external-link" href="http://organizing-india.blogspot.in/2013/03/are-indias-glory-days-over.html">Organizing India</a> on March 8, 2013. Originally published in the <a class="external-link" href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/are-india-s-glory-days-over-113030600625_1.html">Business Standard</a> on March 6, 2013.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Underlying the varied narratives on the Budget is the persistence of structural inflation, especially in food items. India has sunk in an inflation quagmire, moving from a ranking of around 60th until 2008 to about 120th since then, with lower rankings indicating worse relative inflation. Most analysts opine that growth will be slow, and agree that the revenue deficit needs to be reduced much more than in the Budget. The planned reduction of expenditure or increase in revenues needs to be something like five times the budgeted half a per cent of GDP to reduce the risk of the external account imbalance.</span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Slow growth is inevitable</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>This year's Budget, according to one commentary from the Heritage Foundation, "leaves India on the same, failing course it's been on of undisciplined spending and unrealistic expectations". The report goes on to mention high expenditure, inadequate revenues and very high consumer inflation, with no reforms.<a href="#fn1" name="fr1">[1]</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Another </span><br /><span>analyst articulates a different view that in fact actually demands low growth. Focusing on the balance of payments risk because of a current account deficit, he argues that the Budget had to constrain growth, or risk triggering a crisis. This view suggests that we cannot export more until the world recovers and can buy more, and until it does, our unfavourable external balance puts us at risk.</span><a href="#fn2" name="fr2">[2]</a></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Or is it?</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>There's no denying the conclusion of the Heritage report, although there may be disagreement about some of the professed remedies, like opening up banking and insurance to foreign direct investment (FDI). However, the gap arising from the trade imbalance, while making India's economy more vulnerable, doesn't preclude interim strategies and limit our options to necessarily constraining growth. The current account deficit calls for convergent management of expectations that result in unrestricted foreign capital inflows, not the scattershot confusion of mixed signals. To what extent this should be at the cost of the growth that is so essential for the stability of our social fabric is debatable.<br /><br />For instance, is there the possibility, as in tourism-driven economies, that there could be a consistent inflow of capital to tide over the deficit until exports recover, ie, traditional export markets recover? Or that if we shifted to an unambiguous emphasis on FDI over time instead of encouraging short-term, anonymous, even incognito, inflows through Participatory Notes, that the gap could be bridged? Or that if our enterprises could start designing and manufacturing new products for sectors such as broadband and wireless communications, we might develop new markets in more growth-oriented areas in Asia, thereby improving our trade balance?</span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Infrastructure : the enabler and multiplier</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>No matter what direction we take, unless our governments - the non-monolithic, disparate powers that operate in the states or at the Centre - start dealing with realities, our glory days are over for years together. For instance, unless radical action is taken to increase food production and distribution, the curse of inflation will stunt growth, and hamstring our ability to improve infrastructure. In all this, the centrality of infrastructure as enabler and multiplier cannot be overemphasised.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Within infrastructure, there's little doubt about the crippling of telecommunications, now reduced to a shambling wreck by misconceived policies to capture revenues for the treasury, whether by governments' greed, or by the clamour of ill-informed and irrational public opinion, or courts misinformed by self-proclaimed guardians of the public interest whose ignorance overwhelms their good intentions by far.</span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Meanwhile, at the Mobile World Congress at Barcelona</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Around the same time, half a world away in Barcelona, there was an annual convention on mobile communications. People from companies around the world congregate for the Mobile World Congress, which ran from February 25 to 28 this year (for the first day's highlights, see: <i><a href="http://www.mobileworldlive.com/mwc-2013-day-1-opening-highlights-feature">http://www.mobileworldlive.com/mwc-2013-day-1-opening-highlights-feature</a></i>). This convention drew over 70,000 people, where Samsung and Nokia made their announcements about new smartphones, as did LG, Huawei, Intel and a host of others. It is also where the producers of systems for the delivery of these services, such as Qualcomm, Ericsson, and Nokia Siemens Networks, showed what they were doing to prepare for the vast anticipated increase in mobile broadband.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>The Mobile World Congress has relevance to India because our Trai and the DoT representatives were there, studying developments in managing spectrum and communications. If they're allowed to formulate solutions to solve some of our problems, instead of being restricted by ignorant litigants through the courts to incur more self-inflicted harm, their actions could revolutionise India's approach. Of particular interest for India were Ericsson's "Supplemental Downlink", which uses access to a predefined spectrum band to augment existing licensed capacity, and Nokia Siemens Networks' "Authorised Shared Access", which enables access to spectrum assigned to a primary holder, government in this case, to be used commercially without compromising the existing incumbents.