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Jindal varsity's international affairs students shine in job market
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/economic-times-june-19-2018-jindal-varsitys-international-affairs-students-shine-in-job-market
<b>Turning a common perception on its head, international affairs students of O.P. Jindal Global University here have shown that pursuing a so-called "conventional" course can also open several doors of recruitment including in multinational companies, think tanks and international NGOs. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The article was published in Economic Times on June 19, 2018.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">This year, Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), Care India and Development Alternatives led the recruitment for the students of the <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/Jindal-School-of-International-Affairs" target="_blank">Jindal School of International Affairs</a> (JSIA), the university said in a statement on Monday. <br /><br />The corporate and non-profit institutions which recruited JSIA's students include KPMG, Grant Thornton, Justice and Care, Deloitte, CREA, ESSAR Foundation, CRY, Godrej Culture Lab, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Atma Foundation, Sattva Consulting, The Centre for Internet and Society, and Global Trust. <br /><br />"In the past, the study of international affairs was seen as leading only to civil service jobs or higher education ending in academic jobs," said C. Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University. <br /><br />"JSIA has diversified the field significantly and showed the path to a variety of full-time positions for its graduating students," he added. <br /><br />JSIA combines the scholarly weights of three inter-related disciplines -- international relations, international law and international business.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">"We expect several domestic and international non-profit and for-profit entities to hire from our future graduating batch as several organisations have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with our university for offering internships to our students," Sreeram Chaulia, Dean of JSIA. <br /><br />More than 40 organisations have led JSIA to achieve 95 per cent internship placements in diversified fields this year, the statement said.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/economic-times-june-19-2018-jindal-varsitys-international-affairs-students-shine-in-job-market'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/economic-times-june-19-2018-jindal-varsitys-international-affairs-students-shine-in-job-market</a>
</p>
No publisherAdminInternet Governance2018-06-26T01:06:11ZNews Item'Full belief in fake texts shows cops not trusted'
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/times-of-india-june-18-2018-full-belief-in-fake-texts-shows-cops-not-trusted
<b>Nilotpal Basu and Abhijeet Nath, an audio engineer and digital artiste, were beaten to death in Assam's Karbi Anglong last week based on rumours that they were kidnappers.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The article was published in the <a class="external-link" href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/full-belief-in-fake-texts-shows-cops-not-trusted/articleshow/64627080.cms">Times of India</a> on June 18, 2018. Pranesh Prakash was quoted. Inputs from Kim Arora.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">A manipulated <a class="key_underline" href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/whatsapp">WhatsApp</a> video is said to be the source of the panic. While it is just the medium and not the reason behind the killings, WhatsApp, with its 250-million users in India, allows rumours to travel farther than ever before. "In many non-urban areas, such WhatsApp videos are the first form in which people encounter the internet on their phones. They don't always go online and verify them," says Jency Jacob, who runs the fact checking outlet Boom. This gullibility can't be explained just by class or education, he says. "Technology makes it easy to believe what you want to believe and spread it," says Jacob.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The spread of internet gives wings to rumours in pockets where kidnappings are a real fear. The states where lynchings have been reported are also among those with high figures for child abductions. Technology has helped rumours travel greater distances with greater impunity, says Pranesh Prakash, fellow at Centre for Internet and Society, recalling that child abduction rumours led to a lynching in Tamil Nadu in 2015 too, but this time, "such rumours have spread all over South India". And as the Karbi Anglong killings show, to Assam as well.<br /><br />WhatsApp being an encrypted platform, police cannot trace the source of the rumourmongering. WhatsApp did not respond to TOI's queries on tracing origins of hate messages, but a spokesperson shared a statement saying they "block automated messages" and are educating people about spotting fake news and hoaxes.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In many cases, law enforcement has failed at a more basic level. Child abduction is a disturbing rumour, designed to provoke an emotional reaction, but other anxieties are at work too. "Rumours tend to escalate when there is a lack of official information, and clearly many feel what happens to them and their children does not get attention at higher levels," says sociologist Dipankar Gupta. It also points to a collapse in the state's credibility, he says. So, Gupta says, "there is no seeking of justice, only reprisal."</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/times-of-india-june-18-2018-full-belief-in-fake-texts-shows-cops-not-trusted'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/times-of-india-june-18-2018-full-belief-in-fake-texts-shows-cops-not-trusted</a>
</p>
No publisherAdminSocial MediaWhatsAppInternet Governance2018-06-26T01:21:04ZNews ItemThe AI Task Force Report - The first steps towards India’s AI framework
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-ai-task-force-report-the-first-steps-towards-indias-ai-framework
<b>The Task Force on Artificial Intelligence was established by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to leverage AI for economic benefits, and provide policy recommendations on the deployment of AI for India.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The blog post was edited by Swagam Dasgupta. <a class="external-link" href="http://cis-india.org/internet-governance/files/ai-task-force-report.pdf">Download <strong>PDF</strong> here</a></p>
<hr />
<p><span style="text-align: justify; ">The Task Force’s Report, released on March 21st 2018, is a result of the combined expertise of members from different sectors</span><a name="_ftnref1"></a><span style="text-align: justify; "> and examines how AI will benefit India. It sheds light on the Task Force’s perception of AI, the sectors in which AI can be leveraged in India, the challenges endemic to India and certain ethical considerations. It concludes with a set of policy recommendations for the government to leverage AI for the next five years. While acknowledging AI as a social and economic problem solver,</span><a name="_ftnref2"></a><span style="text-align: justify; "> the Report attempts to answer three policy questions:</span></p>
<ul>
<li>What are the areas where government should play a role?</li>
<li>How can AI improve quality of life and solve problems at scale for Indian citizens?</li>
<li>What are the sectors that can generate employment and growth by the use of AI technology?</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="text-align: justify; ">This blog will look at how the Task Force answered these three policy questions. In doing so, it gives an overview of salient aspects and reflects on the strengths and weaknesses of the Report.</span></p>
<h3><span>Sectors of Relevance and Challenges</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In order to navigate the outlined questions, the Report looks at ten sectors that it refers to as ‘domains of relevance to India’. Furthermore, it examines the use of AI along with its major challenges, and possible solutions for each sector. These sectors include: Manufacturing, FinTech, Agriculture, Healthcare, Technology for the Differently-abled, National Security, Environment, Public Utility Services, Retail and Customer Relationship, and Education.<a name="_ftnref3"></a> While these ten domains are part of the 16 domains of focus listed in the AITF’s web page,<a name="_ftnref4"></a> it would have been useful to know the basis on which these sectors were identified. A particular strength of the identified sectors is the consideration of technology for the differently abled as well as the recognition to the development of AI systems in spoken and sign languages in the Indian context.<a name="_ftnref5"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Some of the problems endemic to India that were recognized include infrastructural barriers, managing scale and innovation, and the collection, validation and distribution of data.</span><a name="_ftnref6"></a><span> The Task Force also noted the lack of consumer awareness, and inability of technology providers to explain benefits to end users as further challenges.</span><a name="_ftnref7"></a><span> The Task Force — by putting the onus on the individual — seems to hint that the impediment to the uptake of technology is the inability of individuals to understand the benefits of the technology, rather than aspects such as poor design, opacity, or misuse of data and insights. Furthermore, although the Report recognizes the challenges associated to data in India and highlights the importance of quality and quantity of data; it overlooks the importance of data curation in creatinge reliable AI systems.</span><a name="_ftnref8"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Although the Report examines challenges to AI in each sector, it fails to include all challenges that require addressal. For example, the report fails to acknowledge challenges such as the lack of appropriate certification systems for AI driven health systems and technologies.<a name="_ftnref9"></a> In the manufacturing sector, the Report fails to highlight contextual challenges associated with the use of AI. This includes the deployment of autonomous vehicles compared to the use of industrial robots.<a name="_ftnref10"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">On the use of AI in retail, the Report while examining consumer data and its respective regulatory policies, identified the issues to be related to the definition, discrimination, data breaches, digital products and safety awareness and reporting standards.<a name="_ftnref11"></a> In this, the Report is limited in its understanding of what categories of data can lead to discrimination and restricts mechanisms for transparency and accountability to data breaches. The Report could have also been more forward looking in its position on security — including security by design and security by default. Furthermore, these issues were noted only in the context of the retail sector and ideally should have been discussed across all sectors.