Centre for Internet and Society

Capturing Gender and Class Inequities: The CCTVisation of Delhi

Aayush Rathi and Ambika Tandon — 2019-09-27T15:24:10Z

Ambika Tandon and Aayush Rathi generated empirical evidence about the CCTV programme well underway in Delhi. The case study was published by Centre for Development Informatics, Global Development Institute, SEED, in the Development Informatics working paper series housed at the University of Manchester.

Abstract

Cityscapes across the global South, following historical trends in the North, are increasingly being littered by closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. In this paper, we study the wholesale implementation of CCTV in New Delhi, a city notorious for incredibly high rates of crime against women. The push for CCTV, then, became one of many approaches explored by the state in making the city safer for women.

In this paper, we deconstruct this narrative of greater surveillance equating to greater safety by using empirical evidence to understand the subjective experience of surveilling and being surveilled. By focussing on gender and utilising work from feminist thought, we find that the experience of surveillance is intersectionally mediated along the axes of class and gender.The gaze of CCTV is cast upon those already marginalised to arrive at normative encumbrances placed by private, neoliberal interests on the urban public space. The politicisation of CCTV has happened in this context, and continues unabated in the absence of any concerted policy apparatus regulating it. We frame our findings utilising an analytical data justice framework put forth by Heeks and Shekhar (2019). This comprehensively sets out a social justice agenda that situates CCTV within the socio-political contexts that are intertwined in the development and implementation of the technology itself.

Click to download the full research paper

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/development-informatics-paper-number-81-aayush-rathi-and-ambika-tandon-capturing-gender-and-class-inequities

Turning off the internet: Chips with Everything podcast

Admin — 2019-09-26T02:09:18Z

Gurshabad Grover and Ambika Tandon recorded an episode with the Guardian's podcast on digital culture, called Chips with Everything.

The episode was on internet shutdowns in India, and can be found here. Ambika spoke about a book CIS published in collaboration with 101 Reporters last year on personal narratives of experiencing shutdowns, which can be found here. Gurshabad talked about the legal grounds through which shutdowns are imposed, possible routes of countering them, and the status of shutdowns in international law.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/guardian-september-3-2019-turning-off-the-internet

Participation in the meeting of LITD 17 at BIS

Admin — 2019-11-02T06:30:29Z

On September 25, 2019, Gurshabad Grover along with Elonnai Hickok and Karan Saini attended the meeting of the Information Systems Security & Privacy Sectional Committee (LITD17) of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Some agenda points:

Elonnai, Karan and Gurshabad had submitted comments on two standards related to infomration security of biometrics systems: (i) ISO/IEC 24745: 2011 Information Technology – Security techniques – Biometric information protection; (ii) Doc. No. LITD 17 (3595) ISO/IEC 19792: 2009 Information Technology – Security techniques – Security evaluation of biometrics. Gurshabad Grover is now serving in a panel with BIS and MeitY representatives to discuss how the standards compare to UIDAI's standards and governing regulations.
Gurshabad updated the committee with my plan of participation at the ISO/IEC JTC 1 SC 27 meetings (which were held earlier this month in Paris).
Gurshabad will be joining a panel to discuss and further develop a draft mobile phone security standard for India.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/participation-in-the-meeting-of-litd-17-at-bis

Policy Design Jam

Admin — 2019-09-25T14:30:33Z

Pallavi Bedi, Akash Sheshadri and Anubha Sinha attended the event organized by Whatsapp and ISPP on 16 September 2019 at Indian School of Public Policy campus, Qutub Institutional Area, Delhi.

Session Schedule

2 00 pm - 3 00 pm - Registration

3 05 pm - 4 00 pm - Experiential design exercises

4 00 pm - 4 15 pm - Break

4 15 pm - 5 00 pm - Design Thinking for Policy Insights from Global Design Jams

5 00 pm - 5 20 pm - Q & A

5 20 pm - 6 00 pm - High tea

2 00 pm - 3 00 pm - Registration3 05 pm - 4 00 pm - Experiential design exercises
4 00 pm - 4 15 pm - Break
4 15 pm - 5 00 pm - Design Thinking for Policy Insights from Global Design Jams
5 00 pm - 5 20 pm - Q & A
5 20 pm - 6 00 pm - High tea

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/policy-design-jam

CIS joins the Christchurch Call Advisory Network

Admin — 2019-09-25T13:57:49Z

Centre for Internet & Society's application for membership of the Christchurch Call Advisory Network has been accepted! As a part of this network, we, along with other civil society groups based out of various jurisdictions, would be providing inputs on making the Call a robust, human rights-centred initiative.

