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MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from Delhi University

nehaa — 2016-05-15T12:18:40Z

This post provides a factual description about the operation of Ministry of Human Resource Development IPR Chair’s Intellectual Property Education, Research and Public Outreach (IPERPO) scheme in Delhi University.

The author has analysed all the data received through which, the author seeks to trace the presence of unjustified underutilisation of funds by the aforementioned university as provided by the MHRD during the period of 2013-2014. To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to Delhi University on 09/02/2015 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 25/02/2015.

These are the documents received by CIS from Delhi University:

For the response to the RTI application click here

Hereinafter, in order to receive any information about Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University’s RTI reply, kindly refer to the above mentioned links. Following are the queries mentioned in the RTI application along with their replies.

Reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the implementation of the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the scheme at the Delhi School of Economics.
Reply: The University submitted that there are no reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme or the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the same. Additionally, the implementation of the scheme commended at Delhi University w.e.f 20th Feb., 2014. Dr. Rekha Chaturvedi joined as the IPR Chair (Technical) on the same date.
Documents on the release of grants to the MHRD IPR Chairs under the IPERPO scheme at the Delhi University, Delhi School of Economics for the year 2013-14.
Reply: The University submitted that there has been no release of grants by the Human Resource and Development Ministry under the IPERPO Scheme.
Documents relating to receipts of utilization certificates and audited expenditure statements and matters related to all financial sanctions with regard to funds granted to the MHRD IPR Chair established under the IPERPO Scheme for the year 2013-14 at the Delhi University, Delhi School of Economics.
Reply: The University replied that as there has been no release of grants under the IPERPO scheme, the question of utilization certificates and audited expenditure or any other matter related to financial sanctions with regard to the funds does not arise.
Documents regarding all matters related to finance and budget related to the MHRD IPR Chair under the IPERPO scheme 2013-14 established at Delhi University, Delhi School of Economics.
Reply: The University did not submit any documents in this regard and asserted that the information sought is not specific.

Comparative Analysis between University Response and the guidelines of MHRD Scheme Document
The Scheme Document of MHRD (http://copyright.gov.in/Documents/scheme.pdf) is a comprehensive document which consists of guidelines regarding Intellectual Property Education, Research and Public Outreach. It talks about a list of objectives, purposes, conditions and eligibility criteria for a University to ensure in order to implement IPERPO in a truest sense. This document provides the procedural as well as qualifying conditions for an Institute to ensure or fulfil before applying for the MHRD grant. Some of these conditions include maintenance of utilization certificates, audit reports, expenditure statements and event information which would be open to access on demand by MDHR or Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

A. Objectives
The University has not provided any documents detailing any activities undertaken to further the objectives of the IPERPO scheme.

B. Eligibility
Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University is recognized by the University Grants Commission. Therefore, it fulfils the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme document.

Financial Analysis

The University has not provided any documents on this subject.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-delhi-university

MHA snoop order & bid to amend IT rules: China-like clampdown or tracking unlawful content?

Admin — 2018-12-30T10:08:31Z

An MHA order last week authorised 10 government agencies to scan data on computers. This was followed by the Modi government’s proposal to amend the Information Technology rules for social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter to “proactively identify, remove or disable access to unlawful information or content” in order to curb fake news online.

The article by Fatima Khan was published in the Print on December 28, 2018. Amber Sinha was quoted.

No concrete steps taken by either NDA or UPA to enact laws for surveillance reform

The MHA order which gives 10 government agencies the power to intercept, monitor and decrypt ‘any information’ generated, transmitted, received, or stored in any computer, reaffirms the sorry state of communication surveillance law in India. This is reflected in the lack of judicial review, minimal legislative oversight and no regard for the principles of necessity, proportionality, user notification and transparency.

Despite detailed recommendations by the Committee of Experts led by Justice AP Shah back in 2013, there have been no concrete steps taken by either the current NDA government or the previous UPA government to enact laws for surveillance reform. The draft bill by the committee led by Justice Srikrishna does refer to the principles of necessity and proportionality, but stops short of recommending an overhaul of the surveillance regime. This notification is but merely the logical next step in the existing framework for communications surveillance.

