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Google's 'Transparency Report' sketchy, inconclusive: Government

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 22, 2012 07:39 AM

Google calls it the 'Transparency Report', but as far as Indian authorities are concerned, it is anything but. The world's largest Internet company this week published its latest half-yearly findings on government requests for access to personal information, showing that both the number of requests and the rate of denials have risen. The data, according to the world's largest democracy, are too sketchy for any clear conclusions to be drawn.

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The Problems With Policing Sexism on Twitter

The Problems With Policing Sexism on Twitter

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 22, 2012 03:43 AM

In mid-April this year, Indian writer and activist Meena Kandasamy attended a beef-eating festival. Then she tweeted about it. In two hours, she got over 800 abusive tweets. Kandasamy, who lives in the southern Indian city of Chennai, was threatened with rape, acid attacks, and being burnt alive. She was called a whore, slut, and terrorist.

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The Last Word: Is there a need to review Information Technology Act?

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 21, 2012 12:10 PM

Does the high-handed arrest of two young girls mean it's time to review and revise the IT Act?

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Women Arrested in Mumbai for Complaining on Facebook

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 21, 2012 11:32 AM

For over 30 hours following the death of the Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray on Saturday, stores throughout Mumbai closed their shutters and taxis and autorickshaws stayed off the streets.

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India's Shame: World Reacts to FB Post Arrest

India's Shame: World Reacts to FB Post Arrest

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 30, 2012 05:51 AM

The arrest of 21 year old Shaheen Dhada for posting anti-Bal Thackeray comments has not only outraged Indians. The story has been picked up and reported across international media as well. Though they may not be aware of the complexities of Indian politics, the fact that young girls were arrested for an FB post has got them questioning the dwindling tolerance for the freedom of speech in India.

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How to Steer Clear of India’s Strict Internet Laws

How to Steer Clear of India’s Strict Internet Laws

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 30, 2012 10:13 AM

The arrest of two women in Mumbai for a Facebook post is the latest heavy-handed move by India’s government to curb what Indian citizens say on the Internet.

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What Frameworks for Cross-Border Online Communities and Services

by Prasad Krishna last modified Dec 05, 2012 12:10 AM

Chinmayi Arun, Assistant Professor at National Law University India and Fellow at the CIS India, talks about the Internet Governance Forum 2012 Workshop 154 "What Frameworks for Cross-Border Online Communities and Services", which was hosted by the Internet & Jurisdiction Project on November 8, 2012.

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Arrest of girl over Thackeray FB update a clear misuse of Sec 295A

Arrest of girl over Thackeray FB update a clear misuse of Sec 295A

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 20, 2012 12:00 PM

The arrest of 21-year-old Shaheen Dhada over her Facebook status update questioning the shutdown of Mumbai over Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray‘s death, is a clear misapplication of section 295 A of the Indian Penal Code (“outrage religious feelings of any class”), according to Pranesh Prakash of the Centre for Internet and Society.

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Arrests over Facebook posts: Why we’re on a dangerous slide

Arrests over Facebook posts: Why we’re on a dangerous slide

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 20, 2012 11:47 AM

The most bizarre thing about the arrest of Shaheen Dhada and Renu Srinivasan on Monday over a Facebook post that questioned the wisdom of a bandh to mark Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray‘s death is that no laws were actually violated by the post.

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Internet users flay Mumbai girls' arrest over Facebook post

Internet users flay Mumbai girls' arrest over Facebook post

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 20, 2012 11:35 AM

The arrest of two girls over their Facebook post on shutdown in Mumbai for Bal Thackeray's funeral on Monday again opened a can of worms with netizens calling the move a "social media hijack by the powerful and the fundamentalists". Social media was abuzz with tweets and posts about the arrest, with most referring to the arrest as yet another move to curb freedom of speech on the Internet.

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WHO's WHO LEGAL names Malavika Jayaram as one of the top lawyers for Internet and e-Commerce Issues in India

WHO's WHO LEGAL names Malavika Jayaram as one of the top lawyers for Internet and e-Commerce Issues in India

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 20, 2012 11:22 AM

Malavika Jayaram was one of 10 Indian lawyers selected for inclusion as the top lawyers for internet and e-commerce issues in India. The new volume for 2012 was recently published following a process of peer reviews and independent research.

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Girl's arrest draws flak on social media

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 20, 2012 11:04 AM

The arrest of a 21-year-old girl by Mumbai police for criticizing the shutting down of the city following the death of Bal Thackeray come under fire from netizens.

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A Report of the Odia Wikipedia Workshop held in KMBB College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar

by Prasad Krishna last modified Dec 07, 2012 10:37 PM

(By Debapriya Priyadashi Chakra) Sambad, Odisha's most widely read and largest circulated daily, on November 19, 2012, published an article about the Odia Wikipedia workshop organized in KMBB College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

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Girls arrested for Facebook post on Thackeray get bail

Girls arrested for Facebook post on Thackeray get bail

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 30, 2012 05:18 AM

Two girls who were arrested for making a Facebook comment protesting the closure of shops in the wake of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray‘s death, have been released on bail bonds of Rs 15,000 each.

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Women arrested for Facebook post: Did cops act under Sena pressure?

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 21, 2012 11:17 AM

After Bal Thackeray's death, during the Mumbai Bandh, a 21-year-old criticised the shutdown on her Facebook page — her friend approved of it — next thing they know, they are facing a case, and this morning they were arrested.

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Science Gallery Workshop @ Srishti

by Prasad Krishna last modified Dec 04, 2012 03:42 PM

Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology is organizing a workshop to discuss the exciting potential of envisaging a Science Gallery in Bangalore as a part of the Global Science Gallery Network. Sunil Abraham is participating in this workshop.

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Two women arrested over Facebook gripe on Mumbai shutdown

by Prasad Krishna last modified Jan 15, 2013 09:26 AM

A woman who complained about the Indian city of Mumbai shutting down for the funeral of divisive Hindu nationalist politician Balasaheb Thackeray was arrested for "hurting religious sentiments," local police told reporters amid public anger over the case.

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India ranks second globally in accessing private details of users

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 19, 2012 04:49 AM

According to the latest transparency report released by Google, India ranks second in the world for accessing private details of its citizens, only after the U.S. The Google report lists out requests it received from governments across the world to access details of users of its various services.

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‘Some Indian laws could be challenging’

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 19, 2012 04:40 AM

Wikipedia’s founder member Erik Möller says their principle is not to decide the map of India, but to explain that there is a controversy.

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Post and be Damned

Post and be Damned

by Prasad Krishna last modified Nov 19, 2012 03:40 AM

Your careless comments online could put you in jail, thanks to Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Kavitha Shanmugam examines a law that some critics say is vague and unconstitutional

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