The Centre for Internet and Society
https://cis-india.org
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CIS joins the Christchurch Call Advisory Network
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/cis-joins-the-christchurch-call-advisory-network
<b>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. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<h3>The Christchurch Call Advisory Network</h3>
<ul class="org-list">
<li>Access Now</li>
<li>Africa Digital Policy Project</li>
<li>Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania</li>
<li>Article 19</li>
<li>Association for Progressive Communications</li>
<li>Brookings Institution</li>
<li>Center for Humane Technology</li>
<li>Centre for Internet and Society, India</li>
<li>Chicago Project on Security and Threats, University of Chicago</li>
<li>Committee to Protect Journalists</li>
<li>Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)</li>
<li>Dangerous Speech Project</li>
<li>Data & Society</li>
<li>Electronic Frontier Foundation</li>
<li>French National Bar Council</li>
<li>Global Disinformation Index</li>
<li>Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)</li>
<li>Global Partners Digital</li>
<li>Global Network Initiative</li>
<li>Hedayah Center</li>
<li>Human Rights Centre, UC, Berkeley School of Law</li>
<li>ICT for Peace Foundation</li>
<li>Institute for Strategic Dialogue</li>
<li>International Cyber Policy Centre (Australian Strategic Policy Institute)</li>
<li>Internet Governance Project, Georgia Tech</li>
<li>Internet NZ</li>
<li>Internet Sans Frontières</li>
<li>Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand</li>
<li>Life After Hate</li>
<li>Netsafe</li>
<li>New America's Open Technology Institute (New America Foundation)</li>
<li>NZ Council for Civil Liberties</li>
<li>Reporters Without Borders (RSF)</li>
<li>Social Media Governance Initiative, Yale Law School</li>
<li>Syrian Archive</li>
<li>Tech Against Terrorism</li>
<li>The International Muslim Association of New Zealand</li>
<li>The Internet Society</li>
<li>Tony Blair Institute for Global Change</li>
<li>Wellington Abrahamic Council of Jews, Christians, and Muslims (NZ)</li>
<li>WITNESS</li>
<li>Women’s Organisation of the Waikato Muslim Association</li>
<li><small>Elina Noor (Visiting Fellow, Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia)</small></li>
<li><small>Matthew Shears (Internet and telecommunications policy consultant)</small></li>
</ul>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/cis-joins-the-christchurch-call-advisory-network'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/cis-joins-the-christchurch-call-advisory-network</a>
</p>
No publisherAdminInternet Governance2019-09-25T13:57:49ZNews ItemWhy having more CCTV cameras does not translate to crime prevention
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
<b>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?</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The article by Manasa Rao published by the <a class="external-link" href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/why-having-more-cctv-cameras-does-not-translate-crime-prevention-108276">News Minute</a> quotes Pranav M. Bidare of CIS.</p>
<hr style="text-align: justify; " />
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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<a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/video-elderly-tn-couple-bravely-fends-armed-robbers-plastic-chairs-107105"> celebrated</a> 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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">Since 2017, the Tamil Nadu Police has been aggressively<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fphSW8SBCh8"> pushing</a> for citizens to install CCTV cameras. A techno-futuristic awareness campaign<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPYzXSLbYYQ"> video</a> 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.”</p>
<p class="_yeti_done" dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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?</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; "><strong>What the numbers say</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">A<a href="https://www.comparitech.com/vpn-privacy/the-worlds-most-surveilled-cities/"> study</a> 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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">With the help of <a href="https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings_current.jsp">Numbeo</a>, 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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; "><strong>The infallible CCTV myth</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.”</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.”</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">“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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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 <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/cctv-cameras-crime-fighter-or-big-brother/article26226129.ece">The Hindu</a>, 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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Over-reliance on technology</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">“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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.”</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Privacy, data protection concerns</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.”</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.”</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; "><strong>'Technology cannot replace interpersonal relationships'</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='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'>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</a>
</p>
No publishermanasaInternet Governance2019-09-25T02:13:28ZNews ItemAndroid 10 out, big on ‘privacy’
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/deccan-herald-roshan-nair-september-4-2019-android-10-out-big-on-privacy
<b>Companies aware of new concerns, says expert.</b>
<p><span style="text-align: justify; ">The article by Roshan H. Nair </span><a class="external-link" href="https://www.deccanherald.com/metrolife/metrolife-your-bond-with-bengaluru/android-10-out-big-on-privacy-759085.html" style="text-align: justify; ">published in Deccan Herald </a><span style="text-align: justify; ">quotes Sunil Abraham.</span></p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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".</p>
<p>Android 10 is only the latest in a series of tech products that project ‘privacy’ as a special feature.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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’.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">At the moment, only Pixel phones have Android 10.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The software will be available on more phones in the coming months.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/deccan-herald-roshan-nair-september-4-2019-android-10-out-big-on-privacy'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/deccan-herald-roshan-nair-september-4-2019-android-10-out-big-on-privacy</a>
</p>
No publisherRoshan H. NairInternet Governance2019-09-25T02:05:30ZNews ItemCIS Team
https://cis-india.org/about/people/cis-team-members
<b>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.</b>
<p><b><br /></b></p>
<p><b>Senior Staff</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="#Tanveer Hasan A K">Tanveer Hasan A K</a></li>
<li><a href="#Amrita Sengupta">Amrita Sengupta</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="#Anubha Sinha">Anubha Sinha</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="#Puthiya Purayil Sneha">Puthiya Purayil Sneha</a></li>
<li><a href="#Aayush">Aayush Rathi</a></li>
<li><a href="#Pranav M. Bidare">Pranav M. B</a></li>
<li><a href="#Isha Suri">Isha Suri</a></li>
<li><a href="#Divyank">Divyank Katira</a></li>
<li><a href="#Pallavi Bedi">Pallavi Bedi</a></li>
</ul>
<p><b>Programme and Policy Officers</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="#Shruti Trikanand">Shruti Trikanand</a></li>
<li><a href="#Shweta Mohandas">Shweta Mohandas</a></li>
<li><a href="#Torsha Sarkar">Torsha Sarkar</a></li>
<li><a href="#Yesha">Yesha Tshering Paul</a></li>
<li><a href="#Abhishek">Abhishek Raj</a></li>
<li><a href="#Cheshta">Cheshta Arora</a></li>
<li><a href="#Divyansha">Divyansha Sehgal</a></li>
<li><a href="#Indumathi">Indumathi Manohar</a></li>
<li><a href="#Yatharth">Yatharth</a></li>
<li><a href="#Nishkala">Nishkala</a></li>
<li><a href="#Chetna">Chetna</a></li>
<li><a href="#Chiara">Chiara</a></li>
</ul>
<p><b>A2K Team Members</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="#Subodh Kulkarni">Subodh Kulkarni</a></li>
<li><a href="#Jayanta Nath">Jayanta Nath</a></li>
<li><a href="#Nitesh Gill">Nitesh Gill</a></li>
<li><a href="#K.N. Medini">K.N. Medini</a></li>
</ul>
<p><b>Administration and Finance</b></p>
<div id="_mcePaste">
<ul>
<li><a href="#Ajoy Kumar">Ajoy Kumar</a></li>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/about/people/Nagaraj MP">Nagaraj MP</a></li>
<li><a href="#Nima Lama">Nima Lama</a></li>
<li><a href="#Velankanni Royson">Velankanni Royson</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><b>Non-Resident Fellow</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="#Ambika Tandon">Ambika Tandon</a></li>
<li><a href="#Arindrajit Basu">Arindrajit Basu</a></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Senior Staff</h2>
<div></div>
<table class="plain">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a name="Tanveer Hasan A K"></a> <b>Tanveer Hasan A K</b></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/TanveerHasan.png/@@images/83492610-8e1d-41c4-b11f-f02e2178bcbe.png" alt="Tanveer Hasan" class="image-inline" title="Tanveer Hasan" /></td>
<td style="text-align: justify; ">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.</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Amrita Sengupta<br /></th> <th><br /></th> <th><br /></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><br />
<p style="text-align: center; "><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/Amrita.png/@@images/fd20553b-e540-4fa3-aeeb-1d6a76c01665.png" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Amrita" /></p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; ">Amrita Sengupta is a Research and Programme Lead at CIS. Her research interests and work lie in the areas of gender and technology, digital cultures, ethics in research methods, digital access, algorithmic biases and tech design, and sustainability and tech. She holds an undergraduate degree in sociology from Miranda House, Delhi University and a post graduate degree in internet studies from the Oxford Internet Institute. In the past, Amrita has worked in managing and implementing large scale people practices, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, as well as in conducting and leading long-form research on impacts of tech on businesses and society, with both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
<ul>
<li>E-mail: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:amrita@cis-india.org">amrita@cis-india.org</a></li>
<li>Twitter: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://twitter.com/iamgondogol">https://twitter.com/iamgondogol</a></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table class="plain">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><a name="Anubha Sinha"></a> Anubha Sinha</th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img alt="Anubha Sinha" src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/AnubhaNewPic.png/@@images/5e754e27-6f5f-4a1d-a2a4-e15810fbdbca.png" /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Anubha Sinha is a researcher working on impact of copyright law on access to knowledge, with a focus on users’ rights. She also tracks and comments on policymaking at international fora such as WTO and WIPO. She is a lawyer by training.</p>
<ul>
<li>Email: <a href="mailto:anubha@cis-india.org">anubha@cis-india.org</a></li>
<li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/anubhasinha_" target="_blank">@anubhasinha_</a></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table class="plain">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><a name="Puthiya Purayil Sneha"></a> Puthiya Purayil Sneha</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img alt="P.P. Sneha" src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/Sneha.jpg" /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Sneha is a Senior Researcher with the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), India. Her areas of interest and work include digital media and cultures, arts and humanities practice, scholarship and pedagogy, and access to knowledge.</p>
<ul>
<li>Email: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:sneha@cis-india.org">sneha@cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th><br /></th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th> <a name="Aayush"></a>Aayush Rathi</th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/Aayush.jpg/@@images/0ac5656f-a503-4d55-a49d-2e021c2ddd27.jpeg" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Aayush Rathi" /></td>
<td>Aayush Rathi does interdisciplinary work on labour informalities, welfare systems and digitisation. He aims to make academic and policy contributions through socio-legal research amplifying the experiences of marginalised communities.<br />
<ul>
<li>Email: <a href="mailto:aayush@cis-india.org">aayush@cis-india.org</a></li>
<li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RathiAayush">@AayushRathi</a></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><br /></td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th><a name="Pranav M. Bidare"></a> Pranav M B<br /></th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/Pranav.jpg/@@images/e9324e0e-0f58-47f6-ba91-9dd06f391e91.jpeg" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Pranav Bidare" /></td>
<td>Pranav is the Communications Lead at CIS. He has studied humanities and law at National Law School of India University, Bangalore. His previous work at CIS has primarily centred on Artificial Intelligence research, and research on issues surrounding Privacy, Cyber-security, and the Future of Work.