On the other hand, the draft amendments to the IT Act regulations seek to address the problem of ‘unlawful content’ and seem to stem largely from concerns about the use of platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to spread disinformation and impact electoral processes in India. To that extent, these steps are misguided and betray a failure to engage with the actual problem. Already, the powers of content moderation exercised by online platforms suffer from problems of transparency and accountability. The draft regulations will only serve to compound this problem while unreasonably expecting the platforms to exercise powers which should require judicial determination.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/the-print-december-28-2018-mha-snoop-order-bid-to-amend-it-rules-china-like-clampdown-or-tracking-unlawful-content

Metrolife: Brutality porn has sadly many takers in India

Admin — 2018-04-19T13:15:57Z

The name of the eight-year old Kathua rape victim is trending not just on social media but also on a porn site.

On Monday it had topped the list of the most-searched names on a porn site, triggering surprise and outrage. An official at the Centre for Internet & Society, Bengaluru attributes the curiosity to a "depraved, messed-up" mind.

Swaraj Barooah, senior programme manager at the centre, says, "It takes numbers to make something trend online." He attributes the unhealthy curiosity in rape footage to a lack of proper sex education in schools.

Violent acts are ingrained in the power politics and hierarchy of our society, he observes.

"There are two categories that are searched online...revenge and brutality porn. While revenge porn is usually uploaded by couples who break up, brutality porn is done without recognising the humanity of the person involved," Barooah says.

Psychiatrists think people who search for rape videos have a "sick and deviant mind".

The article by Nina C. George was published in Deccan Herald on April 18, 2018.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/deccan-herald-nina-c-george-april-17-2018-sad-truth-brutality-porn-has-many-takers-in-india

Messaging apps find another foe in India’s market regulator

praskrishna — 2013-06-05T10:46:32Z

Paranoid governments and mobile operators aren’t the only one that dislike messaging apps. Regulatory bodies aren’t crazy about them either. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is worried that attempts to pass on confidential information or manipulate markets are originating from within services like WhatsApp and Blackberry Messenger.

This blog post was published in Quartz on May 8, 2013. Elonnai Hickok is quoted.

The regulator already analyzes data from trades for irregularities through its “integrated market surveillance system”. That gives it an idea of what stocks are being manipulated. Now it wants to expand its horizons. The Press Trust of India reports that SEBI has looked into tracking Twitter and Facebook and is grappling with messaging apps—though as yet it has no systems in place for doing either, according to Elonnai Hickok of the Center for Internet Studies in Bangalore. A SEBI spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

Even if SEBI did start following you on Twitter, it cannot snoop on your WhatsApp messages. That sort of power is the preserve of intelligence and police authorities. And there is good reason for SEBI’s restricted powers. Keeping the markets clean may be an honorable pursuit, but the regulator hasn’t always used honorable means.

India’s finance minister last year said that SEBI would be allowed to request call records, which are the data kept by operators about who called whom, for how long and from where. Such information can help investigators discover sources of leaked information. It can also be used to figure out whether traders are trying to influence other investigators. But a freedom-of-information request recently revealed that SEBI had been requesting—and receiving—such data from carriers at least since 2009, well before it was supposedly allowed to do so.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/news/quartz-may-8-2013-leo-mirani-messaging-apps-find-another-foe-in-indias-market-regulator

Meeting on Proactive Disclosure and Personal Data (Delhi, May 13, 5:30 pm)

sumandro — 2017-05-13T04:32:41Z

CIS is organising an informal discussion on topics related to proactive disclosure and personal data thrown up by the recently published report by Amber Sinha and Srinivas Kodali titled "Information Security Practices of Aadhaar (or lack thereof)". Please join us at 5:30 pm today, May 13, at the CIS office.

Read the report: PDF

Location

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/meeting-on-proactive-disclosure-and-personal-data-delhi-may-13

Meeting on Net Neutrality and Related Issues

praskrishna — 2016-08-02T15:56:10Z

A meeting was convened by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on July 15, 2016 in New Delhi to discuss Net Neutrality and related issues. Sunil Abraham attended this meeting.

Click to view the Invitation Letter sent by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/meeting-on-net-neutrality-and-related-issues

Meeting of the two Sub-Groups on Privacy Issues under the Chairmanship of Justice AP Shah in Delhi

praskrishna — 2012-06-14T08:31:39Z

The next meeting of the two Sub-Groups on privacy issues under the Chairmanship of Justice A.P. Shah, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court is scheduled to be held on June 27, 2012 at 11.00 a.m. in the Committee Room No. 228, Yojana Bhawan, Planning Commission.

