News & Media
Site News
NYT lauds Oommen Chandy’s 24/7 office webcast
The Kerala chief minister Mr Oommen Chandy’s much hyped 24/7 webcast of his office has received global attention with the New York Times coming out with an article on the initiative.
Transparent Government, via Webcams in India
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India — Little Brother is watching you. That is the premise for the webcam that a top government official here has installed in his office, as an anticorruption experiment. Goings-on in his chamber are viewable to the public, 24/7.
The Walls Have Ears
The proposed Privacy Bill seems skewed towards the state rather than the citizen, writes Saikat Datta. This news was published in the Outlook magazine, issue, July 11, 2011.
Aadhaar’s moment of truth
It’s time for the unique identity project to answer tough questions it has dodged so far, writes MA Arun in the Deccan Herald.
Sorry Wrong Number
The government’s ambitious project to give a unique identification number to every Indian citizen is running woefully behind schedule. T.V. Jayan investigates the problems that beset the project. The news was published in the Telegraph on 3 July 2011.
Communication Policy Advocacy, Technology, and Online Freedom of Expression: A Toolkit for Media Development
Organized by the Center for Media and Communication Studies (CMCS) at the Central European University (CEU), and Internews Network, and the Center for Global Communication Studies (CGCS) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania from June 20 to July 1, 2011.
Centaur website reveals guests' personal info
The Centaur Hotels' website, centaurhotels.com, appears to have compromised personal information of its hotel guests, in what seems to be a case of poor internet security protocols implemented by the site. This allowed website visitors on Saturday to obtain and view details of passports, driving licences, pan numbers, credit cards, and other forms of personal identification provided by its guests.
Indian SMEs still fail to harness the power of Net
In India, only about 81 million people have access to the net, as it needs a level of education and IT skills to operate a computer. This article by Satarupa Paul was published in the Sunday Guardian on 19 June 2011.
Mumbai Takes Note of Sexting, the Seamier Side of Texting
When Chitra started getting SMSs and emails laced with sexual innuendoes from an unknown individual, she didn't tell her mother or rush to the police. The 21-year-old grew so despondent that she dialed a psychologist for help. This article was published in the Times of India on June 19, 2011.
Standing Committee on Copyrights and Related Rights — 22nd Session
World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) is holding its 22nd Session from June 15, 2011 to June 24, 2011 at Geneva, Switzerland. Nirmita Narasimhan and Pranesh Prakash are attending this conference.
Look what the state just did to you
The government's recent introduction of new rules in the IT Act allows 'offensive' material on any website to be removed within 36 hours. Did the state just arm everyone to shoot the messenger, online?Th
Tough neighbourhood tests India's e-tolerance
The combination of having restrictive neighbours as well as security threats could make freedom on the web in India a casualty, writes Anahita Mukherji in this article published by the Times of India on June 12, 2011.
Your cyber space is a hackers paradise
It Looks like hackers are having a ball targeting all kinds of websites — gaming, news, government, personal email and even those run by terror networks, writes Shayan Ghosh. The article was published in Mail Today on June 6, 2011.
Technology, Transparency and Accountability: A Bar-Camp in Delhi
Accountability Initiative (AI) held a bar-camp on “Technology, Transparency and Accountability” on 5th June at Google office in Gurgaon. Pranesh Prakash participated in this bar-camp.
India Weighing Looser Web Rules
Indian authorities are considering revisions to new Internet regulations after criticism from free-speech advocates and companies like Google Inc. that fear they could be exposed to liability under the regime. This article by Amol Sharma was published in the Wall Street Journal on May 30, 2011.
Public data on the Web leaves much to be desired
Making government data accessible to all is a vital challenge, says Deepa Kurup in her article published in the Hindu on May 28, 2011.
What documents will you need, to get UID?
UID or Aadhaar will roll out in Bengaluru in June. Here are the various documents one can use to make the enrolment easier. This news was published in CitizenMatters.in on May 28, 2011.
Mobile education comes to villages
PEOPLE living in remote villages, trekking many miles to schools and colleges before dropping out, can now look forward to a tech option — mobile education. Education over mobile phones is vital in India, where the literacy rate according to 2011 census is 74.04 per cent, observers note. This article by Shayan Ghosh was published in Mail Today on May 27, 2011.
Google now stalks your street
Bangalore is the first city in the country to be mapped for Street View. This news was published by the Hindu on May 27, 2011.
Women in love with Facebook
There’s one thing these days that determines the passion of the modern Indian woman: their ever-growing love affair with the internet. The article by L Subramani was published in the Deccan Herald on May 27, 2011.