<ul>
<li>E-mail: pranav@cis-india.org</li>
<li>Twitter: @pranavbarkwhip</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><br /></td>
<th><br /></th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table class="plain">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th> <a name="Isha Suri"></a> Isha Suri<br /></th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/copy2_of_IshaSuri.png/@@images/f5bd4782-7472-4543-8ea2-3f82972acd1e.png" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Isha" /></td>
<td style="text-align: justify; ">Isha Suri is a Research Lead at the Centre for Internet and Society. Her areas of interest include Telecom Policy, Competition Law, Internet Governance, Intellectual Property Rights, and Privacy and Data Protection. She holds an LL.B. (Hons.) with a specialisation in Intellectual Property Law from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. She also has a degree in Electrical Engineering that often comes to her aid when grappling with complexities of the techno-legal domain.
<ul>
<li>E-mail: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:isha@cis-india.org">isha@cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a name="Divyank"></a> Divyank Katira</td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img alt="Divyank Katira" src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/divyank-katira/" width="128px" /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Divyank is a Senior Technologist primarily engaged with the Freedom of Expression and Digital Identity teams at CIS. He is an engineer by training and is interested in computer networks and information security in the context of censorship and surveillance on the web.</p>
<ul>
<li>E-mail: <a href="mailto:divyank@cis-india.org">divyank [at] cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<p><br /><br /></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a name="Pallavi Bedi"></a> Pallavi Bedi</td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img alt="null" src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/Pallavi.jpg/@@images/317d5e2a-43c7-430c-9fc9-2544a7a491fb.jpeg" /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Pallavi is a Senior Researcher at CIS, where she works on privacy and data protection. She is a lawyer by training, and holds a BA, LLB (Hons) degree from the National Law Institute University, Bhopal and an LLM from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.</p>
E-mail: <a href="mailto:pallavi@cis-india.org">pallavi@cis-india.org</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h2>Researchers</h2>
</td>
<th><br /></th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th> <a name="Shruti Trikanand"></a> Shruti Trikanand</th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img alt="null" src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/Shruthi.jpg/@@images/38c68347-be5c-4f0c-9a01-db24de888406.jpeg" /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Shruti Trikanad is a programme officer at CIS, working on the digital identity project. She is interested in producing research to safeguard individual rights and freedoms through the use of technology. She completed her studies in law and humanities from the Gujarat National Law University.</p>
<ul>
<li>E-mail: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:shruti@cis-india.org">shruti@cis-india.org</a></li>
<li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/trikshruti">@trikshruti</a></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th> <a name="Shweta Mohandas"></a> Shweta Mohandas</th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/ShwetaMohandas.jpg/@@images/9f38f217-a459-4b65-a602-d07d1b993c4e.jpeg" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Shweta Mohandas" /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Shweta is a Policy Officer at the Centre for Internet and Society, India. Her areas of work and interest include Artificial Intelligence, Privacy, and Intellectual Property Rights and India’s policies surrounding them. She is currently researching on the development and use of voice based technologies in India, with a focus on languages, accessibility and privacy.</p>
<ul>
<li>E-mail: <a href="mailto:shweta@cis-india.org">shweta@cis-india.org</a></li>
<li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/says_shweta">@says_shweta</a></li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th> <a name="Torsha Sarkar"></a> Torsha Sarkar</th>
<td>
<p> </p>
<ul>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img alt="null" src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/Torsha.jpg/@@images/8e0cca11-faf5-45c7-910d-3adf9b87b6dd.jpeg" /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Torsha is a lawyer by training. At CIS, she primarily works on social media regulation, intermediary liability and digital expression. She occasionally explores the connection between constitutional guarantees and gender, sexuality and marital relationships.</p>
<ul>
<li>E-mail: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:torsha@cis-india.org">torsha@cis-india.org</a></li>
<li>Twitter: @TorShark</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th><a name="Yesha"></a>Yesha Tshering Paul</th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img alt="null" src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/Yesha.jpg/@@images/4b851d6c-fa12-4452-a24b-3cd8defdc182.jpeg" /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Yesha Tshering Paul is a Programme Officer at the Centre for Internet and Society and works on the Digital Identities project. She studied Law at ILS Law College, Pune, and has a Masters in Regulatory Governance from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.</p>
<ul>
<li>E-mail: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:yesha@cis-india.org">yesha@cis-india.org</a></li>
<li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/oldpinkdog">@oldpinkdog</a></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Divyansha Sehgal</b></td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a name="Divyansha"></a><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/Divyansha.png" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Divyansha" /><br /><br /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; "> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Divyansha Sehgal is a YLT Fellow at the Centre for Internet and Society interested in issues of access, equity, speech and fairness in tech. She is an engineer by training.</p>
<ul>
<li>Email: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:divyansha@cis-india.org">divyansha@cis-india.org</a></li>
<li>Twitter: <a class="external-link" href="https://twitter.com/DivyanshaSehgal">https://twitter.com/DivyanshaSehgal</a></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<ul>
</ul>
<p><b>Indumathi Manohar</b><br /> <a name="Indumathi"></a></p>
<table class="plain">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/copy_of_Indu.png/@@images/fbed4a0d-3614-46eb-a6d1-dd5f7a458c98.png" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Indu" /></th>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Indu came to a career in design via theatre, dance, and scuba diving. As Communications Designer, she works on making CIS research publications, annual reports, podcasts, events, and op-eds, more accessible to a larger audience through visual design— whether it be through layout design, infographics, social media creatives or web banners.</p>
<ul>
<li>Email: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:indu@cis-india.org">indu@cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify; "></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Yatharth</b><br /><a name="Yatharth"></a></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/Yatharth.png/@@images/870511ee-63cc-4180-ba8c-253acc575477.png" alt="null" style="float: left; " class="image-inline" title="Yatharth" /></p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; ">Yatharth is a Design Researcher with CIS. His interest areas include New Media Arts, Creative Technology and Design Edcation with Anti Caste and Critical perspectives. He is a Designer and Media Artist by training from National Institute of Design Ahmedabad.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Nishkala</b><br /><a name="Nishkala"></a></p>
<p><b><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/NishkalaCISBioPhoto.jpeg/@@images/0ae11572-bc6b-4a6b-b18b-ae78aee8eb59.jpeg" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Nishkala" /><br /></b></p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; ">Nishkala is a researcher at CIS. Her research interests include urban inequality and the particular ways in which it is manifesting via platform labor, and in the digital world. She has a degree in development studies and mechanical engineering.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Chetna</b><br /><a name="Chetna"></a></p>
<p><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/Chetna.png/@@images/e9ad7f7f-7e3e-4d0c-992c-da5f72e42348.png" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Chetna" /></p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: justify; ">Chetna is a social science researcher with a background in economics. She is interested in interdisciplinary research and seeks to understand the world in a more wholesome manner. After graduating with a master's from the University of Hyderabad in 2021, she has contributed to many research projects specifically pertaining to labour. At CIS, she researches the nature of work and challenges faced by workers in the platform economy.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Chiara</b><br /><a name="Chiara"></a></p>
<p><b><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/ChiaraFurtado.png/@@images/df8511f2-0ccd-460b-a2c6-79dd9f2db642.png" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Chiara" /><br /></b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Chiara is a researcher at CIS, working on digital labour and the platformisation of work in the global south. Her areas of interest involve the politics of labour and technology, and differential experiences with digitalisation in contexts of structural inequalities. She has studied development and economics.</p>
<ul>
<li>Email: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:chiara@cis-india.org">chiara@cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> Twitter: @chiara_furtado</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>A2K Team Members</h2>
<p><a name="Subodh Kulkarni"></a> Subodh Kulkarni</p>
<div></div>
<p><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/SubodhKulkarniphoto.JPG/@@images/8f50a0e3-5011-4336-b2f7-35188a5e6049.jpeg" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Subodh" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Subodh is Senior Program Officer in <a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/cis-a2k">A2K</a> team at CIS. He has been active on various development issues and has worked with several organizations across India. He is an active WIkimedian in several projects since 2015. He is working with CIS-A2K from 2017. Presently, he is building partnerships with various institutions, communities and research & social organisations to create free knowledge on Wikimedia projects. Digitisation and relicensing (releasing content in free license) are also his focus areas. He is developing 'Wiki communities with concern' for reliable, qualitative and sustainable content generation in the field of environment and gender issues.</p>
<div></div>
<ul>
<li>E-mail: <a href="mailto:subodh@cis-india.org">subodh@cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<table class="plain">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th> <a name="Jayanta Nath"></a> Jayanta Nath</th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/Jayanta.jpg/@@images/a2bf50f5-85a4-422c-8d2d-3bb737c0586a.jpeg" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Jayanta" /></td>
