Topic
Chilling Effect
61 items.
27 Mar 2015
Blog post
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 …
27 Mar 2015
News
India's Online Freedom Advocates Hail Court Ruling on Free SpeechOnline freedom advocates in India are hailing a court ruling that struck down a controversial law seen as infringing free speech on the Internet. But in a country expected to have the world’s largest number of web users by 2018, some …
26 Mar 2015
News
What the experts said on live chatThree eminent panellists shared their views and answered questions from readers on the Supreme Court verdict striking down Section 66 A of the IT Act that allowed the arrest of people posting “offensive content” on the Internet, in a live …
26 Mar 2015
News
Live Chat: Win for Free SpeechJoin us for a live chat at 5.30 pm on SC striking down the Section 66A of the IT Act which had permitted the arrest of people for posting "offensive content" on the internet.
26 Mar 2015
News
IT Leaders, Lawyers Welcome SC Ruling on 66A of the IT ActThe Supreme Court of India has delivered a landmark judgment in scrapping section 66A of the Information Technology Act, which prescribed 'punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc.' and had been branded …
26 Mar 2015
Blog post
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
News
Indian Court Strikes Down Section of Law Punishing Offensive PostsThe Indian Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a section of a law that allowed the authorities to jail people for offensive online posts, in a judgment that was regarded as a landmark ruling on free speech in India.
26 Mar 2015
News
India’s Supreme Court strikes down law that led to Facebook arrestsIndia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a provision of a law that made it illegal to spread “offensive messages” on electronic devices and resulted in arrests over posts on Facebook and other social media.
26 Mar 2015
News
India’s Supreme Court strikes down law that led to arrests over Facebook postsJudge rules that section of the information technology law was unconstitutional, had wrongly swept up innocent people and had a ‘chilling’ effect on free speech.
26 Mar 2015
News
India's section 66A scrapped: Win for free speechIndia's Supreme Court court has struck down a law that made posting "offensive" comments on the internet a crime punishable by a jail term of up to three years. But, for the free speech campaigners, there is more work to do, writes …
26 Mar 2015
News
I dare you, I double dare you: Social media celebrates Sec 66A verdictUsers across social media platforms on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's scrapping of the controversial Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, hailing it as a measure that will strengthen freedom of expression online.
26 Mar 2015
Blog post
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
Blog post
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.
25 Mar 2015
News
Supreme Court Strikes Down Section 66A Of IT ActIn a major boost to freedom of speech online in India, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, reading down a draconian law that was poorly conceived, tragically worded and caused ordinary …
25 Mar 2015
News
Netizens Rejoice Over SC Ruling to Keep the Net FreeThe Supreme Court ruling to strike down Section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act has been welcomed by the city’s netizens.
25 Mar 2015
News
Indian Supreme Court Overturns Law Barring ‘Offensive Messages’ OnlineIndia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down legislation barring “offensive messages” online, saying it violated constitutional guarantees of free expression.
25 Mar 2015
News
India High Court: No Takedown Requests On Social Sites Without Court, Gov't OrderIndian police will no longer be able to threaten Internet users and online intermediaries with jail merely on the basis of a complaint that they have posted “offensive” posts online.
25 Mar 2015
News
‘A safe Internet and a free Internet can co-exist’Striking down of 66A kicked off celebrations in the IT capital.
24 Mar 2015
Blog post
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
News
India tops list of content restrictions requests, says FacebookIndia has again topped the list of content restriction requests in the second half of 2014 with over 5,800 requests recorded in Facebook's Government Requests Report released on Sunday.
3 Jan 2015
News
Pastebin, Dailymotion, Github blocked after DoT order: ReportA number of Indian users are reporting they're not able to access websites such as Pastebin, DailyMotion and Github while accessing the internet through providers such as BSNL and Vodafone.
3 Jan 2015
News
India 'jihadi' web blocking causes angerA government block on more than 30 high-profile websites has caused anger across India.
3 Jan 2015
News
Govt cracks down on cyber jehad network, blocks access to 32 websitesThe Modi government is starting the New Year with the resolve to wipe out terror and it has cracked down on websites that have been carrying anti-India views and spreading the propaganda of the Islamic State (IS).
2 Jan 2015
News
Government blocks 32 websites to check ISIS propagandaThe Centre has blocked 32 websites, including vimeo.com, dailymotion.com, pastebin.com and github.com, in an effort to curb ISIS propaganda, prompting a wave of online protests.
28 Oct 2014
Blog post
Good Intentions, Recalcitrant Text - I: Why India’s Proposal at the ITU is Troubling for Internet FreedomsThe UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is hosting its Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-14) this year in South Korea. At PP-14, India introduced a new draft resolution on ITU's Role in Realising Secure Information Society. The …
4 Aug 2014
News
We the goondasYou can now be arrested in Karnataka even before you commit an offence under the IT Act. You could be in jail under the Goonda Act even if not guilty under the Indian Copyright Act. If govt thinks you are planning to send a 'lascivious' …
17 Jul 2014
Blog post
GNI and IAMAI Launch Interactive Slideshow Exploring Impact of India's Internet LawsThe Global Network Initiative and the Internet and Mobile Association of India have come together to explain how India’s Internet and technology laws impact economic innovation and freedom of expression.
7 Jul 2014
Blog post
FOEX LiveSelections of news on online freedom of expression and digital technology from across India (and some parts of the world)
4 Jul 2014
Blog post
Facebook and its Aversion to Anonymous and Pseudonymous SpeechJessamine Mathew explores Facebook's "real name" policy and its implications for the right to free speech.
25 Jun 2014
Blog post
Free Speech and Civil DefamationDoes defamation become a tool in powerful hands to suppress criticism? Gautam Bhatia examines the strict and unrealistic demands of defamation law, and concludes that defamation suits are a weapon to silence dissent and bad press.