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- Comments on NITI AAYOG Working Document: Towards Responsible #AIforAll — by Shweta Mohandas, Arindrajit Basu and Ambika Tandon — last modified Aug 18, 2020 06:25 AM
- The NITI Aayog Working Document on Responsible AI for All released on 21st July 2020 serves as a significant statement of intent from NITI Aayog, acknowledging the need to ensure that any conception of “Responsible AI” must fulfill constitutional responsibilities, incorporated through workable principles. However, as it is a draft document for discussion, it is important to highlight next steps for research and policy levers to build upon this report.
- Raina Roy and Abhiraj Bag - Kolkata’s trans community has been locked out of healthcare and livelihood — by Raina Roy and Abhiraj Bag — last modified Aug 01, 2020 02:54 PM
- Over six months into the outbreak of Covid-19 in India, it has become clear that the pandemic does not affect everybody equally. It has amplified the sufferings of the already-marginalised trans community. Raina Roy spoke to 10 trans persons and trans rights activists in Kolkata over the course of the past few months to better understand the situation. The piece was transcribed by Abhiraj Bag and edited by Kaarika Das and Srravya C, researchers at the Centre for Internet and Society, India. This work is part of a project at CIS on gender, welfare and surveillance, supported by Privacy International, United Kingdom.
- The 5G Factor:A Primer — by Nikhil Dave — last modified Jul 20, 2020 09:02 PM
- Despite the seemingly unending challenges, the task of acting against Huawei and China presents even more complex problems, and it seems writing off Huawei from the future of 5G, may be a premature call.
- The State of Secure Messaging — by Divyank Katira — last modified Jul 17, 2020 08:12 AM
- A look at the protections provided by and threats posed to secure communication online.
- Engaging with the Covid-19 Crisis — by Pranav M B — last modified Jul 15, 2020 09:31 AM
- In the last six months, COVID-19 has had a far-reaching impact on the world, including on the digital sphere, how people interact with it, and its mediation of social and economic exchanges. Researchers and practitioners at the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) have responded to this dynamic landscape from different lenses.
- A Survey of Covid 19 Apps Launched by State Governments in India — by Pallavi Bedi, and Amber Sinha — last modified Jul 14, 2020 08:14 AM
- Use of mobile phones by vulnerable communities: A survey of sex workers and gay men in Karnataka — by Megha Malnad, Parimala, Nagina, and Tasneem Mewa — last modified Jul 14, 2020 06:32 AM
- This report has been authored by Megha Malnad, Parimala, Nagina, and Tasneem Mewa, and edited by Ambika Tandon, Gurshabad Grover and Rajesh Srinivas.
- Social Entitlements for the Transgender Community — by Deepa Krishnappa and Tasneem Mewa — last modified Jul 14, 2020 06:27 AM
- This report has been authored by Deepa Krishnappa and Tasneem Mewa, and edited by Ambika Tandon, Gurshabad Grover and Rajesh Srinivas.
- Event Report: How Safe is Your Harbour? Discussions on Intermediary Liability and User Rights — by Anna Liz Thomas, Shubhika Saluja, Kanav Khanna and Dipto Ghosh — last modified Jul 10, 2020 12:50 PM
- This report provides an overview of the proceedings and outcomes of the panel discussions on intermediary liability, organised at The Energy Research Institute’s (TERI) in Bangalore, on 20 January 2020.
- Investigating TLS blocking in India — by Simone Basso, Gurshabad Grover and Kushagra Singh — last modified Jul 09, 2020 01:23 AM
- A study into Transport Layer Security (TLS)-based blocking by three popular Indian ISPs: ACT Fibernet, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio.
- Towards Algorithmic Transparency — by Radhika Radhakrishnan, and Amber Sinha — last modified Jul 15, 2020 01:16 PM
- This policy brief examines the issue of transparency as a key ethical component in the development, deployment, and use of Artificial Intelligence.