<td style="text-align: justify; ">
<p>Jayanta is Wikisource Program Officer in <a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/cis-a2k">A2K</a> team at CIS. Prior to joining CIS-A2K, he was working in civil engineering sector. He is an active Wikimedian in several projects since 2007. He is working with CIS-A2K since 2018. Presently, he is facilitating and supporting the Wikisource communities in developing the language projects. He is coordinating capacity building programs and digitisation activities in various institutions.</p>
<p>Email: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:jayanta@cis-india.org">jayanta@cis-india.org</a></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th> <a name="Nitesh Gill"></a> Nitesh Gill</th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/NiteshGill.jpg/@@images/e36e50c6-2916-466d-854c-0948c9b2b368.jpeg" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Nitesh" /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Nitesh is a Program Officer in <a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/cis-a2k">A2K</a> team at CIS. She is an active Wikimedian since 2015. She joined the A2K team in 2019. Currently, she is coordinating content creation programs in collaboration with communities. She is supporting the communities and individuals through the A2K request page. She is handling social media channels and overall communications.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Email: <a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/cis-a2k">nitesh@cis-india.org</a></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th> <a name="Medini"></a> K N Medini</th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/MediniPhoto.jpg/@@images/1df024af-4f44-4740-8046-70b65e28f42b.jpeg" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Medini " /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Medini is a Program Officer in <a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/cis-a2k">A2K</a> team at CIS. Prior to joining CIS, she worked in NGO sector. Medini has been working closely with the CIS-A2K team since 2019 handling finance and administration works besides providing logistics support towards organising events.</p>
<ul>
<li>E-mail: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:medini@cis-india.org">medini@cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Administration and Finance</h2>
<p> </p>
<table class="plain">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th> <a name="Ajoy Kumar"></a> Ajoy Kumar</th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img alt="Ajoy Kumar" src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Ajoy.jpg" /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<ul>
<li>Email: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:ajoy@cis-india.org">ajoy@cis-india.org</a></li>
<li>Resume: <a class="internal-link" href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/ajoy-kumar.pdf">Download</a> (PDF)</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table class="plain">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th> <a name="Nagaraj MP"></a>Nagaraj MP</th>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="https://cis-india.org/about/people/Nagaraj.png/@@images/39f690b1-72b4-4b48-be11-b113d8ceb005.png" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Nagaraj" /></td>
<td>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<ul>
<li>Email: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:nagaraj@cis-india.org">nagaraj@cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify; "></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><a name="Nima Lama"></a> Nima Lama <br /> <img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Nima.jpg/@@images/f5d8b143-c665-45c7-be89-13979fb891d3.jpeg" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Nima Lama" /> Nima has been in charge of security at CIS since 2015. He maintains the daily staff register and provides assistance to the administration team. Prior to CIS, Nima worked as a security person at a car parking solution. <a name="Velankanni Royson"></a> Velankanni Royson <br /> <img alt="Velankanni Royson" src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/Royson.png" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<ul>
<li>Email: <a class="mail-link" href="mailto:royson@cis-india.org">royson@cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Non-Resident Fellow</h2>
<p><a name="Ambika Tandon"></a> Ambika Tandon</p>
<p><img alt="Ambika Tandon" src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/AT.png/@@images/ea01e105-ae86-46f1-aa7f-1d1f71e9dc7b.png" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Ambika Tandon studies the intersections of gender and technology. She focuses on women’s work in the digital economy, and the impact of emerging technologies on social inequality. She is also interested in developing feminist methods for technology research.</p>
<ul>
<li>E-mail: <a href="mailto:ambika@cis-india.org">ambika[at]cis-india.org</a></li>
<li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/AmbikaTandon">@AmbikaTandon</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a name="Arindrajit Basu"></a> <b>Arindrajit Basu</b></p>
<p><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/Arindrajit.jpg/@@images/443aafb8-73d4-43e9-8f71-06f4a21d9ddc.jpeg" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Arindrajit Basu" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Arindrajit Basu is a Non-resident Fellow at the Centre for Internet & Society, India, where he focuses on the geopolitics and constitutionality of emerging technologies. He is a lawyer by training and holds a BA, LLB (Hons) degree from the National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, and an LLM in public international law from the University of Cambridge, U.K.</p>
<ul>
<li>E-mail: <a href="mailto:arindrajit@cis-india.org">arindrajit@cis-india.org</a></li>
<li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/BasuArindrajit">@BasuArindrajit</a></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/about/people/cis-team-members'>https://cis-india.org/about/people/cis-team-members</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaInternet Governance2023-04-10T13:19:47ZPageInternet pour toutes
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/l-actualite-magazine-isabelle-gregoire-september-11-2019-internet-pour-toutes
<b>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.</b>
<p>The article by Isabelle Grégoire was <a class="external-link" href="https://lactualite.com/monde/internet-pour-toutes/">published in L'Actualite</a> on September 11, 2019.</p>
<hr />
<p class="moz-quote-pre" style="text-align: justify; ">"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?</p>
<p class="moz-quote-pre" style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p class="moz-quote-pre" style="text-align: justify; ">"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.</p>
<p class="moz-quote-pre" style="text-align: justify; ">"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."</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/l-actualite-magazine-isabelle-gregoire-september-11-2019-internet-pour-toutes'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/l-actualite-magazine-isabelle-gregoire-september-11-2019-internet-pour-toutes</a>
</p>
No publisherIsabelle GrégoireInternet Governance2019-09-20T15:01:56ZNews ItemResponsible AI Workshop
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/responsible-ai-workshop
<b>Sunil Abraham participated in this meeting organized by Facebook on September 17, 2019 in New Delhi. </b>
<p><a class="external-link" href="http://cis-india.org/internet-governance/files/responsible-ai">Click to view the agenda</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/responsible-ai-workshop'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/responsible-ai-workshop</a>
</p>
No publisherAdminInternet GovernanceArtificial Intelligence2019-09-20T14:50:47ZNews ItemTalks at National University of Juridical Sciences Today
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/talks-at-national-university-of-juridical-sciences-today
<b>Arindrajit Basu delivered two lectures at the National University of Juridical Sciences on September 18, 2019. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Abstract</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.<br /><br />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.<br />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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Abstract</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>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. </span><span>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.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.” <br /><br />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?</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/talks-at-national-university-of-juridical-sciences-today'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/talks-at-national-university-of-juridical-sciences-today</a>
</p>
No publisherAdminIndustry 4.0Internet GovernanceArtificial Intelligence2019-09-20T14:45:35ZNews ItemAI in Healthcare
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/ai-in-healthcare
<b>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. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/ai-in-healthcare'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/ai-in-healthcare</a>
</p>
No publisherAdminIndustry 4.0Internet GovernanceArtificial Intelligence2019-09-19T16:15:24ZNews ItemChennai residents rue fuzzy CCTV surveillance
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/vivek-narayanan-and-r-sivaraman-the-hindu-september-18-2019-chennai-residents-rue-fuzzy-cctv-surveillance
<b>Poor quality of footage, lack of maintenance and inadequate back-up reduce the gadgets’ deterrent value.</b>
<p>The article by Vivek Narayanan and R. Srinivasan was <a class="external-link" href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/you-are-under-fuzzy-cctv-surveillance/article29443198.ece">published in the Hindu</a> on September 18, 2019. Pranav M.B. was quoted.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Extensive Coverage</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p>V. N. Subramaniyan, president, Mylapore Residents Welfare Association, felt that cameras installed on private properties were working properly.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“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.</p>
<p>While the equipment is considered important for gathering evidence, policemen themselves complain that the quality of the footage from many cameras is poor.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“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.</p>
<h3>'Not a deterrent'</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<h3>'Needs improvement'</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“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.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/vivek-narayanan-and-r-sivaraman-the-hindu-september-18-2019-chennai-residents-rue-fuzzy-cctv-surveillance'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/vivek-narayanan-and-r-sivaraman-the-hindu-september-18-2019-chennai-residents-rue-fuzzy-cctv-surveillance</a>
</p>
No publisherVivek Narayanan and R. SrinivasanInternet Governance2019-09-19T14:35:51ZNews ItemCore Concepts and Processes
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/digital-identity/shruti-trikanand-and-amber-sinha-september-13-2019-core-concepts-processes