<a href="#fn3" name="fr3">[3]</a></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Need for capacity and productivity hikes</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Major structural changes are required to create conditions to move India out of its growth doldrums. Take the collapse in the telecommunications sector. The first step is to give network owners the benefit of infrastructure status to lower borrowing costs. Radical changes to spectrum and network management to maximise service delivery while reducing costs, including extending the principle of revenue sharing from licences to spectrum use, can further improve outcomes with the same input. Also, sustained efforts to support the design and manufacture of products - whether through FDI in joint ventures or licensed local manufacturing, or the creation of products from scratch - could reduce the trade burden of ICT imports, which otherwise threaten to exceed our oil imports over time.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Our authorities must now develop ground rules that can lead to a potential revival, while corporations and the government work together to ensure success. Apart from this, sectors that can help with the balance of payments, like tourism, and domestic coal for power, must get focused solutions. Such developments are required in diverse sectors to break out of our tailspin.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">[<a href="#fr1" name="fn1">1</a>]. <span>"India Stays on Path to Economic Failure", Derek Scissors, The Heritage Foundation: <a href="http://blog.heritage.org/2013/02/28/india-stays-on-path-to-economic-failure/">http://blog.heritage.org/2013/02/28/india-stays-on-path-to-economic-failure/</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">[<a href="#fr2" name="fn2">2</a>]. <span>"Budgeting in hard times", T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan,<br />The Hindu: <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/budgeting-in-hard-times/article4472061.ece">http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/budgeting-in-hard-times/article4472061.ece</a></span></p>
<p>[<a href="#fr3" name="fn3">3</a>]. <span>(a) Supplemental Downlink and (b) Authorised Shared Access:</span><span><br />a) </span><a href="http://www.qualcomm.com/media/documents/files/benefits-of-hspa-supplemental-downlink.pdf">http://www.qualcomm.com/media/documents/files/benefits-of-hspa-supplemental-downlink.pdf</a><span><br />b) <a href="http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/sites/default/files/document/authorised_shared_access_apr_2012_0.pdf">http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/sites/default/files/document/authorised_shared_access_apr_2012_0.pdf</a></span></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-march-8-2013-are-indias-glory-days-over'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-march-8-2013-are-indias-glory-days-over</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecom2013-03-12T04:59:44ZBlog EntryFebruary 2013 Bulletin
http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/february-2013-bulletin
<b>The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) wishes you a great year ahead and welcomes you to the second issue of its newsletter for the year 2013. In this issue we bring you an overview of our research programs, updates of events organised by us, events we participated in, news and media coverage, and videos of some of our recent events.</b>
<h3>Memorial</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/fellow">Rahul Cherian</a>, an expert and policy activist in disability law, intellectual property and technology law passed away due to an illness while on a visit to Goa on February 7, 2013. Rahul was the founder of the Inclusive Planet Centre for Disability and Policy, and a fellow at CIS. He was also a partner at IndoJuris Law Offices in Chennai and was one of the experts who drafted the Treaty for the Visually Impaired currently being negotiated at the World Intellectual Property Organization. The <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-february-8-2013-rahul-cherian-passes-away">Hindu</a> (February 8, 2013), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/first-post-feb-8-2013-rahul-cherian-founder-of-ngo-inclusive-planet-passes-away">First Post</a> (February 8, 2013), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/legally-india-feb-7-2013-rip-rahul-cherian-human-rights-activist-inclusive-planet-co-founder">Legally India</a> (February 7, 2013), and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/bar-and-bench-feb-8-2013-inclusive-planet-co-founder-disability-law-activist-and-cancer-survivor-rahul-cherian-passes-away">Bar & Bench</a> (February 8, 2013) covered this story. Lawrence Liang wrote an obituary page, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-hindu-op-ed-lawrence-liang-feb-9-a-lightness-of-spirit">A Lightness of Spirit</a> (The Hindu, February 9, 2013) and Nishant Shah wrote a column <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/indian-express-feb-17-2013-nishant-shah-one-for-all">One For All</a> (Indian Express, February 17, 2013).</p>
<p>CIS organised a <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/events/in-memoriam-of-rahul-cherian">memorial function</a> for Rahul Cherian at the TERI, Southern Regional Centre in Bangalore on February 28, 2013.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Jobs</b><br />CIS invites applications for the posts of <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/vacancy-for-developer">Developer</a> (NVDA Screen Reader Project), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/programme-officer-access-to-knowledge-and-openness">Programme Officer</a> (Access to Knowledge and Openness), and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/programme-officer-internet-governance">Programme Officer</a> (Internet Governance). To apply send your resume to <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> and <a href="mailto:pranesh@cis-india.org">pranesh@cis-india.org</a>.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility">Accessibility</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is doing two projects in partnership with the <b>Hans Foundation</b>. One of this is to create a national resource kit of state-wise laws, policies and programmes on issues relating to persons with disabilities in India and another is for developing a screen reader and text-to- speech synthesizer for Indian languages. CIS is also working with the World Blind Union and many other organisations to develop a Treaty for the Visually Impaired helped by the WIPO:</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">National Resource Kit for Persons with Disabilities</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Anandhi Viswanathan from CIS and Manojna Yeluri from the Centre for Law and Policy Research are working in this project. Draft chapters have been published. Feedback and comments are invited from readers for the chapters on Bihar and West Bengal:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-bihar-chapter-call-for-comments">The Bihar Chapter</a> (by Manojna Yeluri, February 14, 2013): The state of Bihar is in the process of formulating a comprehensive state policy on disability. The Bihar State Policy on Disability is an extension of the National Policy for Persons with Disabilities and is currently in a draft form awaiting government approval and notification.