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                                      Online Pre-Censorship is Harmful and Impractical
                                     
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                                        by
                                            
                                              Pranesh Prakash
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                            
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                                                published
                                              
                                              Dec 07, 2011
                                            
                                            
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                                                last modified
                                              
                                              Dec 12, 2011 05:00 PM
                                            
                                        
                                        
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                                          filed under:
                                          
                                            IT Act,
                                          
                                          
                                            Obscenity,
                                          
                                          
                                            Freedom of Speech and Expression,
                                          
                                          
                                            Public Accountability,
                                          
                                          
                                            YouTube,
                                          
                                          
                                            Social media,
                                          
                                          
                                            Internet Governance,
                                          
                                          
                                            Featured,
                                          
                                          
                                            Intermediary Liability,
                                          
                                          
                                            Censorship,
                                          
                                          
                                            Social Networking
                                          
                                        
                                      
                                      
The Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Mr. Kapil Sibal wants Internet intermediaries to pre-censor content uploaded by their users.  Pranesh Prakash takes issue with this and explains why this is a problem, even if the government's heart is in the right place.  Further, he points out that now is the time to take action on the draconian IT Rules which are before the Parliament.
                                      
                                          
                                              Located in
                                          
                                          
                                              
                                                  Internet Governance
                                                  
                                               
                                          
                                      
                                     
                              
                              
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                                      Privacy Matters — Analyzing the Right to "Privacy Bill" 
                                     
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                                        by
                                            
                                              Natasha Vaz
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                            
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                                                published
                                              
                                              Jan 28, 2012
                                            
                                            
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                                                last modified
                                              
                                              Feb 15, 2012 04:27 AM
                                            
                                        
                                        
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                                          filed under:
                                          
                                            Privacy,
                                          
                                          
                                            Freedom of Speech and Expression,
                                          
                                          
                                            Public Accountability,
                                          
                                          
                                            Internet Governance,
                                          
                                          
                                            Featured
                                          
                                        
                                      
                                      
On January 21, 2012 a public conference “Privacy Matters” was held at the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai. It was the sixth conference organised in the series of regional consultations held as “Privacy Matters”. The present conference analyzed the Draft Privacy Bill and the participants discussed the challenges and concerns of privacy in India.
                                      
                                          
                                              Located in
                                          
                                          
                                              
                                                  Internet Governance
                                                  
                                               
                                          
                                      
                                     
                              
                              
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                                      Hacktivists deface BSNL website
                                    
 
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                                        by
                                            
                                              Prasad Krishna
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                            
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                                                published
                                              
                                              Dec 14, 2012
                                            
                                            
                                        
                                        
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                                          filed under:
                                          
                                            IT Act,
                                          
                                          
                                            Social Media,
                                          
                                          
                                            Freedom of Speech and Expression,
                                          
                                          
                                            Public Accountability,
                                          
                                          
                                            Censorship
                                          
                                        
                                      
                                      
The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) website, www.bsnl.co.in, was hacked and defaced on Thursday afternoon.
                                      
                                          
                                              Located in
                                          
                                          
                                              
                                                  News & Media
                                                  
                                               
                                          
                                      
                                     
                              
                              
                                    - 
                                      
                                      Opening Government: A Guide to Best Practice in Transparency, Accountability and Civic Engagement across the Public Sector
                                     
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                                        by
                                            
                                              Pranesh Prakash
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                            
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                                                published
                                              
                                              Jul 21, 2011
                                            
                                            
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                                                last modified
                                              
                                              Dec 14, 2012 10:26 AM
                                            
                                        
                                        
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                                          filed under:
                                          
                                            Digital Governance,
                                          
                                          
                                            Open Data,
                                          
                                          
                                            Public Accountability,
                                          
                                          
                                            Openness,
                                          
                                          
                                            e-governance
                                          
                                        
                                      
                                      
The Transparency & Accountability Initiative has published a book called “Opening Government: A Guide to Best Practice in Transparency, Accountability and Civic Engagement across the Public Sector”. We at the Centre for Internet & Society contributed the section on Open Government Data.
                                      
                                          
                                              Located in
                                          
                                          
                                              
                                                  Openness
                                                  
                                                      /
                                                      
                                                  
                                               
                                          
                                          
                                              
                                                  Blog
                                                  
                                               
                                          
                                      
                                     
                              
                              
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                                      Pitroda seeks to put govt information in public domain
                                    
 
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                                        by
                                            
                                              Prasad Krishna
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                            
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                                                published
                                              
                                              Sep 27, 2012
                                            
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                          —
                                          filed under:
                                          
                                            Freedom of Speech and Expression,
                                          
                                          
                                            Public Accountability,
                                          
                                          
                                            Internet Governance,
                                          
                                          
                                            Social media
                                          
                                        
                                      
