News & Media
Site News
Announcing the Asia Pacific Google Policy Fellows
Posted by Ross LaJeunesse, Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs, Asia Pacific
Google Unveils Controversial Street View Mapping in B’lore
Mapping service, under criticism in Europe because of security reasons, allows users to view pedestrian-level photos of streets, houses. This news was published in the Economic Times, Mumbai on May 27, 2011.
NGOs say eG8 report must stress internet rights
More than 35 NGOs from around the world signed a joint declaration requesting that issues concerning freedom of speech be included in the report set to be presented to G8 heads of government by the organisers and participants of the eG8 Forum held in Paris. The news was published in TELECOMPAPER on May 26, 2011.
Sunil Abraham, CIS : "Avec l’e-G8, Nicolas Sarkozy veut promouvoir de nouvelles restrictions à la liberté d’expression"
Le débat continue de faire rage en Inde au sujet d’une nouvelle législation posant des limites floues et, selon certains, potentiellement dangereuses, à la liberté d’expression sur Internet. Et alors que s’ouvre à Paris l’e-G8, sur fond de polémiques autour des intentions de son principal supporteur, le président de la République Française, Nicolas Sarkozy, Sunil Abraham, directeur exécutif de l’ONG Center for Internet & Societies, a accepté de partager son regard sur l’événement, depuis Bangalore. This news was published in LE MAG IT on May 24, 2011.
Take charge of Facebook
Want to take control of your data and the way you use your Facebook account? Then try these tricks, writes Shweta Taneja.
As Simple as a Tweet
Got caught in traffic, need to let your folks know you’ll be late, Twitter to your rescue. This article by Nidhi R Daiya appeared in the Deccan Chronicle on May 24, 2011.
A Network of Chains
New infotech rules infringe on freedom of expression, make net use near-impossible, writes Arindam Mukherjee. The article was published in the latest issue (May 30, 2011) of Outlook Magazine.
Sony site flaw puts focus on Internet security
INTERNET security has once again come into sharp focus with Sony discovering a loophole in their website set up to reset passwords for its users affected by the hacking of the PlayStation network. Shayan Ghosh's article was published by Mail Today on Friday,May 20, 2011.
Bangalore-based NGO files RTI query asking list of websites blocked by Indian govt
The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS), a Bangalore-based NGO, recently filed an RTI query with the Department of Information Technology (DIT), asking for a list of websites blocked by the Indian government under the IT Act. This article by R Krishna was published in the Daily News & Analysis on May 18, 2011.
IT Act if enforced will leave internet use in India no freer than in China
The Centre for Internet & Societies (CIS), a Bangalore-based NGO, recently filed an RTI query with the Department of Information Technology (DIT), asking for a list of websites blocked by the Indian government under the IT Act. The department handed them a list of 11 websites. It was just one department’s list, but this was the first time such a list was being made public. This news written by R Krishna was published by the Daily News & Analysis on May 15, 2011.
Your Privacy is Public Property
Rules issued by a control-obsessed government have armed officials with widespread powers to pry into your private life. This article was published in Mail Today on Sunday, May 15, 2011.
Point By Point Rebuttal Of Indian Government’s Statement On Internet Control Rules
The Centre for Internet and Society has published a point-by-point rebuttal of the statement issued by India’s Department of Information Technology on India’s Internet Control Rules. The text below is reproduced from CIS India’s website, under a CC-BY license (which means anyone can re-publish it, with attribution. You can, too). We’ve highlighted (in bold) certain statements in the rebuttal. This article by Nikhil Pahwa was published in Medianama on May 13, 2011.
New rules to ensure due diligence: IT dept
Facing widespread criticism over new IT rules that put certain amount of liability on intermediaries like Google and Facebook for user-generated content, the government clarified that the rules are simply seeking "due diligence" on the part of websites and web hosts. This news was published in the Times of India on May 11, 2011.
Indian civil liberties groups are now geared to fight the draconian IT Rules
There is a price for liberty and that is eternal vigil against forces that seek to grab it from you. Civil Liberties groups are now coming to terms with the recently issued Information Technology Rules 2011 of the Government of India, which they fear would curtail the freedom of expression of Internet users in the country, writes Akash Bisht. This article was published in the Weekend Leader.com, Vol 2 Issue 18, 6 - 12 May, 2011.
New Internet rule: 'Objectionable' content can be removed without notifying users
In the age of internet-fuelled information explosion, the government's new rule allowing telecom companies and blogging sites, among others, to remove "objectionable" content from the web without informing users is a violation of the right to freedom of speech, say netizens and cyber law experts. This article was published in dailybhaskar.com on May 11, 2011.
India Chills Online Speech
While most governments try to control online freedom of speech in a somewhat restrictive manner, either as a collaborator or as a regulator, rarely do they formulate a law to curb online speech. Rarer still does a government provide sweeping powers to intermediaries like an ISP and administrators of Internet sites to control content based on a long list of criteria. This news was published in 'digital communities' on May 3, 2011.
Centre for the Study of Culture and Society, Bangalore seeks Programme Associate
The Higher Education Cell, Centre for the Study of Culture and Society, Bangalore, is looking for a Programme Associate under its Social Justice initiative.
Consumers International World Congress - Day 3 roundup
Consumers can be empowered, and consumer organisations can make sure this happens through sharing and networking, speakers at the 19th Consumers International World Congress in Hong Kong said. The programme of the Congress finished on Thursday evening, and on Friday the global consumer body will hold its General Assembly and Council elections. This news was published in the Consumer's International Blog on May 5, 2011.
Digerati See Censorship in New Web Rules
Attention Indian bloggers and social media fiends: the next time you’re composing a witty tweet or posting an edgy item on Facebook, please take care that what you’re writing isn’t “grossly harmful” or “harassing” or “ethnically objectionable” or – oh, the humanity! – “disparaging.” This news was published in the Wall Street Journal on May 2, 2011.
Free expression
Free speech and spirited public debate will be the casualties of new rules issued by India restricting Internet content. This news was published in Watertown Daily Times on May 2, 2011.
