Centre for Internet and Society

CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 14) – Menaka Guruswamy

purba — 2014-07-21T10:39:03Z

CIS interviews Menaka Guruswamy, lawyer at the Supreme Court of India, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.

"The courts have rarely used privacy to stop the Indian state from getting into someone's business. So jurisprudentially, it is a weak challenge when you mount a rights based or a privacy right challenge against surveillance by the state. Because the answer of the state to that has always been, and as has been Obama's answer in the United States, that there are national security concerns. And usually national security will trump individual privacy."

Centre for Internet and Society presents its fourteenth installment of the CIS Cybersecurity Series.

The CIS Cybersecurity Series seeks to address hotly debated aspects of cybersecurity and hopes to encourage wider public discourse around the topic.

Menaka Guruswamy practices law at the Supreme Court of India. She was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, and a Gammon Fellow at Harvard Law School, and a gold medalist from the National Law School of India. She has law degrees from all three schools, with a focus on Constitutional Law and Public International Law. Guruswamy has worked at the Office of the Attorney General of India, the highest office that represents the federal government of India in the Supreme Court of India.

http://youtu.be/GCDD6Z-UrGI

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-14-2013-menaka-guruswamy

CIS Cybersecurity Film Screening

purba — 2014-03-20T09:34:38Z

The Centre for Internet and Society invites you to a screening of Episode 1&2 of DesiSec: the first documentary film on cybersecurity in India. Hope you can join us on 26th March, at CIS, Domlur!

Early 2013, the Centre for Internet and Society began shooting its first documentary film project. After months of researching and interviewing activists and experts, CIS released the first episode on 11th December.

CIS is hosting a special screening of DesiSec: Episode 1&2 on 26th March, 2013, 5.30 pm and invites you to this event. The first episode is centered around the issue of privacy and surveillance in cyber space and how it affects Indian society. The second episode is focused on anonymity and free speech online.

We look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP: purba@cis-india.org

Venue: http://osm.org/go/yy4fIjrQL?m=

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/events/cis-cybersecurity-film-screening

CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 13) - Pranesh Prakash

purba — 2014-01-20T06:20:44Z

CIS interviews Pranesh Prakash, lawyer and policy director with Centre for Internet and Society, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.

"When it comes to things cyber we completely lose our sense of proportion. While killing someone by negligence only attracts two years of punishment, saying something that people can define "offensive" attracts even more under 66A of the Information Technology Act. Something that can be a nuisance, under the Criminal Laws, can attract up to six months punishment, whereas under the IT act, it is up to three years..." - Pranesh Prakash, lawyer and policy director, Centre for Internet and Society

Centre for Internet and Society presents its thirteenth installment of the CIS Cybersecurity Series.

The CIS Cybersecurity Series seeks to address hotly debated aspects of cybersecurity and hopes to encourage wider public discourse around the topic.

Pranesh is a Policy Director with the Centre, and is a graduate of the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, with a degree in Arts and Law.

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-13-pranesh-prakash

Exposing the Invisible - Tactical Tech films screening at CIS

purba — 2013-12-02T07:37:21Z

Exposing the Invisible is Tactical Tech's series of short films examining some inspiring and provocative investigative cases, those that go beyond traditional journalistic investigations. CIS is pleased to invite you to a special screening of two of the films on 9th December, 6pm, at the CIS venue.

Exposing the Invisible is Tactical Tech's series of short films examining some inspiring and provocative investigative cases, those that go beyond traditional journalistic investigations.

In the past decade, the work of investigators has undergone a significant transformation due to the rapid development of new technologies, the ubiquity of the Internet, and new possibilities in working with evidence, data and visualisation. The stories in the film illustrate this evolution as activists take advantage of this new wave of opportunities, while remaining aware of the dangers they expose themselves to.

Episode one, Our Currency is Information, introduces the work of a team of investigators led by Romanian reporter Paul Radu, investigating organised crime. The film takes you to the heart of Radu’s investigations, where the power of criminals, corporations and governments overlap in chilling cases.

Episode two, From Our Point of View, profiles three individuals from the UK, Lebanon and Israel, non-specialists who have taken it upon themselves to use information in innovative and varies ways to shed light on Syria's 'YouTube conflict', the theft of Lebanon's seashore, and house demolitions in East Jerusalem.

Episode three, Unseen War, touches on the issues of US drone strikes in Pakistan.

More about the project here:

https://exposingtheinvisible.org/

CIS is very excited to participate in the week-long global films festival and will be organizing screenings of Episode one and Episode three on December 9, 2013. The screening of the films will be followed by an interactive discussion on the cases shown in the film, how activism is transforming in India, and how it effects us.

We look forward to your participation in making this event a success!

