Author
Elonnai Hickok
126 items.
16 Jan 2013
Blog post
Draft International Principles on Communications Surveillance and Human RightsThese principles were developed by Privacy International and the Electronic Frontier Foundation and seek to define an international standard for the surveillance of communications. The Centre for Internet and Society has been contributing …
31 Dec 2012
Blog post
State Surveillance and Human Rights Camp: SummaryOn December 13 and 14, 2012, the Electronic Frontier Foundation organized the Surveillance and Human Rights Camp held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The meeting examined trends in surveillance, reasons for state surveillance, surveillance …
28 Dec 2012
Blog post
Internet-driven Developments — Structural Changes and Tipping PointsA symposium on Internet Driven Developments: Structural Changes and Tipping Points was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Harvard University from December 6 to 8, 2012. The symposium was sponsored by the Ford Foundation and the MacArthur …
9 Nov 2012
Blog post
Q&A to the Report of the Group of Experts on PrivacyIn January 2012 Justice A.P. Shah formed a committee consisting of a group of experts to contribute to and create a report of recommendations for a privacy legislation in India. The committee met a total of seven times from January to …
29 Oct 2012
Blog post
Rethinking DNA Profiling in IndiaDNA profile databases can be useful tools in solving crime, but given that the DNA profile of a person can reveal very personal information about the individual, including medical history, family history and so on, a more comprehensive …
25 Oct 2012
Blog post
Privacy Perspectives on the 2012 -2013 Goa Beach Shack PolicyCCTVs in India are increasingly being employed by private organizations and the government in India as a way to increase security and prevent/ deter crime from taking place. When the government mandates the use of CCTV’s for this purpose, …
29 Sep 2012
Blog post
A Public Meeting on DNA Profiling Bill in DelhiOn September 27, 2012, the Centre for Internet and Society hosted a public talk at the Indian International Centre focused on the draft DNA Profiling Bill. Presenting at the meeting were international experts Dr. Helen Wallace, director of …
2 Dec 2011
Blog post
An Interview with Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ontario, CanadaElonnai Hickok interviewed Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ontario, Canada. The full interview is reproduced below.
14 Oct 2011
Blog post
SCOSTA and UID Comparison not Valid, says Finance CommitteeThe Standing Committee on Finance Branch, Lok Sabha Secretariat has responded to the suggestions offered by CIS on the National Identification Authority of India, Bill 2010 and has requested it to mail its views by 14 October 2011.
28 Sep 2011
Blog post
Understanding the Right to InformationElonnai Hickok summarises the Right to Information Act, 2005, how it works, how to file an RTI request, the information that an individual can request under the Act, the possible responses and the challenges to the citizen and the …
22 Aug 2011
Blog post
Financial Inclusion and the UIDSince 2009, when Nandan Nilekani began to envision and implement the Unique Identification Project, the UID authority has promoted the UID/Aadhaar scheme as a tool of development for India - arguing that an identity will assist in bringing …
20 Jul 2011
Blog post
Right to Privacy Bill 2010 — A Few CommentsEarlier this year, in February 2011, Rajeev Chandrasekhar introduced the Right to Privacy Bill, 2010 in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill is meant to “provide protection to the privacy of persons including those who are in public life”. Though the …
3 Jun 2011
Blog post
Bloggers' Rights Subordinated to Rights of Expression: Cyber Law ExpertVijayashankar, an eminent cyber law expert answers Elonnai Hickok’s questions on bloggers' rights, freedom of expression and privacy in this e-mail interview conducted on May 19, 2011.
25 Apr 2011
Blog post
The DNA Profiling Bill 2007 and PrivacyIn 2007 a bill known as the Draft DNA Profiling Bill was piloted by the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, an autonomous organization funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of …
25 Apr 2011
Blog post
An Interview with Activist Shubha Chacko: Privacy and Sex WorkersOn February 20th I had the opportunity to speak with Shubha Chacko on privacy and sex workers. Ms. Chacko is an activist who works for Aneka, an NGO based in Bangalore, which fights for the human rights of sexual minorities. In my interview …
5 Apr 2011
Blog post
Surveillance TechnologiesThe following post briefly looks at different surveillance technologies, and the growing use of the them in India.
5 Apr 2011
Blog post
Is Data Protection Enough?The following note looks briefly at different sides of the privacy debate, and asks the question whether a Data Protection law is enough privacy protection for India.
5 Apr 2011
Blog post
Encryption Standards and PracticesThe below note looks at different types of encryption, varying practices of encryption in India, and the relationship between encryption, data security, and national security.
31 Mar 2011
Blog post
A Stolen PerspectiveThe note below is a perspective piece on biometrics. On March 11th I traveled down to the Philippines, and had a chance to experience the possible convenience of biometric based identification.
23 Mar 2011
Blog post
Privacy and Governmental DatabasesIn our research we have found that most government databases are incrementally designed in response to developments and improvements that need to be incorporated from time to time. This method of architecting a system leads to a poorly …
6 Jan 2011
Blog post
An Open Letter to the Finance Committee: SCOSTA StandardsThe UID Bill has been placed to the Finance Committee for review and approval. Through a series of open letters to the Finance Committee, civil society is asking the committee to take into consideration and change certain aspects of the …
27 Dec 2010
Blog post
Does the UID Reflect India?On December 17th the Campaign for No UID held a press conference and public meeting in Bangalore. Below is a summary and analysis of the events.
20 Dec 2010
Blog post
The Privacy Rights of WhistleblowersThe recent disclosures from Wikileaks have shown that the right to information, whistle-blowing, and privacy are interconnected. This note looks at the different ways in which the three are related, as well as looking at the benefits and …
15 Dec 2010
Blog post
UID & Privacy - A Call for PapersPrivacy India is inviting individuals to author short papers focused on Unique Identity (UID) and Privacy. Selected candidates will have their papers published on the CIS website, and their transportation and accommodation provided for the …
8 Dec 2010
Blog post
Should Ratan Tata be Afforded the Right to Privacy?The Ratan Tata case has raised many important questions pertaining to privacy. This note looks at a few of those questions, and the debate that centers around them.
7 Dec 2010
Blog post
Public Statement to Final Draft of UID BillThe final draft of the UID Bill that will be submitted to the Lok Sabha was made public on 8 November 2010. If the Bill is approved by Parliament, it will become a legal legislation in India. The following note contains Civil Society's …
7 Dec 2010
Blog post
DSCI Information Security Summit 2010 – A ReportOn 2 and 3 December 2010, the DSCI Information Security Summit 2010 took place in the Trident Hotel, Chennai. The two day summit included a broad spectrum of speakers/panels and topics, ranging from Securing Data & Systems to how to …
23 Nov 2010
Blog post
Consumer Privacy - How to Enforce an Effective Protective Regime?In a typical sense, when people think of themselves as consumers, they just think about what they purchase, how they purchase and how they use their purchase. But while doing this exercise we are always exchanging personally identifiable …
22 Nov 2010
Blog post
Privacy, Free/Open Source, and the CloudA look into the questions that arise in concern to privacy and cloud computing, and how open source plays into the picture.
22 Nov 2010
Blog post
Privacy and Telecommunications: Do We Have the Safeguards?All of you often come across unsolicited and annoying telemarketing calls/ SMS's, prank calls, pestering calls for payment, etc. Do we have any safeguards against them? This blog post takes a look at the various rules and regulations under …