Centre for Internet and Society

Cracking Whip

praskrishna — 2018-07-29T00:52:54Z

Cracking Whip

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/CrackingWhip.png

CPRsouth 2016 – Young Scholars Programme

praskrishna — 2016-05-30T02:01:21Z

Rohini Lakshané, Amber Sinha and Vidushi Marda have been selected to attend the two-day Young Scholars' Programme to be held in Zanzibar, Tanzania in early September this year. The programme is a part of the CPRSouth conference.

Read the original announcement published by CPRSouth here.

Following highly successful joint Afro-Asian CPR conferences in Mauritius in 2012, and India in 2013, CPRafrica and CPRsouth formally merged under the banner of CPRsouth in 2014. Since then, CPRsouth has hosted conferences in the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa (2014), and at the Innovation Center for Big Data and Digital Convergence at Yuan Ze University, Taiwan (2015).

This year’s conference is co-hosted by COSTECH and TCRA in Zanzibar, and will include sessions on cutting-edge developments on ICT policy and regulation in the South and discussion of the research-policy interface.

30 Young Scholars from Africa and the Asia-Pacific region will be selected to participate in a tutorial programme taught by recognised scholars and practitioners from Africa and Asia, and they will attend the main conference thereafter.

Tutorials are scheduled to be held on the 6^th and 7^th of September 2016, prior to the main CPRsouth conference.

Who will qualify?

Masters/PhD students in Economics, Public policy, Communications and Journalism
Officers of government/regulatory agencies undertaking ICT policy research, developing/gathering indicators (monitoring and evaluation)
Staff of private companies in the communication industries working in regulatory affairs
Officers in NGOs/INGOs working in policy and regulation
Researchers from think tanks, university research centres
Journalists covering communication public policy and regulation

Seminar

The seminar will cover a number of topics of the two days, such as:

policy analysis using supply-side or demand-side data;
ICT impact analysis;
convergence, net neutrality;
funding broadband network extension, open access networks, spectrum;
sector and competition regulation;
research to policy interventions;
Internet governance – privacy, surveillance, human rights online; and
introduction to big data, open data.

(2016 tutorial programme still to be confirmed)

Previous tutorial presentations can be accessed at http://www.cprsouth.org/

Application deadline: 22 April 2016

Application guidelines

Applications should be submitted via this link by 22 April 2016, and must contain the following:

one-page curriculum vitae; and
one-page write-up outlining why you wish to become an African or Asia-Pacific based expert capable of contributing to ICT related policy and regulatory reform in the region

Applicants’ write-ups and biographies should be in a single word document, and named: CPRsouth2016_YoungScholar_ApplicantLastName.

Kindly note: Late applications and applications that do not conform to the prescribed format above will automatically be disqualified.

Review Criteria

Applications will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

content of application;
evidence of interest in, and commitment to, policy-relevant research for Africa or the Asia-Pacific region;
quality of writing; and
gender and country representation

The selection committee may contact your supervisor or mentor before making the final selections.

Candidates selected to participate in the tutorial programme must:

provide a one-page research proposal upon acceptance onto the tutorial programme
participate in all tutorial sessions
participate in the entire CPRsouth 2016 conference

Funding

Selected young scholars who are passport holders of, and travelling from, low and middle income countries within the Asia Pacific and Africa (as classified by the World Bank http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups#Low_income) will be provided with:

lowest-cost economy airfare to conference destination (less USD 150 registration fee);
ground transfers between the conference venue and airport; and
twin sharing accommodation on bed and breakfast basis, 5 lunches and 1 dinner for the duration of the conference and tutorials (6 – 10 September 2016). Not all meals are covered.

The registration fee for young scholars to attend the conference and tutorials is USD150, and airfares will be reimbursed less this registration fee. Participants will be required to cover:

transport to and from airports in their home countries;
visa fees (if any);
meals not provided; and
any other incidental costs

As the registration fee is so low and should be met personally even if there is no institutional support for attendance of the course and conference, please note that only under exceptional circumstances of extreme financial hardship may the organisers consider a waiver of the conference registration fee. Such waivers will be considered on a case-by-case basis and only where a scholar would otherwise be prevented from attending the YS programme and conference.

Visas

Letters of invitation will be provided for purposes of visa applications after participant selections have been made. Participants are responsible for securing their own visas to enter Tanzania, and are strongly advised to initiate visa approval procedures immediately on receipt of confirmation of their participation.