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The challenges for utilizing AI for national security could have been examined beyond cost and capacity to include associated ethical and legal challenges such as the need for legal backing. The use of AI in national security demands clear accountability and oversight as it is a ground for legitimate state interference with fundamental rights such as privacy and freedom of expression. As such, there is a need for human rights impact assessments, as well as a need for such uses to be aligned with international human rights norms. Government initiatives that allow country wide surveillance and AI decisions based on such data should ideally be implemented only after a comprehensive privacy law is in place and India’s surveillance regime has been revisited.<a name="_ftnref12"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Recognizing the potential of AI for the benefit of the differently abled is one of the key takeaways from this section of the Report. Furthermore, it also brings in the need for AI inclusivity. AI in natural language generation and translation systems have the potential to help the large number of youth that are disabled or deprived.<a name="_ftnref13"></a> Therefore, AI could have a large positive impact through inclusive growth and empowerment.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Although the Report examines each of the ten domains in an attempt to provide an insight into the role the government can play, there seems to be a lack of clarity in terms of the role that each department will and is playing with respect to AI. Even the section which lays down the relevant ministries for each of the ten domains failed to include key ministries and departments. For example, the Report does not identify the Ministry of Education, nor does it list the Ministry of Law for national security. The Report could have also identified government departments which would be responsible for regulation and standardization. This could include the Medical Council of India (healthcare), CII (manufacture and retail), RBI (Fintech) etc. The Report also does not recognize other developments around AI emerging out the government. For example, the Draft National Digital Communications Policy (published on May 1, 2018) seeks to empower the Department of Telecommunication to provide a roadmap for AI and robotics.<a name="_ftnref14"></a> Along similar lines, the Department of Defence Production has also created a task force earlier this year to study the use of AI to accelerate military technology and economic growth.<a name="_ftnref15"></a> The government should look at building a cohesive AI government body, or clearly delineating the role of each ministry, in order to ensure harmonization going forward.</p>
<h3>Areas in need of Government Intervention</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Report also lists out the grand challenges where government intervention is required. This includes data collection and management and the need for widespread expertise contributing to research, innovation, and response. However, while highlighting the need for AI experts from diverse backgrounds, it fails to include experts from law and policy into the discussion.<a name="_ftnref16"></a> While identifying manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare and public utility to be places where government intervention is needed, the Report failed to examine national security beyond an important domain to India and as a sector where government intervention is needed.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Participation in International Forums</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Another relevant concern that the Report underscores is India’s scarce participation as researchers, AI developers and government engagement in global discussions around AI. The Report states that although efforts were being made by Indian universities to increase their presence in international AI conferences, they were lagging behind other nations. On the subject of participation by the government it recommends regular presence in International AI policy forums. Hence, emphasising the need for India’s active participation in global conversations around AI and international rulemaking.</p>
<h3><span>Key Enablers to AI</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Report while analysing the key enablers for AI deployment in India states that positive societal attitudes will be the driving force behind the proliferation of AI.<a name="_ftnref17"></a> Although relying on positive social attitudes alone will not help in increasing the trust on AI, steps such as making algorithms that are used by public bodies public, enacting a data protection law etc. will be important in enabling trust beyond highlighting success stories.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Data and Data Marketplaces</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">While the Report identifies data as a challenge where government intervention is needed, it also points to the Aadhaar ecosystem as an enabler. It states that Aadhaar will help in the proliferation of AI in three ways: one as a creator of jobs as related to the collection and digitization of data, two as a collector of reliable data, and three as a repository of Indian data. However, since the very constitutionality of Aadhaar is yet to be determined by the Supreme Court,<a name="_ftnref18"></a> the task force should have used caution in identifying Aadhaar as a definitive solution. Especially while making statements that the Aadhaar along with the SC judgement has created adequate frameworks to protect consumer data. Additionally, the Task Force should have recognized the various concerns that have been voiced about Aadhaar, particularly in the context of the case before the Supreme Court.<a name="_ftnref19"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>This section also proposes the creation of a Digital Data Marketplace. A data marketplace needs to be framed carefully so as to not create a situation where privacy becomes a right available to only those who can afford it.</span><a name="_ftnref20"></a><span> It is concerning that the discussion on data protection and privacy in the Report is limited to policies and guidelines for businesses and not centered around the individual.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><strong>Innovation and Patents</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Report states that the Indian startups working in the field of AI must be encouraged, and industry collaborations and funding must be taken up as a policy measure. One of the ways in which this could be achieved is by encouraging innovations, and one of the ways to do so is by adding a commercial incentive to it, such as through IP rights. Although the Report calls for a stronger IP regime that protects and incentivises innovation, it remains ambiguous as to which aspect of IP rights — patents, trade secrets and copyrights — need significant changes.<a name="_ftnref21"></a> If the Report is specifically advocating for stronger patent rights in order to match those of China and US, then it shows that the the task force fails to understand the finer aspects of Indian patent law and the history behind India’s stance on patenting. This includes the fact that Indian patent law excludes algorithms from being patented. Indian patent law, by providing a higher threshold for patenting computer related inventions (CRIs), ensures that only truly innovative patents are granted.<a name="_ftnref22"></a> Given the controversies over CRIs that have dotted the Indian patent landscape<a name="_ftnref23"></a>, the task force would have done well to provide more clarity on the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of patenting in this sector, if that is their intent with this suggestion.</p>
<h3><span>Ethical AI framework</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Responsible AI</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In terms of establishing an ethical AI framework, the Task Force suggests measures such as making AI explainable, transparent, and auditable for biases. The Report addresses the fact that currently with the increase in human and AI interaction there is a need to have new standards set for the deployment of AI as well as industrial standards for robots. However, the Report does not go into details of how AI could cause further bias based on various identifiers such as gender and caste, as well as the myriad concerns around privacy and security. This is especially a concern given that the Report envisions widespread use of AI in all major sectors. In this way, the Report looks at data as both a challenge and an enabler, but fails to dedicate time towards explaining the various ethical considerations behind the collection and use of data in the context of privacy, security and surveillance as well as account for unintended consequences. In laying out the ethical considerations associated with AI, the report does not make a distinction between the use of AI by the public sector and private sector. As the government is responsible for ensuring the rights of citizens and holds more power than the citizenry, the public sector needs to be more accountable in their use of AI. This is especially so in cases where AI is proposed to be used for sovereign functions such as national security.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Privacy and Data</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Report also recognises the significance of the implementation of the Aadhaar Act<a name="_ftnref24"></a>, the privacy judgement<a name="_ftnref25"></a> and the proposed data protection laws<a name="_ftnref26"></a>, on the development and use of AI for India. Yet, the Report does not seem to recognize the importance of a robust and multi-faceted privacy framework as it assumes that the Aadhaar Act and the Supreme Court Judgement on privacy and potential privacy law have already created a basis for safe and secure utilization and sharing of customer data.<a name="_ftnref27"></a> Although the Report has tried to be an expansive examination of various aspects of AI for India, it unfortunately has not looked in depth at the current issues and debates around AI privacy and ethics and makes policy recommendations without appearing to fully reflect on the implementation and potential impact of the same. Similar to the discussion paper by the Niti Aayog,<a name="_ftnref28"></a> this Report does not consider the emerging principles of data protection such as right to explanation and right to opt-out of automated processing, which directly relate to AI.<a name="_ftnref29"></a> Furthermore, there is a lack of discussion on issues such as data minimisation and purpose limitation which some big data and AI proponents argue against.