Author
Torsha Sarkar
32 items.
1 Jul 2024
Blog post
Legal Advocacy ManualThe Legal Advocacy Manual summarizes the key legal and constitutional questions and jurisprudence related to laws that affect the right to freedom of expression and privacy online, including internet shutdowns, content takedown, online …
1 Jul 2024
31 Jan 2024
Blog post
Information Disorders and their RegulationThe Indian media and digital sphere, perhaps a crude reflection of the socio-economic realities of the Indian political landscape, presents a unique and challenging setting for studying information disorders.
7 Feb 2023
Blog post
Comments to the proposed amendments to The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021This note presents comments by the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), India, on the proposed amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“proposed amendments”). We thank …
7 Jul 2022
Blog post
Comments to the draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) presented its comments on the draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (‘the rules’), which were released on 6 June, 2022 for …
7 Feb 2022
Blog post
Submission to the Facebook Oversight Board: Policy on Cross-checksThe Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) submitted public comments to the Facebook Oversight Board on a policy consultation.
15 Dec 2021
Blog post
Online caste-hate speech: Pervasive discrimination and humiliation on social mediaA research report on the contours of online caste-hate speech and how social media platforms moderate such expression.
3 Aug 2021
Blog post
Finding Needles in Haystacks - Discussing the Role of Automated Filtering in the New Indian Intermediary Liability RulesOn the 25th of February this year The Government of India notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The new Rules broaden the scope of which entities can be considered as …
5 Jul 2021
Blog post
Comments on the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021In this submission, we examine the constitutionality and legality of the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which was released by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
2 Jul 2021
Blog post
Right to Exclusion, Government Spaces, and SpeechThe conclusion of the litigation surrounding Trump blocking its critiques on Twitter brings to forefront two less-discussed aspects of intermediary liability: a) if social media platforms could be compelled to ‘carry’ speech under any …
30 Jun 2021
Blog post
Submission to the Facebook Oversight Board in Case 2021-008-FB-FBR: Brazil, Health Misinformation and LockdownsIn this note, we answer questions set out by the Board, pursuant to case 2021-008-FB-FBR, which concerned a post made by a Brazilian sub-national health official, and raised questions on health misinformation and enforcement of Facebook's …
21 Jun 2021
Blog post
On the legality and constitutionality of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021This note examines the legality and constitutionality of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The analysis is consistent with previous work carried out by CIS on issues of …
5 Apr 2021
Blog post
Comments and recommendations to the Guidelines for “Influencer Advertising on Digital Media”In February, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) had issued draft rules for regulation of digital influencers, with an aim to "understand the peculiarities of [online] advertisements and the way consumers view them", as well …
26 Feb 2021
Blog post
New intermediary guidelines: The good and the badIn pursuance of the government releasing the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, this blogpost offers a quick rundown of some of the changes brought about the Rules, and how they line …
31 Dec 2020
Blog post
Media Market Risk Ratings: IndiaThe Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) are launching a study into the risk of disinformation on digital news platforms in India, creating an index that is intended to serve donors and brands with …
1 Jul 2020
Blog post
Response to the ‘Call for Comments’ on The Santa Clara Principles on Transparency and AccountabilityThe 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 …
29 Jun 2020
Blog post
Remove misinformation, but be transparent please!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 …
2 Jun 2020
Blog post
Freedom of Expression in India: Key Research and FindingsOver the last two years, CIS has carried out critical research on the issue of freedom of expression in India. We have continued our work on intermediary liability, as well as expanded our expertise to emerging areas, like online extreme …
10 Apr 2020
Blog post
Why should we care about takedown timeframes?The issue of content takedown timeframe - the time period an intermediary is allotted to respond to a legal takedown order - has received considerably less attention in conversations about intermediary liability. This article examines the …
2 Mar 2020
Blog post
Counter-comments to Traffic Management Practices (TMPs) and Multi-Stakeholder Body for Net NeutralityThis submission presents counter-comments by CIS in response to the consultation paper floated by the TRAI on the topic of ‘Traffic Management Practices (TMPs) and Multi-Stakeholder Body for Net Neutrality’. These counter-comments take …
14 Feb 2020
Blog post
Content takedown and users' rightsAfter Shreya Singhal v Union of India, commentators have continued to question the constitutionality of the content takedown regime under Section 69A of the IT Act (and the Blocking Rules issued under it). There has also been considerable …
12 Dec 2019
Blog post
In Twitter India’s Arbitrary Suspensions, a Question of What Constitutes a Public SpaceA discussion is underway about the way social media platforms may have to operate within the tenets of constitutional protections of free speech.
11 Dec 2019
3 Dec 2019
Blog post
A Deep Dive into Content Takedown TimeframesSince the 1990s, internet usage has seen a massive growth, facilitated in part, by growing importance of intermediaries, that act as gateways to the internet. Intermediaries such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs), web-hosting providers, …
30 Oct 2019
Blog post
Through the looking glass: Analysing transparency reportsAn analysis of companies' transparency reports for government requests for user data and content removal
27 Sep 2019
Blog post
Examining the Constitutionality of the Ban on Broadcast of News by Private FM and Community Radio StationsGurshabad Grover and Torsha Sarkar along with Rajashri Seal and Neil Trivedi co-authored a paper that examined the constitutionality of the government prohibition on the broadcast of news against private and community FM channels.
16 Aug 2019
Blog post
Rethinking the intermediary liability regime in IndiaThe article consolidates some of our broad thematic concerns with the draft amendments to the intermediary liability rules, published by MeitY last December.
7 Aug 2019
Blog post
Comments on the National Digital Health BlueprintThe Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had released the National Digital Health Blueprint on 15 July 2019 for comments. The Centre for Internet & Society submitted its comments.
7 Feb 2019
Blog post
Response to the Draft of The Information Technology [Intermediary Guidelines (Amendment) Rules] 2018In this response, we aim to examine whether the draft rules meet tests of constitutionality and whether they are consistent with the parent Act. We also examine potential harms that may arise from the Rules as they are currently framed and …
17 Aug 2018
Blog post
National Health Stack: Data For Data’s Sake, A Manmade Health HazardOn Oct. 5, 2017, an HIV positive woman was denied admission in Hyderabad’s Osmania General Hospital even though she was entitled to free treatment under India’s National AIDS Control Organisation programme. Another incident around the same …