Kindly direct all enquiries to Ondine Bello: admin@researchictafrica.net orinfo@CPRsouth.org

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/cprsouth-2016-2013-young-scholars-programme

CPR South 2

praskrishna — 2013-09-30T11:17:37Z

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cpr-south-2

CPR South 1

praskrishna — 2013-09-30T10:58:17Z

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cpr-south-1

CPDP 2015

praskrishna — 2014-09-30T09:52:52Z

The eighth international conference on computers, privacy and data protection will be held in Brussels from January 21 to 23, 2015. The Centre for Internet and Society is a moral supporter of CPDP.

CPDP is a non-profit platform originally founded in 2007 by research groups from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Université de Namur and Tilburg University and has grown into a platform carried by 20 academic centers of excellence from the EU, the US and beyond. As a world-leading multidisciplinary conference CPDP offers the cutting edge in legal, regulatory, academic and technological development in privacy and data protection. Within an atmosphere of independence and mutual respect, CPDP gathers academics, lawyers, practitioners, policy-makers, computer scientists and civil society from all over the world in Brussels offering them an arena to exchange ideas and discuss the latest emerging issues and trends. This unique multidisciplinary formula has served to make CPDP one of the leading data protection and privacy conferences in Europe and around the world. CPDP2014 welcomed 854 guests including 343 speakers from 43 different countries dispersed over more than 60 panels which took place during three full days. It attracted another 500 people in several public evening events including debates, a pecha kucha evening and an art exhibition. CPDP2015 aims to repeat the success of last year and will stage panels within the following main topical themes: Data Protection Reform: European and Global Developments, Mobility (mobile technologies, wearable technologies, border surveillance), EU-US developments concerning the regulation of government surveillance, Health, privacy and data protection, Love and lust in the digital age, Internet governance and privacy.

In 2015 CPDP will take place from January 21 to 23, 2015 in the Halles de Schaerbeek, Brussels, Belgium. Registrations are already open: http://www.cpdpconferences.org/Registration.html. For more details see here.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/cpdp-2015

CPDP 2014 Reforming Data Protection: The Global Perspective

praskrishna — 2013-12-11T03:39:50Z

Already in its 7th edition, the annual Computer Privacy and Data Protection conference (organised by CPDP) is being held in Brussels from January 22 to 24, 2014. Malavika Jayaram will be speaking at this event.

The Centre for Internet and Society is one of the sponsors for this event. Click here to read the full programme.

CPDP is a non-profit platform originally founded in 2007 by research groups from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Université de Namur and Tilburg University, which has now grown significantly and incorporates a consortium of 21 conference partners.

CPDP offers the cutting edge in legal, regulatory, academic and technological development in privacy and data protection. In an atmosphere of independence and mutual respect, CPDP gathers academics, lawyers, practitioners, policy-makers, computer scientists and civil society from all over the world to exchange ideas and discuss the latest emerging issues and trends. This unique multidisciplinary formula has served to make CPDP one of the leading data protection and privacy conferences in Europe and around the world.

CPDP2014 has become truly global: it is co-organized by conference partners from Europe and the United States, and devotes panels to Latin-America and India. Moreover, CPDP is reaching out to the Asia-Pacific with speakers coming from all over the region.

The progressive growth of CPDP will culminate in an unprecedented 7^th edition. A terrific programme will include more than 60 panels held over three consecutive days. The panels will focus on key issues that cover all current debates: The data protection reform in the European Union, PRISM, big data, cybercrime, data retention, cloud computing, enforcement by Data Protection Authorities, biometrics, e-health, privacy by design, and much, much more. In addition, there will be a day event on the ethical issues of data collection on minorities, and the use of technology to advance the status of Roma.

CPDP will offer valuable contributions from the leading names in the field, including key representatives from all the major European institutions - the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Data Protection Supervisor, and the Council of Europe.

In addition to the well-known classic Pecha Kucha side event, there will be several public debates held in the evenings – both in Dutch and English.

CDP2014 will continue to pay particular attention to high-level and innovative research from PhD Students and outstanding junior researchers by organizing sessions completely devoted to their work. CPDP2014 will also remain home to several award ceremonies, such as the award for the best Multidisciplinary Privacy Paper and the EPIC International Champion of Freedom Award.

Whether you are involved in the Conference as a sponsor, supporter, partner or participant or not, CPDP2014 welcomes you to join the event and contribute to the debate on emerging privacy and data protection issues.