<a name="_ftnref30"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><strong>Liability</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">On the question of liability, the Report only states that specific liability mechanisms need to be worked out for certain categories of machines. The Report does not address the questions of liability that should be applicable to all AI systems, and on whom the duty of care lies, not only in case of robots but also in the case of automated decision making etc. Thus, there is a need for further thinking on mechanisms for determining liability and how these could apply to different types of AI (deep learning models and other machine learning models) and AI systems.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>AI and Employment </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">On the topic of jobs and employment, the Report states that AI will create more jobs than it takes as a result of an increase in the number of companies and avenues created by AI technologies. Additionally, the Report provides examples of jobs where AI could replace the human (autonomous drivers, industrial robots etc,) but does not go as far as envisioning what jobs could be created directly from this replacement. Though the Report recognizes emerging forms of work such as crowdsourcing platforms like Mturk<a name="_ftnref31"></a>, it fails to examine the impact of such models of work on workers and traditional labour market structures and processes.<a name="_ftnref32"></a> Going forward, it will be important that the government and the private sector undertake the necessary steps to ensure that fair, protected, and fulfilling jobs are created simultaneously with the adoption of AI. This will include revisiting national and organizational skilling programmes, labor laws, social benefit schemes, relevant economic policies, and exploring best practices with respect to the adoption and integration of AI in work.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Education and Re-skilling</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The task force emphasised the need for a change in the education curriculum as well as the need to reskill the labour force to ensure an AI ready future. This level of reskilling will be a massive effort, and a thorough review and audit of existing skilling programmes in India is needed before new skilling programmes are established and financed. The Report also clarifies that the statistics used were based on a study on the IT component of the industry, and that a similar study was required to analyse AI’s effect on the automation component.<a name="_ftnref33"></a> Going forward, there is the need for a comprehensive study of the labour intensive sectors and formal and informal sectors to develop evidence based policy responses.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Policy Recommendations </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Task Force<sub>,</sub> in its policy recommendations, notes that the successful adoption of AI in India will depend on three factors: people, process and technology. However, it does not explain these three factors any further.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>National Artificial Intelligence Mission</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The most significant suggestion made in the Report is for the establishment of the National Artificial Intelligence Mission (N-AIM) — a centralised nodal agency for coordinating and facilitating research, collaboration and providing economic impetuous to AI startups.<a name="_ftnref34"></a> The mission with a budget allocation of Rs 1,200 crore over five years aims, among other things, to look at various ways to encourage AI research and deployment.<a name="_ftnref35"></a> Some of the suggestions include targeting and prototyping AI systems and setting up of a generic AI test bed. These suggestions seems to draw inspiration from other countries such as the US DARPA Challenge<a name="_ftnref36"></a> and Japan’s sandbox for self driving trucks.<a name="_ftnref37"></a> The establishment of N-AIM is a welcome step to encourage both AI research and development on a national scale. The availability of public funds will encourage more AI research and development.<a name="_ftnref38"></a>Additionally, government engagement in AI projects has thus far been fragmented<a name="_ftnref39"></a>and a centralised body will presumably bring about better coordination and harmonization. Some of the initiatives such as Capture the flag competition<a name="_ftnref40"></a> that seeks to centre around the provision for real datasets to catalyze innovation will need to be implemented with appropriate safeguards in place.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Other recommendations</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">There are other suggestions that are problematic — particularly that of funding “an inter-disciplinary large data integration center in pilot mode to develop an autonomous AI Machine that can work on multiple data streams in real time and provide relevant information and predictions to public across all domains.”<a name="_ftnref41"></a> Before such a project is developed and implemented there are a number of factors where legal clarity is required; a few being: data collection and use, accuracy and quality of the AI system. There is also a need to ensure that bias and discrimination have been accounted for and fairness, responsibility and liability have been defined with consideration that this will be a government driven AI system. Additionally, such systems should be transparent by design and should include redress mechanisms for potential harms that may arise. This can be through the presence of a human in the loop, or the existence of a kill switch. These should be addressed through ethical principles, standards, and regulatory frameworks.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The recommendations propose establishing operation standards for data storage and privacy, communication standards for autonomous systems, and standards to allow for interoperability between AI based systems. A significant lacuna in this list is the development of safety, accuracy, and quality standards for AI algorithms and systems.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Similarly, although the proposed public private partnership model for research and startups is a good idea, this initiative should be undertaken only after questions such as the implications of liability, ownership of IP and data, and the exclusion of critical sectors are thought through.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Furthermore, the suggestion to ‘fund a national level survey on identification of cluster of clean annotated data necessary for building effective AI systems’<a name="_ftnref42"></a> needs to recognize the existing initiatives around open data or use this as a starting place. The Report does not clarify if this survey would involve identifying data.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The inconspicuous release of the Report as well as the lack of a call for public comments<a name="_ftnref43"></a> results in the fact that the Report does not incorporate or reflect on the sentiments of the public or draw upon the expertise that exists in India on the topic or policies around emerging technologies, which will have a pervasive and wide effect on society. The need for multi stakeholder engagement and input cannot be understated. Nonetheless, the Report of the Task Force is a welcome step towards understanding the movement towards an definitive AI policy. The task force has attempted answering the three policy questions keeping people, process and technology in mind. However, it could have provided greater details about these indices. The Report, which is meant for a wider audience, would have done well to provide greater detail, while also providing clarity on technical terms. On a definitional plane, a list of technologies that the task force perceived as AI for this Report, could have also helped keep it grounded on possible and plausible 5 year recommendations.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Compared to the recent Niti Aayog Discussion Paper</span><a name="_ftnref44"></a><span>, this Report misses out on a detailed explanation on AI and ethics, however, it does spend some considerable amount of time on education and the use of AI for the differently abled. Additionally, the Report’s statement on the democratization of development and equal access as well as assigning ownership and framing transparent rules for usage of the infrastructure is a positive step towards making AI inclusive. Overall, the Report is a progressive step towards laying down India’s path forward in the field of Artificial Intelligence. The emphasis on India’s involvement in International rulemaking gives India an opportunity to be a leader of best practice in international forums by adopting forward looking and human rights respecting practices. Whether India will also become a strong contender in the AI race, with policies favouring the development of a socio-economically beneficial, and ethical-AI backed industries and services is yet to be seen.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn1"></a><span> The Task Force consists of 18 members in total. Of these, 11 members are from the field of AI technology both research and industry, three from the civil services, one from healthcare research, one with and Intellectual property law background, and two from a finance background. The specializations of the members are not limited to one area as the members have experience or education in various areas relevant to AI. </span><a href="https://www.aitf.org.in/">https://www.aitf.org.in//</a><span> There is a notable lack of members from Civil Society. It may also be noted that only 2 of the 18 members are women</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn2"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 1,<span>http://dipp.nic.in/sites/default/files/Report_of_Task_Force_on_ArtificialIntelligence_20March2018_2.pdf</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn3"></a> ibid.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn4"></a> The Artificial Intelligence Task Force https://www.aitf.org.in/</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn5"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 8</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn6"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 9,10.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn7"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 9</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn8"></a> ibid.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn9"></a> Artificial Intelligence in the Healthcare Industry in India https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/files/ai-and-healtchare-report</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn10"></a>Artificial Intelligence in the Manufacturing and Services Sector https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/files/AIManufacturingandServices_Report _02.pdf</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn11"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 21.