The Christchurch Call Advisory Network membership has been drawn from interested civil society groups, who represent a range of perspectives, including human rights, freedom of expression, digital rights, counter-radicalization, victim support and public policy. Many of the Advisory Network members have been engaged on the Christchurch Call since its launch and are committed to continuing to share their expertise.

The Christchurch Call Advisory Network

Access Now
Africa Digital Policy Project
Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania
Article 19
Association for Progressive Communications
Brookings Institution
Center for Humane Technology
Centre for Internet and Society, India
Chicago Project on Security and Threats, University of Chicago
Committee to Protect Journalists
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Dangerous Speech Project
Data & Society
Electronic Frontier Foundation
French National Bar Council
Global Disinformation Index
Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
Global Partners Digital
Global Network Initiative
Hedayah Center
Human Rights Centre, UC, Berkeley School of Law
ICT for Peace Foundation
Institute for Strategic Dialogue
International Cyber Policy Centre (Australian Strategic Policy Institute)
Internet Governance Project, Georgia Tech
Internet NZ
Internet Sans Frontières
Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand
Life After Hate
Netsafe
New America's Open Technology Institute (New America Foundation)
NZ Council for Civil Liberties
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Social Media Governance Initiative, Yale Law School
Syrian Archive
Tech Against Terrorism
The International Muslim Association of New Zealand
The Internet Society
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Wellington Abrahamic Council of Jews, Christians, and Muslims (NZ)
WITNESS
Women’s Organisation of the Waikato Muslim Association
Elina Noor (Visiting Fellow, Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia)
Matthew Shears (Internet and telecommunications policy consultant)

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/cis-joins-the-christchurch-call-advisory-network

Why having more CCTV cameras does not translate to crime prevention

manasa — 2019-09-25T02:13:28Z

Can technology substitute addressing social, psychological, economic and other individual factors that largely lead to criminality? And what are the perils of over-reliance on technology to fight crime?

The article by Manasa Rao published by the News Minute quotes Pranav M. Bidare of CIS.

In August, a couple from Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district made national headlines for their bravery. True to the Tamil adage ‘vallavanukku pullum aayudham’ (for the strong man, even a blade of grass is a weapon), when thieves entered their home, they fought them with chairs, slippers and even a bucket. Despite being armed with sickles, the masked miscreants fled the scene unable to match the counter-attack mounted by 70-year-old Shanmugavel and 65-year-old Senthamarai. The incident was caught on CCTV camera and the couple, whose video quickly went viral, was celebrated for their valour and made for the perfect social media feel-good story. However, as the news cycle was focused on them, senior police officers from the state and many commentators pointed to the importance of the CCTV camera footage. After all, the whole world watched their courage thanks to the CCTV camera affixed on the couple's front yard.

Since 2017, the Tamil Nadu Police has been aggressively pushing for citizens to install CCTV cameras. A techno-futuristic awareness campaign video released last year even roped in popular Kollywood star Vikram to help the police force. “If there are CCTV cameras, crimes are prevented, evidenced and importantly, it provides evidence in court. So, each of us will compulsorily fix a CCTV camera wherever we are,” says Vikram. In a bold declaration, the motto of the campaign affirms, “With CCTV everywhere, Tamil Nadu has become a place without crime.” At the end of the video Vikram suggests Big Brother is watching, stating, “Everything. Everywhere. We're watching.”

But do more CCTV cameras necessarily translate to crime prevention and deterrence? Can technology substitute addressing social, psychological, economic and other individual factors that largely lead to criminality? And what are the perils of over-reliance on technology to fight crime?

What the numbers say

A study released in August by tech research group Comparitech ranked Chennai as 32nd out of 50 of the most surveilled cities in the world. The research group, with the use of government reports, police websites and news articles, puts the total number of cameras in the city at 50,000. With a 2016 estimated population of 1.07 crore in Chennai, that is 4.67 cameras per 1,000 people.