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-west-bengal-chapter">The West Bengal Chapter</a> (by Anandhi Viswanathan, February 28, 2013): The state of West Bengal has issued the West Bengal Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Rules, 1999 to implement the provisions under the central Persons with Disabilities (Protection of Rights, Equal Opportunities and Full Participation) Act, 1995.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Media Coverage<br /></b></p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/ip-watch-feb-16-2013-catherine-saez-indian-users-perspective-on-wipo-negotiations-on-treaty-for-visually-impaired">Indian Users’ Perspective On WIPO Negotiations On Treaty For Visually Impaired</a> (by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch, February 16, 2013). Nirmita Narasimhan is quoted.</li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/a2k">Access to Knowledge</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Wikimedia Foundation <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">awarded</a> CIS a two year grant of INR 26,000,000 to support and develop the growth of Indic language communities and projects by community collaborations and partnerships. This is being carried out by the Access to Knowledge team based in Delhi. CIS is also doing a project (Pervasive Technologies) on examining the relationship between production of pervasive technologies and intellectual property. The project researches upon the noteworthy opportunities of the new types of low cost mobile devices, content and services as available in the market.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Wikipedia</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Beginning from September 1, 2012, Wikimedia Foundation <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">awarded</a> CIS a two-year grant of INR 26,000,000 to support and develop free knowledge in India. The <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Access_To_Knowledge/Team" title="Access To Knowledge/Team">A2K team</a> consists of four members based in Delhi: <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">T. Vishnu Vardhan</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Nitika Tandon</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Subhashish Panigrahi</a> and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Noopur Raval</a>, and one new team member <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">Dr. U.B. Pavanaja</a> who works from Bangalore office.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>New Team Member<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">Dr. U.B. Pavanaja</a> joined the A2K team as Programme Officer, India Language Initiatives on February 19, 2013. Dr. Pavanaja holds a Master’s degree from Mysore University and Ph.D. from Mumbai University. He was a scientist at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, for about 15 years. He is one of the earliest editors of Kannada Wikipedia. He has to his credit many firsts, viz., first Kannada website, first Kannada online magazine, first Indian language (Kannada) website to receive Golden Web Award, first Indian language (Kannada) editor for Palm OS, first Indian language (Kannada) editor for WinCE device (HP Jornado 720), first Indian language version (Kannada) of universally popular Logo (programming language for children) software, etc. His Kannada logo won the Manthan Award for the year 2006. He was a member of the technical advisory committee setup by the Govt. of Karnataka for Standardization of Kannada on Computers (2000). He is also a member of the Kannada Software Committee of Govt. of Karnataka (2008-current).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/knowledge-sharing-through-glam">Knowledge Sharing through GLAM at Bangalore</a> (Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad, Kumara Krupa Road, Bangalore, February 25, 2013). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja, Subhashish Panigrahi and Nitika Tandon participated in this event.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/wikimedia-bangalore-meetup-at-iimb">Wikimedia Bangalore Meetup @ Indian Institute of Management</a> (Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (organized in partnership with Wikispeed and NASSCOM). Vishnu Vardhan spoke on the Access to Knowledge project. Noopur Raval participated in the event.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entries</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/creative-commons-comes-to-india">Creative Commons comes to India</a> (by Subhashish Panigrahi, February 28, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/fifty-fourth-bangalore-wikimedia-meetup">Fifty-fourth Bangalore Wikimedia Meet-up at IIM, Bangalore</a> (by Noopur Raval, February 28, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/odia-wikipedia-education-program-iimc-dhenkanal">Odia Wikipedia Community Brings Wikipedia Education Program to IIMC, Dhenkanal</a> (by Subhashish Panigrahi, February 28, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/foss-wikimedia-under-one-roof-gnunify">FOSS, Wikimedia and Mozilla Under One Roof at GNUnify 2013, Pune</a> (by Subhashish Panigrahi, February 28, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Event Reports</b><br />CIS organised one Wiki workshop in the month of February 2013. We also bring you the report from an event organised in the month of January:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/celebrating-odia-wikipedias-ninth-anniversary">Celebrating Odia Wikipedia's Ninth Anniversary</a> (organized by the Odia Wiki Community with support from CIS and Academy for Media Learning, January 29, 2013, Bhubaneswar). Few glimpses of the event are available as audio podcasts.