Centre for Internet & Society

Women in the IT Industry: Request for Data

For CIS's research on indicators of female economic empowerment in the IT industry in India, we have sent formal request for participation in a short survey to the six largest IT companies based in India. A copy of the letter of request and survey as well as some details of the request for data can be found in this post.

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Research Initiative: Women in India's IT Industry

CIS has begun a brief research project which will examine indicators of female economic empowerment in the IT industry in India. Though the gathering of quantitative and qualitative data from the six largest publicly-traded Indian software companies, we hope to provide insight into state of female employment in one of the most important and rapidly growing economic sectors in the country.

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National Resource Kit : The West Bengal Chapter (Call for Comments)

The National Resource Kit team is pleased to bring you its research on the state of laws, policies and programmes for persons with disabilities in the state of West Bengal.

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Who Minds the Maxwell's Demon (Revisiting Communication Networks through the Lens of the Intermediary)

A holistic reflection on information networks and it’s regulatory framework is possible only when the medium-specific boundary that has often separated the Internet and Telecom networks begins to dissolve, to objectively reveal points of contention in the communication network where the dynamics of network security and privacy are at large – namely, within the historic role of the intermediary at data/signal switching and routing nodes.

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BigDog is Watching You! The Sci-fi Future of Animal and Insect Drones

BigDog is Watching You! The Sci-fi Future of Animal and Insect Drones

Do you think robotic aeroplanes monitoring us are scary enough? Wait until you read about DARPA´s new innovative and subtle way to keep us all under the microscope! This blog post presents a new reality of drones which is depicted in none other than animal and insect-like robots, equipped with cameras and other surveillance technologies.

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Celebrating Odia Wikipedia's Ninth Anniversary

Celebrating Odia Wikipedia's Ninth Anniversary

Odia Wikipedia saw its first edit on January 29, 2004. After a dormancy of many years it got revived in 2011. To commemorate the effort of many volunteer wikipedians, a celebratory event was organized on January 29, 2013 in Bhubaneswar. Subhashish Panigrahi participated in this event.

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National Resource Kit: The Andaman & Nicobar Chapter (Call for Comments)

The National Resource Kit team is pleased to bring you its research on the state of laws, policies and programmes for persons with disabilities in the state of Andaman and Nicobar.

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Surveillance Camp IV: Disproportionate State Surveillance - A Violation of Privacy

This is the fourth in a series of posts mapping global surveillance challenges discussed at EFF's State Surveillance and Human Rights Camp in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This article has been co-written with Elonnai Hickok — Centre for Internet and Society India, and a speaker at EFF's Camp.

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The Omnishambles of UID, shrouded in its RTI opacity

The Centre for Internet & Society sponsored Colonel Mathew Thomas to hold a workshop at the fourth National Right to Information (RTI) organized by the National Campaign for People's Right to Information, held in Hyderabad from February 15 to 18, 2013.

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Freedom of Expression Gagged

Freedom of Expression Gagged

The use of law to bully people into silence, called ‘heckler’s veto’, is not unique to India, writes Chinmayi Arun in this op-ed published in Business Line on February 15, 2013.

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One For All

One For All

The importance of making information accessible and universal.

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Analyzing the Latest List of Blocked URLs by Department of Telecommunications (IIPM Edition)

Analyzing the Latest List of Blocked URLs by Department of Telecommunications (IIPM Edition)

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in its order dated February 14, 2013 has issued directions to the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block seventy eight URLs. The block order has been issued as a result of a court order. Snehashish Ghosh does a preliminary analysis of the list of websites blocked as per the DoT order.

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National Resource Kit : The Bihar Chapter (Call for Comments)

The Centre for Internet & Society and the Hans Foundation are pleased to bring you its research on the state of laws, policies and programmes for persons with disabilities in the state of Bihar.

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2012: Privacy Highlights in India

In this blog post, Elonnai Hickok summarizes the top privacy moments of 2012 in India. In doing so she lists out the major ones like the Report of Group of Experts on Privacy, the RIM Standoff, the Nira Radia controversy, the Centralized Monitoring System, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, NATGRID, CCTNS, the growth of CCTVs, the leaked DNA Profiling Bill, and the UID project.

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Back When the Past had a Future: Being Precarious in a Network Society

We live in Network Societies. This phrase has been so bastardised to refer to the new information turn mediated by digital technologies, that we have stopped paying attention to what the Network has become. Networks are everywhere. They have become the default metaphor of our times, where everything from infrastructure assemblies to collectives of people, are all described through the lens of a network.

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A Lightness of Spirit

Disability activist Rahul Cherian leaves a legacy of thinking about human rights as rights for the maximum enjoyment of life.

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Report of Aaron Swartz Memorial Hacknight

On 19th and 20th January, HasGeek organized a hacknight to commemorate the life and works of Aaron Swartz. Zainab Bawa from HasGeek shares with us the developments.

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The Supreme Court & Spectrum Management

Only the Supreme Court can rectify spectrum management in line with other resources, but all stakeholders can contribute.

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Digital Literacy Workshop at Department of Arts, Delhi University

A digital literacy workshop was organised at the Department of Arts, Delhi University for students pursuing their masters in Modern Indian Languages and Literary Studies on February 5, 2013. Nitika Tandon shares the developments.

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A Comparison of Indian Legislation to Draft International Principles on Surveillance of Communications

This blog post is a comparison of the relevant Indian legislations allowing governmental access to communications and the Draft International Principles on Surveillance of Communications. The principles, first drafted in October 2012 and developed subsequently seeks to establish an international standard for surveillance of communications in the context of human rights.

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