Members of both the Sub-Groups are requested to send their final write-ups as decided in the last meeting, by June 20, 2012 so that those could be circulated to all concerned for obtaining feedback and for discussions/ deliberations on June 27, 2012.

Shri S. Bose, Under Secretary (CIT & I) communicated this through notice No. M-13040/47/2011-CIT&I.

The notice was e-mailed to the following individuals:

Justice A.P.Shah, Chairman
Dr. Kamlesh Bajaj
Usha Ramanathan
Sunil Abraham
Prashant Reddy
Prof. Arghya Sengupta
Som Mittal
Shri Gulshan Rai
Mala Dutt

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/news/meeting-of-two-sub-groups-in-delhi

Meeting of the Network of Internet & Society Centers

praskrishna — 2012-12-11T10:18:41Z

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University together with the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet & Society in Berlin, in collaboration with the Centre for Internet and Society Bangalore, the Center for Technology & Society at the Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) Law School, KEIO University SFC, the MIT Media Lab, the MIT Center for Civic Media, and the NEXA Center for Internet & Society, will host a highly interactive and participatory meeting of representatives from these and other research centers focused on Internet and society issues.

Taking place on December 6-8 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this gathering will serve as the inaugural event for a nascent global network and create an opportunity for participants to scope and identify mechanisms for collaboration, research, and informal coordination.

Theme

Internet-driven Developments: Structural Changes and Tipping Points As a starting point, the December meeting will focus on the theme of “Internet-driven Developments: Structural Changes and Tipping Points,” provoking both substantive questions to facilitate ideas for collaboration, as well as process-oriented questions regarding the structure, governance, and composition of the network of centers. This topic is intended to provide a conceptual lens for the meeting itself, and to enable myriad connections to the diverse research areas and interests of the participating organizations; however, it is not meant to frame the thematic areas of the network writ large. Rather, we hope that the theme stimulates conversations about future areas of collaboration within and beyond the topic areas outlined in this concept note.

With this goal in mind and building upon the research interests of the participants, the two proposed overarching “horizontal” questions of the meeting are:

What are the structural changes (as opposed to hype, fashion, spikes, etc.), from societal, economic, legal, and educational perspectives, promoted by the Internet and related technological advancements? What do we know about these tectonic shifts and where are knowledge gaps? How do these shifts compare to earlier changes facilitated by new technologies? What further changes do we anticipate?
2 What are the forces and tipping points that have catalyzed these structural changes— including the actions of individuals (such as users, citizens, and individual activists) and institutions (such as government, business, and civil society)? Where do we currently see or anticipate tipping points? As a research community that seeks to inform advocacy efforts, policymaking, civic discourse, and other societal interests, how can these concepts inform or drive our activities?

We hope to discuss these guiding (“horizontal”) questions in the context of exploring two areas of research or use cases (“verticals”), which might inspire future activities of the network itself as well as collaboration among participants:

Political participation: Various research efforts over the past decade have focused on the question of if and how the Internet changes political participation, from new forms of electronic voting to the broader question of potential changes in political discourse in the digitally networked public sphere. During the meeting, we will take stock of the current landscape, with a particular focus on recent elections and political movements around the globe, and explore open questions, future research directions, questions, emerging tools and methodologies.

Production modes: Digital technologies in general and the Internet in particular have changed the ways in which goods are produced and services provided. Within this context, new modes of production — most prominently “peer-based” models — have emerged, accompanied by innovative organizational models and set-ups. Questions we hope to explore include: How relevant are these shifts from an economic, organizational, societal, business, and creative perspective? Has recent empirical research confirmed the theory of commons-based peer production, or challenged it? What conditions facilitate new modes of Internet-based production and what are the benefits and challenges from a public policy perspective? What do interesting case studies in the field, from collaborative online journalism to crowd-funding, tell us about the direction of this trend?

In a number of learning calls leading up to the meeting, we hope to further specify the proposed substantive areas, identify core issues of mutual interest for discussion, nominate speakers and rapporteurs, and learn about each other’s work in respective areas.