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/digital-literacy-workshop">Digital Literacy Workshop at Department of Arts, Delhi University</a> (by Nitika Tandon, February 5, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Media Coverage</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://odishan.com/?p=2534">ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆର ନବମ ଜନ୍ମତିଥି ଅବସରରେ କର୍ମଶାଳା: ଇମିଡ଼ିଆରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷାର ପ୍ରୟୋଗ</a> (Odishan.com, February 4, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><b>ସମ୍ବାଦ:</b><a href="http://sambadepaper.com/Details.aspx?id=36615&boxid=23625437"><b><i> </i></b>ଲିପି ବ୍ୟାକରଣ ଓ ମାନକ ଭାଷାର ପ୍ରୟୋଗ ଜରୁରୀ</a>. (Sambad, February, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.eindiadiary.com/content/odisha-workshop-organized-9th-anniversary-odia-language-application-odia-language-e-media">Odisha: Workshop organized on 9th Anniversary of Odia language: Application of Odia language in e-media</a> (e India Bureau, March 2, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://news.fullorissa.com/odia-wikipedias-9th-anniversary/">Odia Wikipedia’s 9th anniversary</a> (fullOrissa News, February 13, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://indiaeducationdiary.in/Orissa/Shownews.asp?newsid=19485">Odisha: Workshop organized on 9th Anniversary of Odia language: Application of Odia language in e-media</a> (India Education Diary.com, March 2, 2013). Subhashish Panigrahi is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.odishaviews.com/odia-language-workshop-organized-on-9th-anniversary-of-odia-wikipedia-application-of-odia-language-in-e-media/">Odia language workshop organized on 9th Anniversary of Odia Wikipedia: Application of Odia language in e-media</a> (Odishaviews.com, February 5, 2013). Subhashish Panigrahi is quoted.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<p><b> Ongoing Events<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/wikipedia-workshop-bits-goa">Wikipedia Workshop @ BITS Goa</a> (BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus, March 7, 2013, 5.30 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.). </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/wikipedia-editing-workshop-in-goa">A Wikipedia Editing Workshop in Goa</a> (Nirmala Institute of Education, Goa, March 8, 2013, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Announcement<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/sanskrit-wikiquote">Sanskrit Wikiquote — Now Available</a>: The Access to Knowledge team at CIS is happy to announce the availability of Sanskrit Wikiquote. Shiju Alex, an ex-team member played an active role in bringing this out. For more info see <a href="http://bit.ly/Y9OY9R">http://bit.ly/Y9OY9R</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Pervasive Technologies<b><br /></b></h3>
<p><b>Event Participated In<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/international-conference-on-contours-of-media">International Conference on Contours of Media Governance: Teaching, Disciplinarity, Methodology</a> (organised by Jamia Millia Islamia University with support from Ford Foundation and ICSSR, Centre for Culture, Media & Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, February 25 – 27, 2013). Sunil Abraham presented preliminary findings from the Pervasive Technologies project.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness">Openness</a> Updates</h3>
<p><b>Announcements from Other Organizations<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://epublishingtrust.net/ept-2nd-annual-oa-award/">Iryna Kuchma wins the second EPT award</a>: The Electronic Publishing Trust for Development announced the winner of its 2nd Annual Award in recognition of the effort made by individuals working in the developing and emerging countries in the furtherance of Open Access (OA) to scholarly publications. Dr. Francis Jayakanth won the inaugural award last year. </li>
</ul>
<h3>HasGeek</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">HasGeek creates discussion spaces for geeks and has organised conferences like the <a href="http://fifthelephant.in/2012/">Fifth Elephant</a>, <a href="http://droidcon.in/2011">Droidcon India 2011</a>, <a href="http://androidcamp.hasgeek.com/">Android Camp</a>, etc. HasGeek is supported by CIS and works from the CIS office in Bengaluru.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Event Report & Video<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/hasgeek-blog-zainab-bawa-feb-6-2013-report-of-aaron-swartz-memorial-hacknight">Report of Aaron Swartz Memorial Hacknight</a> (by Zainab Bawa, February 6, 2013). On January 19 and 20, 2013, HasGeek organized a hacknight to commemorate the life and work of Aaron Swartz. Zainab Bawa shares the developments.</li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/internet-governance">Internet Governance</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS has an agreement with <b>Privacy International</b>, London to facilitate the implementation of activities related to surveillance and freedom of speech and expression. We are also doing a project on examining the indicators of female economic empowerment in the IT industry in India.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Gender<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/women-in-indias-it-industry">Women in India’s IT Industry</a> (by Jadine Lannon, February 27, 2013)</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/women-in-the-it-industry">Women in the IT Industry: Request for Data</a> (by Jadine Lannon, February 28, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<p><b>Free Speech & Expression<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/analyzing-latest-list-of-blocked-urls-by-dot">Analyzing the Latest List of Blocked URLs by Department of Telecommunications (IIPM Edition)</a> (by Snehashish Ghosh, February 14, 2013). The analysis was quoted in <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/first-post-feb-19-2013-danish-raza-why-was-the-gwalior-court-in-such-a-hurry-to-block-iipm-urls">FirstPost</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/tehelka-sunil-abraham-feb-3-2013-dont-slap-free-speech">Don’t SLAPP free speech</a> (by Sunil Abraham with inputs from Snehashish Ghosh, Tehelka, February 3, 2013, Issue 9, Volume 10).</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-hindubusinessline-feb-15-2013-chinmayi-arun-freedom-of-expression-gagged">Freedom of Expression Gagged</a> (by Chinmayi Arun, Hindu Business Line, February 15, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Media Coverage<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/ndtv-video-the-social-network-feb-5-2013-hate-speech-ban-or-ignore">Hate speech: ban or ignore?</a> (NDTV, February 5, 2013). Pranesh Prakash, Shivam Vij, and Sanjay Rajoura gave their expert views on the impact of hate speech.