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn12"></a> Submission to the Committee of Experts on a Data Protection Framework for India, Centre for Internet and Society https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/files/data-protection-submission</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn13"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 22</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn14"></a> Draft National Digital Communications Policy-2018, http://www.dot.gov.in/relatedlinks/draft-national-digital-communications-policy-2018</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn15"></a> Task force set up to study AI application in military,https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/task-force-set-up-to-study-ai-application-in-military-5049568/</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn16"></a>It is not just technical experts that are needed, ethical, technical, and legal experts as well as domain experts need to be part of the decision making process.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn17"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 31</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn18"></a>Constitutional validity of Aadhaar: the arguments in Supreme Court so far, http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/constitutional-validity-of-aadhaar-the-arguments-in-supreme-court-so-far/article22752084.ece</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn19"></a> ibid.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn20"></a> CIS Submission to TRAI Consultation on Free Data http://trai.gov.in/Comments_FreeData/Companies_n_Organizations/Center_For_Internet_and_Society.pdf</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn21"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 30</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn22"></a> Section 3(k) of the patent act describes that a mere mathematical or business method or a computer programme or algorithm cannot be patented.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn23"></a>Patent Office Reboots CRI Guidelines Yet Again: Removes “novel hardware” Requirement</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">https://spicyip.com/2017/07/patent-office-reboots-cri-guidelines-yet-again-removes-novel-hardware-requirement.html</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn24"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 37</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn25"></a>The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 7</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn26"></a> ibid.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn27"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 8</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn28"></a> National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence: <a href="http://niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/document_publication/NationalStrategy-for-AI-Discussion-Paper.pdf">http://niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/document_publication/NationalStrategy-for-AI-Discussion-Paper.pdf</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn29"></a> Meaningful information and the right to explanation,Andrew D Selbst Julia Powles, International Data Privacy Law, Volume 7, Issue 4, 1 November 2017, Pages 233–242</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn30"></a> The Principle of Purpose Limitation and Big Data, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319467399_The_Principle_of_Purpose_Limitation_and_Big_Data</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn31"></a> M-Turk https://www.mturk.com/</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn32"></a> For example a lesser threshold of minimum wages, no job secuirity etc, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guilty-planet/httpblogsscientificamericancomguilty-planet20110707the-pros-cons-of-amazon-mechanical-turk-for-scientific-surveys/</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn33"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 41</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn34"></a> Report of Artificial Intelligence Task Force Pg, 46, 47</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn35"></a> ibid.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn36"></a>The DARPAChallenge https://www.darpa.mil/program/darpa-robotics-challenge</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn37"></a>Japan may set regulatory sandboxes to test drones and self driving vehicles http://techwireasia.com/2017/10/japan-may-set-regulatory-sandboxes-test-drones-self-driving-vehicles/</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn38"></a> Mariana Mazzucato in her 2013 book The Entrepreneurial State, argued that it was the government that drives technological innovation. In her book she stated that high-risk discovery and development were made possible by government spending, which the private enterprises capitalised once the difficult work was done.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn39"></a><a href="https://tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/technology/govt-of-karnataka-launches-centre-of-excellence-for-data-science-and-artificial-intelligence/61689977">https://tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/technology/govt-of-karnataka-launches-centre-of-excellence-for-data-science-and-artificial-intelligence/61689977</a>,https://analyticsindiamag.com/amaravati-world-centre-for-ai-data/</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn40"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 47</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn41"></a> Report of Artificial Intelligence Task Force Pg. 49</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn42"></a> The Report on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Pg. 47</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn43"></a> The AI task force website has a provision for public comments although it is only for the vision and mission and the domains mentioned in the website.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a name="_ftn44"></a>National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence: <a href="http://niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/document_publication/NationalStrategy-for-AI-Discussion-Paper.pdf">http://niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/document_publication/NationalStrategy-for-AI-Discussion-Paper.pdf</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-ai-task-force-report-the-first-steps-towards-indias-ai-framework'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-ai-task-force-report-the-first-steps-towards-indias-ai-framework</a>
</p>
No publisherElonnai Hickok, Shweta Mohandas and Swaraj Paul BarooahInternet GovernanceArtificial IntelligencePrivacy2018-06-27T14:32:56ZBlog EntryTech transformation: how agriculture is being redefined through digital innovation and startups
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/your-story-june-29-2018-tech-transformation-agriculture-redefined-digital-innovation-startups
<b>At a recent YES Bank panel and digital startup competition, it was evident that India’s digital boom was lending the Indian startup ecosystem a distinctly agri-flavour.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The blog post was <a class="external-link" href="https://yourstory.com/2018/06/tech-transformation-agriculture-redefined-digital-innovation-startups/">published in Your Story</a> on June 29, 2018. CIS was mentioned in the report.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The convergence of mobile networks, broadband internet, cloud platforms, IoT, AI and open data is helping transform one of the world’s oldest professions. This is of great significance as agriculture and related sectors like dairy production form the backbone of the Indian workforce. Today, tradition is merging with technology as the IT services sector is helping open up new opportunities for both seasoned and emerging entrepreneurs.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">New fronts are opening up across the sector from organic farming and hydroponics to drones and agri apps. Startups are also playing a key role in transforming agriculture, which accounts for half of India’s workforce, but only about 13 percent of its GDP.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Entrepreneurship trends</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">An interesting trend to watch for is the rise of the number of agri-entrepreneurs, many of whom have no background in agriculture. There is more interest now in this sector compared to even five or ten years ago. Another indicator is the number of agri-tech competitions, awards and investors that are emerging. India’s demographic dividend is also attracting more youth segments to the agricultural sector, with cross-fertilisation across states, economic sectors, and scientific fields.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The challenges seem formidable, but need to be acknowledged and tackled. Thousands of farmers commit suicide each year due to debt problems, as documented by the National Crime Records Bureau (<a href="https://yourstory.com/2015/11/agro-startups/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NCRB</a>). This is a sad reality in states such as Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and others.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Many issues being tackled by startups relate to productivity and distribution, according to Sahil Kini, Vice President, Aspada Investment. There are large yield gaps in Indian farming as compared to its global counterparts, due to inadequacies in domains ranging from farm inputs and equipment to farming practices and retail connects. Multiple intermediaries, poor refrigeration during transportation, small farm sizes, and lack of fairness in financial stakeholders are other challenges.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Agri-tech startups</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Today, the agri-tech sector is witnessing a number of startups in India disrupting everything from organic farming and equipment rentals to connected supply chains and cloud-based analytics. The startups in this report showcase the diversity in the sector, followed by an analysis of the broader ecosystem. Some cover <a href="https://yourstory.com/2017/06/agri-startups/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pricing of produce,</a> others include <a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/02/iot-big-data-equipment-farmers-agri-startups/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">equipment marketplaces;</a> still others cover digital workflow and smart supply chains.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2016/12/social-enterprises-impact-metrics/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Farms2Fork</a> offers farmers water monitoring solutions that ensure better productivity by reducing water wastage. The solution includes IoT wireless soil sensors, AI support, and real-time analytics. While earlier agri-tech solutions were based on batch processing of data, Farms2Fork operates on real-time data.