Key Objectives

The meeting will not only focus on substantive issues within the proposed themes, but also seek to provide a foundation for discussions regarding structural and process-oriented objectives for the network.

Substantive goals include: based on the proposed themes and topics, becoming familiar with each other’s work; facilitating the exchange of information regarding current and future projects, research areas, and innovative methods; identifying connection points, concrete ideas for initial and continued institutional collaborations on projects, and tools to support sustained and future efforts; and building a shared vocabulary and structure for collaboration among Internet & society centers, including existing and potential actors in the Global South.

Structural/process-oriented objectives include: defining the scope and core DNA of the network; exploring initial structures for governance, shared research, exchange programs, and mechanisms for collaboration; and identifying tools and practices for communication among teams, within the network, and externally.

From Ideas to Action

Using the substantive discussion as a jumping-0ff point, we will collectively explore how to apply lessons learned from the process of conducting interdisciplinary and international research into a network that embodies those same values. What analytical frames and empirical indicators can researchers offer to better inform policy makers and citizenry? How can we make public debates more rational and informed? What are methodological and data issues we should consider in research projects? What role do we envision for advocacy and broader communication for greater societal impact? How do these discussions inform and scope the potential areas of activity of the network? Through what specific mechanisms, such as research, tool development, convenings, or teaching, will Centers address these challenges? Invited colleagues, collaborators, and guests will provoke discussions and pose questions that challenge current assumptions and encourage experimentation.

Mode of Engagement

We are committed to leveraging the tremendous diversity of the participants to develop novel understandings — and approaches to reaching them — by actively embracing differences in geography, discipline, organizational approach, culture and context, among many other facets. Not only must we consciously address the more straightforward challenges of translation (language and discipline), but we must proactively develop ways to meaningfully and efficiently engage the deeper divisions we identify among us. Allowing differences to become splits would be unfortunate, but more importantly, it is at precisely these gaps where new perspectives are possible, and great gains are within reach.

Fulfilling this commitment will be a real challenge because it requires behavior change on our part. We must avoid or explain terms of art, make explicit and explore our assumptions, explain our methods, perform necessary translations, and otherwise take steps to maximize hospitality and genuine understanding. Because this work is interactive in nature, it is essential that we are economical in our group discussion, leaving as much time for the interactions that will highlight and address gaps, rather than making extended monologues that risk losing other participants and sacrifice the provocative stimuli offered by our diversity. In short, let us be clear, brief and to the point. Let us listen to each other closely and encourage new voices, rather than inadvertently privileging only a few dominant ones. Let us be aware that participants will have different styles of engagement, and that we need to collectively find ways to embrace them, even as they adapt to this special environment. Above all, let us have enjoy this rare opportunity to gather and engage on issues we care about with this unique group of colleagues.