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-national-feb-6-2013-samanth-subramanian-censorship-and-sensibility-in-india">Censorship and sensibility in India</a> (by Samanth Subramanian, February 6, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/ny-times-feb-8-2013-betwa-sharma-online-abuse-of-teen-girls-in-kashmir-leads-to-arrests">Online Abuse of Teen Girls in Kashmir Leads to Arrests</a> (by Betwa Sharma, New York Times, February 8, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-feb-9-2013-t-ramachandran-indian-net-service-providers-too-play-censorship-tricks">Indian net service providers too play censorship tricks</a> (by T Ramachandran, The Hindu, February 9, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/economic-times-feb-12-2013-indu-nandakumar-anonymous-joins-protests-against-internet-shutdown-in-kashmir">Anonymous joins protests against Internet shutdown in Kashmir</a> (by Indu Nandakumar, Economic Times, February 12, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/first-post-feb-19-2013-danish-raza-why-was-the-gwalior-court-in-such-a-hurry-to-block-iipm-urls">Why was the Gwalior court in such a hurry to block IIPM URLs?</a> (by Danish Raza, FirstPost, February 19, 2013). Snehashish Ghosh’s analysis on blocked website is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/outlook-feb-22-2013-arindam-mukherjee-stop-press-counsel">Stop Press Carousel</a> (by Arindham Mukherjee, Outlook, February 22, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/computer-world-india-feature-shubra-rishi-feb-25-2013-all-indian-enterprises-should-be-very-worried">"All Indian Enterprises should Be Very Worried": Centre for Internet and Society</a> (by Shubhra Rishi, Computer World, February 25, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Participated In<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wilton-park-feb-13-15-2013-freedom-of-expression-online">Freedom of expression online: identifying and addressing challenges and developing a shared vision and a working partnership</a>: (organized by Wilton Park, Wiston House, Sussex, UK, February 13 – 15, 2013). Pranesh Prakash participated in the event.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/itech-law-india-ninth-intl-asian-conference">9th International Asian Conference</a> (organized by ITech Law, Bangalore, February 14 -15, 2013). Sunil Abraham was a panelist in the session on Censorship of Online Content. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Privacy<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/privacy-highlights-in-india">2012: Privacy Highlights in India</a> (by Elonnai Hickok, February 12, 2013): Elonnai summarizes the top privacy moments of 2012 in India.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/eff-feb-13-2013-katitza-rodriguez-and-elonnai-hickok-surveillance-camp-iv-disproportionate-state-surveillance-a-violation-of-privacy">Surveillance Camp IV: Disproportionate State Surveillance - A Violation of Privacy</a> (by Elonnai Hickok and Katitza Rodriguez of Electronic Frontier Foundation February 19, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/big-dog-is-watching-you">BigDog is Watching You! The Sci-fi Future of Animal and Insect Drones</a> (by Maria Xynou, February 25, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Organized</b></p>
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<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/analyzing-draft-human-dna-profiling-bill">Analyzing the Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012</a> (March 1, 2013, CIS, Bangalore).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/uid-and-npr">Unique Identity Number (UID), National Population Register (NPR), and Governance</a> (March 2, 2013, TERI Southern Regional Centre, Bangalore).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated In</b></p>
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<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/omnishambles-of-uid-shrouded-in-its-rti-opacity">The Omnishambles of UID, shrouded in its RTI opacity</a>: CIS 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.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Event<br /></b></p>
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<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/dml-conference-2013">DML Conference 2013</a> (co-organised by CIS and Digital Media & Learning Research Hub Central, Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers - Chicago, Illinois, March 14 – 16, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<h2>Internet Access – Knowledge Repository</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS in partnership with the Ford Foundation was executing the telecom knowledge repository project which included producing and disseminating modules on various aspects of telecommunications including policy, regulations, infrastructure and market. However, from November 2012 there was a change in the mandate of the project. The new repository will cover the history of the internet, technologies involved, principle and values of internet access, broadband market and universal access. It will also touch upon various polices and regulations which has an impact on internet access and bodies and mechanism which are responsible for formulation policies related to internet access. The blog posts and modules will be published in a new website: <a href="http://www.internet-institute.in">www.internet-institute.in</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Upcoming Event<br /></b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We are hosting an “Institute on Internet and Society” in collaboration with the Ford Foundation India, which is to be held from June 8, 2013 to June 14, 2013. Call for registration and relevant details will be announced soon on our website.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/telecom">Telecom</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">While the potential for growth and returns exist for telecommunications in India, a range of issues need to be addressed. One aspect is more extensive rural coverage and the other is a countrywide access to broadband which is low. Both require effective and efficient use of networks and resources, including spectrum:</p>
<p><b>Newspaper Column<br /></b></p>