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/04/startup-market-agriculture-profit-business-farmers/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Agribolo,</a> founded in 2015, is a farming services platform spanning activities such as information dissemination, quality input procurement, market linkages, irrigation facilities and farming equipment. The franchise network, launched in Rajasthan, uses the aggregator model to connect farmers to experts, development institutions, financial services, and training institutes.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2017/10/23-year-old-iit-delhi-alumnus-anu-meena-agritech-startup/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AgroWave,</a> founded by an IIT Delhi alumna in 2017, aims to optimise agriculture supply chain using research, analytics, and technology. Demand and supply analytics connect farmers in Panipat, Sonipat, Harpur, and Rajasthan to caterers, retail shops, restaurants, and canteens.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2017/07/truce-agritech-startup-farmers-suppliers-connect/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Truce,</a> founded by an IIT Bombay alumnus, is a B2B web and mobile platform that directly connects farmers and suppliers to wholesalers and retailers. The app is available in Hindi, English, Marathi and Gujarati, and enables tracking quotes and orders.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2017/12/learn-how-to-scale-up-farming-ben-raja-story-farm-again/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Farm Again</a> has converted 2,500 acres of land into organic farms, along with tech tools to trace the product’s origin, when sold in outlets such as Reliance Retail, Big Bazaar, and More. IoT devices are used to monitor and record moisture content and soil conditions, with pipes for water and fertiliser inputs.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2017/09/crofarm-agri-supply-chain-startup/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Crofarm,</a> a Delhi-headquarted agri-supply chain startup founded in 2016, buys fresh produce directly from farmers and supplies them to online and offline retailers. It supplies nearly 8-10 tonnes of fruits and vegetables from its two distribution centres in Delhi NCR, and connects 100 retailers to more than 5,000 farmers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2017/06/aibono-startup/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aibono</a> improves farm yields by using AI on a cluster of parameters like weather and soil condition. The testing and measurement services indicate parameters such as crop stress, along with recommendations on the right fertiliser mix to be used based on the soil condition.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/02/farmer-karnataka-gold-farm-faas-startup/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gold Farm</a>, founded in 2012, helps farmers book farm equipment such as solar-powered pumps in districts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Beneficiaries have included over 25,000 farmers on ground, who tap the services of 250 booking agents and over 500 tractor owners connected via a mobile app. The equipment is also tracked with IoT devices, resulting in rich data sets for analysis and forecasting.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/03/farmers-first-approach-earthy-tales-bringing-organic-produce-farm-table/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Earthy Tales</a>, founded in NCR in 2016, works with farmers across 11 states to provide chemical-free fruits, vegetables, groceries, and dairy products. These include snacks, jams, preserves, and pickles, provided direct to consumers. Other services include mentoring for farmers and farm cooperatives.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/02/agriculture-startup-onganic-foods/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ONganic Foods</a> works with small farmers to boost their organic produce. Based on contract farming, it identifies higher-priced grains and spices and gives quality inputs to farmers to increase their yield. It connects farmers to various government schemes as well as e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Spencer’s Retail.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/02/agri-startup-labour-shortage-farmers-micro-entrepreneurs-oxen/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Oxen Farm Solutions</a> offers agricultural equipment on rent using a ‘Farming as a Service’ (FaaS) model. The platform connects farmers, farm equipment manufacturers, and government schemes. Access to such machinery can boost farm productivity in an affordable manner. The company operates in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, and connects to corporates such as PepsiCo and Yes Bank.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/01/farmizen-farming-app/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Farmizen</a> is a mobile-based platform that lets users grow vegetables and fruits on mini-farms, and monitor the process of growing food on a real-time basis. Located in the outskirts of Bengaluru, users get pictures and live videos of their farm plots. The startup also provides recommendations based on real-time inputs from the field as well as pre-defined schedules for over 50 different types of crops.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/03/silicon-valley-startup-harvesting-plans-bridge-farm-finance-deficit-india/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harvesting,</a> founded by in 2016, has offices in California and Bengaluru, and offers smart farming solutions based on analytics and AI. It also uses farmer profiles to build creditworthiness profiles for financial organisations. The idea is to provide both increased farm productivity and better financial services.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://satsure.co/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SatSure</a> uses IoT and Big Data to provide financial security to farmers, via its 15-year database of satellite images. It makes recommendations clustering techniques for farmers to get an estimate of the total agriculture production, and provides this data to agri-insurance companies as well.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://organicthelawala.org/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Organic Thelawala</a> enables a transparent pricing mechanism so that the consumer knows the price of the produce as well as how much of the selling price actually goes to the farmer. It is s assisting 13,000 farmers to switch to organic farming, thereby, creating a positive impact on bio-diversity, soil contamination, water, and air pollution. Further, by providing free thelas (pushcart), the team promotes micro-entrepreneurship among pushcart vendors and farmers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://www.theearthfood.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Earth Food</a>, based in Pune, provides chemical-free produce at market price. It has collaborated with Reliance Fresh and Nature Fresh. It uses a healthy mix of traditional methods and innovation to keep pollution and wastage to a minimum, thereby benefitting both consumers and the environment.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.jayalaxmiagrotech.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jayalaxmi Agrotech</a>, founded by alumni of IIMB and VEC helps farmers minimise crop loss and improve productivity via its many crop- specific mobile applications in local languages that provide timely information on agriculture and animal husbandry.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.gramophone.in/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gramophone</a>, based in Indore, is a platform that combines both advisory and sale of inputs under a single roof. Farmers can access mentors for help with everything from crop selection to land productivity and more.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://yourstory.com/2017/12/agri-tech-startups-trends/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Triton Foodworks,</a> based in Delhi, is a hydroponics startup growing fruits and vegetables. It has reportedly set up more than 2 lakh sq ft of hydroponic farms across three locations in India, and produces more than 700 tons of fruits and vegetables each year.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.vdrone.in/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">vDrone</a>, based in Bengaluru, uses drones and thermal imaging to increase yield. It analyses areas of the farm that need attention, and helps the farmer cater to these needs. Parameters include soil, cropping pattern, and use of fertilisers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://ninjacart.in/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ninjacart</a>, based in Bengaluru, enables retailers and merchants to source fruits and vegetables directly from farmers without resorting to middlemen. It connects 2,500 farmers and handles 14,000 tons of fruits and vegetables, accounting for revenue of around Rs 4 crore every month.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://www.bighaat.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BigHaat</a>, based in Bengaluru, is an online agro e-store for farmers that lets them buy seeds, crop protection nutrients and solutions, and agro instruments. Last-mile connectivity is enabled via logistics partners like India Post and Ship Rocket. The footprint spans 50,000 farmers across 20 states.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://www.f6s.com/ravgo.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ravgo</a> is an agri-equipment rental marketplace based on the model of the sharing economy. It is solving the farm mechanisation problem among India farmers who cannot afford to buy the farm machinery. The target market is currently small farmers based in Punjab.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://kisanmade.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kisanmade</a>, launched in Moradabad, UP is an e-commerce platform set up in Moradabad to empower farmers by eliminating the intermediary between the farmer and the consumer. It also aims to increase the farmer’s income and decrease the kitchen’s expense by 10-15 percent.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.flybirdinnovations.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FlyBird Innovations</a>, founded in Bengaluru, uses sensors in the soil to detect moisture content and control irrigation in farms across South India. The information is used to optimise irrigation practices, improve crop yield, and save water, time, and labour. It claims 25-30 percent savings of water and improvement of crop yield by 10-15 percent.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://kamalkisan.