<b>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.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">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 <a href="http://www.chyp.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Digital-Identity-Issue-Analysis-Report.pdf" target="_blank">Dave Birch et al</a>, <a href="http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/248371559325561562/pdf/ID4D-Practitioner-Guide-Draft-for-Consultation.pdf" target="_blank">World Bank’s ID4D initiative</a>, <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Becoming-Artifacts-Medieval-Seals%2C-Passports-and-of-Chango/42cf3a5a5a2db067327298e7d8c540c9691171d2" target="_blank">Mawaki Chango</a>, <a href="https://identitywoman.net/domains-of-identity/" target="_blank">Kaliya Young</a> and <a href="https://medium.com/@kezike/the-evolution-of-digital-identity-6c13aca128c0" target="_blank">Kayode Ezike</a>.</p>
<p class="indent" style="text-align: justify; ">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 <a href="https://digitalid.design/core-concepts-processes.html#identification-diagram">Identification</a> and <a href="https://digitalid.design/core-concepts-processes.html#authentication-diagram">Authentication</a>, elucidating them through diagrams.</p>
<p class="indent"><a class="external-link" href="https://digitalid.design/core-concepts-processes.html">Click to read more</a></p>
<hr />
<p>Credentials:</p>
<ul>
<li> Research by Shruti Trikanad and Amber Sinha </li>
<li> Conceptualization by Pooja Saxena and Amber Sinha </li>
<li>Illustrations by Akash Sheshadri and Pooja Saxena</li>
</ul>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/digital-identity/shruti-trikanand-and-amber-sinha-september-13-2019-core-concepts-processes'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/digital-identity/shruti-trikanand-and-amber-sinha-september-13-2019-core-concepts-processes</a>
</p>
No publisherShruti Trikanand and Amber SinhaInternet GovernanceDigital IDDigital Identity2019-10-17T16:06:54ZBlog EntrySubmission to Global Commission on Stability of Cyberspace on the definition of Cyber Stability
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/arindrajit-basu-and-elonnai-hickok-september-9-2019-submission-to-global-commission-on-stability-of-cyberspace
<b>"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).</b>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The definition of cyberspace the GCSC provided was :</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em>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.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="moz-quote-pre">CIS gave detailed commentary on the definitions [attached] and suggested a new definition of cyber stability documented below:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="moz-quote-pre">Stability of cyberspace is the objective where individuals, i<strong>nstitutions and communities </strong>are confident in the safety and security of cyberspace; the <strong>accessibility,</strong>availability and integrity of services in cyberspace can be relied upon and where change is managed and tensions ranging from <strong>external interference in sovereign processes to the use of force in cyberspace </strong>are resolved peacefully in <strong>line with the tenets of International Law,specifically the principles of the UN Charter and universally recognised human rights.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="moz-quote-pre"><strong>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.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="moz-quote-pre"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/files/gcsc-response">Click to view the detailed submission here</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/arindrajit-basu-and-elonnai-hickok-september-9-2019-submission-to-global-commission-on-stability-of-cyberspace'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/arindrajit-basu-and-elonnai-hickok-september-9-2019-submission-to-global-commission-on-stability-of-cyberspace</a>
</p>
No publisherArindrajit Basu and Elonnai HickokInternet GovernancePrivacy2019-09-11T14:52:25ZBlog EntryDoing Standpoint Theory
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/ambika-tandon-and-aayush-rathi-gender-it-september-1-2019-doing-standpoint-theory
<b>Feminist research methodology has evolved from different epistemologies, with several different schools of thought. Some of the more popular ones are feminist standpoint theory, feminist empiricism, and feminist relativism.</b>
<p>The article by Ambika Tandon and Aayush Rathi was published by <a class="external-link" href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory">GenderIT.org</a> on September 1, 2019.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Standpoint theory holds the experiences of the marginalised as the source of ‘truth’ about structures of oppression, which is silenced by traditional objectivist research methods as they produce knowledge from the standpoint of voices in positions of power<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote2sym">2</a>. Feminist empiricism does not eschew traditional modes of knowledge production, but emphasises diversity of research participants for feminist (and therefore also rigorous) knowledge production<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote3sym">3</a>. Relativists have critiqued standpoint theory for its tendency to essentialise the experience of marginalised groups, and subsume them into one homogenous voice to achieve the goal of ‘emancipatory’ research<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote4sym">4</a>. Relativists instead focus on multiple standpoints, which could be Dalit women, lesbian women, or women with disabilities<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote5sym">5</a>. We will be discussing the practical applicability of these epistemologies to research practices in the field of technology and gender.</p>
<p class="callout" style="text-align: justify; ">Standpoint theory holds the experiences of the marginalised as the source of ‘truth’ about structures of oppression, which is silenced by traditional objectivist research methods as they produce knowledge from the standpoint of voices in positions of power.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">As part of the Feminist Internet Research Network, the Centre for Internet and Society is undertaking research on the digital mediation of domestic and care work in India. The project aims to assess shifts in the sector, including conditions of work, brought on by the entry of digital platforms. Our starting point for designing a methodology for the research was standpoint theory, which we thought to be the best fit as the goal of the project was to disrupt dominant narratives of women’s labour in relation to platformisation. In the context of dalit feminis, Rege warns that standpoint research risks producing a narrow frame of identity politics, although it is critical to pay attention to lived experience and the “naming of difference” between dalit women and savarna women<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote6sym">6</a>. She asserts that neither ‘women’ nor ‘dalit women’ is a homogenous category. While feminist researchers from outside these categories cannot claim to “speak for” those within, they can “reinvent” themselves as dalit feminists and ally themselves with their politics.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In order to address this risk of appropriating the voices of domestic workers (“speaking for”), we chose to directly work with a domestic workers’ union in Bengaluru called Stree Jagruti Smiti. Bengaluru is one of the two cities we are conducting research in (the other being Delhi, with very few registered unions). This is meant to radically destabilise power hierarchies and material relations within the research process, as benefits of participatory research tend to accumulate with the researchers rather than participants<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote7sym">7</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Along with amplifying the voices of workers, a central objective of our project is to question the techno-solutionism that has accompanied the entry of digital platforms into the domestic work sector, which is unorganised and unregulated. To do so, we included companies and state labour departments as participants whose standpoint is to be interrogated. By juxtaposing the standpoints of stakeholders that have differential access to power and resources, the researcher is able to surface various conflicts and intersections in dominant and alternative narratives. This form of research also brings with it unique challenges, as researchers could find themselves mediating between the different stakeholders, while constantly choosing to privilege the standpoint of the least powerful - in this case the workers. Self-reflexivity then becomes necessary to ensure that the project does not slip into an absolutely relativist position, rather using the narratives of workers to challenge those of governments and private actors. This can also be done by ensuring that workers have agency to shape the agenda of researchers, thereby producing research which is instrumental in supporting grassroots campaigns and movements.</p>
<p class="callout" style="text-align: justify; ">Self-reflexivity then becomes necessary to ensure that the project does not slip into an absolutely relativist position, rather using the narratives of workers to challenge those of governments and private actors.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Feminist participatory research itself, despite its many promises, is not a linear pathway to empowerment for participants<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote8sym">8</a>. At the very outset of the project, we were constantly asked the question by domestic workers and unions – why should we participate in this project? Researchers, in their experience, acquire information from the community throughout the process of data collection by positioning themselves as allies. However, as all such engagements are bound to limited timelines and budgets, researchers are then often absent at critical junctures where the community may need external support. We were also told that all too often, the output of the research itself does not make its way back to the participants, making it a one-way process of knowledge extraction. Being mindful of these experiences, we have integrated a feedback loop into our research design, which will allow us to design outputs that are accessible and useful to collectives of domestic workers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Not only domestic workers and their organisations, many corporations operating these online portals and platforms often questioned the benefits of participating in the project. However, the manner of articulation differed. While attempting to reject the hierarchical nature of the researcher/participant relationship, we increasingly became aware that the underlying power equation was not a monolith. Rather, it varied across stakeholder groups and was explicitly contingent on the socially constructed positionalities already existing outside of the space of the interview. Companies, governments and workers all exemplified varying degrees of engagement with, knowledge of, and contributions to research. Interviews with workers and unions, and even some bootstrapped (i.e. without much external funding) , socially-minded companies, were often cathartic with an expectation of some benefits in return for opening themselves up to researchers. This was quite different for governments and larger companies, as conversations typically adhered to the patriarchal and classed notions of professionalism in sanitised, formal spaces<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote9sym">9</a> and the strict dichotomy between public and personal spaces. Their contribution seemingly required lesser affective engagement from the interviewee, thereby resulting in lesser investment in the outcome of the research itself.