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<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-feb-14-2013-the-supreme-court-and-spectrum-management">The Supreme Court & Spectrum Management</a> (by Shyam Ponappa, Organizing India Blogspot, February 14, 2013, originally published in the Business Standard, February 6, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entry<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/who-minds-the-maxwells-demon">Who Minds the Maxwell's Demon: Revisiting Communication Networks through the Lens of the Intermediary</a> (by Sharath Chandra Ram, February 28, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/digital-natives">Digital Natives</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Digital Natives with a Cause? examines the changing landscape of social change and political participation in light of the role that young people play through digital and Internet technologies, in emerging information societies. Consolidating knowledge from Asia, Africa and Latin America, it builds a global network of knowledge partners who critically engage with discourse on youth, technology and social change, and look at alternative practices and ideas in the Global South:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Events Participated In<br /></b></p>
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<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/humlab-umea-university-d-coding-digital-natives">D:coding Digital Natives - Seminar with Nishant Shah</a> (organized by HUMlab, February 26, 2013). Nishant Shah gave a talk on D:coding Digital Natives at Samhällsvetarhuset.</li>
</ul>
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<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/video-vortex-9-net-re-assemblies-of-video">Video Vortex # 9 Re:assemblies of Video</a> (organized by the Institute of Network Cultures, Post Media Lab, Moving Image Lab, Leuphana, et.al, February 28 – March 2, 2013). Nishant Shah delivered a <a href="http://videovortex9.net/ai1ec_event/reassemblies/?instance_id=292">key note</a> at this event.</li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities">Digital Humanities</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">From 2012 to 2015, the Researchers At Work series is focusing on building research clusters in the field of Digital Humanities. We organised the first Habits of Living workshops in Bangalore last year. The next workshop is being held in Brown University.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Upcoming Event<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities/blogs/habits-of-living/habits-of-living-networked-affects-glocal-effects">Habits of Living: Networked Affects, Glocal Effects</a> (organised by CIS and Brown University, March 21 – 23, 2013, Brown University, Rhode Island). Nishant Shah will be speaking at this event.</li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="http://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/">About CIS</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS was registered as a society in Bangalore in 2008. As an independent, non-profit research organisation, it runs different policy research programmes such as Accessibility, Access to Knowledge, Openness, Internet Governance, and Telecom. The policy research programmes have resulted in outputs such as the <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/advocacy/accessibility/blog/e-accessibility-handbook">e-Accessibility Policy Handbook for Persons with Disabilities</a> with ITU and G3ict, and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/digital-natives/front-page/blog/dnbook">Digital Alternatives with a Cause?</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/digital-natives/front-page/blog/position-papers">Thinkathon Position Papers</a> and the <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/digital-natives/front-page/blog/digital-natives-with-a-cause-a-report">Digital Natives with a Cause? Report</a> with Hivos, etc. We have conducted policy research for the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, etc., on <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/a2k/blog/cis-analysis-july2011-treaty-print-disabilities">WIPO Treaties</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/a2k/blog/analysis-copyright-amendment-bill-2012">Copyright Bill</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/internet-governance/front-page/blog/cis-feedback-to-nia-bill">NIA Bill</a>, etc.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is accredited as an observer at WIPO. CIS staff participates in the Standing Committee for Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) meetings regularly held in Geneva, and participate in the discussions and comments on them from a public interest perspective. Our Policy Director, Nirmita Narasimhan won the <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/accessibility/blog/national-award">National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities</a> from the Government of India and also received the <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/news/nirmita-nivh-award">NIVH Excellence Award</a>.</p>
<h3>Follow us elsewhere</h3>
<ul>
<li>Get short, timely messages from us on <a href="https://twitter.com/cis_india">Twitter</a></li>
<li>Join the CIS group on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/28535315687/">Facebook</a></li>
<li>Visit us at <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/">http://cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Support Us</h3>
<p>Please help us defend consumer / citizen rights on the Internet! Write a cheque in favour of ‘The Centre for Internet and Society’ and mail it to us at No. 194, 2nd ‘C’ Cross, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Bengaluru – 5600 71.</p>
<h3>Request for Collaboration</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We invite researchers, practitioners, and theoreticians, both organisationally and as individuals, to collaboratively engage with Internet and society and improve our understanding of this new field. To discuss the research collaborations, write to Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, at <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> or Nishant Shah, Director – Research, at <a href="mailto:nishant@cis-india.org">nishant@cis-india.org</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>CIS is grateful to its donors, Wikimedia Foundation, Ford Foundation, Privacy International, UK, Hans Foundation and the Kusuma Trust which was founded by Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, philanthropists of Indian origin, for its core funding and support for most of its projects.</i></p>
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For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/february-2013-bulletin'>http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/february-2013-bulletin</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceOpennessResearchers at Work2013-03-11T05:35:46ZPageWho Minds the Maxwell's Demon (Revisiting Communication Networks through the Lens of the Intermediary)