Venue: http://osm.org/go/yy4fIjrQL?m=

Tactical Tech Hompage: https://www.tacticaltech.org/

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/events/exposing-the-invisible-tactical-tech-films-screening-at-cis

DesiSec: Episode 1 - Film Release and Screening

purba — 2013-12-17T08:13:32Z

The Centre for Internet and Society is pleased to to announce the release of the first documentary film on cybersecurity in India - DesiSec. We hope you can join us for a special screening of the first episode of DesiSec, on 11th December, at CIS!

Early 2013, the Centre for Internet and Society began shooting its first documentary film project. After months of researching and interviewing activists and experts, CIS is thrilled to announce the release of the first documentary film on cybersecurity in India - DesiSec: Cybersecurity and Civi Society in India.

Trailer link: http://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-cybersecurity-series-film-trailer

CIS is hosting a special screening of DesiSec: Episode 1 on 11th December, 2013, 6 pm and invites you to this event. The first episode is centered around the issue of privacy and surveillance in cyber space and how it affects Indian society.

We look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP: purba@cis-india.org

Venue: http://osm.org/go/yy4fIjrQL?m=

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/desisec-episode-1-film-release-and-screening

First Look: CIS Cybersecurity documentary film

purba — 2013-12-17T08:16:42Z

CIS presents the trailer of its documentary film DesiSec: Cybersecurity & Civil Society in India

The Centre for Internet and Society is pleased to release the trailer of its first documentary film, on cybersecurity and civil society in India.

The documentary is part of the CIS Cybersecurity Series, a work in progress which may be found here.

DesiSec: Cybersecurity and Civil Society in India

The trailer of DesiSec: Cybersecurity and Civil Society in India was shown at the Internet Governance Forum in Bali on October 24. It was a featured presentation at the Citizen Lab workshop, Internet Governance For The Next Billion Users.

The transcript of the workshop is available here: http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/content/article/121-preparatory-process/1476-ws-344-internet-governance-for-the-next-billion-users

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-cybersecurity-series-film-trailer

CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 12) - Namita Malhotra

purba — 2013-11-18T10:03:29Z

CIS interviews Namita Malhotra, researcher and lawyer at Alternative Law Forum, Bangalore, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.

"In a strange mix of how both capitalism and state control work, what is happening is that more and more of these places that one could access, for various reasons, whether it is for ones own pleasure or for political conversations, are getting further and further away from us. And I think that that mix of both corporate interests and state control is particularly playing a role in this regard." - Namita Malhotra, researcher and lawyer, Alternative Law Forum

Centre for Internet and Society presents its twelfth installment of the CIS Cybersecurity Series.

The CIS Cybersecurity Series seeks to address hotly debated aspects of cybersecurity and hopes to encourage wider public discourse around the topic.

Namita Malhotra is a researcher and lawyer at Alternative Law Forum (ALF). She has a keen interest in working on law, technology and media through legal research, cultural studies, new media practices and film making.

ALF homepage: www.altlawforum.org

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-12-namita-malhotra

CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 11) - Anja Kovacs

purba — 2013-10-15T15:25:07Z

CIS interviews Anja Kovacs, researcher and activist, and director of the Internet Democracy, Project as part of the Cybersecurity Series.

"Having the cyber security debate become more and more important was a real challenge for civil society. I think in part because many of us who were focused on human rights aren't necessarily techies. And so, when you have a conversation with a government bureaucrat, and ask questions about the kind of decisions they decided to take, very often they will come up with a technical answer in response. And then, if you don't have that expertise, it is difficult to react. In the meantime though, I think it has become clear that this is one of the biggest issues in the internet field at the moment. It is also one of the big issues that is driving the desires of governments to have a bigger role to play in internet governance. So it is an area that is unavoidable for activists. What has happened slowly is that we have come to realize that the first thing, as in most other areas, is not the technical details, but principles, and those principles are fairly similar to how they are in many other fields." - Anja Kovacs, Internet Democracy Project

Centre for Internet and Society presents its eleventh installment of the CIS Cybersecurity Series.

The CIS Cybersecurity Series seeks to address hotly debated aspects of cybersecurity and hopes to encourage wider public discourse around the topic.

In this installment, CIS speaks to Anja Kovacs, director of the Internet Democracy Project. Her work focuses on a wide range of questions regarding freedom of expression, cybersecurity and the architecture of Internet governance as they relate to the Internet and democracy. Anja is currently also a member of the of the Investment Committee of the Digital Defenders Partnership and of the interim Steering Group of Best Bits, a global network of civil society members.