- Response to the ‘Call for Comments’ on The Santa Clara Principles on Transparency and Accountability — by Torsha Sarkar and Suhan S — last modified Jul 01, 2020 05:56 AM
- The Santa Clara Principles on Transparency and Accountability, proposed in 2018, provided a robust framework of transparency reporting for online companies dealing with user-generated content. In 2020, the framework underwent a period of consultation "to determine whether the Santa Clara Principles should be updated for the ever-changing content moderation landscape." In lieu of this, we presented our responses, which are in-line with our previous research and findings on transparency reporting of online companies, especially in context of the Indian digital space.
- Brindaalakshmi.K - Gendering of Development Data in India: Beyond the Binary — by Brindaalakshmi.K — last modified Jun 30, 2020 10:26 AM
- This report by Brindaalakshmi.K seeks to understand the gendering of development data in India: collection of data and issuance of government (foundational and functional) identity documents to persons identifying outside the cis/binary genders of female and male, and the data misrepresentations, barriers to accessing public and private services, and informational exclusions that still remain. Sumandro Chattapadhyay edited the report and Puthiya Purayil Sneha offered additional editorial support. This work was undertaken as part of the Big Data for Development network supported by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.
- Remove misinformation, but be transparent please! — by Torsha Sarkar — last modified Jun 29, 2020 11:46 AM
- The Covid-19 pandemic has seen an extensive proliferation of misinformation and misleading information on the internet - which in turn has highlighted a heightened need for online intermediaries to promptly and effectively deploy its content removal mechanisms. This blogpost examines how this necessity may affect the best practices of transparency reporting and obligations of accountability that these online intermediaries owe to their users, and formulates recommendations to allow preservation of information regarding Covid-19 related content removal, for future research.
- Donald Trump is attacking the social media giants; here’s what India should do differently — by Anna Liz Thomas and Gurshabad Grover — last modified Jun 25, 2020 09:07 AM
- For a robust and rights-respecting public sphere, India needs to ensure that large social media platforms receive adequate protections, and are made more responsible to its users.
- 'I feel the pain of having nowhere to go': A Manipuri Trans Woman Recounts Her Ongoing Lockdown Ordeal — by Santa Khurai — last modified Jun 22, 2020 11:42 AM
- "My life and work in Bengaluru came to an abrupt halt with the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown this March. We no longer had jobs and were forced to plan our departure from the city." -- As told to Santa Khurai, Manipur-based queer and Nupi Manbi activist, artist and writer. Compiled by Aayush Rathi, a cisgender, heterosexual man, and researcher with Centre for Internet and Society, India. This account is part of an ongoing CIS research project on gender, welfare and surveillance in India, and is supported by Privacy International, UK.
- Cryptocurrencies in India get a second wind — by Vipul Kharbanda — last modified Jun 19, 2020 03:59 PM
- An analysis of the Supreme Court judgment cryptocurrency judgment.
- Guest Report: Bridging the Concerns with Recommending Aarogya Setu — by Siddharth Sonkar — last modified Jun 24, 2020 05:19 AM
- Keywords: Aarogya Setu, Constitutionality, Digital Contact Tracing, Location Data, Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, Exemptions, Personal Data, Sensitive Personal Data, Mosaic Theory, Surveillance, Privacy, Governing Law, Necessity, Intensity of Review, disparate Impact, Proportionality
- DWRU, BBGS & MKU - The Covid-19 Pandemic and the Invisible Workers of the Household Economy — by Geeta Menon — last modified Jun 19, 2020 12:34 PM
- Domestic Workers Rights Union (DWRU), Bruhat Bangalore Gruhakarmika Sangha (BBGS), and Manegelasa Kaarmikara Union (MKU) have prepared a report on the invisibilisation of domestic workers under the Covid-19 pandemic and a set of demands directed at the government and resident welfare associations (RWAs) for better, dignified and just treatment of domestic workers in Karnataka. We at CIS are proud to contribute to and publish this work as part of the ongoing 'Feminist Internet Research Network' project supported by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).
- Geo-economic impacts of the coronavirus: Global Supply Chains (Part I) — by Nikhil Dave — last modified Jun 16, 2020 08:17 AM
- This two part blog post looks at the geo-economic impacts of the coronavirus by examining crucial impacts of developments in China. Part I looks at the impact of China's shutdown on global supply chains and part two, considers the implications for the future of 5G technology.
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