With the help of Numbeo, a crowd-sourced database of perceived crime rates, the study puts Chennai’s crime index at 40.39. On a scale of 0 to 100, this is an estimation of overall level of crime in a given city. This score means Chennai’s crime index is ranked ‘moderate’. Similarly, on a 100 point scale, the city's safety index— quite the opposite of crime index— is at 59.61. The higher the safety index, the safer a city is considered to be.

The two other Indian cities on the list of 50 are New Delhi ranked No. 20 with 1,79,000 cameras for 1.86 crore people (9.62 cameras per 1,000 people) and Lucknow ranked at No. 40 with 9,300 cameras for 35.89 lakh people (2.59 cameras per 1,000 people). The capital's crime index is at 58.77 while its safety index is 41.23. The UP city on the other hand has a crime index of 45.30 and a safety index of 54.70.

Stating that the higher number of cameras ‘just barely correlates’ with a higher safety index and lower crime index, the study concludes, “Broadly speaking, more cameras doesn’t necessarily result in people feeling safer.” While the presence of CCTV cameras may not inherently be bad, experts say that they cannot become a substitute for tackling crime and its causes which transcend the realm of technology. These involve tailored and specific approaches which stem from community building.

The infallible CCTV myth

Pranav MB, policy officer at the Centre for Internet and Society in Bengaluru observes that in the long run, over-reliance on CCTV cameras would merely propel criminals to innovate, as opposed to helping deter the crime from taking place. He says, “While it seems intuitive that the presence of a CCTV camera will have a deterring effect on criminal activity, numerous studies over the past decade have concluded that this is not really the case. The idea of a deterring effect also relies on the assumption that the actors are making educated intelligent choices about their future, which is often not the case with persons that commit criminal acts. So the deterring effect of CCTV cameras is not likely to be much more than the already deterring effect that exists because of criminal law and law enforcement.”

Busting the myth that CCTV cameras are foolproof, Pranav adds that public infrastructure as simple as a streetlight could aid in safer neighbourhoods. “The fact remains, however, that if you are not using advanced technology, a simple mask will render you unidentifiable by most basic CCTV cameras. As more advanced and more expensive technology is used, you are only necessitating the need for innovation among criminals to identify new loopholes that they can exploit in the technology. This is not an argument that generally holds against the use of technology, but in the case of CCTV cameras, it has been seen that simple street lights much better serve the goal of deterrence of crimes,” he says.

However, cops disagree with the findings. One IPS officer who works with the police’s Law and Order department in Chennai tells TNM that the presence of CCTV cameras has helped them nab a range of criminals from chain-snatchers to stalkers who have hacked women to death. Praising the use of facial recognition software like FaceTagr that was introduced a few years ago, the officer says, “CCTV cameras have a dissuading effect on criminals. At the very least they serve as a warning but in most cases, we can easily match them to criminals on our existing local, station-wise database. Especially when it comes to areas like T Nagar, Purasawalkam or other crime-prone suburbs, CCTV cameras are an invaluable tool for law enforcement.”

“Even in cases of sexual abuse, street harassment or trafficking, private CCTV cameras have been helpful. Shop owners or residents have come forward with the footage in public interest,” he says, admitting that the Centre’s release of the long-pending National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics could show a correlation between the push to install CCTVs and crime rates.

With a lack of NCRB data, there are no statistical answers to whether indeed installation of CCTV cameras has helped lowering of crime rates. However, as per one report in The Hindu, the police report a 30% drop in the crime rate in the city following the installation of CCTV cameras. According to their estimate for chain snatching alone, the city police claims that the number of cases have dropped from 792 in 2012 to 538 following the installation of CCTV cameras in 2018.

Over-reliance on technology

Agreeing that law enforcement must be cautious while employing technology to solve crimes, Dr M Priyamvadha, associate professor at the Department of Criminology, University of Madras says her detailed interviews with over 200 incarcerated burglars across Tamil Nadu reveal that they are always on the lookout for a CCTV camera. “They simply use a jammer worth Rs 2,000 (a handy device that disrupts the signal range of a camera) to skirt the presence of a CCTV camera,” she reports. However, the professor cautions that one must not over-sell the capabilities of a CCTV camera in crime prevention.