Draft Agenda

Thursday, December 6
9:30-1:00 pm (Optional) Cyberscholars Forum For those meeting participants who arrive in Cambridge early, we welcome them to attend a half day meeting of the Cyberscholars Working Group, which includes fellows from the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Yale Information Society Project, MIT Media Lab / Center for Civic Media, and other institutions.
3:00 Opening Exercise: Mapping Collaboration The opening session of the symposium on “Structural Changes and Tipping Points” will include participants of the Cyberscholars forum, and will highlight the landscape of existing collaborations among researchers, as well as generate ideas for new modes and methods for collaboration to be considered over the course of the meeting. This early convening will allow the opportunity for representatives to bring the unique strengths of their institutions to the table and consider ways we can take advantage of coordinated efforts.
5:30 Opening Session Structural Change: Understanding Structural Changes, Tipping Points, and their Effects on Systems Historical examples of significant structural change, and the events and conditions leading up to those dramatic shifts, will offer a lens for the meeting where societal advancements catalyzed by technological innovation can be analyzed and understood. As digital technologies increasingly intersect with and support institutions, industries, and individuals, what cautionary tales does history reveal regarding how to study and engage important tipping points? What lessons from history will enable societal development? And what structures are currently changing or are ripe for change (and research) in the next decade?
6:45 Joint Reception with Cyberscholars Participants The reception will include displays from the Harvard metaLAb and the Harvard Library community.
Friday, December 7
8:30 am Breakfast
9:00 Welcome
9:15 Foundations: Key Ingredients for Structural Change in the Digital Ecosystem: Data, Algorithms, Intermediaries This opening session will set the stage by exploring the key elements that facilitate current and the next generation of structural shifts in the digitally networked information ecosystem and discuss both drivers and inhibitors of change from social, economic, legal, and educational perspectives. Instead of providing a holistic overview of all factors that are in play, the session will focus on three particularly important elements: the power of “big data”, the importance of algorithms, and the role of new intermediaries. Beyond phenomenological stock-taking, the participants will discuss the next generation of legal, ethical, economic and other issues that arise in the context of these key elements and the need for collaboration - and potentially intervention – with regard to these and related factors of change. The discussion will help orient the relationship between structural change and associated tipping points, and will be further explored throughout the day via participant-organized breakout sessions and use case discussions.
10:15 Use Case #1 Political Participation: New Orders, Democracy, Governance, and Civic Engagement Various research efforts over the past decade have focused on the question of if and how the Internet changes political participation, from new forms of electronic voting to the broader question of potential changes in political discourse in the digitally networked public sphere. During the meeting, we will take stock of the current landscape, with a particular focus on recent elections and political movements around the globe, and explore open questions, future research directions, questions, emerging tools and methodologies. Examples we could examine, and potentially consider as “tipping points,” may range from SOPA, PIPA, and ACTA to the Arab Spring and the post-election crisis in Kenya in 2008 to many other major political events. These examples may also highlight the limits, challenges, and dangers of the new media environment.
11:15 Coffee Break
11:30 Morning Breakout Sessions & Afternoon Proposals Semi-moderated discussion sessions proposed by participants in advance of the meeting (such as sessions on Internet & democracy, research methods, region specific issues, and other projects) will take place, with an eye towards developing contributions to the final session on future directions.
Additionally, participants will brainstorm and propose sessions to lead during the unconference sessions in the afternoon, with a preference for more exploratory topics. Anyone at the meeting can suggest, lead, or participate in the discussions, and topics can range from those relevant to the substantive themes of the symposium to ideas for networking, shared research, and anything beyond.
12:30 pm Lunch
1:30pm Use Case #2 Economic and Production Modes: New Models for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Digital technologies in general and the Internet in particular have changed the ways in which goods are produced and services provided. Within this context, new modes of production — most prominently “peer-based” models — have emerged, accompanied by innovative organizational models and set-ups. Questions we hope to explore include: How relevant are these shifts from an economic, organizational, societal, business, and creative perspective? Has recent empirical research confirmed the theory of commons-based peer production, or challenged it? What conditions facilitate new modes of Internet-based production and what are the benefits and challenges from a public policy perspective? What do interesting case studies in the field, from collaborative online journalism to crowd-funding, tell us about the direction of this trend? Examples of market and industry shifts, institutional changes, and individual impact may serve as illustrations of tipping points where new models of production have fostered true innovation, and reveal paths for what to expect in the future.
2:30 Participant-Led Unconference Sessions Meeting participants who proposed sessions will lead discussions around topics related to the main theme of the symposium or around ideas related to the formation of a network of centers.
3:30 Break
4:00 Reflections and Future Directions A rapporteur from each center will offer brief reflections and key takeaways based on their experience during the meeting. A shortlist of “low hanging fruit” (i.e. things that we can immediately start to collaborate on) will be developed in advance and serve as the basis for the session, so the group can make progress towards developing a substantive agenda and initial workplan for the network at the meeting.
7:00 Reception and Party
Saturday, December 8
9:00-12pm Breakfast session: Action plan for the next year In the Food for Thought mode, representatives will meet to discuss an innovation and collaboration agenda for the inaugural year of the network. Using inputs from learning calls and the previous days of the meeting, participants will work to identify existing or new projects where researchers, faculty, and staff can immediately begin collaborating. We will also create a rough plan for addressing action items that are “low hanging fruit” for the launch of the network.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/meeting-of-network-of-internet-and-society-centers

Meeting of Information Systems Security and Biometrics Sectional Committee

Admin — 2018-09-19T14:08:23Z

Gurshabad Grover attended the 14th meeting of the Information Systems Security and Biometrics Sectional Committee (LITD 17) of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which was held at the BIS office in New Delhi on 14 September 2018.