(Bio from internetdemocracy.in)

Internet Democracy Project homepage: http://internetdemocracy.in/

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-11-anja-kovacs

CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 10) - Lawrence Liang

purba — 2013-09-10T08:31:31Z

CIS interviews Lawrence Liang, researcher and lawyer, and co-founder of Alternative Law Forum, Bangalore, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.

"The right to privacy and the right to free speech have often been understood as distinct rights. But I think in the ecology of online communication, it becomes crucial for us to look at the two as being inseparable. And this is not entirely new in India. But, interestingly, a lot of the cases that have had to deal with this question in the Indian context, have pitted one against the other. Now, India doesn't have a law for the protection of whistle-blowers. So how do we now think of the idea of whistle-blowers being one of the subjects of speech and privacy coming together? How do we use the strong pillars that have been established, in terms of a very rich tradition that Indian law has, on the recognition of free speech issues but slowly start incorporating questions of privacy?" - Lawrence Liang, researcher and lawyer, Alternative Law Forum.

Centre for Internet and Society presents its tenth installment of the CIS Cybersecurity Series.

The CIS Cybersecurity Series seeks to address hotly debated aspects of cybersecurity and hopes to encourage wider public discourse around the topic.

Lawrence Liang is one of the co-founders of the Alternative Law Forum where he works on issues of intellectual property, censorship, and the intersection of law and culture. He is also a fellow with the Centre for Internet and Society and serves on its board.

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-10-lawrence-liang

CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 9) - Saikat Datta

purba — 2013-08-05T05:24:35Z

CIS interviews Saikat Datta, Resident Editor of DNA, Delhi, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.

"Anonymous speech, in countries which have extremely severe systems of governments, which do not have freedom, etcetera, is welcome. But in a democracy like India, I do not see the need for anonymous speech because it is anyways guaranteed by the Constitution of India. So, no, I do not see the need for anonymity in an open and democratic state like India and I would be seriously worried if such a requirement comes up. Shouldn't I strive to be ideal? The ideal suggests that the constitution has guaranteed freedom of speech. Anonymity, for a time being may be acceptable to some people but I would like a situation where a person, without having to seek anonymity, can speak about anything and not be prosecuted by the state, or persecuted by society. And that is the ideal situation that I would like to strive for." - Saikat Datta, Resident Editor, DNA, Delhi.

Centre for Internet and Society presents its ninth installment of the CIS Cybersecurity Series.

The CIS Cybersecurity Series seeks to address hotly debated aspects of cybersecurity and hopes to encourage wider public discourse around the topic.

Saikat Datta is a journalist who began his career in December 1996 and has worked with several publications like The Indian Express, the Outlook magazine and the DNA newspaper. He is currently the Resident Editor of DNA, Delhi. Saikat has authored a book on India's Special Forces and presented papers at seminars organized by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies, the Centre for Air Power Studies and the National Security Guards. He has also been awarded the International Press Institute Award for investigative journalism, the National RTI award in the journalism category and the Jagan Phadnis Memorial Award for investigative journalism.

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-9-saikat-datta

CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 8) - Jeff Moss

purba — 2013-07-30T09:25:44Z

CIS interviews Jeff Moss, Chief Security Officer for ICANN, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.

"Most consumers don't understand the privacy trade offs when they browse the web... the data that is being collected about them, the analytics that is being run against their buying behaviour, it is invisible... it is behind the scenes... and so it is very difficult for the consumer to make an informed decision." - Jeff Moss, Chief Security Officer, ICANN.

Centre for Internet and Society presents its eighth installment of the CIS Cybersecurity Series.

The CIS Cybersecurity Series seeks to address hotly debated aspects of cybersecurity and hopes to encourage wider public discourse around the topic.

In this installment, CIS interviews Jeff Moss. Jeff is the chief security officer for ICANN. He founded Black Hat Briefings and DEF CON, two of the most influential information security conferences in the world. In 2009, Jeff was sworn in as a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council (DHS HSAC), providing advice and recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on matters related to domestic security.

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-8-jeff-moss

CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 7) - Jochem de Groot

purba — 2013-07-30T09:26:28Z

CIS interviews Jochem de Groot, former policy advisor to the Netherlands government, as part of the Cybersecurity Series

"The basic principle that I think we must continue to embrace is that rights online are the same as rights offline... The amount of information that is available online is so enormous that it would be easy for governments to abuse that information for all kinds of purposes... And we are at a stage right now where we are really experimenting with how much information the govt or law enforcement can take to ensure the rule of law." - Jochem de Groot

Centre for Internet and Society presents its seventh installment of the CIS Cybersecurity Series.

The CIS Cybersecurity Series seeks to address hotly debated aspects of cybersecurity and hopes to encourage wider public discourse around the topic.