                                      
In the first-ever Indian government press conference on Twitter, Sam Pitroda, adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on public information infrastructure and innovations, championed the cause of putting government information in the public domain to usher in openness and empowerment. 
                                      
                                          
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                                                  News & Media
                                                  
                                               
                                          
                                      
                                     
                              
                              
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                                      Google to change privacy policy to use personal info of users
                                    
 
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                                        by
                                            
                                              Prasad Krishna
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                            
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                                                published
                                              
                                              Jan 27, 2012
                                            
                                            
                                              —
                                              
                                                last modified
                                              
                                              Jan 30, 2012 05:03 AM
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                          —
                                          filed under:
                                          
                                            Freedom of Speech and Expression,
                                          
                                          
                                            Public Accountability,
                                          
                                          
                                            Internet Governance,
                                          
                                          
                                            Privacy
                                          
                                        
                                      
                                      
It is a warning for users of Google and other Social Networking sites. Who are using these sites for searching anything they want to know and sharing their personal life with friends, colleagues and relatives. If you have ever used Google for searching any place, restaurant or shared information about your personal life with your friends on Google and other social networking sites, or you have watched adult stuff on YouTube, if your answer is yes, Google knows about it. And according to its new privacy policy Google is going to put this information to some use. Sheetal Ranga's article was published in Punjab Newsline on 27 January 2012.
                                      
                                          
                                              Located in
                                          
                                          
                                              
                                                  News & Media
                                                  
                                               
                                          
                                      
                                     
                              
                              
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                                      Censoring the Internet: A brief manual
                                     
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                                        by
                                            
                                              Sunil Abraham
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                            
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                                                published
                                              
                                              Aug 24, 2012
                                            
                                            
                                        
                                        
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                                          filed under:
                                          
                                            Public Accountability,
                                          
                                          
                                            Internet Governance,
                                          
                                          
                                            Censorship
                                          
                                        
                                      
                                      
Blocking websites on the Internet should be proportionate to harm they intend. However, the government of India's approach is against the principles of natural justice.
                                      
                                          
                                              Located in
                                          
                                          
                                              
                                                  Internet Governance
                                                  
                                               
                                          
                                      
                                     
                              
                              
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                                      India’s ethnic clashes intensify within social-media maelstrom 
                                    
 
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                                        by
                                            
                                              Prasad Krishna
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                            
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                                                published
                                              
                                              Aug 24, 2012
                                            
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                          —
                                          filed under:
                                          
                                            Public Accountability,
                                          
                                          
                                            Internet Governance,
                                          
                                          
                                            Censorship
                                          
                                        
                                      
                                      
It began in mid-July: First came a series of retaliatory killings between ethnic communities in the state of Assam in mid-July. Soon nearly 500,000 people had fled their homes for grim refugee camps. The central government belatedly sent in troops to assist, although that has barely quieted matters. But in the meantime, the violence in remote Assam triggered a bizarre series of knock-on events that has affected the entire country.
                                      
                                          
                                              Located in
                                          
                                          
                                              
                                                  News & Media
                                                  
                                               
                                          
                                      
                                     
                              
                              
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                                      Govt cracks down on Twitter
                                    
 
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                                        by
                                            
                                              Prasad Krishna
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                            
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                                                published
                                              
                                              Aug 25, 2012
                                            
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                          —
                                          filed under:
                                          
                                            Freedom of Speech and Expression,
                                          
                                          
                                            Public Accountability,
                                          
                                          
                                            Internet Governance,
                                          
                                          
                                            Censorship
                                          
                                        
                                      
                                      
India’s crackdown on social media platforms for hosting “inflammatory” content — following the violence in Assam and the exodus of northeastern people from several cities — seems to have been a little reckless.  
                                      
                                          
                                              Located in
                                          
                                          
                                              
                                                  News & Media
                                                  
                                               
                                          
                                      
                                     
                              
                              
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                                      Twitter users hit back at government ban
                                    
 
                                    - 
                                      
                                        
                                        by
                                            
                                              Prasad Krishna
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                            
                                              —
                                              
                                                published
                                              
                                              Aug 25, 2012
                                            
                                            
                                        
                                        
                                          —
                                          filed under:
                                          
                                            Freedom of Speech and Expression,
                                          
                                          
                                            Public Accountability,
                                          
                                          
                                            Internet Governance,
                                          
                                          
                                            Censorship
                                          
                                        
                                      
                                      
The government faced an angry backlash from Twitter users on Thursday after ordering Internet service providers to block about 20 accounts that officials said had spread scare-mongering material that threatened national security.
                                      
                                          
                                              Located in
                                          
                                          
                                              
                                                  News & Media