This was Gurshabad's first LITD 17 meeting. The committee noted my co-option in the committee and registration in Working Group 1 (Information security management systems) and WG5 (Identity management and privacy technologies) of ISO JTC 1 / SC 27 / “IT Security Techniques”. Some of the items discussed included proposed standards for biometric information protection, mobile phone security, and data privacy engineering & management practices.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/meeting-of-information-systems-security-and-biometrics-sectional-committee

Meeting of Coalition for an Inclusive Approach on the Trafficking Bill

Admin — 2018-08-18T09:21:36Z

Gurshabad Grover attended a meeting of the Coalition for an Inclusive Approach on the Trafficking Bill at the Alternative Law Forum, Bangalore on May 3, 2018.

The coalition is working on a report highlighting the various concerns in the recently Cabinet-approved Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018.

Swaraj Barooah had written a blogpost about some provisions in the Bill that could potentially impact freedom of expression. These inputs have been incorporated into the report the Coalition is preparing.

Clarification (18th August, 2018): A letter sent to the Ministry of Women and Child Development mentioned the Centre for Internet & Society as instituionally endorsing a critique of the The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018. We seek to clarify that the Centre for Internet & Society did not endorse the letter to the Ministry.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/meeting-of-coalition-for-an-inclusive-approach-on-the-trafficking-bill

Meeting of a Sub-committee on DNA Profiling Bill in Hyderabad

praskrishna — 2013-08-21T06:21:44Z

A sub-committee has been constituted as per the recommendations of the Expert Committee of DNA Profiling Bill. The sub-committee will have a meeting in Hyderabad on August 6, 2013.

The sub-committee was constituted with the following members:

Dr. Raghbir Singh, Former Secretary, Legislative Department, Ministry of Law, New Delhi
Shri. Kamal Kumar, IPS, (Retd.), Director General of Police, Hyderabad
Mr. Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore
Dr. Alka Sharma, Director, DBT
Dr. Madhusudan Reddy, Staff Scientist and Group Leader, CDFD, Hyderabad

The meeting has been scheduled for August 6, 2013, 10.30 a.m. at CDFD, Hyderabad to incorporate the ipunts/suggestions of the members of the Expert Committee appropriately in the draft Human Profiling Bill. The comments/inputs on the draft Bill have been requested from all the members of the Expert Committee. Once received, the same will be forwarded to you for further discussion in the sub-committee meeting.

The information was communicated by Dr. Alka Sharma, Director/Scientist F, Medical Biotechnology Division, R. No. 713, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India,

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/news/meeting-of-sub-committee-on-dna-profiling-bill

Medical Privacy

natasha — 2012-06-15T16:11:11Z

Privacy India in partnership with the Indian Network for People living with HIV/AIDS, Centre for Internet & Society, IDRC, Society in Action Group and Privacy International is organising an event on Medical Privacy at Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration, Rajbhavan Complex, Baner Road, Pune on June 30, 2012, from 9 a.m to 5 p.m.

Confidentiality and privacy are essential to all trusting relationships, such as that between patients and doctors. Moreover, in a healthcare context, patient confidentiality and the protection of privacy is the foundation of the doctor-patient relationship. Medical confidentiality promotes the individual's medical autonomy, by sheltering those seeking morally controversial medical care from outside criticism and interference with decisions.[1]Patients must feel comfortable sharing private information about their bodily functions, physical and sexual activities, and medical history.[2] This will make them more willing to seek information and support to fully understand and evaluate their options so that they can make the most informed medical decisions.

The disclosure of personal health information has the potential to be embarrassing, stigmatizing or discriminatory. Furthermore, various goods such as employment, life, and medical insurance, could be placed at risk if the flow of medical information were not restricted.[3]

This workshop will explore the various types of medical privacy including: informational privacy (e.g., confidentiality, anonymity, secrecy and data security); physical privacy (e.g., modesty and bodily integrity); associational privacy (e.g. intimate sharing of death, illness and recovery); proprietary privacy (e.g., selfownership and control over personal identifiers, genetic data, and body tissues); and decisional privacy (e.g., autonomy and choice in medical decision-making).[4]

The right to privacy in India has been a neglected area of study and engagement. Although sectoral legislation deals with privacy issues, India does not as yet have a horizontal legislation that deals comprehensively with privacy across all contexts. The absence of a minimum guarantee of privacy is felt most heavily by marginalized communities, including HIV patients, children, women, sexuality minorities, prisoners, etc. - people who most need to know that sensitive information is protected.