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kamal Kisan</a> reduces labour costs with innovative agri-equipment, with reported savings of up to 50 percent. Tools include sugarcane planters, versatile mulch layers, bed makers, vegetable handy planters, and power weeders.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.farmart.co/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">farMart</a> connects farmers who own machinery with those who need it but don’t have access to it. Large farmers put underutilised agri-machinery up for rent on the farMart platform, and are connected to farmers who need such machinery; they can then book it via app or call centre. The database includes 300 villages and 1,500 farmers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://www.agrostar.in/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AgroStar</a>, a Pune-based m-commerce startup, sells agricultural inputs directly to farmers. The platform can be accessed online or giving the company’s 1800 number a missed call. Products are sourced from national and multinational brands, and include seeds and nutrients.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.cropin.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CropIn</a> leverages GIS and data science to deliver a range of services apps to farmers and other players in the agri chain. It feeds real-time data and advice on practices related to a range of crops.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Other notable agri startups are <a href="http://nubesol.co.in/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NubeSol</a> (soil fertility maps) and Sree Sai Aerotech Innovations (drones for monitoring crop health). Some industry players are also leveraging the platform model – such as Trringo, launched in 2016 by India’s largest tractor maker company, Mahindra and Mahindra. The franchisee network enables farmers to access tractors at an affordable price. Over 100,000 farmers have signed up, from West and South India.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">There are also international players in the Indian agri market, such as <a href="http://peat.technology/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PEAT</a>. The German startup is working with 30,000 farmers across India to help mitigate crop damage. It identifies patterns of plant diseases, pests, or nutrient deficiencies via crop images.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Ecosystem</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The broader agri startup ecosystem includes a number of think tanks, research labs, incubators and accelerators. For example, ONganic is supported by the Technology Development Board, Government of India and Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise and incubated at the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Goa has an agri-focused incubator called Centre for Innovation and Business Acceleration (CIBA). TiE Bangalore and NUMA have held <a href="https://yourstory.com/2016/12/social-enterprises-impact-metrics/">startup showcases</a> in collaboration with Villgro, featuring agri-entrepreneurs.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">At the recent <a href="https://yourstory.com/2017/11/yes-bank-transformation-series-agri-tech/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YES Bank Transformation Series</a> (YBTS) speakers and panelists included Ramanathan Ramanan, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog; Raju Kapoor, Head, Corporate Affairs, Dow AgroSciences India; Hemendra Mathur, Venture Partner, Bharat Innovations; Nitin Puri, Senior President, Food and Agribusiness Strategic Advisory and Research, YES Bank; and Amardeep Sibia, CEO, SatSure.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">At the 2017 edition of YBTS three agri-tech winners were awarded out of 15 finalists. Winners included teams from IIM Shillong (Rs 5 lakh for a smart soil sensor proposal), IIM Bangalore (Rs 3 lakh for a solar-powered drip technology proposal), and ISB Hyderabad (Rs 2 lakh for IoT-based SIM-enabled farm data sensors).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Government of India is also catalysing agri- entrepreneurship with programmes like the Agri-Udaan Accelerator and the Agri Grand Challenge. Government-backed funding agencies like the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) is incentivising banks to lend at highly affordable rates to startups.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Incubators in this space include Villgro, a-IDEA, ABI-ICRISAT, Startup Oasis, IIMC Innovation Park, IIT Kanpur SIIC, KIIT TBI, and CIIE, IIMA. They provide mentorship and connects to farmer cooperatives, NGOs, channel partners, and individual farmers in some cases.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Indigram Labs Foundation (ILF), supported by Department of Science and Technology via the National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board, Government of India, is a <a href="http://indigramlabs.org/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">technology-based incubator</a> founded in 2015 to promote creativity and innovation in agriculture, renewable energy, and rural healthcare industry. Its host organisation is Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals (ISAP).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">ISAP has set up more than 1,800 agri-based ventures through its Agri-Clinics and Agri-Business Centres (ACABC) programme and has around 50 agri-business experts in various verticals who help in mentoring incubates, according to <a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/04/transformation-agri-tech-startups-indigram-labs-nurtures-entrepreneurs-agriculture-food-processing/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Manisha Acharya, CEO, Indigram Labs Foundation.</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">It has graduated 18 startups, such as <a href="http://www.newleafdynamic.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New Leaf Dynamic Technologies</a>(refrigeration system powered by farm waste), <a href="http://www.intellolabs.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Intello Labs</a> (AI-based deep-tech solution for crop inspection and agricultural products grading), Sainhun Ventures(honey by-products), Nutrelis Agro Foods (organic groceries, beverages), and Innosapiens Agro Technologies (phenomics device for pre-detection of pests).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Indigram takes an equity of up to 5 percent in the startup. In the long run, agri incubators need support in areas like trained manpower, pilot testing costs, rural outreach, and patent advisory services, according to Acharya.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (<a href="https://yourstory.com/2015/06/agri-business-investors/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ICRISAT</a>) hosted an agri-business investors camp in Hyderabad on June 12. The camp addressed three themes: agri-technology, agri-engineering and food processing.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">IIM Ahmedabad’s technology business incubator, Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE), has launched a <a href="https://yourstory.com/2015/05/ciie-agri-food-business-accelerator/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">food and agri-business accelerator</a> in partnership with a-IDEA, the business incubator at Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s (ICAR) National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM). Top teams are provided seed investment of up to Rs 30 lakhs each. CIIE also has a sustainability focused fund called Infuse Ventures.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Funding</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Recent reports have tracked the <a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/03/agritech-startups-2018/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">investment line-up</a> for Agricx Lab (Ankur Capital, CIIE), Agrostar (IDG Ventures, Aavishkaar Venture Management), Agrowave (Daffodil Software), Airwood (StartupXseed Ventures), Arya Collateral (Aspada), Farm Taaza (Epsilon Venture Partners), Farmizen (Venture Highway), FarmLink (Pioneering Ventures, Syngenta), Gobasco (Matrix Partners India), KisanHub (Notion Capital, IQ Capital, Calibrate Management), KrishiHub (INVENT accelerator, Villgro Innovation Fund), NinjaCart (Trifecta Ventures), RML AgTech (IvyCap Ventures), Utkal Tubers (CapAleph Indian Millennium SME Fund, Zephyr Peacock India), and VillFarm (Unitus Seed Fund, Rianta Capital).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Crofarm has received funding from angels such as Rajan Anandan (MD, Google India) and Jitendra Gupta (MD, PayU India). Gold Farm raised funds from Infuse Venture and the Mahindra Group. Truce was funded by 3one4capital, Beenext, FreeCharge founders, Snapdeal founders and Anupam Mittal, CEO, People Group. CropIn, raised funds from Ankur Capital; Agrostar received investments from Aavishkar. Other active agri-focused funds include Omnivore Partners and Rural Agri Ventures; Germany development agency GIZ has also roped in international partners for further cooperation.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Among Indian states, Karnataka formalised an <a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/01/karnataka-fast-tracks-rs-18-crore-fund-agri-startups/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">agri-startup fund</a> in 2017 through K-BITS with a corpus of Rs 10 crore, with an additional Rs 8 crore planned for 21 agri-startups this year. A centre of excellence for agriculture is also planned, where startups will work with farmers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Other government initiatives, according to <a href="https://yourstory.com/2015/09/40-of-all-of-indias-food-is-wasted-before-it-reaches-our-tables-says-sahil-kini/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sahil Kini</a> of Aspada Investment include Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, 2008; and Money Lending (Regulation) Act, 2008.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Entrepreneur tips</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">A number of <a href="https://yourstory.com/2016/12/social-enterprises-impact-metrics/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mentor panels and pitch jurors</a> have offered guidance for agri-entrepreneurs. These include, for example, the importance of customer immersion. Here are some of the tips they have shared.</p>
<ul>
<li>On-the-ground realities in emerging economies are shifting rapidly, and founders should have a finger on the pulse of effective trends and aspirations.</li>
<li>Disciplines like design thinking offer useful and actionable frameworks.</li>
<li>Metrics should be holistic and include activity, business, and social impacts. There should be one or two key success metrics for primary focus, and the rest should be supporting or complementary metrics. This helps founders monitor their progress and assists investors in assessing the long-term viability of the venture.</li>
