February 2019 Newsletter

The CIS newsletter aims to highlight developments in copyright and patent, free speech and expression, privacy, cyber security, telecom, etc. as well as Industry 4.0, big data, additive manufacturing and so on which are revolutionizing and moving the digital world forward. Through this newsletter we look to engage you with our research and build a strong bond by bringing you insightful articles and blog posts which will be beneficial for you and your business. Throughout the year we will send you stories and insights from our board, staff and community leaders. We welcome your feedback, suggestions or comments regarding our newsletter or any other aspect of our research.

Highlights for February 2019

• Maharashtra is a state which is rich in diversity in terms of language and culture seen in its various regions such as Konkan, Marathwada, Western Maharashtra, Northern Maharashtra and Vidarbha. Awareness needs to be created to make Wikimedia movement inclusive and diverse in these geographical regions as well as in their social strata. Keeping this in view CIS-A2K conducted five workshops in different parts of the state.
• Marathi language department of Goa University has initiated the process to document the culture of Goa on Marathi Wikipedia and Commons. Subodh Kulkarni reports this in a blog entry.
• Khetrimayum Monish Singh and Rajiv K. Mishra co-authored a research paper which was presented at the Young Scholars International Conference on “Margins and Connections,” organised by the Special Centre for the Study of North East India, Jawaharlal Nehru University, on February 7-8, 2019.
• Following consultations with data protection, civil society, industry and others, during the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) meeting from 29 November 2018 onwards, the Cybercrime Convention Committee had sought additional contributions regarding the provisional draft text for a Second Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime (“Budapest Convention”). Vipul Kharbanda submitted comments on behalf of CIS.
• CIS responded to the call for submissions from the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Speech and Expression. The submission was on the Surveillance Industry and Human Rights.
• CIS and University of Munich, Germany are co-organizing an event 'Internet Speech: Perspectives on Regulation and Policy' at India Habitat Centre on April 5, 2019.
• Akriti Bopanna on behalf of CIS provided comments on the proposed draft of ICANN’s FY20 Operating Plan and Budget along with their Five-Year Operating Plan Update.
• Harsh Bajpai, Ambika Tandon, and Amber Sinha have co-authored a case study 'The Future of Work in the Automotive Sector in India'. The case study highlights the impact of technologies such as artificial intelligence, industry 4.0, internet of things, and so on at industry workplace. The case study was edited by Rakhi Sehgal. Manav Mehta provided research assistance.
• In a response to the Draft of The Information Technology [Intermediary Guidelines (Amendment) Rules] 2018, CIS examined whether the draft rules meet tests of constitutionality and whether they are consistent with the parent Act. The submission also examined potential harms that may arise from the Rules as they are currently framed and make recommendations to the draft rules that may enable government to meet its objectives while remaining situated within the constitutional ambit.
• A UN high-level panel on Digital Cooperation issued a call for inputs that called for responses to various questions. CIS responded to the call for inputs. The response was drafted by Aayush Rathi, Ambika Tandon, Arindrajit Basu and Elonnai Hickok.

CIS and the News

The following news pieces were authored by CIS and published on its website in January:

• Data Infrastructures and Inequities: Why Does Reproductive Health Surveillance in India Need Our Urgent Attention? (Aayush Rathi and Ambika Tandon; EPW Engage , Vol. 54, Issue No. 6, February 9, 2019).
• Intermediary liability law needs updating (Sunil Abraham; Business Standard; February 9, 2019).
• Resurrecting the marketplace of ideas (Arindrajit Basu; Hindu Businessline; February 22, 2019).
• What I learned from going offline for 48 hours (Nishant Shah; Indian Express; February 24, 2019).

CIS in the News

CIS was quoted in these news articles published elsewhere:

• Civil Liberties Groups Warn Proposed EU 'Terrorist Content' Rule a Threat to Democratic Values (Jessica Corbett; Common Dreams; February 5, 2019).
• ‘Willing to participate, but need more time’: Twitter on parliamentary panel hearing (Smriti Kak Ramachandran and Vidhi Choudhary; February 10, 2019).
• What the government's draft IT intermediary guidelines say (Abhijit Ahaskar; Livemint; February 12, 2019).
• Make our digital backyard safe (Nilanjana Bhowmick; Economic Times; February 13, 2019).
• Even years later, Twitter doesn't delete your direct messages (Zack Whittaker and Natasha Lomas; Tech Crunch; February 15, 2019).
• Are RSS's fears about Tik Tok true? Here's what you should know (Economic TimZack Whittaker and Natasha Lomases; February 20, 2019). Also published in Moneycontrol News on the same day.
• Risk integration is key to better cybersecurity management (Dr. R. Seetharaman; Gulf Times; February 24, 2019).
• Any failure to resolve the Kashmir problem could lead the South Asia to a nuclear disaster (Kashmir Watch; February 25, 2019).
• Over 30 organisations, industry bodies oppose proposal to ban vape content (Times of India; February 28, 2019).
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Access to Knowledge

Our Access to Knowledge programme currently consists of two projects. The Pervasive Technologies project, conducted under a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), aims to conduct research on the complex interplay between low-cost pervasive technologies and intellectual property, in order to encourage the proliferation and development of such technologies as a social good. The Wikipedia project, which is under a grant from the Wikimedia Foundation, is for the growth of Indic language communities and projects by designing community collaborations and partnerships that recruit and cultivate new editors and explore innovative approaches to building projects.

Wikipdedia

As part of the project grant from the Wikimedia Foundation we have reached out to more than 3500 people across India by organizing more than 100 outreach events and catalysed the release of encyclopaedic and other content under the Creative Commons (CC-BY-3.0) license in four Indian languages (21 books in Telugu, 13 in Odia, 4 volumes of encyclopaedia in Konkani and 6 volumes in Kannada, and 1 book on Odia language history in English).

Blog Entries

• Marathi Wikipedia Workshop & 1lib1ref session at Goa University (Subodh Kulkarni; February 1, 2019).
• Marathi Language Fortnight Workshops 2019 (Subodh Kulkarni February 26, 2019).

Media Coverage

Internet Governance

As part of its research on privacy and free speech, CIS is engaged with two different projects. The first one (under a grant from Privacy International and IDRC) is on surveillance and freedom of expression (SAFEGUARDS). The second one (under a grant from MacArthur Foundation) is on restrictions that the Indian government has placed on freedom of expression online.

Cyber Security

Submission

• Comments on the Draft Second Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) (Vipul Kharbanda; February 25, 2019).

Researchers at Work (RAW)

The Researchers at Work (RAW) programme is an interdisciplinary research initiative driven by an emerging need to understand the reconfigurations of social practices and structures through the Internet and digital media technologies, and vice versa. It aims to produce local and contextual accounts of interactions, negotiations, and resolutions between the Internet, and socio-material and geo-political processes:

Research Paper

• Media Infrastructures and Digital Practices: Case Studies from the North East of India (Khetrimayum Monish Singh; February 5, 2019).

About CIS

The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) is a non-profit organisation that undertakes interdisciplinary research on internet and digital technologies from policy and academic perspectives. The areas of focus include digital accessibility for persons with disabilities, access to knowledge, intellectual property rights, openness (including open data, free and open source software, open standards, open access, open educational resources, and open video), internet governance, telecommunication reform, digital privacy, and cyber-security. The academic research at CIS seeks to understand the reconfigurations of social and cultural processes and structures as mediated through the internet and digital media technologies.

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