Programme
Internet Governance
Privacy, free speech, surveillance, digital identity and cybersecurity. 3,058 items.
15 Jun 2016
Blog post
List of Blocked 'Escort Service' WebsitesHere is the full list of URLs that Indian ISPs were asked to block on Monday, June 13, 2016.
8 Jun 2016
Blog post
UN Special Rapporteur Report on Freedom of Expression and the Private Sector: A Significant Step ForwardOn 6 June 2016, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, released a report on the Information and Communications Technology (“ICT”) sector and freedom of …
8 Jun 2016
Blog post
Smart City Policies and Standards: Overview of Projects, Data Policies, and Standards across Five International Smart CitiesThis blog post aims to review five Smart Cities across the globe, namely Singapore, Dubai, New York City, London and Seoul, the Data Policies and Standards adopted. Also, the research seeks to point the similarities, differences and best …
5 Jun 2016
Blog post
CIS's Comments on the Draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016The Centre for Internet and Society is alarmed by the Draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016, and has recommended that the proposed law be withdrawn in its entirety. It offered the following detailed comments as its submission.
3 Jun 2016
Blog post
Criminal Defamation and the Supreme Court’s Loss of ReputationThe Supreme Court’s refusal, in Subramanian Swamy v. Union of India, to strike down the anachronistic colonial offence of criminal defamation is wrong. Criminalising defamation serves no legitimate public purpose; the vehicle of …
30 May 2016
Blog post
Submission by the Centre for Internet and Society on Draft New ICANN By-lawsThe Centre for Internet & Society sent its comments on the Draft New ICANN Bylaws. The submission was prepared by Pranesh Prakash, Vidushi Marda, Udbhav Tiwari and Swati Muthukumar. Special thanks to Sunil Abraham for his input and …
28 May 2016
Blog post
Comments on Draft Electronic Health Records StandardsThe Centre for Internet & Society submitted its comments on the Draft Electronic Health Records Standards to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
19 May 2016
Blog post
Women's Safety? There is an App for That“After locking ourselves in a room for more than 6 days, this is what we came out [sic] with. Join us in helping make WOMEN feel SAFE,” read a gloating press release about a smartphone app for women to notify their near ones that they were …
19 May 2016
15 May 2016
Blog post
MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from Delhi UniversityThis post provides a factual description about the operation of Ministry of Human Resource Development IPR Chair’s Intellectual Property Education, Research and Public Outreach (IPERPO) scheme in Delhi University.
15 May 2016
Blog post
Draft Law Would Prohibit Showing ‘Disputed Areas’ on Maps of IndiaMaps that label geographic areas of conflict as “disputed” territories in India could put one behind bars for seven years with 1B Indian Rupees (US$15M) penalty if a recently proposed bill becomes law.
9 May 2016
Blog post
Identity of the Aadhaar Act: Supreme Court and the Money Bill QuestionA writ petition has been filed by former Union minister Jairam Ramesh on April 6 challenging the constitutionality and legality of the treatment of this Act as a money bill. The Supreme Court heard the matter on April 25 and invited the …
8 May 2016
Blog post
Facebook: A Platform with Little Less Sharing of Personal InformationAs Facebook becomes less personal, what happens to digital friendship?
3 May 2016
Blog post
Privacy Issues with DRMThis post has been written by Jalaj Pandey interning at CIS. It elaborates upon the various privacy issues with the Digital Rights Management. The author talks about the various ways in which content producers use DRM as a tool to infringe …
28 Apr 2016
Blog post
Cyber Security of Smart Grids in IndiaAn integral component of the ambitious flagship programme of the Indian Government- Digital India, which paves way for a digital data avalanche in the country, is a well-designed digital infrastructure ensuring high connectivity and …
25 Apr 2016
Blog post
The Aadhaar Act is Not a Money BillWhile the authority of the Lok Sabha Speaker is final and binding, Jairam Ramesh’s writ petition may allow the Supreme Court to question an incorrect application of substantive principles. This article by Amber Sinha was published by The …
24 Apr 2016
Blog post
Can the Matters Dealt with in the Aadhaar Act be the Objects of a Money Bill?In this infographic, we highlight the matters dealt with in the Aadhaar Act 2016, recently tabled in and passed by the Lok Sabha as a money bill, and consider if these can be objects of a money bill. The infographic is designed by Pooja …
24 Apr 2016
Blog post
Can the Aadhaar Act 2016 be Classified as a Money Bill?In this infographic, we show if the Aadhaar Act 2016, recently tabled in and passed by the Lok Sabha as a money bill, can be classified as a money bill. The infographic is designed by Pooja Saxena, based on information compiled by Amber …
21 Apr 2016
Blog post
RTI regarding Smart Cities Mission in IndiaCentre for Internet & Society (CIS) had filed an RTI on 3 February 2016 before the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) regarding the Smart Cities Mission in India. The RTI sought information regarding the role of various foreign …
19 Apr 2016
Blog post
The Last Chance for a Welfare State Doesn’t Rest in the Aadhaar SystemBoosting welfare is the message, which is how Aadhaar is being presented in India. The Aadhaar system as a medium, however, is one that enables tracking, surveillance, and data monetisation. This piece by Sumandro Chattapadhyay was …
17 Apr 2016
Blog post
Online Censorship on the Rise: Why I Prefer to Save Things OfflineAs governments use their power to erase what they do not approve of from the web, cloud storage will not be enough.
14 Apr 2016
Blog post
Aadhaar Act and its Non-compliance with Data Protection Law in IndiaThis post compares the provisions of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, with India's data protection regime as articulated in the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, …
13 Apr 2016
Blog post
FAQ on the Aadhaar Project and the BillThis FAQ attempts to address the key questions regarding the Aadhaar/UIDAI project and the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016 (henceforth, Bill). This is neither a comprehensive …
5 Apr 2016
Blog post
Surveillance ProjectThe Aadhaar project’s technological design and architecture is an unmitigated disaster and no amount of legal fixes in the Act will make it any better.
3 Apr 2016
Blog post
Mapping MAG: A study in Institutional IsomorphismThe paper is an update to a shorter piece of MAG analysis that had been conducted in July 2015. At that time our analysis was limited by the MAG membership data that was made available by the Secretariat. Subsequently we wrote to the …
3 Apr 2016
Blog post
A Large Byte of Your LifeWith the digital, memory becomes equated with storage. We commit to storage to free ourselves from remembering.
31 Mar 2016
30 Mar 2016
Blog post
TRAI Consultation on Differential Pricing for Data Services - Post-Open House Discussion SubmissionThe Centre for Internet and Society sent this submission to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) following the Open House Discussion on Differential Pricing of Data Services, held in Delhi on February 21, 2016.
22 Mar 2016
Blog post
Too Clever By Half: Strengthening India’s Smart Cities Plan with Human Rights ProtectionThe data involved in planning for urbanized and networked cities are currently flawed and politically-inflected. Therefore, we must ensure that basic human rights are not violated in the race to make cities “smart”.
21 Mar 2016
Blog post
Vulnerabilities in the UIDAI Implementation Not Addressed by the Aadhaar Bill, 2016In this infographic, we document the various issues in the Aadhaar enrolment process implemented by the UIDAI, and highlight the vulnerabilities that the Aadhaar Bill, 2016 does not address. The infographic is based on Vidushi Marda’s …