“We must remember that CCTV cameras don't deter all crimes. If there is family or domestic violence, there won't be a CCTV camera inside the four walls of a house to reveal it. For burglaries, robberies and such offences, you can rely on CCTV cameras. How far it helps is a question mark. You can neither completely say it prevents crime nor that it is a waste,” she says.

The professor points out that even when deploying CCTV cameras across the city, law enforcement does not account for wear and tear and maintenance which forms an important part of monitoring security.

Echoing the sentiment, Pranav says that CCTV cameras primarily serve as sources of electronic evidence in criminal cases. “Their deterring effect has repeatedly been observed to not balance out the costs of installing and running them.”

Privacy, data protection concerns

Chennai-based independent tech researcher Srikanth points to the inherent surveillance dangers thanks to the centralised way in which the city police collects the CCTV data. “There is something concerning especially about Chennai City Traffic Police and other various city police’s approach to CCTV. The fundamental shift is that, at least in the city, these cameras are connected to the police control room. So data gets centrally collated. When centralization kicks in, power abuse isn't far away. This way it is far easier for police to destroy evidence,” he alleges.

Srikanth also points out, “CCTVs (especially connected ones) are usually funded by residents and/or merchants who spend their money in putting up the infrastructure, but freely give away the data to the police (often in good faith). There is no oversight on usage, storage, retention of this data and by sheer monopoly on law and order, the police is able to connect a vast number of private CCTVs on to its network.”

Significantly, he expresses concerns about there being no laws that govern the usage of CCTV footage by the police. “Even if one gives into the legitimate state aim to control crime, even if one can argue violation of privacy is proportional, there is no law around use of CCTV by police, let alone using them in investigations. That the state engages with private vendors (such as FaceTagr) and many others also provides these service providers access to data,” he explains.

Pranav also warns, “Furthermore, CCTV cameras also result in compromising the privacy of individuals, and if implemented by the state (as in the case of law enforcement), creates added surveillance risks. Compounding on this is the issue of the recorded video footage, which if stored/transmitted/managed in an non-secure manner creates data protection risks as well. This is especially true in India, where it is difficult to obtain the required infrastructure and expertise in running an effective and secure CCTV camera system.”

'Technology cannot replace interpersonal relationships'

Advising pragmatic thinking when it comes to crime prevention, professor Priyamvadha says that technology should complement what she calls the ‘human touch'. Junking the ‘holistic’ one-size-fits-all approach that is often paraded as a solution, the criminologist says that each crime requires a tailored method of tackling it. “For each and every crime, there is a different strategy. There maybe crimes committed by juveniles, crimes committed against women. For example, if female foeticide is rampant in a village, it is important to understand the village, the preferences of the people there and the caste practices present among them,” she observes.

While technology often allows law enforcement to cover more ground in cases of limited manpower, there’s also a chance the cameras could be seen as a substitute for forging interpersonal relationships between police and the people they seek to protect. “With quick transferring of cops nowadays, the local police station doesn’t have an understanding of the ongoings. Interpersonal relationships are more important than technological advances,” she notes.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/the-news-minute-september-3-2019-manasa-rao-why-having-more-cctv-cameras-does-not-translate-to-crime-prevention

Android 10 out, big on ‘privacy’

Roshan H. Nair — 2019-09-25T02:05:30Z

Companies aware of new concerns, says expert.

The article by Roshan H. Nair published in Deccan Herald quotes Sunil Abraham.

The much-awaited ‘Android 10’ software for phones was launched on Wednesday. In a video put out by the company, a host of new features is visible, one of the most prominent being enhanced privacy. The video says Android 10 has “privacy features that put you in control".

Android 10 is only the latest in a series of tech products that project ‘privacy’ as a special feature.

The world is still recovering from the shock of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and has become more protective about its personal data and suspicious about big tech companies.

Originally, it was only Apple products that advertised privacy as one of its special features. Now, every platform seems to want to mark themselves ‘safe’.

“WhatsApp is promising end-to-end encryption. Facebook is saying all messaging will become like it is in WhatsApp. Microsoft, setting itself apart from Google and Facebook, is claiming that it doesn’t depend on customer’s data for its business model,...Sunil Abraham, executive director of The Centre for Internet and Society, Bengaluru, says.