In this installment, CIS interviews Jochem de Groot. Jochem has worked on the Netherlands government’s agenda to promote Internet freedom globally since 2009. He initiated and coordinated the founding conference of the Freedom Online Coalition in The Hague in December 2011, and advised the Kenyan government on the second Freedom Online event in Nairobi in 2012. Jochem represents the Dutch government in the EU, UN, OSCE and other multilateral fora, and oversees a project portfolio for promoting internet freedom globally.

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-7-jochem-de-groot

CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 6) - Lhadon Tethong

purba — 2013-08-01T09:54:46Z

CIS interviews Lhadon Tethong, Tibetan human rights activist, as part of the Cybersecurity Series

"In authoritarian states, and in this case, in Tibet, I think that every person that we can teach and pass knowledge to, that can help them stay out of jail, stay in the streets, for one, two, three days longer, one week longer, that is a valuable time of time and resources. And I think we cannot rely on only tools and technology solutions to protect people. I think we can't just rely on government policies at the highest levels, and on export controls... the approach to digital security has to be comprehensive and we have to engage citizens. And not just in cases like the Tibetans or for activists or for people living under repression, but for people in free and open societies too." - Lhadon Tethong, Tibetan human rights activist.

Centre for Internet and Society presents its sixth installment of the CIS Cybersecurity Series.

The CIS Cybersecurity Series seeks to address hotly debated aspects of cybersecurity and hopes to encourage wider public discourse around the topic.

In this installment, CIS interviews Lhadon Tethong, Tibetan human rights activist. Lhadon is the Director of the Tibet Action Institute, where she leads a team of technologists and human rights advocates in developing and advancing open-source communication technologies, nonviolent strategies and innovative training programs for Tibetans and other groups facing heavy repression and human rights abuses.

Link for Tibet Action Institute: https://tibetaction.net/

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-6-lhadon-tethong

CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 5) - Amelia Andersdotter

purba — 2013-08-01T09:54:14Z

CIS interviews Amelia Andersdotter, member of the European parliament, as part of the Cybersecurity Series

"Normally a good security policy will also provide privacy to the citizen that is encompassed by the security policy. So things like encryption, for instance, bring a more secure communication, more private communication, where you are able to interact with other people on equal terms and you don't have to fear outside interference. And that is obviously good for both the individual and for security. But then of course, security policies can be framed in different ways. It depends on who you are trying to protect with the security policy. Are you trying to create a secure situation for a copyright holder, or are you trying to create a secure situation for a law enforcement officer, or for a private citizen?" - Amelia Andersdotter, member of European parliament.

Centre for Internet and Society presents its fifth installment of the CIS Cybersecurity Series.

The CIS Cybersecurity Series seeks to address hotly debated aspects of cybersecurity and hopes to encourage wider public discourse around the topic.

Amelia Andersdotter is a Member of the European Parliament for the Pirate Party in Sweden. She works with industrial policy in the parliamentary committee of Industry, Research and Energy and is a substitute member of the committees for international trade, INTA, and budget control, CONT. Amelia is the Patron of the European Parliament Free Software User Group (EPFSUG), and also works in the delegations for the Andean community and Korean peninsula.

Amelia's website is: http://ameliaandersdotter.eu/

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-5-amelia-andersdotter

CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 4) - Marietje Schaake

purba — 2013-07-12T10:24:14Z

CIS interviews Marietje Schaake, member of the European parliament, as part of the Cybersecurity Series

"It is important that we don't confine solutions in military head quarters or in government meeting rooms but that consumers, internet users, NGOs, as well as businesses, together take responsibility to build a resilient society where we also don't forget what it is we are defending, and that is our freedoms... and we have learned hopefully from the war on terror, that there is a great risk to compromise freedom for alleged security and that is a mistake we should not make again." - Marietje Schaake, member of European parliament.

Centre for Internet and Society presents its fourth installment of the CIS Cybersecurity Series.

The CIS Cybersecurity Series seeks to address hotly debated aspects of cybersecurity and hopes to encourage wider public discourse around the topic.

In this installment, CIS interviews Marietje Schaake, member of the European Parliament for the Dutch Democratic Party (D66) with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) political group. She serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, where she focuses on neighbourhood policy, Turkey in particular; human rights, with a specific focus on freedom of expression, Internet freedom, press freedom; and Iran. In the Committee on Culture, Media, Education, Youth and Sports, Marietje works on Europe’s Digital Agenda and the role of culture and new media in the EU´s external actions. In the Committee on International Trade, she focuses on intellectual property rights, the free flow of information and the relation between trade and foreign affairs.

Marietje's website is: http://www.marietjeschaake.eu/

This work was carried out as part of the Cyber Stewards Network with aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-4-marietje-schaake