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The cathartic nature of interviews also speak to the impossibility of the distanced, Platonic, school of research. We were often asked politically charged questions, our advice solicited and information sought. Workers and representatives from platform companies alike would question our motivations with the research and challenge us by inquiring about the benefits accruing to us. Again, both set of stakeholders would often ask differently about how other platforms were; workers already registered on a platform would wonder if another platform would be ‘better’ and representatives of platform companies would be curious about competition. This is perhaps a consequence of attempting to design a study that is of use and of interest to the workers we have been reaching out to.<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote10sym">10</a> At times, we found ourselves at a place in the conversation where we were compelled to respond to political positions for the conversation to continue. There were interviews where notions of caste hierarchies (within oppressed classes) as a justification/complaint for engaging/having to engage in certain tasks would surface. Despite being beholden to a feminist consciousness that disregards the idea of the interviewer as neutral, we often found ourselves only hesitantly forthcoming. At times, it was to keep the interview broadly focused around the research subject, at others it was due to our own ignorance about the research artefact (in this instance, platforms mediating domestic work services). This underscores the challenges of seeing the interview as a value ridden space, where the contradictions between the interview as a data collection method and as a consciousness raising emerged - how could we share information about the artefact we were in the process of collecting data about?</p>
<p class="callout" style="text-align: justify; ">We were often asked politically charged questions, our advice solicited and information sought.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The fostering of ‘rapport’<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote11sym">11</a> has made its may into method, almost unknowingly. Often, respondents across stakeholder groups started from an initial place of hesitation, sometimes even suspicion. Several structural issues could be at work here - our inability in being able to accurately describe research itself, the class differences and at times, ideological ones as well. While with most participants, rapport was eventually established, its establishment was a laboured process. Especially given that we were using one-off, in-depth interviews as our method, securing an interview was contingent on the establishment of rapport. This isn’t to suggest that feminist research mandatorily requires the ‘doing of rapport’<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote12sym">12</a>, but that when it does, it’s a fortunate outcome and that feminist researchers engage with it more critically.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Building rapport creates an impression of having minimised the exploitation of the participant, however the underlying politics and pressures of building rapport need to be interrogated. Rapport, like research itself, is at times a performance; rapport is often not naturally occuring. Rather, rapport may also be built to conceal the very structural factors preventing it. For instance, during instances of ideological differences during the interview, we were at times complicit through our silence. This may have been to further a certain notion of ‘objectivity’ itself whereby the building and maintenance of rapport is essential to surfacing a participant’s real views. This then raises the questions: What are the ethical questions that the suppression of certain viewpoints and reactions pose? How does the building, maintenance and continuance of rapport inform the research findings? Rapport, then, comes in all shapes and sizes and its manifold forms implicate the research process differently. Another critical question to be addressed is - why does some rapport take less work than others? With platform companies, building rapport came by easier than it did with workers both on and off platforms. If understood as removing degrees of distance between the researcher and participants, several factors could play into the effort required to build rapport. For instance, language was a critical determinant of the ease of relationship-building. Being more fluent in English than in colloquial Hindi enabled clearer articulation of the research. Further, familiarity with the research process was, as expected, mediated along class lines. This influenced the manner in which we articulated research outcomes and objectives to workers with complete unfamiliarity with the meaning of research. Among workers, this unfamiliarity often resulted in distrust, which required the underlying politics of the research to be more critically articulated.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">By and large, the feminist engagement with research methods has been quite successful in its resistance and transformation of traditional forms. Since Oakley’s conception of the interview as a deeply subjective space<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote13sym">13</a> and Harding’s dialectical conception of masculinist science through its history<a href="https://www.genderit.org/articles/doing-standpoint-theory#sdfootnote14sym">14</a>, the application of feminist critical theory has increasingly subverted assumptions around the averseness of research to political motivations. At the same time, it has made knowledge-production occur in a more equitable space. It is in this context that standpoint theory has had wide purchase, but challenges persist in its application. As the foregoing discussion outlines, we have been able to achieve some of the goals of feminist standpoint research while missing out on others. We also found the ‘multiple standpoints’ approach of relativists to be useful in a project involving multiple stakeholders - thereby also avoiding the risk of essentialisation of the identities of domestic workers. However, unlike the tendency of relativists to focus on each perspective as ‘equally valid truth’, we are choosing to focus on the conflicts and intersections between emerging discourses. Through this hybrid theoretical framework, we are seeking to make knowledge production more equitable. At the same time, the discussion around rapport shows that this may nevertheless happen in a limited fashion. Feminist research may never be fully non-extractive. The reflexivity exercised and choices made during the course of the research are key.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Unlike the tendency of relativists to focus on each perspective as ‘equally valid truth’, we are choosing to focus on the conflicts and intersections between emerging discourses.</p>
<hr />
<div id="sdfootnote1">
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="sdfootnote1sym"></a> The names of the authors are in alphabetical order.</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote2">
<p><a name="sdfootnote2sym"></a> Harding, S. (2003) The Feminist Standpoint Theory Reader: Intellectual and Political Controversies, Routledge.</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote3">
<p><a name="sdfootnote3sym"></a> M. Wickramasinghe, Feminist Research Methodology: Making meaning out of meaning-making, Zubaan, 2014</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote4">
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="sdfootnote4sym"></a> Pease, D. (2000) Researching profeminist men's narratives: participatory methodologies in a postmodern frame. In B. Fawcett, D. Featherstone, J. Fook ll)'ld A. Rossiter (eds) Restarching and Practising in Social Work: Postmodern Feminist Perspectives (London: Routledge).</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote5">
<p><a name="sdfootnote5sym"></a> Stanley, L. and Wise, S. (1983) Breaking Out: Feminist Consciousness and Feminist Research (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul).</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote6">
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="sdfootnote6sym"></a> Rege, S. 1998. ” Dalit Women Talk Differently: A critique of ‘Difference’ and Towards a Dalit Feminist Standpoint.” Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 33, No.44, pp 39-48.</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote7">
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="sdfootnote7sym"></a> Heeks, R. and Shekhar, S. (2018) An Applied Data Justice Framework: Analysing Datafication and Marginalised Communities in Cities of the Global South. Working Paper Series, Centre for Development Informatics, University of Manchester.</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote8">
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="sdfootnote8sym"></a> Stone, E. and Priestley, M. (1996) Parasites, pawn and partners: disability research and the role of nondisabled researchers. British Journal of Sociology, 47(4), 699-716.</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote9">
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="sdfootnote9sym"></a> Evans, L. (2010). Professionalism, professionality and the development of education professionals. Br. J. Educ. Stud. 56, 20–38. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8527.2007.00392.x</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote10">
<p><a name="sdfootnote10sym"></a> Webb C. Feminist methodology in nursing research. J Adv Nurs. 1984 May;9(3):249-56.</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote11">
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="sdfootnote11sym"></a> Berger, R. (2015). Now I see it, now I don’t: researcher’s position and reflexivity in qualitative research. Qual. Res. 15, 219–234. doi:10.1177/1468794112468475; Pitts, M. J., and Miller-Day, M. (2007). Upward turning points and positive rapport development across time in researcher-participant relationships. Qual. Res. 7, 177–201. doi:10.1177/1468794107071409</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote12">
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="sdfootnote12sym"></a> Dunscombe, J., and Jessop, J. (2002). “Doing rapport, and the ethics of ’faking friendship’,” in <i>Ethics in Qualitative Research</i>, eds T. Miller, M. Birch, M. Mauthner, and J. Jessop (London: SAGE), 108–121.</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote13">
<p><a name="sdfootnote13sym"></a> Oakley, A. (1981). “Interviewing women: a contradiction in terms?” in Doing Feminist Research, ed. H. Roberts (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul), 30–61.</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote14">
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="sdfootnote14sym"></a> Harding, S. (1986). The Science Question in Feminism. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.</p>
</div>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/ambika-tandon-and-aayush-rathi-gender-it-september-1-2019-doing-standpoint-theory'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/ambika-tandon-and-aayush-rathi-gender-it-september-1-2019-doing-standpoint-theory</a>
</p>
No publisherAmbika Tandon and Aayush RathiGenderInternet Governance2019-09-19T14:22:48ZBlog EntryAugust 2019 Newsletter
https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/august-2019-newsletter
<b>Centre for Internet & Society newsletter for the month of August 2019.</b>