“More and more, companies are using systems such as local storage, local processing, end-to-end encryption for messages, commitment not to upload your personal data and encryption of cloud storage. These are all broad movements in what is called Privacy Enhancing Technologies’, now a domain of technology,” Abraham says.

At the moment, only Pixel phones have Android 10.

The software will be available on more phones in the coming months.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/deccan-herald-roshan-nair-september-4-2019-android-10-out-big-on-privacy

CIS Team

praskrishna — 2025-05-01T04:45:58Z

CIS undertakes policy-focused, applied, and academic research on topics at the intersection of internet and society, driven by concerns of human rights and public interest. CIS is based in Bengaluru and New Delhi.

Senior Staff

Tanveer Hasan A K

Administration and Finance

Senior Staff

Tanveer Hasan A K
	Tanveer Hasan A K is the Executive Director of the Centre for Internet and Society. Previously, Tanveer worked at the Wikimedia Foundation leading global alliances for the Free and Open knowledge movement, and resource allocation in South Asia. In the past, Tanveer was also the Program Manager for CIS's Access to Knowledge project, and an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Indian Languages in Higher Education at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences TISS.

Administration and Finance

Ajoy Kumar
	Ajoy is an Administrator at the CIS. He manages all the events organised by CIS including hotel and travel bookings, does the liasoning with government offices and Members of Parliament, etc. Ajoy also works as a part-time lawyer doing property documentation. Email: ajoy@cis-india.org Resume: Download (PDF)

Ajoy Kumar

Ajoy is an Administrator at the CIS. He manages all the events organised by CIS including hotel and travel bookings, does the liasoning with government offices and Members of Parliament, etc. Ajoy also works as a part-time lawyer doing property documentation.

Email: ajoy@cis-india.org
Resume: Download (PDF)

Nagaraj MP
	Nagaraj has a background in Advanced Accountancy with a specialisation in NGO Accounting and Practices. As Manager - Finance and Operations, he handles the preparation of accounts statements, statuary compliance, budget and monitoring, and accounts for all research projects at CIS. He has previously worked at Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS), ‘Kalike’ associate organisation of TATA Trusts, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), Ramaiah Public Policy Centre, and CIS in its early days. Email: nagaraj@cis-india.org

Nagaraj MP

Nagaraj has a background in Advanced Accountancy with a specialisation in NGO Accounting and Practices. As Manager - Finance and Operations, he handles the preparation of accounts statements, statuary compliance, budget and monitoring, and accounts for all research projects at CIS. He has previously worked at Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS), ‘Kalike’ associate organisation of TATA Trusts, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), Ramaiah Public Policy Centre, and CIS in its early days.

Email: nagaraj@cis-india.org

Velankanni Royson

Royson is the Office Assistant in the Bangalore office. He assists the administration department in organising events, takes videos of the events, uploads them to the CIS website, Blip TV, YouTube, etc.

Email: royson@cis-india.org

Chandra Bhushan

Chandra has been working as an Accounts Officer with CIS since 2018 with specialties in Accounts and Banking, managing accounting software like Tally, bank accounts, bookkeeping, different types of financials for projects, utilisation certificates, etc. Earlier, he was an Officer at a nationalised bank, and thereafter was associated with a Chartered Accountant.

Email: chandraa@cis-india.org

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/about/people/cis-team-members

Internet pour toutes

Isabelle Grégoire — 2019-09-20T15:01:56Z

Ambika Tandon was quoted in Canadian-French magazine L'Actualite, in an article on technology and women in India. In the quote, she explains the core research questions of the FIRN project, which is studying the digital intermediation of domestic work in India.

The article by Isabelle Grégoire was published in L'Actualite on September 11, 2019.

"Are women workers more or less exploited when they are recruited online? Can they evaluate clients and be defended if their rights are not respected? And most importantly, how do employers go about recruiting this workforce that usually does not have access to the Internet?

These are the kinds of questions that Indian researcher Ambika Tandon, a policy officer at the Center for the Internet and Society (CIS), a non-profit organization in Bangalore that conducts interdisciplinary research on the Internet and digital technologies, is trying to answer. To do this, she chose to look at digital platforms that provide housekeeping and home care services - trades mostly done by women.

