Programme
Internet Governance
Privacy, free speech, surveillance, digital identity and cybersecurity. 3,058 items.
20 Jun 2015
Blog post
DesiSec: Cybersecurity and Civil Society in IndiaAs part of its project on mapping cyber security actors in South Asia and South East Asia, the Centre for Internet & Society conducted a series of interviews with cyber security actors. The interviews were compiled and edited into one …
30 May 2015
Blog post
The Four Parts of Privacy in IndiaPrivacy enjoys an abundance of meanings. It is claimed in diverse situations every day by everyone against other people, society and the state.
30 May 2015
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Mastering the Art of Keeping Indians Under SurveillanceIn its first year in office, the National Democratic Alliance government has been notably silent on the large-scale surveillance projects it has inherited. This ended last week amidst reports the government is hastening to complete the …
20 May 2015
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Paper-thin Safeguards and Mass Surveillance in IndiaThe Indian government's new mass surveillance systems present new threats to the right to privacy. Mass interception of communication, keyword searches and easy access to particular users' data suggest that state is moving towards …
10 May 2015
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TRAI and the Disclosure of Personal InformationThe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in March 2015 invited comments on its Consultation Paper for the regulation of over-the-top (OTT) services. In an unprecedented wave of public participation, TRAI received over a million …
29 Apr 2015
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DeitY says 143 URLs have been Blocked in 2015; Procedure for Blocking Content Remains Opaque and in Urgent Need of Transparency MeasuresAcross India on 30 December 2014, following an order issued by the Department of Telecom (DOT), Internet Service Providers (ISPs) blocked 32 websites including Vimeo, Dailymotion, GitHub and Pastebin.
18 Apr 2015
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The Hazards of a Non-neutral InternetSpurred by recent events, India’s policy circles are dancing to the complex tunes of net neutrality. Airtel came under fire for pricing calls made over the Internet differentially; it has since withdrawn this plan. Airtel and Reliance …
16 Apr 2015
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Multiple Aspects Need to be Addressed as the Clamour Grows for Network NeutralityIn the global debate there are four violations of Network Neutrality that are considered particularly egregious.
15 Apr 2015
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Don't Do Nothing. Take a Stand on Net Neutrality.Are you wondering what Net Neutrality is, and why the term has suddenly got so much attention in India among the Netizens? Do you need to be concerned about Net Neutrality? We will try to address these in this short post on Net Neutrality.
11 Apr 2015
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The Supreme Court Judgment in Shreya Singhal and What It Does for Intermediary Liability in India?Even as free speech advocates and users celebrate the Supreme Court of India's landmark judgment striking down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act of 2000, news that the Central government has begun work on drafting a new …
11 Apr 2015
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Shreya Singhal and 66AMost software code has dependencies. Simple and reproducible methods exist for mapping and understanding the impact of these dependencies. Legal code also has dependencies --across court orders and within a single court order. And since …
4 Apr 2015
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GSMA Research OutputsThis is a collection of research under our GSMA project that we have undertaken in collaboration with Privacy International. The research has sought to understand different legal and regulatory aspects of security and surveillance in India …
31 Mar 2015
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Security, Governments and Data: Technology and PolicyOn January 8, 2015, the Centre for Internet and Society, in collaboration with the Observer research foundation, hosted the day long conference "Security, Governments, and Data: Technology and Policy" The conference discussed a range of …
29 Mar 2015
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Three reasons why 66A verdict is momentousEarlier this week, the fundamental right to freedom of expression posted a momentous victory. The nation's top court struck down the much-reviled Section 66A of the IT Act — which criminalized communications that are "grossly offensive", …
29 Mar 2015
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Big win for freedom of speech. Really?The 66A ruling was historic, but what about the provisions regulating speech online and offline that still exist within the ITA, the IPC and other laws.
27 Mar 2015
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What 66A Judgment Means For Free Speech OnlineThis week India's Supreme Court redefined the boundaries of freedom of speech on the internet. With the Court's decision in Shreya Singhal & Ors. v. Union of India, Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, has been struck down …
27 Mar 2015
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India's Supreme Court Axes Online Censorship Law, But Challenges RemainThe Supreme Court of India took a remarkable step to protect free expression on March 24, 2015, striking down controversial section 66A of the IT Act that criminalized “grossly offensive” content online. In response to a public interest …
26 Mar 2015
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Internet censorship will continue in opaque fashionA division bench of the Supreme Court has ruled on three sections of the Information Technology Act 2000 - Section 66A, Section 79 and Section 69A. The draconian Section 66A was originally meant to tackle spam and cyber-stalking but was …
26 Mar 2015
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Historic day for freedom of speech and expression in IndiaIn a petition that finds its origin in a simple status message on Facebook, Shreya Singhal vs Union of India marks a historic reinforcement of the freedom of speech and expression in India.
26 Mar 2015
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Fear, Uncertainty and DoubtMuch confusion has resulted from the Section 66A verdict. Some people are convinced that online speech is now without any reasonable restrictions under Article 19 (2) of the Constitution. This is completely false.
24 Mar 2015
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No more 66A!In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has struck down Section 66A. Today was a great day for freedom of speech on the Internet! When Section 66A was in operation, if you made a statement that led to offence, you could be prosecuted. We …
17 Mar 2015
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What Does Facebook's Transparency Report Tell Us About the Indian Government's Record on Free Expression & Privacy?Given India's online population, the number of user data requests made by the Indian government aren't very high, but the number of content restriction requests are not only high on an absolute number, but even on a per-user basis.
17 Mar 2015
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DIDP Request #8: ICANN OrganogramCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking details of its oragnisational structure and headcount of all staff. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below.
17 Mar 2015
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DIDP Request #7: Globalisation Advisory GroupsCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking information regarding the creation and dissolution of the President's Globalisation Advisory Groups. The GAGs were created to advise the ICANN Board on …
10 Mar 2015
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DIDP Request #6: Revenues from gTLD auctionsCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking information regarding revenues received from gTLD auctions. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below.
6 Mar 2015
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DIDP Request #5: The Ombudsman and ICANN's Misleading Response to Our RequestCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking details of the complaints received and resolved, parties involved and the nature of complaints under the Ombudsman process. CIS' request and ICANN's …
5 Mar 2015
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DIDP Request #4: ICANN and the NETmundial PrinciplesCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking details of ICANN's implementation of the NETmundial Principles that it has endorsed widely and publicly. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed …
5 Mar 2015
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DIDP Request #3: Cyber-attacks on ICANNCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking details of cyber-attacks on ICANN, and ICANN's internal and external responses to the same. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below.
5 Mar 2015
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DIDP Request #2: Granular Revenue/Income Statements from ICANNCIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking current and historical details of ICANN's income/revenue from its various sources. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below.
5 Mar 2015
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DIDP Request #1: ICANN's Expenditures on "Travel & Meetings"CIS sent ICANN a request under its Documentary Information Disclosure Policy, seeking details of expenditure by ICANN at its Meetings. CIS' request and ICANN's response are detailed below.