<table class="grid listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Highlights for August 2019</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The Oxford Internet Institute and CIS are creating a State of the Internet’s Languages report, as baseline research with both numbers and stories, to demonstrate how far we are from making the internet multilingual. The call is available in <a href="https://whoseknowledge.org/initiatives/callforcontributions/#CIS-AR" target="_blank">Arabic</a>, <a href="https://whoseknowledge.org/initiatives/callforcontributions/#CIS-PT" target="_blank">Brazilian Portuguese</a>, <a href="https://cis-india.org/raw/dtil-2019-call#en">English</a>, <a href="https://whoseknowledge.org/initiatives/callforcontributions/#CIS-IZ" target="_blank">IsiZulu</a>, <a href="https://whoseknowledge.org/initiatives/callforcontributions/#CIS-ES" target="_blank">Spanish</a>, and <a href="https://cis-india.org/raw/dtil-2019-call#ta">Tamil</a>. <a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/raw/dtil-2019-call">CIS invites friends and communities to translate the call into other languages</a>.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">CIS's Access to Knowledge (A2K) team <a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/call-for-joining-the-free-knowledge-movement-wikipedia-wikimedia">is conducting a free knowledge movement</a> and as part of this initiative it is inviting contributions from the Wikipedia community. Photos, media, content or archives donated by community members would be used worldwide to disseminate information. The content you are donating must be under Creative Commons Share-like content. You must have the copyright of the content under <a class="external-link" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons_license">CC licenses</a>.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Over the last few years, several <a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/digtial-identities-research-plan">digital identity schemes have been initiated in different countries across the world</a>. There has been significant momentum on digital ID, especially after the adoption of UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, which calls for legal identity for all by 2030. Authors, Amber Sinha and Pooja Saxena, explore about the uses and design of digital identity systems and ask two core questions a) What are appropriate uses of ID?, and b) How should we think about the technological design of ID?</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Together with the <a class="external-link" href="https://itsrio.org/pt/home/">Institute of Technology & Society</a> (ITS), Brazil, and the <a class="external-link" href="https://www.cipit.org/">Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law</a>(CIPIT), Kenya, CIS participated at a side event in <a class="external-link" href="https://www.rightscon.org/">RightsCon 2019</a> held in Tunisia, titled Holding ID Issuers Accountable, What Works?, organised by the <a class="external-link" href="https://www.omidyar.com/">Omidyar Network</a>. A report of the event is published <a class="external-link" href="https://digitalid.design/rightscon-2019-report.html">here</a>.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">As governments across the globe implement new, foundational, digital identification systems (“Digital ID”), or modernize existing ID programs, there is dire need for greater research and discussion about appropriate uses of Digital ID systems. At RightsCon 2019 in Tunis, we presented <a class="external-link" href="https://bit.ly/CISDigitalIDAppropriateUse">working drafts</a> on appropriate use of Digital ID by the partner organisations of this <a class="external-link" href="https://www.omidyar.com/blog/appropriate-use-digital-identity-why-we-invested-three-region-research%C2%A0alliance">three-region research alliance</a> - ITS from Brazil, CIPIT from Kenya, and CIS from India.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">CIS <a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comments-to-the-id4d-practitioners2019-guide">gave its comments to the ID4D Practitioners’ Guide: Draft For Consultation</a> released by ID4D in June, 2019. The submission is divided into three main parts. The first part (General Comments) contains the high-level comments on the Practitioners’ Guide, while the second part (Specific Comments) addresses individual sections in the Guide. The third and final part (Additional Comments) does not relate to particulars in the Practitioners' Guide but other documents that it relies upon.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had released the National Digital Health Blueprint on 15 July 2019 for comments. <a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/samyukta-prabhu-ambika-tandon-torsha-sarkar-and-aayush-rathi-august-4-2019-comments-on-national-digital-health-blueprint">CIS submitted its comments</a>. CIS notes that the nature of data which would be subject to processing in the proposed digital framework pre-supposes a robust data protection regime in India, one which is currently absent. Accordingly, it urges the ministry to cease the implementation of the framework until the Personal Data Protection Bill is passed by the Parliament. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Aayush Rathi , Vedika Pareek , Divij Joshi and Pranav Bidare <a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/future-of-work-in-the-asean">co-authored a research paper 'Future of Work in the ASEAN'</a>. The authors reveal that the future of work will be mediated through region and country specific factors such as socioeconomic,geopolitical and demographic change. The report was edited by Elonnai Hickok and Ambika Tandon with research assistance by Sankalp Srivastava and Anjanaa Aravindan. The research is supported by Tides Foundation.</li></ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>CIS and the News</h3>
<p>The following articles were authored by CIS secretariat during the month:</p>
<ul>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/loksatta-august-3-2019-subodh-kulkarni-and-madhav-gadgil-the-knowledge-base-is-liberated">The Knowledge Base is Liberated</a> (Subodh Kulkarni and Madhav Gadgil; Loksatta; August 3, 2019).</li>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/nextrends-india-arindrajit-basu-august-5-2019-private-sector-and-the-cultivation-of-cyber-norms-in-india">Private Sector and the cultivation of cyber norms in India</a> (Arindrajit Basu; Nextrends India; August 5, 2019).</li>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cyber-brics-august-12-2019-torsha-sarkar-rethinking-the-intermediary-liability-regime-in-india">Rethinking the intermediary liability regime in India </a>(Torsha Sarkar; CyberBRICS; August 16, 2019).</li>
<li>
<div id="_mcePaste"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/raw/indian-express-nishant-shah-august-18-2019-digital-native-how-free-is-internet">Digital Native: How free is the internet?</a> (Nishant Shah; Indian Express; August 18, 2019).</div>
</li>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/prime-time-august-26-2019-sunil-abraham-linking-aadhaar-with-social-media-or-ending-encryption-is-counterproductive">Linking Aadhaar with social media or ending encryption is counterproductive</a> (Sunil Abraham; Prime Time; August 26, 2019).</li>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-hindu-august-27-2019-a-judicial-overreach-into-matters-of-regulation">A judicial overreach into matters of regulation</a> (Gurshabad Grover; The Hindu; August 28, 2019).</li>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-hindu-august-29-2019-aayush-rathi-and-akriti-bopanna-kashmirs-information-vacuum">Kashmir’s information vacuum</a> (Aayush Rathi and Akriti Bopanna; The Hindu; August 29, 2019).</li></ul>
<h3>CIS in the News</h3>
<p>CIS secretariat was consulted for the following articles published during the month in various publications:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/the-print-august-6-2019-will-modi-govt-move-on-kashmir-article-370-stand-the-scrutiny-of-supreme-court">Will Modi govt move on Kashmir’s Article 370 stand the scrutiny of Supreme Court?</a> (The Print; August 6, 2019).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/washington-post-august-6-2019-niha-masih-internet-mobile-blackout-shuts-down-communication-with-kashmir">‘I’m just helpless’: Concern about Kashmir mounts as communication blackout continues</a> (Niha Masih; Washington Post; August 6, 2019).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/the-news-minute-haripriya-suresh-august-8-2019-why-madras-hc-case-on-whatsapp-traceability-could-have-wider-ramifications">Why the Madras HC case on WhatsApp traceability could have wider ramifications</a> (Haripriya Suresh; The News Minute; August 8, 2019).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/medianama-trisha-jalan-august-8-2019-ministry-of-health-public-consultation-on-national-digital-health-blueprint">Ministry of Health's public consultation on National Digital Health Blueprint: Legal issues around telemedicine, consent, and 'egosystems' in healthcare</a> (Trisha Jalan; Medianama; August 8, 2019).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/deccan-herald-nina-c-george-august-13-2019-abuse-linked-to-net-fixation">Abuse linked to Net fixation</a> (Nina C. George; Deccan Herald; August 13, 2019).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/new-york-times-august-14-2019-vindu-goel-karan-deep-singh-and-sameer-yasir-india-shut-down-kashmir-internet-access-now-we-cannot-do-anything">India Shut Down Kashmir’s Internet Access. Now, ‘We Cannot Do Anything.’</a> (Vindu Goel, Karan Deep Singh and Sameer; New York Times; August 14, 2019).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/openness/news/quartz-india-august-16-2019-india-s-top-science-institution-is-trying-hard-to-fix-its-manel-problem">India’s top science institution is trying hard to fix its “manel” problem</a> (Quartz India; August 16, 2019). This piece was originally published on Connect under the headline, “We Learned (The Hard Way) Not to Have Manels.”</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/raffaele-angius-august-19-2019-india-kashmir-internet">Perché l'India ha tagliato internet al Kashmir</a> (Raffaele Angius; WIRED.IT; August 19, 2019).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/et-prime-sandhya-sharma-august-19-2019-us-pressure-threatens-to-weaken-data-localisation-mandate-in-indias-landmark-data-protection-bill">US pressure threatens to weaken data - localisation mandate in India's landmark data-protection bill</a> (Sandhya Sharma; ET Prime; August 19, 2019).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/money-control-swathi-moorthy-august-20-2019-linking-aadhaar-to-facebook-whatsapp-wont-curb-fake-news-impinge-on-privacy-experts">Linking Aadhaar to Facebook, WhatsApp won't curb fake news, but may undermine its legislation: Experts</a> (Swathy Moorthy; Moneycontrol; August 20, 2019).</span></li>
<li><a style="text-align: justify;" class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/the-print-august-21-2019-taran-deol-and-revathi-krishnan-linking-aadhaar-to-facebook-twitter">Linking Aadhaar to Facebook, Twitter: Possible witch-hunt or key to curb crime & fake news?</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> (Taran Deol and Revathi Krishanan; The Print; August 21, 2019).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/deccan-herald-rajmohan-sudhakar-august-25-2019-ai-is-biased-you-see-if-you-google-hands">AI is biased, you’ll see if you Google ‘hands’</a> (Rajmohan Sudhakar; Deccan Herald; August 25, 2019).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/cnbc-tv-18-august-28-2019-government-plans-tighter-rules-for-social-media-brands-like-facebook-tiktok-sharechat">Government plans tighter rules for social media brands like Facebook, TikTok, ShareChat</a> (Sunny Sen; CNBC TV 18; August 28, 2019).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/hindustan-times-august-28-2019-amrita-madhukalya-what-centre-will-tell-sc-on-aadhaar-and-social-media-account-linkage">What Centre will tell Supreme Court on Aadhaar and social media account linkage</a> (Amrita Madhukalya; Hindustan Times; August 28, 2019).</span></li></ul>