"The idea is to compare the job opportunities and working conditions offered on these platforms with those of traditional placement agencies," says this graduate from the London School of Economics, and a member of the Feminist Internet Research Network (FIRN) launched this year. Funded by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) in Ottawa, the network brings together researchers (a majority of women) from a dozen countries in Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe. It is led by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), an international organization, which contributed to the development of the 17 "feminist principles of Internet 2.0". Each of FIRN's eight research projects will be linked to one or other of these principles.

"Our goal is to increase the visibility of these issues in the public space, so that they become part of the discourse," says Namita Aavriti from India, who is co-responsible for setting up projects within the APC, "With special attention to online violence against women, which still needs to be recognized in many countries."

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/l-actualite-magazine-isabelle-gregoire-september-11-2019-internet-pour-toutes

Responsible AI Workshop

Admin — 2019-09-20T14:50:47Z

Sunil Abraham participated in this meeting organized by Facebook on September 17, 2019 in New Delhi.

Click to view the agenda

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/responsible-ai-workshop

Talks at National University of Juridical Sciences Today

Admin — 2019-09-20T14:45:35Z

Arindrajit Basu delivered two lectures at the National University of Juridical Sciences on September 18, 2019.

The first one was part of a symposium being conducted by the soon to be set up Intellectual Property and Technology Law Centre. I spoke on "Conceptualising India's Digital Policy Vision" The other speaker today was Mr. Supratim Chakraborty (Partner, Khaitan&Co.) Tomorrow's speakers are Prof. Mahendra Kumar Bhandan and Nikhil Narendran (Partner, Trilegal)

Abstract

The past year has seen vigorous activity on the domestic data governance policy front in India. Across key issues including intermediary liability, data localisation and e-commerce, the government has rolled out a patchwork of regulatory policies that has resulted in battle lines being drawn by governments, industry and civil society actors both in India and across the globe. The Data Protection Bill is set to be tabled in the next session of Parliament amidst supposed disagreement among policy-makers on key provisions, including data localization. The draft e-commerce policy and Chapter 4 of the Economic Survey refer to the concepts of ‘community data’ and ‘data as public good’ respectively. Artifiicial Intelligence is also the new buzz word among policy-making circles and industry players alike.

The implementation of each of these concepts have important implications for individual privacy, the monetisation of data by (foreign tech companies) and the harnessing of-as the e-commerce policy puts it-India’s data for India’s development. Meanwhile, at international forums such as the G20, India has partnered up with its BRICS allies to emphasize the notion of ‘data sovereignty’ or the right of each country to govern data within its jurisdiction without external interference.
In his talk, Basu unpacked each of these policies and followed up with a discussion on what these developments meant for Indian citizens and for India’s role in the multilateral global order.

The second one was on 'Constitutionalizing Artificial Intelligence' conducted by the Constitutional Law Society. Here, I drew from some preliminary findings from a paper I am working on with Elonnai and Amber.

Abstract

The use of big data and algorithmic decision-making has been touted world over as a means of augmenting human capacities, removing bureaucratic fetters and benefiting society. Yet, with concerns arising around bias, fairness and a lack of algorithmic accountability, an entirely new domain of discourse on data justice has emerged - underscoring the idea that algorithms not only have the potential to exacerbate entrenched structural inequality but could also create and modulate new forms of injustice for the vulnerable sections of society.

There is a need for a reflexive turn in the debate on data justice that adequately considers the broader narrative and entrenched inequality in the ecosystem. Transformative constitutionalism is a new brand of scholarship in comparative constitutional law which celebrates the crucial role of the state and the judiciary in bringing about emancipatory change and rooting out structural inequality.

Originally conceptualized as a Global South concept designed as a counter-model to the individual rights-driven model of Northern Constitutions, scholars have now identified emancipatory provisions in several western constitutions such as Germany. India’s constitution is one such example. The origins of constitutional order in India were designed to “bring the alien and powerful machine like that of the state under the control of human will” and to eliminate the inequality of “status, facilities and opportunities.”

What is the relevance of India's constitutional ethos in the regulation of modern day data driven decision-making? How can policy-makers use constitutional tenets to mitigate structural injustice and transform the bearings of 21st century Indian society?

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/talks-at-national-university-of-juridical-sciences-today

AI in Healthcare

Admin — 2019-09-19T16:15:24Z

The Center for Information Technology and Public Policy (CITAPP) and the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIITB) invited Radhika Radhakrishnan for a talk at IIIT-Bangalore on September 13, 2019.