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/who-minds-the-maxwells-demon
<b>A holistic reflection on information networks and it’s regulatory framework is possible only when the medium-specific boundary that has often separated the Internet and Telecom networks begins to dissolve, to objectively reveal points of contention in the communication network where the dynamics of network security and privacy are at large – namely, within the historic role of the intermediary at data/signal switching and routing nodes. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">It is unfair to contextualize the history of the Internet without looking at how analog information networks like cable and wireless telegraph and later, the telephone, almost coincidentally necessitated the invention of automated networks for remote machine control and peer-to- peer communication over the Internet that promised to drastically reduce intermediary overheads. While the whole world was fraught in patent wars over wired private networks, the first nodes of the ‘open’ internet were built in a two-week global meeting of computer scientists who were flown down to simply prepare for ‘a public exhibition’ of the ARPANET in 1971.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">While India only received it’s first telephone in New Delhi late into the 20<sup>th</sup> century, “Telegraph Laws” to most of the Indian working class always remained an ominously urgent telegram that brought the news of a dear one who had taken seriously ill. And so, on a lateral note, it is apt to bring to light the life of one Mr Almond Brown Strowger, wherein the idea of an automatic telephone exchange was given birth to by the <b>‘business of death’.</b></p>
<p><i> </i></p>
<h3>The Automatic Telephone Exchange</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Almond Strowger was an undertaker based in Missouri, in a town where there was yet another undertaker, who’s wife incidentally was an operator in the then manual telephone exchange. Strowger came to believe the reason he received fewer phone calls was that his business competitor’s wife ended up preferentially routing all callers seeking Strowger’s funeral services to her undertaker husband instead. Strowger conceived the initial idea in 1888 and patented ‘The Automatic Telephone Exchange’ in 1891. <a href="http://goo.gl/oieIJ">http://goo.gl/oieIJ</a></p>
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<p style="text-align: justify; ">Popularly known as the ‘Strowger Switch’, the Step-by Step switch (SXS switch) consisted of two interfaces – One at the customer’s end that used telegraph keys (and later a rotary dial) to send a train of electric current pulses corresponding to the digits 0 -9 all the way to the exchange. The actual Strowger switch at the exchange, used an electromechanical device that could move vertically to select one of 10 contacts, and then rotated to select one of another 10 in each row – a total of 100 choices. Consequently was formed in 1892, the Strowger Automatic Telephone Exchange Company at Indiana with about 75 subscribers. Strowger later sold his patents for $10,000 in 1898 to the Automatic Electric Company, a competitor of Bell System’s Western Electric. His patents were eventually acquired by Bell systems for $2.5 million in 1916, showing just how much growth and investor interest the telephone industry had gained by then.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Switching Paradigms</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The architecture of global communication was headed towards different ideals and directions. Most media historians contrast these methodologies into ‘circuit switching’ and ‘packet switching’, or a connection-oriented fault intolerant system on one hand and another connection-less fault tolerant protocol respectively, both of which were being developed concurrently. In reality however, a major driving factor were the stakeholders backing the infrastructure of the rapidly growing communication industry, who were looking for growing returns on their investments. And hence these parallel ramifications may also be looked at through the lens of closed proprietary and medium specific networks versus an open, shared, medium in-specific paradigm of information theory.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Circuit switching relied on an assured dedicated connection between 2 nodes, and was especially patronized by the industry that saw telecommunication as the latest fad in urban luxury (a key factor in the distinction of suburban areas as the affluent moved into urban areas that were ‘connected’ by telephone). Owners and manufacturers of the hardware infrastructure became the most significant stakeholders. The revenue model was based on the amount of time the network was used and hence was popular in analog voice telephone networks.<b> </b>The entire bandwidth of the channel was made available for the duration of the session along with a fixed delay between communicating nodes. Therefore, even if there was no information being transmitted during a session, the channel would not be made available to anyone else waiting to use it unless released by the previous party. Early telephone exchanges relied on manual labour to facilitate switching until the automated exchange came about.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Packet switching on the other hand, leaned towards the paradigm of shared bandwidth and resources, and more importantly approached communication with complete disregard to the medium of transmission, be it wired or wireless. Furthermore, it also disregarded the content, modality and form of communication with an objectified data-centric approach. Information to be transmitted was divided into structured “packets” or “capsules”. These packets were all ‘thrown’ into the shared network pool consisting of numerous other such packets, each with its own destination, to be carefully buffered, stored and forwarded by intermediary routers in the network. Apart from occasional packet loss, the time taken to send a message is indeterminate and is dependent on the overall traffic load on the network at any given time.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">INTERFACE MESSAGE PROCESSOR and the ICCC ‘Hackathon’</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Plans forged on into the early 1960s towards the development of an open architecture to enable network communication between computer systems, culminating in the invention of the ‘interface message processor’ that promised to herald the coming of an era of packet switching by enabling the ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), the first wide area packet switched network – and precursor to the world wide web as we know it today.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">While the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) had previously contracted Larry Roberts who in 1965 developed the first packet switched network between two computers , the TX-2 at MIT with a Q-32 in California, a growing need was felt to have a centralized terminal with access to multiple sites that would enable any computer to connect to any site. The first IMP was commissioned to be built by the engineering firm BBN (Bolt, Beranek and Newman, a professor student trio from MIT).</p>