<h2><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/a2k">Access to Knowledge</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Access to Knowledge is a campaign to promote the fundamental principles of justice, freedom, and economic development. It deals with issues like copyrights, patents and trademarks, which are an important part of the digital landscape.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Wikipedia</h3>
<p>Under a grant from Wikimedia Foundation we are doing a project <span style="text-align: justify;">for the growth of Indic language communities and projects by designing community collaborations and partnerships that recruit and cultivate new editors and explore innovative approaches to building projects.</span></p>
<p><span style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Blog Entry</strong></span></p>
<ul>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/call-for-joining-the-free-knowledge-movement-wikipedia-wikimedia">Call for joining the Free Knowledge movement #Wikipedia #Wikimedia</a> (Bhuvana Meenakshi; August 19, 2019).</li></ul>
<h2><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance">Internet Governance</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Tunis Agenda of the second World Summit on the Information Society has defined internet governance as the development and application by governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles of shared principles, norms, rules, decision making procedures and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet. As part of internet governance work we work on policy issues relating to freedom of expression primarily focusing on the Information Technology Act and issues of liability of intermediaries for unlawful speech and simultaneously ensuring that the right to privacy is safeguarded as well.</p>
<h3>Freedom of Speech & Expression</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Under a grant from the MacArthur Foundation, CIS is doing research on the restrictions placed on freedom of expression online by the Indian government and contribute studies, reports and policy briefs to feed into the ongoing debates at the national as well as international level. As part of the project we bring you the following outputs:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Participation in Events</p>
<ul>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/packets-net-neutrality-and-gaming-public-policy-outcomes">Packets, net neutrality and gaming public policy outcomes</a> (Organized by Has Geek; Bangalore; August 15, 2019). Gurshabad Grover attended Prof. Vishal Misra's lecture on net neutrality.</li></ul>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Under a grant from Privacy International and IDRC we are doing a project on surveillance. CIS is researching the history of privacy in India and how it shapes the contemporary debates around technology mediated identity projects like Aadhar. As part of our ongoing research, we bring you the following outputs:</p>
<p><strong>Submission</strong></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/samyukta-prabhu-ambika-tandon-torsha-sarkar-and-aayush-rathi-august-4-2019-comments-on-national-digital-health-blueprint">Comments on the National Digital Health Blueprint</a> (Samyukta Prabhu, Ambika Tandon, Torsha Sarkar and Aayush Rathi; August 7, 2019). </li></ul>
<p><strong>Participation in Events</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/digital-id-forum-2019">Digital ID Forum 2019</a> (Organized by UNDP; Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; July 3, 2019). Sunil Abraham was one of the panelists at this event.</li>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/bis-litd-17-meeting">BIS LITD 17 meeting</a> (Organized by Bureau of Indian Standards; New Delhi; July 3, 2019). Gurshabad Grover attended the sixteenth meeting of the Information Systems Security and Biometrics Section Committee (LITD17).</li>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/facebook-data-for-good-in-bangalore">Facebook Data for Good in Bangalore</a> (Organized by Facebook; Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; July 25, 2019).</li>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/roundtable-with-the-whatsapp-leadership">Roundtable with the WhatsApp leadership</a> (Organized by WhatsApp; Mountbatten, The Oberoi, New Delhi; July 26, 2019). Will Cathcart, WhatsApp's new global head, visited India and invited Sunil Abraham for a discussion.</li>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/facebook-data-for-good-delhi">Facebook Data for Good in New Delhi</a> (Organized by Facebook; University of Chicago Center, New Delhi; July 29, 2019).</li></ul>
<h3>IT / Information Technology</h3>
<p>A research on the usage of systems (computers and telecommunications) for storing, retrieving and sending information as well as the IT Act:</p>
<p><strong>Research Paper</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/future-of-work-in-the-asean">Future of Work in the ASEAN</a> (Aayush Rathi , Vedika Pareek , Divij Joshi and Pranav Bidare; edited by Elonnai Hickok and Ambika Tandon with research assistance from Sankalp Srivastava and Anjanaa Aravindan; August 31, 2019).</li></ul>
<p><strong>Participation in Event</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/cyber-policy-2.0">Cyber Policy 2.0</a> (Organized by National Law University; Bangalore; August 17, 2019). Arindrajit Basu was a speaker.</li></ul>
<h3>Artificial Intelligence</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">With origins dating back to the 1950s Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not necessarily new. However, interest in AI has been rekindled over the recent years due to advancements of technology and its applications to real-world scenarios. We conduct research on the existing legal and regulatory parameters:</p>
<p><strong>Participation in Events</strong></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/emergence-of-chinese-technology-rising-stakes-for-innovation-competition-and-governance">Emergence of Chinese Technology:Rising stakes for innovation, competition and governance</a> (Organized by Omidyar Network in partnership with the Esya Centre; New Delhi; August 12, 2019). Arindrajit Basu attended the event.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/impact-of-industrial-revolution-4-0-it-and-automotive-sector-in-india-by-the-dialogue-and-fes">Impact of Industrial Revolution 4.0 - IT and Automotive Sector in India</a> (Organized by the Dialogue and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung; Bangalore; August 21, 2019). Aayush Rathi attended the event.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/policies-for-the-platform-economy">Policies for the Platform Economy</a> (Organized by IT for Change; India Habitat Centre; New Delhi; August 30, 2019). Amber Sinha and Anubha Sinha were panelists. </li></ul>
<h3>Digital Identity</h3>
<p>Omidyar Network is investing in establishment of a three-region research alliance — to be co-led by the Institute for Technology & Society (ITS), Brazil, the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT) , Kenya, and CIS. As part of this Alliance, we at the CIS will look at the policy objectives of digital identity projects, how technological policy choices can be thought through to meet the objectives, and how legitimate uses of a digital identity framework may be evaluated.</p>
<p><strong>Research Paper</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/digtial-identities-research-plan">Design and Uses of Digital Identities - Research Plan</a> (Amber Sinha and Pooja Saxena; August 8, 2019). </li></ul>
<p><strong>Submissions</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-appropriate-use-of-digital-identity">The Appropriate Use of Digital Identity</a> (Amber Sinha; August 8, 2019).</li>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comments-to-the-id4d-practitioners2019-guide">Comments to the ID4D Practitioners’ Guide</a> (Amber Sinha; August 8, 2019).</li></ul>
<p><strong>Participation in Event</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/holding-id-issuers-accountable-what-works">Holding ID Issuers Accountable, What Works?</a> (Organized by Omidyar Network; RightsCon 2019; August 8, 2019).</li></ul>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/raw">Researchers@Work</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The researchers@work programme at CIS produces and supports pioneering and sustained trans-disciplinary research on key thematics at the intersections of internet and society; organise and incubate networks of and fora for researchers and practitioners studying and making internet in India; and contribute to development of critical digital pedagogy, research methodology, and creative practice.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Participation in Event</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/raw/workshop-on-archival-standards-and-digitisation-workflow">Workshop on Archival Standards and Digitisation Workflow</a> (Organized by British Library; NCBS; Bangalore; August 19 - 20, 2019). P.P. Sneha attended the event.</li></ul>
<p><strong>Blog Entries</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://medium.com/rawblog/hookingup-bbd0f06a8851">#HookingUp</a> (Akhil Kang, Christina Thomas Dhanraj, Dhrubo Jyoti, and Gowthaman Ranganathan; August 1, 2019).</li>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/raw/dtil-2019-call">Call for Contributions and Reflections: Your experiences in Decolonizing the Internet’s Languages!</a> (P.P. Sneha; August 7, 2019).</li>
<li><a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/raw/simiran-lalvani-worker-kinship-food-delivery-mumbai">Simiran Lalvani - Workers’ fictive kinship relations in Mumbai app-based food delivery</a> (Sumandro Chattapadhyay; August 16, 2019).</li></ul>
<hr />
<h3><a class="external-link" href="http://cis-india.org/">About CIS</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">CIS is a non-profit organisation that undertakes interdisciplinary research on internet and digital technologies from policy and academic perspectives. The areas of focus include digital accessibility for persons with disabilities, access to knowledge, intellectual property rights, openness (including open data, free and open source software, open standards, open access, open educational resources, and open video), internet governance, telecommunication reform, digital privacy, and cyber-security. The academic research at CIS seeks to understand the reconfigurations of social and cultural processes and structures as mediated through the internet and digital media technologies.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Follow CIS on:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Twitter:<a href="http://twitter.com/cis_india"> http://twitter.com/cis_india</a></li>
<li>Twitter - Access to Knowledge: <a href="https://twitter.com/CISA2K">https://twitter.com/CISA2K</a></li>
<li>Twitter - Information Policy: <a href="https://twitter.com/CIS_InfoPolicy">https://twitter.com/CIS_InfoPolicy</a></li>
<li>Facebook - Access to Knowledge:<a href="https://www.facebook.com/cisa2k"> https://www.facebook.com/cisa2k</a></li>
<li>E-Mail - Access to Knowledge: a2k@cis-india.org</li>
<li>E-Mail - Researchers at Work: raw@cis-india.org</li>
<li>List - Researchers at Work: <a href="https://lists.ghserv.net/mailman/listinfo/researchers">https://lists.ghserv.net/mailman/listinfo/researchers</a></li></ul>