<li>Founders should build a well-rounded team, with a mix of engineering, design, and social science backgrounds. Sometimes founders get too carried away with the technology; having a holistic mix in the core team will help contextualise the offerings, use and impact.</li>
<li>India’s social problems call for bold and ambitious innovators who can tackle challenges at scale. The social cost of failure is high for social enterprises (as compared to merely pivoting an app design); hence collaborative partnerships are important.</li>
<li>Social entrepreneurs should learn how to work with partners who are not social enterprises. They should be clear about their offerings, values, and philosophy. Partnerships are an art and a science. Partners should be picked carefully, and the relationship should evolve over time.</li>
<li>Founders will frequently need to pitch to funders, investors, partners, regulators, customers, and employees. The pitch should focus less on product features and more on problem resolution. Techniques like storytelling are effective here.</li>
<li>Founders should enumerate the range of risks involved, eg. regulatory and lack of ecosystem trust. Secondary impacts should also be assessed, since some risks are more indirect than others.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">The road ahead</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">This is a great time to integrate different domains of knowledge and skills in agri-innovation. In addition to fresh farm produce, there are lucrative opportunities in processed products such as pickles, papads, chutneys, and murabbas. This calls for effective post-harvest management infrastructure such as storage, preservation, cold chain and refrigerated transportation.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">New models such as the <a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/02/farming-service-attracting-big-bucks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FaaS model</a> can lead to more sustainable paths to profitability. The platform model can leverage data analytics to identify emerging business trends and opportunities and thus attract more venture capital, according to a report published by Bain and Company in partnership with Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Such models are also getting significant corporate backing, such as Trringo by Mahindra and Mahindra for tractor rentals and John Deere (with EM3 Agri Services) for harvester fleets.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Smartphones powered by affordable mobile broadband networks are helping improve workflow of farms and dairies. This opens the door to new pay-per-use business models and innovation stacks, connecting the farm to the fridge and fork. Banks and financial organisations also need to step up to the challenge and offer more creative models of financing for farmers, entrepreneurs, incubators, and accelerators.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a target for farmers’ incomes to be doubled by 2022, India’s 75th year of Independence. Schemes like the government’s Startup Agri India scheme, the Digi Gaon (Digital Village) initiative, and Bharat Net project can all work together towards making this a reality. Initiatives like agri-hackathons can also bring together aspiring entrepreneurs from diverse sectors.</p>
<ul>
<li>However, there are certain challenges:</li>
<li>Pricing decisions should be made more transparent and less politically driven (particularly before elections), with sufficient market validity and testing. This includes setting the price of onions and sugar, and promising ‘free’ electricity for farmers.</li>
<li>Increased promotion and adoption of open data are other trends to watch for. An open data ecosystem can grow India’s GDP by $22 billion by 2020, according to <a href="https://yourstory.com/2018/05/open-data-ecosystem-can-boost-indias-gdp-22-b-double-farmer-income/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-align: justify; " target="_blank">report</a><span style="text-align: justify; "> by YES Bank and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). India’s Open Government Data (OGD) platform can step up to this challenge.</span></li>
<li>The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) is pushing for these initiatives to reach ordinary people and marginalised communities. Other sources of data include rural internet kiosks, community e-centres, and online agricultural systems.</li>
<li>Agri-tech entrepreneurs can go beyond incremental change to truly effect exponential change, and transform the agricultural sector while also giving back to society. Successful agri-preneurs in India can also take their innovations global.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The agricultural sector is now shedding its rustic persona to emerge as a trendy space to be in. Inclusive, sustainable, and scalable solutions are the way ahead.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/your-story-june-29-2018-tech-transformation-agriculture-redefined-digital-innovation-startups'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/your-story-june-29-2018-tech-transformation-agriculture-redefined-digital-innovation-startups</a>
</p>
No publisherAdminInternet Governance2018-07-06T15:39:53ZNews ItemCIS contributes to the Research and Advisory Group of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC)
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-contributes-to-the-research-and-advisory-group-of-the-global-commission-on-the-stability-of-cyberspace-gcsc
<b>The Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC) is an initiative of the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies and the East West Institute that seeks to promote mutual awareness and understanding among various cyberspace communities. It seeks to develop norms and policies that advance the stability and security of cyberspace.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Chaired by Marina Kaljurand, and Co-Chaired by Michael Chertoff and Latha Reddy, the Commission comprises 26 prominent Commissioners who are experts hailing from a wide range of geographic regions representing multiple communities including academia industry, government, technical and civil society.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">As a part of their efforts, the GCSC sent out a call for proposals for papers that sought to analyze and advance various aspects of the cyber norms debate.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Elonnai Hickok and Arindrajit Basu’s paper ‘ Conceptualizing an International Security Architecture for Cyberspace’ was selected by the Commissioners and published as a part of the Briefings of the Research and Advisory Group.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Arindrajit Basu represented CIS at the Cyberstability Hearings held by the GCSC at the sidelines of the <a href="https://www.globsec.org/projects/globsec-2018/">GLOBSEC forum </a>in Bratislava-a multilateral conference seeking to advance dialogue on various issues of international peace and security.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The published paper and the Power Point may be accessed <a href="https://cyberstability.org/research/issue-brief-2-bratislava/">here.</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The agenda for the hearings is reproduced below</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">GCSC HEARINGS, 19 MAY 2018</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">HEARINGS: TOWARDS INTERNATIONAL CYBERSTABILITY</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Venue: “Habsburg” room, Grand Hotel River Park 15:00-15:15</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Welcome Remarks by Marina Kaljurand, Chair of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC) and former Foreign Minister of Estonia 15:15-16:45</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Hearing I: Expert Hearing</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>This session focuses on the topic Cyberstability and the International Peace and Security Architecture and includes scene settings, food-for-thought presentations on the new GCSC commissioned research, briefings and open statements by government and nongovernmental</i> speakers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“Scene setting: ”Cyber Diplomacy in Transition” by Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister of Sweden</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“Commissioned Research I: Lessons learned from three historical case studies on establishing international norms” by Arindrajit Basu, Centre for Internet and Society, India</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Commission Research II: The “pre-normative” framework and options for cyber diplomacy” by Elana Broitman, New America Foundation</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“Some Remarks on current thinking within the United Nations”, by Renata Dwan, Director United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) (Registered Statements by Government Advisors) (Statements by other experts)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">(Open floor discussion) 16:45-17:15</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Coffee Break</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-contributes-to-the-research-and-advisory-group-of-the-global-commission-on-the-stability-of-cyberspace-gcsc'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-contributes-to-the-research-and-advisory-group-of-the-global-commission-on-the-stability-of-cyberspace-gcsc</a>
</p>
No publisherArindrajit BasuCyber SecurityInternet GovernanceCyberspace2018-07-05T16:00:02ZBlog Entry'Hope for such swift crackdowns for everyone'
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/the-times-of-india-july-6-2018-hope-for-such-swift-crackdowns-for-everyone