For up to date information, registration and the programme, please visit http://www.cpdpconferences.org/ and follow CPDP on Facebook (cpdpconferences) and Twitter (@cpdpconferences).

If you have any questions please contact: info@cpdpconferences.org

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/events/cpdp-2014-reforming-data-protection-global-perspective

CPDP (Computers, Privacy and Data Protection) 2017

praskrishna — 2017-02-03T02:02:05Z

Amber Sinha participated as a panelist in a panel on 'EU Adequacy Status for International Data Transfers' in Brussels, Belgium on January 26, 2017. The event was organized by Privacy International.

EU Adequacy Status for International Data Transfers

According to EU data protection laws, countries only have blanket freedoms to receive and process personal data from the EU if they have been awarded an adequacy status by the Commission. Given the vital importance of data transfers between countries in the global economy, having such a status is a valuable asset, as other available legal means of transfer are more limited. India, for e.g. is said to be losing in excess of Euro 30 billion per year through lost trade with the EU, as it lacks such adequacy status. In the 20+ years since the data protection Directive was passed, only 11 states have been decided to be ‘adequate’ by the Commission – which include the US with its recently awarded Privacy Shield. The Commission methodology and procedures for granting adequacy to countries is increasingly under scrutiny – for e.g. a recent study found that the way it makes adequacy decisions for its trade partners could be accused of being obscure, inconsistent and without clear criteria or rules or timeframes. This also makes EU data protection laws vulnerable to challenge under world trade rules. This panel will address the following questions:

Questions to be considered:

On what basis does the EU and the Commission make decisions on whom to grant adequacy status?

In the light of the Schrems judgement defining adequacy as ‘essentially equivalent’, should all past decision be revised?

Given that more than 100 countries now have general data protection laws, how should countries be chosen for adequacy judgements?
What criteria and methodologies should be used to ensure all countries are treated equally, to ensure fundamental rights are equally upheld, and to avoid possible challenge under WTO rules?
(New) What are your views on the EC proposal to facilitate international transfers of personal data, recently published?

Panel:

Chair: Jan Albrecht MEP

Panel:

Kristina Irion, Institute of Information Law (IVIR), University of Amsterdam:

Kristina is expert academic in both data protection and related trade issues, author of recent study ‘Trade and Privacy: complicated bedfellows’

Amber Sinha, Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), India

Amber is policy researcher specialising in privacy and big data ; CIS is an India NGO and partner organisation of Privacy International.

Daniel Cooper, Covington and Burling ;

Dan is partner at this global law firm, which advises both business and government clients round the world ; he leads the data protection practice in London

Bruno Gencarelli, European Commission DG Justice ;

Bruno is the head of the new DG Justice unit on data flows and data protection, and as such the Commission boss of adequacy

Veronica Perez-Asinari, European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS).

Veronica is the EDPS head of unit for supervision and enforcement; she has also recently spent some months working with the Argentina DPA (Argentina has EU adequacy).

Moderator: Anna Fielder, Privacy International

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/cpdp-computers-privacy-and-data-protection-2017

CPC and CrPC

praskrishna — 2014-04-29T05:54:14Z

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cpc-crpc.zip

Covid Certificate

praskrishna — 2021-06-26T06:43:08Z

Jabalpur: A beneficiary shows his certificate on his mobile phone after receiving COVID-19 vaccine dose, at Gyan Ganga College in Jabalpur, Saturday, May 15, 2021. (PTI Photo)

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/CovidCertificate.jpg

Coverage in Kannada Prabha

praskrishna — 2013-04-16T04:06:34Z

Coverage of Wiki Workshop in Kannada Prabha

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/home-images/Kannada.png

Cover Letter for DNA Profiling Bill 2015

praskrishna — 2015-09-02T17:05:57Z

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cover-letter-for-dna-profiling-bill-2015

Court’s approval needed to tap phones: Panel

praskrishna — 2012-10-22T07:02:34Z

Investigators can monitor a person for 15-20 days on executive orders in case of emergencies, suggests panel.

Surabhi Agarwal's article was published in LiveMint on October 18, 2012. Sunil Abraham is quoted.

Government agencies need judicial permission before intercepting any communication or starting surveillance of any individual, a panel on the proposed privacy law suggested on Thursday.