In her talk, she critically questioned the dominant narrative of “AI for social good” that has been widely adopted by various stakeholders in India (including the private sector, non-profits, and the Indian State) from a feminist standpoint. Specific to healthcare in India, such a narrative has been employed towards solving development challenges (such as a shortage of medical practitioners in remote regions of the country) through the introduction of AI applications targeted towards the sick-poor. Through her research and fieldwork, she analysed the layers of expropriation and experimentation that come into play when AI technologies become a method of using 'diverse' bodies and medical records of the sick-poor as ‘data’ to train proprietary AI algorithms at a low cost in the absence of effective State regulatory mechanisms. She argued that structural challenges (such as lack of incentives for medical practitioners to join public healthcare) get reframed into opportunities to substitute labour (people) by capital (technology) through innovation of “spectacular technologies” such as AI. Throughout the talk, she also highlighted the methodologies she used to conduct this research.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/ai-in-healthcare

Chennai residents rue fuzzy CCTV surveillance

Vivek Narayanan and R. Srinivasan — 2019-09-19T14:35:51Z

Poor quality of footage, lack of maintenance and inadequate back-up reduce the gadgets’ deterrent value.

The article by Vivek Narayanan and R. Srinivasan was published in the Hindu on September 18, 2019. Pranav M.B. was quoted.

Last month, Sandeep (name changed), a cyclist, was hit by an ambulance on GST Road near the Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) signal. He was rushed to hospital in the same ambulance. His hopes of finding out who hit him, via CCTV cameras, came crashing after he saw the poor quality of footage that was obtained to identify the vehicle.

“The police officers in Tambaram themselves told me that the quality of the CCTV cameras was poor and they were unable to trace the number,” said Mr. Sandeep.

While the police have been claiming a reduction in crime rates due to CCTV cameras in the city, residents and experts doubt if the equipment is indeed a deterrent, and want the police to install better quality cameras with the capacity to retain footage for a longer period, and to maintain the devices, too.

Extensive Coverage

Several high profile cases such as the 2016 Swathi murder case drove law enforcers to increase CCTV coverage of the city. Now, there are over 2 lakh cameras covering all of Chennai, its alleys and its fringes.

Cameras have also been installed at every major junction and at street corners. In many cases, they are linked to the control room of the nearest police station.

According to the police, there is one CCTV camera for every 50 m. They are meant to help the police crack cases and nab the accused. “Some DVRs (digital video recorders) are also in the house or premises of the sponsors. This is for safety purposes,” said a police officer.

The unique nature of the Traffic Police’s ‘third eye campaign’ is the involvement of the public, too. Apart from the police, MPs and MLAs, many resident welfare associations have also donated resources for the installation of CCTV cameras.

Residents, however, expressed concern. S. Kumara Raja, vice president, Annai Indira Nagar Residents Welfare Association said: “Though many CCTVs cameras are found on the street, it isn’t clear if they are working or not. We also don’t know if anyone is maintaining the cameras.”

P. Saravanakumar, founder of the South Madipakkam Residents’ Welfare Association, said that the equipment is not connected with the police control room and the data remains with those who have installed the CCTV system.

V. N. Subramaniyan, president, Mylapore Residents Welfare Association, felt that cameras installed on private properties were working properly.

“Cameras are obtained from private persons as a charitable activity, so the quality can be challenged. The police should give the maintenance of CCTV cameras to private companies. There should be proper back-up and monitoring,” he pointed out.

While the equipment is considered important for gathering evidence, policemen themselves complain that the quality of the footage from many cameras is poor.

“We cannot zoom into the footage obtained from every camera involved. Most of them are 1 or 2 megapixel cameras and the image is often blurred. Only in a few places do we find powerful cameras,” said a policeman.

'Not a deterrent'

Pranav M. B., researcher, Centre for Internet and Society, said that as according to global studies, CCTV cameras are not useful as deterrents. “But they come in handy for providing evidence after a crime,” said Mr. Pranav.

Though advanced cameras can provide footage with more clarity, it’s cost intensive to maintain them. “For deterrence, one need not invest in high-end cameras — quality street lights are sufficient. We cannot expect the perpetrator of a crime to make a decision over whether to commit a crime or not after looking at the camera,” he added.

