Internet Governance Blog
European Union Draft Report Admonishes Mass Surveillance, Calls for Stricter Data Protection and Privacy Laws
Ever since the release of the “Snowden files”, the secret documents evidencing the massive scale of surveillance undertaken by America’s National Security Agency and publically released by whistle-blower Edward Snowden, surveillance in the digital age has come to the fore of the global debate on internet governance and privacy.
Privacy worries cloud Facebook's WhatsApp Deal
Privacy activists in the United States have asked the competition regulator or the Federal Trade Commission to put on hold Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp. Why have they done this when Facebook has promised to leave WhatsApp untouched as a standalone app?
Net Neutrality and Privacy
The highly contentious and polarising debate on net-neutrality will have a large impact on shaping the future of the internet and ultimately on the users of the internet. One important issue which needs to be prioritized while debating the necessity or desirability of a legal regime which advocates net-neutrality is its implication on privacy.
NTIA to give up control of the Internet's root
On Friday evening the U.S. government's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it was setting into motion a transition to give up a few powers that it holds over some core Internet functions, and that this would happen by September 2015. Pranesh Prakash provides a brief response to that announcement.
New Standard Operating Procedures for Lawful Interception and Monitoring
Government issues new guidelines to TSP’s to assist Lawful Interception and Monitoring.
Institute for Internet & Society 2014, Pune
Last month, activists, journalists, researchers, and members of civil society came together at the 2014 Institute for Internet & Society in Pune, which was hosted by CIS and funded by the Ford Foundation. The Institute was a week long, in which participants heard from speakers from various backgrounds on issues arising out of the intersection of internet and society, such as intellectual property, freedom of expression, and accessibility, to name a few. Below is an official reporting summarizing sessions that took place.
Comparison of Section 35(1) of the Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill and Section 4 of the Identification Act Revised Statute of Canada
A comparison of section 35(1) of the Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill, section 4 of the Identification Act, Revised Statute of Canada, and a review of international best practices.
Big Democracy, Big Surveillance: India's Surveillance State
In India, surveillance is on the rise by the state to tackle crime and terrorism, and private companies are eager to meet the demand.
Surveillance and the Indian Constitution - Part 3: The Public/Private Distinction and the Supreme Court’s Wrong Turn
After its decision in Gobind, the Supreme Court's privacy floodgates opened; a series of claims involving private parties came before its docket, and the resulting jurisprudence ended up creating confusion between state-individual surveillance, and individual-individual surveillance.
UIDAI Practices and the Information Technology Act, Section 43A and Subsequent Rules
UIDAI practices and section 43A of the IT Act are analyzed in this post.
Open Call for Comments: The Privacy Protection Bill 2013 drafted by the Centre for Internet and Society
The Centre for Internet and Society is announcing an Open Call for Comments to the CIS Privacy Protection Bill 2013.
CIS Welcomes 52nd Report on Cyber Crime, Cyber Security, and Right to Privacy
The “Fifty Second Report on Cyber Crime, Cyber Security, and Right to Privacy” issued by the 2013 -2014 Standing Committee on Information Technology on February 12th 2014, highlights the urgent need for reform in India’s cyber security framework and the need for the much awaited privacy legislation to be finalized and made into a law.
Calcutta High Court Strengthens Whistle Blower Protection
Calcutta High Court has ordered for protection of whistle blower's privacy in its November 20, 2013 order. The court has directed the government to accept RTI applications without the applicant's personal details.
Will You be Paid to Post a Picture?
The wave of free information production on the web is on the wane.
The Internet Way
Dr. Nishant Shah's review of the book “The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon” by Bantam Press/Random House Group, London was published in Biblio Vol. 19 No.8 (1&2), January – February 2014.
February 11: The Day We Fight Back Against Mass Surveillance
The expansive surveillance being perpetuated by governments and corporations is the single biggest threat to individual liberties in the digital age.
Video Games: A Case Study of a Cross-cultural Video Collaboration
A new book focusing on Palestinian artists’ video, edited by Bashir Makhoul and published by Palestinian Art Court- al Hoash, 2013, includes a chapter co-authored by Larissa Hjorth and Nishant Shah.
India's Central Monitoring System (CMS): Something to Worry About?
In this article, Maria Xynou presents new information about India's controversial Central Monitoring System (CMS) based on official documents which were shared with the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS). Read this article and gain an insight on how the CMS actually works!
Making the Powerful Accountable
If powerful figures are not subjected to transparent court proceedings, the opacity in the face of a critical issue is likely to undermine public faith in the judiciary.
Surveillance and the Indian Constitution - Part 2: Gobind and the Compelling State Interest Test
Gautam Bhatia analyses the first case in which the Supreme Court recognized a constitutional right to privacy, Gobind v. State of Madhya Pradesh, and argues that the holding in that case adopted the three-pronged American test of strict scrutiny, compelling State interest, and narrow tailoring in its approach to privacy violations.
