Centre for Internet & Society

Remove misinformation, but be transparent please!

by Torsha Sarkar

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen an extensive proliferation of misinformation and misleading information on the internet - which in turn has highlighted a heightened need for online intermediaries to promptly and effectively deploy its content removal mechanisms. This blogpost examines how this necessity may affect the best practices of transparency reporting and obligations of accountability that these online intermediaries owe to their users, and formulates recommendations to allow preservation of information regarding Covid-19 related content removal, for future research.

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Donald Trump is attacking the social media giants; here’s what India should do differently

by Anna Liz Thomas and Gurshabad Grover

For a robust and rights-respecting public sphere, India needs to ensure that large social media platforms receive adequate protections, and are made more responsible to its users.

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Cryptocurrencies in India get a second wind

by Vipul Kharbanda

An analysis of the Supreme Court judgment cryptocurrency judgment.

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The debate over internet governance and cyber crimes: West vs the rest?

by Elizabeth Dominic

The post looks at the two models proposed for internet governance and the role of cyber crimes in shaping the debate. In this context, it will also critically analyze the Budapest Convention (the “convention”) and the recently proposed Russian Resolution (the “resolution”), and the strategies adopted in each to deal with the menace of cybercrimes. It will also briefly discuss India’s stances on these issues.

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Freedom of Expression in India: Key Research and Findings

by Torsha Sarkar

Over the last two years, CIS has carried out critical research on the issue of freedom of expression in India. We have continued our work on intermediary liability, as well as expanded our expertise to emerging areas, like online extreme speech. Researchers have also closely tracked developments around internet shutdowns, and the impact of social media and data on democratic processes in the country.

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Essay: Watching Corona or Neighbours? - Introducing ‘Lateral Surveillance’ during COVID-19

by Mira Swaminathan and Shubhika Saluja

Surveillance is already suspected to have become the ‘new normal’ considering the extensive amounts of money that is being invested by governments around the globe. The only way out of this pandemic is to take a humane approach to surveillance wherein the discriminatory tendencies of the people while spreading information about those infected are factored in to prevent excessive harm.

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Rumours, Misinformation and Self-Verification of Facts in the Age of COVID-19

by Mira Swaminathan

Efforts taken by the government or social media platforms can only be realised if an individual asks herself -- 'what can I do to verify this piece of information'?

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Why should we care about takedown timeframes?

by Torsha Sarkar

The issue of content takedown timeframe - the time period an intermediary is allotted to respond to a legal takedown order - has received considerably less attention in conversations about intermediary liability. This article examines the importance of framing an appropriate timeframe towards ensuring that speech online is not over-censored, and frames recommendations towards the same.

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CIS Comments on 'Pre Draft' of the Report of the UN Open Ended Working Group

by Arindrajit Basu

CIS submitted comments on the 'pre draft' report of the United Nations Open Ended Working Group on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security.

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