<p><strong>Support CIS:</strong></p>
<p>Please help us defend consumer and citizen rights on the Internet! Write a cheque in favour of 'The Centre for Internet and Society' and mail it to us at No. 194, 2nd 'C' Cross, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Bengaluru - 5600 71.</p>
<p><strong>Collaborate with CIS:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">We invite researchers, practitioners, artists, and theoreticians, both organisationally and as individuals, to engage with us on topics related internet and society, and improve our collective understanding of this field. To discuss such possibilities, please write to Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, at sunil@cis-india.org (for policy research), or Sumandro Chattapadhyay, Research Director, at sumandro@cis-india.org (for academic research), with an indication of the form and the content of the collaboration you might be interested in. To discuss collaborations on Indic language Wikipedia projects, write to Tanveer Hasan, Programme Officer, at tanveer@cis-india.org.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em>CIS is grateful to its primary donor the Kusuma Trust founded by Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, philanthropists of Indian origin for its core funding and support for most of its projects. CIS is also grateful to its other donors, Wikimedia Foundation, Ford Foundation, Privacy International, UK, Hans Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and IDRC for funding its various projects</em>.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/august-2019-newsletter'>https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/august-2019-newsletter</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaInternet GovernanceAccess to Knowledge2019-12-06T04:54:20ZPageFuture of Work in the ASEAN
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/future-of-work-in-the-asean
<b>A literature review of the future of work in automotive manufacturing and IT services in the ASEAN region, authored by Aayush Rathi, Vedika Pareek, Divij Joshi, and Pranav M B.</b>
<p> </p>
<h4>Read the research paper: <a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/pdf-asean-literature-review" class="internal-link" title="PDF ASEAN Literature Review">Download</a> (PDF)</h4>
<p>Authored by Aayush Rathi, Vedika Pareek, Divij Joshi, and Pranav Bidare</p>
<p>Research assistance by Sankalp Srivastava and Anjanaa Aravindan</p>
<p>Edited by Elonnai Hickok and Ambika Tandon</p>
<p>Supported by Tides Foundation</p>
<hr />
<h2>Introduction</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The world of work, and its future, have attracted a lot of attention in recent times. The discussion has been provoked by the confluence of recent technological breakthroughs that portend to have wide-ranging implications on work and livelihoods. In what has been termed the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” or “Industry 4.0” , the discussion has engaged numerous stakeholders. However, no shared understanding of what this future of work will look like has materialised. Historical scholarship around technological change and its impact on the labour market was focussed in the context of high-income countries. Contemporaneously, however, research is being produced that outlines the possible futures of work in low and middle-income contexts. It is exigent to generate scholarship dedicated to low and middle-income contexts given that in addition to technological drivers, the future of work will be mediated through region and country specific factors such as socioeconomic,geopolitical and demographic change.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/future-of-work-in-the-asean'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/future-of-work-in-the-asean</a>
</p>
No publisheraayushFuture of WorkInternet GovernanceAutomotive ManufacturingInformation Technology2020-03-05T19:22:50ZBlog EntryKashmir’s information vacuum
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-hindu-august-29-2019-aayush-rathi-and-akriti-bopanna-kashmirs-information-vacuum
<b>Legislative backing is being appropriated to normalise communication shutdowns.</b>
<p class="drop-caps" style="text-align: justify; ">The article by Aayush Rathi and Akriti Bopanna was <a class="external-link" href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/kashmirs-information-vacuum/article29282096.ece">published in the Hindu</a> on August 29, 2019.</p>
<hr />
<p class="drop-caps" style="text-align: justify; ">On August 4, around midnight, <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/tag/134-81/jammu-and-kashmir/?utm=bodytag" target="_blank">Jammu and Kashmir </a>was thrust into a near total communication shutdown. In the continuing aftermath of the dilution of Article 370, cable television, cellular services, landline and Internet and even the postal services have been rendered inoperational. Even hospitals and fire stations have not been spared. While law enforcement personnel have been provided satellite phones, locals are having to queue up outside designated government offices and register the numbers they want to call. The blackout is all encompassing.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir is accustomed to the flicking on of the “Internet killswitch”, but this indiscriminate embargo is unprecedented. The blocking of multi-point/two-way communication is quite frequent in Kashmir, with close to 55 instances of partial or complete Internet shutdowns being recorded just this year. Of the 347 cases of shutdown that have been imposed in India since 2012, 51% have been in Kashmir. The blocking of one-way communication media, such as cable television, however, is new. Even the measures adopted during the Kargil war in 1999 stopped short of blocking telephone lines.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Appearing for the incumbent government on a petition challenging the communications shutdown in Kashmir, the Attorney General of India, K.K. Venugopal, made the necessary-for-law-and-order argument.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">However, recent research by Jan Rydzak looking exclusively at network shutdowns in India has shown no evidence backing this claim. On the contrary, network shutdowns have been shown to compel actors wanting to engage in collective action to substitute non-violent mobilisation for more violent means as the latter requires less coordination.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; ">In dubious company</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Network shutdowns have a limited and inconsistent effect on even structured, non-violent protests. Cross-country comparative research indicates that the shutdown of communication for achieving objectives of social control is usually the riposte of authoritarian regimes. The shroud of secrecy it creates allows for further controversial measures to be effected away from public scrutiny. Authoritarian regimes masquerading as liberal democracies are following suit. In 2016, the Turkish government had ordered the shutdown of over 100 media companies in the aftermath of a failed military coup. Earlier this year, Joseph Kabila’s government in the Democratic Republic of Congo had shut down Internet and SMS services for three weeks under the pretext of preventing the circulation of fake election results.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Mr. Venugopal further reassured the Supreme Court that the residents of Kashmir would experience the least amount of inconvenience. This line assumes that the primary use of telecommunication networks is for supposedly banal interpersonal interaction. What is forgotten is that these networks function both as an “infrastructure” and as medium of communication. Impacting either function has dire and simultaneous consequences on its use as the other. As an infrastructure, they are akin to a public utility and are foundational to the operation of critical systems such as water supply and finance.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In the Kashmir Valley, over half the business transactions are said to happen online. The payment of wages for the government-run employment guarantee scheme for unskilled manual labour is almost entirely made electronically — 99.56% in Jammu and Kashmir. The reliance on the Internet for bank-related transactions has meant that automated teller machines and banks are inoperative. What is telling is that the increasing recourse to network shutdowns as a law and order tool in India is also happening simultaneously with the government’s digitisation drive. Information flows are being simultaneously facilitated and throttled.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; ">Ambiguous backing</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Moreover, communication shutdowns have ambiguous legal backing. One approach imposes them as an order passed under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. A colonial relic, Section 144 is frequently used for the imposition of curfew in ‘sensitive’ areas as a preventive measure against public demonstrations. This approach lacks procedural accountability and transparency. Orders are not mandated to be publicly notified; they do not identify the duration of the lockdown or envision an appeal mechanism.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Perhaps realising these challenges, the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017, notified under the Telegraph Act, do incorporate a review mechanism. However, reviewing officials do not have the authority to revoke a shutdown order even if it is deemed illegal. The grounds for effectuating any shutdown also have not been elaborated other than for ‘public emergency’ or ‘public safety’ — both these terms are undefined. Legislative backing, then, is being appropriated to normalise, not curb, communication shutdowns. Tellingly, the owner of an Internet service provider in Kashmir pointed out that with Internet shutdowns becoming so common, often the shape that an order takes is of a call from a government official, while the procedural documentation follows much later.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Treated as collateral damage in imposing communication blackouts are the fundamental freedoms of speech and expression, trade, and also of association. The imposition of Section 144 along with the virtual curfew is designed to restrict the freedom to assemble peacefully. Such preemptive measures assume that any assembly will be violent along with negating the potential utility of technological means in maintaining social order (such as responsible digital journalism checking the spread of rumours).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Most critically, this enables a complete information vacuum, the only salve from which is information supplied by the suppressor. Of the days leading up to August 5 and the days since, sparse information is publicly available. Local newspaper outlets in Kashmir are inoperational. This lack of information necessarily precludes effective democratic participation. Beneath the national security sentiments, a key motivation for network shutdown presents itself: that of political <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/tag/1351-1349/censorship/?utm=bodytag" target="_blank">censorship </a>through the criminalisation of dissent.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-hindu-august-29-2019-aayush-rathi-and-akriti-bopanna-kashmirs-information-vacuum'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-hindu-august-29-2019-aayush-rathi-and-akriti-bopanna-kashmirs-information-vacuum</a>
</p>
No publisherAayush Rathi and Akriti BopannaFreedom of Speech and ExpressionInternet Governance2019-09-02T04:34:29ZBlog Entry