Since June 2010, Privacy India in collaboration with Privacy International, based in London, has been conducting workshops and engaging in public awareness. Participants include policy makers, researchers, sectoral experts, NGOs, and the public to discuss and deliberate different questions of privacy, its intersections and its implications with our everyday life.

The discussions have ranged from topics of online privacy to minority rights and privacy, and consumer privacy. The workshops have been organized in different cities - Bangalore, Guwahati, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Goa, etc.

Please confirm your participation through email to Natasha Vaz. We sincerely hope you will be able to attend and look forward to your participation.

Download the event Invite [PDF, 522 Kb]

[1]. Allen, A. (2011). Privacy and Medicine. in E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2011st ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2011/entries/privacy‐medicine/
[2]. Mishra, N., Parker, L., Nimgaonkar, V., & Deshpande, S. (2008). Privacy and the Right to Information Act, 2005. Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 5(4), 158‐161.
[3].Nissenbaum, H. (2004). Privacy as Contextual Integrity. Washington Law Review, 79(1), 101‐139.
[4]. Allen, A. (2011). Privacy and Medicine. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2011st ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2011/entries/privacy‐medicine/

The event is free and open to the public.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/medical-privacy

MediaNama roundtables on intermediary liability rules

Admin — 2019-02-17T15:59:33Z

MediaNama hosted one policy round-table on Intermediary Liability protections in Bangalore and another round-table in New Delhi, to discuss inputs sought by MEITY on the amendments to Safe Harbor for platforms (payments services, content services, ISPs, etc.) in India. Centre for Internet & Society is a community partner for the event.

One round-table was held at St. Mark's Hotel in Bangalore on January 25, 2019 and the next one will be held at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on February 7, 2019. Gurshabad Grover participated in the meeting held on January 25, 2019. Participants discussed the draft amendments to the intermediary liability rules (under Section 79 of the IT Act) and recommendations stakeholders could respond with. For more info click here.

MediaNama has posted some pieces after the discussion that may be of interest:

No clarity on what constitutes offenses for intermediaries (by Alok Prasanna Kumar)
Should different sizes or categories of intermediaries be regulated differently? (by Nikhil Pahwa)
The Intent of Traceability is behavioral change (by Nikhil Pahwa)

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/news/medianama-roundtables-on-intermediary-liability-rules

MediaNama - #NAMAprivacy: The Future of User Data (Delhi, Sep 6)

sumandro — 2017-09-05T10:22:12Z

MediaNama is hosting a full day conference on "the future of user data in India", on the 6th of September 2017, which is particularly significant given the recent Supreme Court ruling on the fundamental right to privacy, and two government consultations: one at the TRAI, and another at MEITY. This discussion is supported by Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. Sumandro Chattapadhyay, Research Director, will participate as a speaker in the session titled "regulating storage, sharing and transfer of data."

Details

Time: September 6th 2017, 9 am to 4:30 pm

Venue: Gulmohar Hall, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road (please enter from Gate #3)

Agenda: https://www.medianama.com/2017/08/223-agenda-namaprivacy-future-of-user-data/

Announced Speakers

Chinmayi Arun, Centre for Communication Governance at NLU Delhi
Malavika Raghavan, IFMR Finance Foundation
Renuka Sane, NIPFP
Smitha Krishna Prasad, Centre for Communication Governance at NLU Delhi
Ananth Padmanabhan, Carnegie India
Avinash Ramachandra, Amazon
Hitesh Oberoi, Naukri
Jochai Ben-Avie, Mozilla
Mrinal Sinha, Mobikwik
Murari Sreedharan, Bankbazaar
Sumandro Chattapadhyay, Centre for Internet and Society