If there is any urgency, investigators can tap phones or monitor a person’s movements for 15-20 days on executive orders but will then have to approach the courts to continue, the committee led by retired Delhi high court judge Ajit P. Shah recommended.

“Phone tapping under the present regime is done under executive permission whereas in other countries it is done only with the permission of the courts,” Shah said.

Security agencies currently require permission from home secretaries, either at the Centre or the states, to set up wiretaps or monitor emails. An oversight group of the cabinet, law and telecom secretaries at the Centre reviews all such authorizations.

	The government established the Shah committee in Feburary under the Planning Commission to study international best practices on privacy and surveillance after concerns arose on misuse of information collected by official agencies. Shah said on Thursday that the committee was “not interested” in preparing a privacy law but has only laid down the principles. The department of personnel and training will deliberate on the panel’s recommendations and then draft a legislation, said Ashwani Kumar, junior minister in the Planning Commission.

The government established the Shah committee in Feburary under the Planning Commission to study international best practices on privacy and surveillance after concerns arose on misuse of information collected by official agencies.

Shah said on Thursday that the committee was “not interested” in preparing a privacy law but has only laid down the principles.

The department of personnel and training will deliberate on the panel’s recommendations and then draft a legislation, said Ashwani Kumar, junior minister in the Planning Commission.

The Shah panel has recommended appointing privacy commissioners and a system under which organizations will have to develop privacy standards that will be approved by a commissioner as a means of self-regulation.

Sectoral industry associations would form a code of conduct for companies that will comply with law as they will be approved by the privacy commissioner, according to Kamlesh Bajaj, chief executive officer of Data Security Council of India, one of the members of the committee. “These associations could also act as alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms,” Bajaj said.

The committee’s other recommendations include giving individuals a choice to provide personal information, collection of only critical personal information, use of data only for the purpose for which it has been collected, and a penalty for violations.

“Without a comprehensive horizontal regulatory framework and the office of the regulator both private and public entities in India have been trampling on the rights of citizens without complying to any of the international best practices when it comes to protecting the right to privacy,” said Sunil Abraham, executive director of Centre for Internet and Society, a Bangalore-based advocacy group. After the privacy law is enacted and the office of a privacy commissioner is created, people will be able to seek redressal against these erring pubic and private entities if their rights are violated, he added.

The government has been looking to enact a privacy law to ensure data collected by various programmes such as the National Population Register, Unique Identification Authority of India and National Intelligence Grid was not misused. It was expected to scotch criticism of these programmes by privacy and Internet activists. It later expanded the scope of the proposed legislation after catching flak for a leak of tapped conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, industrialists and journalists.

The government now aims to uphold the right of all Indians against any misuse of personal information, interception of personal communication, unlawful surveillance and unwanted commercial communication. That means it effectively covers everything from the misuse of data collected by the government to spam.

However, there could be opposition from law enforcement agencies if the privacy law mandates that prior permission of the courts will be required before intercepting communication.

If judges begin taking a call on interception requests, there could be chances of leakage, “since there are so many judges at so many levels”, said Rumel Dahiya, deputy director general at Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, a New delhi-based think tank. “The government carries out surveillance to gain fool-proof intelligence. That purpose will be defeated.”

Last week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said a fine balance needs to be maintained between the right to information and the right to privacy.

The Shah committee included representatives from the private sector, the department of information technology, ministry of home affairs, department of telecommunication, the law ministry and the department of personnel and training.

Kirthi V. Rao contributed to this story.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/news/livemint-october-18-2012-surabhi-agarwal-courts-approval-needed-to-tap-phones

Court Order Mobile Phone Patents

praskrishna — 2016-04-20T15:19:17Z

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/court-orders-mobile-phone-patents.rar

country

praskrishna — 2012-06-25T05:53:38Z

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Countering US pressures on India’s IP regime

praskrishna — 2014-12-07T12:20:36Z

Anubha Sinha attended a meeting organized by Lawyer's Collective on "Countering US pressures on India’s IP regime" on November 16, 2014.

Medecins Sans Frontieres, Third World Network, Zakir Thomas, Mira Shiva and a few others also participated. One of the action points was responding to the call for comments issued by the DIPP on formulating a National IPR Policy. All Civil Society members present agreed to make submissions based on their sectoral area of expertise. CIS will also make a submission in this regard.

The tentative date for the next meeting is December 6, 2014. Minutes of the meeting can be downloaded here.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/news/countering-us-pressure-on-indias-ip-regime