However, there is a 30% higher chance of identifying an accused when a camera is deployed, than without. “Nevertheless, like any other technology or method, it is not entirely foolproof,” Mr. Pranav said.

Police officers disagree on the subject of CCTV systems not serving as deterrents. “From January to June 2018, a total of 258 chain snatching incidents were reported, but during the same period this year, the number plummeted to 137 — a fall of nearly 50%,” said a senior police officer.

'Needs improvement'

Similarly, the police claim that, this year, public nuisance cases have gone down by 41%, and burglary cases by 17%, compared with last year. Police officers agreed that the quality of some cameras needs to be improved.

“Initially, we did not know the type of quality [of cameras] needed. So, we fixed 1 and 2 megapixel cameras. Now, we are installing 4 megapixel cameras and have better clarity. Besides, we are now categorising the number and type of cameras available in different parts of the city, and will change the older ones,” said a senior police officer.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/vivek-narayanan-and-r-sivaraman-the-hindu-september-18-2019-chennai-residents-rue-fuzzy-cctv-surveillance

Core Concepts and Processes

Shruti Trikanand and Amber Sinha — 2019-10-17T16:06:54Z

When we embarked on this research project, we began with the primary questions of what constitutes a digital identity system. In the last few years, with the rise in national digital identity projects, there has been significant academic and media attention to the idea, benefits and risks of a digital identity system.

However, there have been relatively few attempts to critically look at what makes an identity system digital, and what are its defining elements and characteristics. Through a preliminary study of existing identity systems, we have arrived at these core set of concepts and processes that mark a digital identity system. In arriving at this list, we have relied upon and referred to the works by Dave Birch et al, World Bank’s ID4D initiative, Mawaki Chango, Kaliya Young and Kayode Ezike.

By publishing this, we hope to arrive at a shared vocabulary to discuss and critically analyse digital identity systems, both within our team and in engagements with other stakeholders. This illustrated and interactive glossary can serve as an easy reference for anyone seeking an introduction to the core aspects of digital identity. Even though this is essentially a list of definitions with examples, it does not follow an alphabetical order like most glossaries, but the logical flow of concepts as they build upon each other in a working identity system. We have paid special emphasis to the core processes of Identification and Authentication, elucidating them through diagrams.

Click to read more

Credentials:

Research by Shruti Trikanad and Amber Sinha
Conceptualization by Pooja Saxena and Amber Sinha
Illustrations by Akash Sheshadri and Pooja Saxena

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/digital-identity/shruti-trikanand-and-amber-sinha-september-13-2019-core-concepts-processes

Submission to Global Commission on Stability of Cyberspace on the definition of Cyber Stability

Arindrajit Basu and Elonnai Hickok — 2019-09-11T14:52:25Z

"The Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace released a public consultation process that sought to solicit comments and obtain feedback on the definition of “Stability of Cyberspace”, as developed by the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC).

The definition of cyberspace the GCSC provided was :

Stability of cyberspace is the condition where individuals and institutions can be reasonably confident in their ability to use cyberspace safely and securely, where the availability and integrity of services in cyberspace is generally assured, where change is managed in relative peace, and where tensions are resolved in a peaceful manner.

CIS gave detailed commentary on the definitions [attached] and suggested a new definition of cyber stability documented below:

Stability of cyberspace is the objective where individuals, institutions and communities are confident in the safety and security of cyberspace; the accessibility,availability and integrity of services in cyberspace can be relied upon and where change is managed and tensions ranging from external interference in sovereign processes to the use of force in cyberspace are resolved peacefully in line with the tenets of International Law,specifically the principles of the UN Charter and universally recognised human rights.

Cyber stability can only be fostered if key stakeholders in cyberspace conform to a due diligence obligation of not undertaking and preventing actions that may prevent cyber stability. The end goal of cyber stability must minimize or eliminate immaterial or peripheral incentives while preserving and potentially legitimizing those cyber offensive operations that can further effective deterrence and thereby foster stability, while also minimising any collateral damage to civilian life or property.

Click to view the detailed submission here

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/arindrajit-basu-and-elonnai-hickok-september-9-2019-submission-to-global-commission-on-stability-of-cyberspace