Topic
Freedom of Speech and Expression
416 items.
23 Jan 2013
News
Cyber security, surveillance and the right to privacy: country perspectivesThis blog post is fourth in a series of eight blog posts to report on the “Third South Asian Meeting on the Internet and Freedom of Expression” recently concluded in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
21 Jan 2013
Blog post
TV versus Social Media: The Rights and WrongsFor most ordinary Netizens, everyday speech on social media has as much impact as graffiti in a toilet, and therefore employing the 'principle of equivalence' will result in overregulation of new media.
18 Jan 2013
News
Is freedom of expression under threat in the digital age?This week Index held a high level panel debate in partnership with the Editors Guild of India and the India International Centre to discuss the question “Is freedom of expression under threat in the digital age?” Mahima Kaul reports
17 Jan 2013
News
Is freedom of expression under threat in digital age?With social networking site Facebook boasting of 1 billion members globally and micro-blogging site Twitter claiming millions, opinion was divided on whether the freedom of expression was under threat in the digital age.
15 Jan 2013
Blog post
Statement of Solidarity on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Internet Users in BangladeshThis is a statement on the violent attack on blogger Asif Mohiuddin by the participants to the Third South Asian Meeting on the Internet and Freedom of Expression that took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 14–15, 2013.
13 Jan 2013
News
Third South Asian Meeting on the Internet and Freedom of ExpressionInternet Democracy Project, Voices for Interactive Choice & Empowerment and Global Partners & Associates are organizing this event in Dhaka on January 14 - 15, 2013.
7 Jan 2013
News
Clash of the cyberworldsIn an increasingly digital world, the issue of Internet freedom and governance has become hugely contested. Censorship and denial of access occur across the political spectrum of nations, even in liberal democracies.
18 Dec 2012
News
The freedom of expression debate: The State must mend fences with The WebA fortnight after her arrest, Renu Srinivasan spends her free time singing Ashley Tisdale's number Suddenly. The lyrics - Suddenly people know my name, suddenly, everything has changed - resonate with the story of her life ever since she …
14 Dec 2012
News
Hacktivists deface BSNL websiteThe Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) website, www.bsnl.co.in, was hacked and defaced on Thursday afternoon.
5 Dec 2012
Blog post
Online Censorship: How Government should Approach Regulation of SpeechWhy is there a constant brouhaha in India about online censorship? What must be done to address this?
2 Dec 2012
Blog post
So Much to LoseUnless you have been hiding under a rock, you have been a witness to the maelstrom of events that accompanied the death of the political leader Bal Thackeray.
30 Nov 2012
News
Yes, You Can Get Arrested for a Facebook Status Update NowA 21-year-old Indian woman thought Mumbai shouldn't have been shutdown for the funeral of an Islamophobic leader. Broadcasting such opinions on Facebook was apparently grounds for arrest.
30 Nov 2012
News
Thousands go online against 66AAn online petition aimed at amending section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act and re-examining internet laws has garnered 3,000 signatures since it began on Tuesday — two days before Kapil Sibal, telecom and IT minister, chairs a …
30 Nov 2012
News
The flaw in cyber lawLegal experts and netizens want the controversial clause in the IT Act to be scrapped after two Mumbai girls were arrested for a post on Facebook.
30 Nov 2012
News
Interview with Pranesh PrakashPranesh Prakash of the Centre for Internet and Society talks to Mint’s Surabhi Agarwal about the controversial Section 66A of the IT Act and the government’s decision to tweak it.
30 Nov 2012
News
Govt tweaks enforcement of IT Act after spate of arrestsThe government on Thursday tweaked the law to make it tougher for citizens to be arrested for online comments that are deemed offensive after recent arrests came in for heavy criticism by Internet activists, the media and other groups.
29 Nov 2012
News
Facebook Arrests Ignite Free-Speech Debate In IndiaShaheen Dhada is an unlikely looking protagonist in the battle under way in India to protect free speech from government restrictions in the new media age.
28 Nov 2012
Blog post
Fixing India’s anarchic IT ActSection 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act criminalizes “causing annoyance or inconvenience” online, among other things. A conviction for such an offence can attract a prison sentence of as many as three years.
25 Nov 2012
Blog post
Breaking Down Section 66A of the IT ActSection 66A of the Information Technology Act, which prescribes 'punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc.' is widely held by lawyers and legal academics to be unconstitutional. In this post Pranesh …
24 Nov 2012
Blog post
Draft nonsenseSeriously flawed and dodgily drafted provisions in the IT Act provide the state a stick to beat its citizens with.
21 Nov 2012
News
Women Arrested in Mumbai for Complaining on FacebookFor over 30 hours following the death of the Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray on Saturday, stores throughout Mumbai closed their shutters and taxis and autorickshaws stayed off the streets.
21 Nov 2012
News
The Last Word: Is there a need to review Information Technology Act?Does the high-handed arrest of two young girls mean it's time to review and revise the IT Act?
21 Nov 2012
News
India's Shame: World Reacts to FB Post ArrestThe arrest of 21 year old Shaheen Dhada for posting anti-Bal Thackeray comments has not only outraged Indians. The story has been picked up and reported across international media as well. Though they may not be aware of the complexities of …
20 Nov 2012
News
Internet users flay Mumbai girls' arrest over Facebook postThe arrest of two girls over their Facebook post on shutdown in Mumbai for Bal Thackeray's funeral on Monday again opened a can of worms with netizens calling the move a "social media hijack by the powerful and the fundamentalists". Social …
20 Nov 2012
News
How to Steer Clear of India’s Strict Internet LawsThe arrest of two women in Mumbai for a Facebook post is the latest heavy-handed move by India’s government to curb what Indian citizens say on the Internet.
20 Nov 2012
News
Girl's arrest draws flak on social mediaThe arrest of a 21-year-old girl by Mumbai police for criticizing the shutting down of the city following the death of Bal Thackeray come under fire from netizens.
20 Nov 2012
News
Arrests over Facebook posts: Why we’re on a dangerous slideThe most bizarre thing about the arrest of Shaheen Dhada and Renu Srinivasan on Monday over a Facebook post that questioned the wisdom of a bandh to mark Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray‘s death is that no laws were actually violated by the …
20 Nov 2012
News
Arrest of girl over Thackeray FB update a clear misuse of Sec 295AThe arrest of 21-year-old Shaheen Dhada over her Facebook status update questioning the shutdown of Mumbai over Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray‘s death, is a clear misapplication of section 295 A of the Indian Penal Code (“outrage religious …
19 Nov 2012
News
Women arrested for Facebook post: Did cops act under Sena pressure?After Bal Thackeray's death, during the Mumbai Bandh, a 21-year-old criticised the shutdown on her Facebook page — her friend approved of it — next thing they know, they are facing a case, and this morning they were arrested.
19 Nov 2012
News
Two women arrested over Facebook gripe on Mumbai shutdownA woman who complained about the Indian city of Mumbai shutting down for the funeral of divisive Hindu nationalist politician Balasaheb Thackeray was arrested for "hurting religious sentiments," local police told reporters amid public anger …