Facilitators

Saikat Datta, Asia Times Online
Shashidar KJ, MediaNama
Nikhil Pahwa, MediaNama

Attendees

We have confirmed 140+ attendees from: Adobe, Amber Health, Amazon, APCO Worldwide, Bank Bazaar, Bloomberg-Quint, Blume Ventures, Broadband India Forum, Business Standard, BuzzFeed News, CCOAI, CEIP, Change Alliance, Chase India, CIS, CNN News18, DEF, Deloitte, DNA, DSCI, E2E Networks, British High Commission, Eurus Network Services, FICCI, Firefly Networks, Flipkart, Forrester Research, Fortumo, DoT, MEITY, IAMAI, IBM, ICRIER, IFMR Finance Foundation, IIMC, Indian Law Institute, Indic Project, Info Edge, ISPAI, IT for Change, ITU-APT, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jindal Global Law School, Mimir Technologies, Mozilla, Newslaundry, NIPFP, Nishith Desai Associates, NIXI, NLU-Delhi, ORF, Paytm, PLR Chambers, PRS Legislative Research, Publicis Groupe, Quartz India, Reliance Jio, Reuters, Saikrishna & Associates, Scroll.in, SFLC.in, Spectranet, The Economics Times, The Indian Express, The Times of India, The Wire, Times Internet, Twitter, and more.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/medianama-namaprivacy-the-future-of-user-data-delhi-sep-6

Media Market Risk Ratings: India

Torsha Sarkar, Pranav M Bidare, and Gurshabad Grover — 2022-01-25T13:29:06Z

The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) are launching a study into the risk of disinformation on digital news platforms in India, creating an index that is intended to serve donors and brands with a neutral assessment of news sites that they can utilise to defund disinformation.

Introduction

The harms of disinformation are proliferating around the globe—threatening our elections, our health, and our shared sense of facts.

The infodemic laid bare by COVID-19 conspiracy theories clearly shows that disinformation costs peoples’ lives. Websites masquerading as news outlets are driving and profiting financially from the situation.

The goal of the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) is to cut off the revenue streams that incentivise and sustain the spread of disinformation. Using both artificial and human intelligence, the GDI has created an assessment framework to rate the disinformation risk of news domains.

The GDI risk rating provides advertisers, ad tech companies and platforms with greater information about a range of disinformation flags related to a site’s content (i.e. reliability of content), operations (i.e. operational and editorial integrity) and context (i.e. perceptions of brand trust). The findings in this report are based on the human review of these three pillars: Content, Operations, and Context.

A site’s disinformation risk level is based on that site’s aggregated score across all of the reviewed pillars and indicators. A site’s overall score ranges from zero (maximum risk level) to 100 (minimum risk level). Each indicator that is included in the framework is scored from zero to 100. The output of the index is therefore the site’s overall disinformation risk level, rather than the truthfulness or journalistic quality of the site.

Key Findings

In reviewing the media landscape for India, the assessment found that:

Nearly a third of the sites in our sample had a high risk of disinforming their online users.

Eighteen sites were found to have a high disinformation risk rating. This group includes sites that are published in all the three languages in our scope: English, Hindi and Bengali.
Around half of the websites in our sample had a ‘medium’ risk rating. No site performed exceptionally on all fronts, resulting in no sites having a minimum risk rating. On the other hand, no site performed so poorly as to earn a maximum risk rating.

Only a limited number of Indian sites present low levels of disinformation risks.

No website was rated as having a ‘minimum’ disinformation risk.
Eight sites were rated with a ‘low’ level of disinformation risk. Seven out of these websites served content primarily in English, one in Hindi.

The media sites assessed in India tend to perform very poorly on publishing transparent operational checks and balances.

Over one-third of the sites in our sample published little information about their ownership structure, and also failed to be transparent about their revenue sources.
Only ten of the sites in our sample publish any information about their policies on how they correct errors in their reporting.

Association with traditional media did not play a significant factor in determining risk of disinformation.

On average, websites associated with TV or print did not perform any differently when compared to websites that solely serve digital content.

The findings show that on the whole, Indian websites can substantially increase their trustworthiness by taking measures to address these shortfalls in their operational checks and balances. For example, they could increase transparency on the structure of their businesses and have clear policies on how they address errors in their reporting. Both of these measures are in line with universal standards of good journalistic practices, as agreed by the Journalism Trust Initiative.

Click to download the full report here. To read the report in Hindi, click here. The authors extend their thanks to Anna Liz Thomas, Sanah Javed, Sagnik Chatterjee, and Raghav Ahooja for their assistance.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/gdi-and-cis-torsha-sarkar-pranav-m-bidare-and-gurshabad-grover-july-12-2021-media-market-risk-ratings-india