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<p>(The very first Interface Message Processor by BBN: Courtesy: <a class="external-link" href="http://goo.gl/tvo8n">http://goo.gl/tvo8n</a>)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">By 1971, the four original nodes that connected the ARPANET (viz, UCLA, Stanford Research Institute, University of Utah and University of California at Santa Barbara) had expanded to 15 nodes, but the lack of a common host protocol meant that a full-scale implementation and adoption of the ARPANET was far from complete. The time had come to allow the public to engage with the promising future that the Internet held. What entailed was the organization of first public International Conference on Computer Communication (1972) (<a href="http://goo.gl/PFhtL">http://goo.gl/PFhtL</a>) under the umbrella of the IEEE Computer Society at the Hilton Hotel, Washington D.C. In many ways the event was the original version of a modern day new media art ‘hackathon’ and involved about 50 computer scientists who were flown in from around the globe alongside the likes of Vint Cerf and Bob Metcalfe. The deadline of a public demonstration provided the much-needed impetus to drive the network to functional completion. Exhibits included a variety of networked applications like the famed dialogue between the ‘paranoid patient’ chatbot PARRY and doctor ELIZA, motion control of the LOGO ‘Turtle’ across the network and remote access of digital files that were printed on paper locally. A milestone in distributed packet switching had been achieved and the stage had been set to compete with the archaic paradigm of circuit switched networks, even as delegates from AT&T (incidentally one of the funders of the event) watched on with the hope that the demonstration would run into a fatal glitch.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Who Minds the Maxwell's Demon</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">It may not be boldly evident from the vast corpus of policy research surrounding the regulation of communication networks (be it the issues of network security, privacy, anonymity, surveillance or billing systems) that key-points in the control system where dynamics play at large, are at the interfacing nodes and data/signal switches at either transceiver nodes as well as intermediary nodes. This is further underlined by the historical fact that the invention of the automatic telephone exchange was fuelled by the necessity to ensure a paradigm of unbiased circuit switching within the context of a networked business.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Just a glimpse at the number of patents that directly or indirectly refer to the Automatic Telephone Exchange patent shall bring to light myriad applications that range from “Linking of Personal Information Management Data”, “Universal Data Aggregation”, “Flexible Billing Architecture”, ”Multiple Data Store Authentication” , “Managing User to User Contact using Inferred Presence Detection” to various paradigms surrounding distributed systems for cache defeat detection, most of which are part of PUSH technology services that manage networked smartphone applications from instant messaging to email access. Other proposed systems for spectrum management and dynamic bandwidth allocation, such as policy alternatives to spectrum auction that entail frequency hopping at the transmitter level shall invariably depend on a centralized automated intermediary who shall in theory have transparent access to data flow. The role of routing intermediaries with specialized access, poses many interesting questions with regards to policy issues that surround network privacy and security.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">This brings us back to the seemingly comical reference that this article makes to a mysterious entity named the ‘Maxwell’s Demon’. A thought experiment proposed by James Clerk Maxwell, involved a chamber of gas molecules at equilibrium that was divided into two halves along with a ‘door’ controlled by the “Maxwell’s Demon”. The demon had the ability to ‘open’ the door to allow faster than average molecules to enter one side of the chamber while slower molecules ended up on the other side of the chamber, causing the former side to heat up while the other side gradually cooled down, thereby establishing a temperature difference without doing any work, and thus violating the 2<sup>nd</sup> Law of Thermodynamics. The parallel drawn in this article between networked switching intermediaries and the Maxwell’s demon does not go beyond this simple functional similarity.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">However for the ambitious reader, it maybe interesting to note that ever since the invention of digital computers, scientists have actively pursued the paradox of Maxwell’s demon to revisit physical fundamentals governing information theory and information processing, which has involved analyzing the thermodynamic costs of elementary information manipulation in digital circuits – A study that probably constantly engages Google as they pump water through steel tubes to cool their million servers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We shall save all this for another day, but on yet another related note, everytime say an email sent to an invalid address bounces back to your inbox as a “Mailer Daemon”, let it be known that the “Daemon” in Operating System terminology that refers to an invisible background process that the user has no control over, infact directly owes it’s etymology to the paradox of ‘Maxwell’s Demon’.</p>
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For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/who-minds-the-maxwells-demon'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/who-minds-the-maxwells-demon</a>
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No publishersharathTelecom2013-03-05T07:37:37ZBlog Entry