<b>The prompt arrest has impressed cybercrime experts, but some are sceptical whether this case will serve as a deterrent for trolls or spell hope for citizens at the receiving end of online abuse. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The article was <a class="external-link" href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/hope-for-such-swift-crackdowns-for-everyone/articleshow/64876887.cms">published in the Times of India</a> on July 6, 2018.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">"I don't think this serves as sufficient deterrent for the everyday user. The victim here was a high-profile individual and action was taken after specific instructions from the Union home ministry towards both the police and Twitter," said Pranav MB of the Centre for Internet and Society, a non-profit whose focus areas include digital privacy and cybersecurity. <br /> <br /> Pavan Duggal, chairman of the International Commission of Cyber Security Law, too felt the "high-profile stature" of the complainant means this could be an example of "customised justice" and not "generic justice". "The police invariably give step-motherly treatment to the common man whose issues are low priority to them," he said. <br /> <br />Duggal stressed on the need to adopt a "holistic approach" to deter anonymous trolls as a matter of "de facto routine". "We need to come up with strong legal provisions to deal with trolls," he said. <br /> <br />Such steps are becoming imperative given that a recent study by a global cybersecurity firm showed that eight out of 10 persons in India reported some form of online abuse. Another study by a Delhi NGO detailed how vocal women often have to deal with violent threats and <a class="key_underline" href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/sexual-remarks">sexual remarks</a>. After the arrest, Priyanka Chaturvedi herself pointed out that "they like to target women who have a different opinion" and stressed the need to send a strong message. <br /> <br /> "Threatening the <a class="key_underline" href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/rape">rape</a> of a child is the lowest thing. It's disgusting," said women's rights lawyer Flavia Agnes. Pointing out the vicious trolling of foreign minister Sushma Swaraj over her ministry's clearance to the passport of a Hindu-Muslim couple, Agnes said: "This has been happening again and again and it is getting out of hand. Arresting is one thing but we need to put an end to this menace." <br /> <br /> The swift police action has impressed Mumbai cybercrime investigator Ritesh Bhatia. "It is not too difficult to catch trolls using fake ID these days since <a class="key_underline" href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/social-media">social media</a> platforms are ready to provide the police with user logs that help track their IP address. I am glad Twitter responded quickly," said Bhatia. "I also hope that such speedy action is taken for all those who are threatened and abused, irrespective of their profession, status and political affiliations."</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/the-times-of-india-july-6-2018-hope-for-such-swift-crackdowns-for-everyone'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/the-times-of-india-july-6-2018-hope-for-such-swift-crackdowns-for-everyone</a>
</p>
No publisherAdminInternet Governance2018-07-07T08:52:39ZNews ItemCIS anniversary
https://cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-business-line-may-5-2013-cis-anniversary
<b>The Centre for Internet and Society will celebrate five years of its existence with an exhibition showcasing its works and accomplishments. </b>
<hr />
<p class="body" style="text-align: justify; ">This was published in <a class="external-link" href="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/cis-anniversary/article4686344.ece">Hindu Business Line</a> on May 5, 2013</p>
<hr />
<p class="body" style="text-align: justify; ">The exhibition will be held concurrently at both Bangalore and Delhi offices from May 20 to 24, 2013, said a press release.</p>
<p class="body" style="text-align: justify; ">“To promote transparency, we're getting the general public to be our auditors by throwing open our account books and contracts which show how we have spent the Rs 8.3 crore received from our donors.”</p>
<p class="body" style="text-align: justify; ">The exhibition will also see artists like Kiran Subbaiah, Tara Kelton, Navin Thomas, Abhishek Hazra, among others exhibiting their works, as well as lectures.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-business-line-may-5-2013-cis-anniversary'>https://cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-business-line-may-5-2013-cis-anniversary</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceOpennessResearchers at Work2013-05-06T07:28:07ZNews ItemIBSA Seminar on Global Internet Governance
https://cis-india.org/news/ibsa-seminar
<b>The seminar will take place at Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV) - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, September 1-2, 2011.</b>
<h2>Day 1: September, 1</h2>
<p><strong>08.30 - 09.00: Arrival and Accreditation of Participants</strong></p>
<h3><strong>09.00 - 10.00: Opening Session</strong></h3>
<ul><li> Carlos Ivan Simonsen Leal - President of FGV</li><li>Ambassador Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, Undersecretary-General of Environment, Energy, Science and Technology, MRE, Brazil</li><li>Ambassador Gilberto Fonseca Guimaraes de Moura, Director of the Department of Inter-regional Mechanisms, MRE, Brazil</li><li>Representative of the Government of India - Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or Department of Information Technology (DIT)</li><li>Mr. Moseamo Sebola - Director of Bilateral Relations - Department of Communications (DoC)</li><li>Prof. Hartmut Glaser - Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br)</li><li>Viviana Munoz - South Centre</li></ul>
<p><strong><br />10.00 - 10.15: Coffee Break</strong></p>
<h3>10.15 - 11.15: Session 1: A Diagnosis of the Main Challenges for Developing Countries on the Global Internet Governance Regime (10 Minutes to Each Speaker)</h3>
<p><br /><em>Moderation: Ambassador Benedicto Fonseca Filho, MRE, Brazil</em></p>
<ul><li>Government of India</li><li>DIRCO South Africa</li><li>Secretary Romulo Neves, Head of the Division for the Information Society, MRE</li><li>Parminder Jeet Singh - IT for Change, India</li><li>Carlos Afonso - NUPEF, Brazil</li><li>Mark Weinberg - Alternative Information Development Centre, South Africa</li></ul>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>11.15 - 12.30: Discussion</strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>12.30 - 14.00 Lunch</strong></div>
<div> </div>
<h3>14.00 - 1530: Session 2: A Development Agenda for IG: Infrastructure and Critical Internet Resources (10 Minutes to Each Speaker)</h3>
<div> </div>
<div>Goal: reach a more round understanding about: a) which topics are priority for developing countries; b) what are the policy issues related to them; and c) what could be a future strategy for action.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><em>Moderation: CGI.br</em></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<ul><li>Government of India</li><li>DIRCO South Africa</li><li>Jeferson Nacif, National Agency of Telecommunications - ANATEL</li><li>Pranesh Prakash, Centre for Internet and Society, India</li><li>Shaun Pather, Faculty Informatics & Design, Cape Peninsula University of Technology</li><li>Joao Brant, Intervozes, Brazil</li><li>Carlos Affonso - CTS/FGV, Brazil</li><li>Demi Getschko - CGI.br, Brazil</li></ul>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div><strong>15.30 - 16.15: Discussion</strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>16.15 - 16.30: Coffee Break</strong></div>
<div> </div>
<h3>16.30 - 17.30: Session 3: Global Online Trade and Services from Developing Countries' Perspective (10 Minutes to Each Speaker)</h3>
<div> </div>
<div><em>Moderation: Civil Society Representative (Brazil, India or South Africa)</em></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<ul><li>Government of India</li><li>DIRCO South Africa</li><li>Antenor Correa, MCTI - Brasil</li><li>Artur Coimbra - Ministry of Communications</li><li>Pranesh Prakash, Centre for Internet and Society, India</li><li>Mark Wienberg, Alternative Information Development, South Africa</li></ul>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div><strong>17.30 - 18.30: Discussion</strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>18.30 - 20.00: Free Meetings</strong></div>
<div> </div>
<h2>Day 2: September 2</h2>
<div> </div>
<h3>09.00 - 10.30: Session 4: A Development Agenda for IG: The New Global Information and Communications Systems - Its Rights and Principles (10 Minutes to Each Speaker)</h3>
<div> </div>
<div><em>Moderation: CTS/FGV Representative</em></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<ul><li>DIRCO</li><li>Government of India</li><li>Viviana Munoz - South Centre</li><li>Anriette Estherhuysen, APC</li><li>Graciela Selaimen - Nupef</li><li>Joana Varon (CTS/FGV) - (Approach: Intellectual Property and Access to Knowledge)</li><li>Pranesh Prakash, Centre for Internet and Society, India</li></ul>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div><strong>10.30 - 11.20: Discussion</strong></div>
<div> </div>
<h3>11.30 - 12.30: Session 5: Institutional Arrangements for Internet Governance and Participation from Developing Countries (10 Minutes to Each Speaker)</h3>
<div> </div>
<div><em>Moderation: Ambassador Benedicto Fonseca Filho, MRE, Brazil</em></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<ul><li>Government of India</li><li>DIRCO South Africa</li><li>Parminder Jeet Singh, IT for Change, India</li><li>Marilia Maciel, CTS/FGV, Brazil</li><li>Anriette Estherrhuysen, APC, South Africa</li><li>Secretary Romulo Neves, Head of the Division for the Information Society, MRE, Brazil</li></ul>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div><strong>12.30 - 13.20: Discussion</strong></div>
<div><strong><br /></strong></div>
<div><strong>13.20 - 14.30: Lunch</strong></div>
<div><strong><br /></strong></div>
<div><strong>14.30 - 16.00: Taking Stocks and the Way Forward</strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>16.00 - 18.00: Governmental Representatives Meeting - Separated</strong></div>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/news/ibsa-seminar'>https://cis-india.org/news/ibsa-seminar</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaInternet Governance2011-09-13T09:53:41ZNews ItemPanel discussion on 'How to Avoid Digital ID Systems That Put People at Risk: Lessons from Afghanistan' at Freedom Online Conference
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/panel-discussion-how-to-avoid-digital-id-systems-that-put-people-at-risk
<b>Amber Sinha participated as a panelist in a panel discussion on How to Avoid Digital ID Systems That Put People at Risk: Lessons from Afghanistan at the Freedom Online Conference yesterday.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) was established in 2011 in response to the growing recognition of the importance of the Internet for the enjoyment of human rights. Periodically, the FOC holds a multistakeholder Conference that aims to deepen the discussion on how online freedoms are helping to promote social, cultural and economic development. The ownership of the Conference program and outputs lies with the host country, most often the Chair of the Coalition during that year.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The aim of the panel was to use the lessons learned from the Afghanistan case to take a critical and realistic look at the implementation of digital identification programs around the world. A video of the panel can be <a class="external-link" href="https://www.freedomonlineconference.com/session/how-to-avoid-digital-id-systems-that-put-people-at-risk-lessons-from-afghanistan">accessed here</a>.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/panel-discussion-how-to-avoid-digital-id-systems-that-put-people-at-risk'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/panel-discussion-how-to-avoid-digital-id-systems-that-put-people-at-risk</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaFreedom of Speech and ExpressionDigital IDInternet Governance2021-12-03T14:52:35ZNews ItemLaunching CIS’s Flagship Report on Private Crypto-Assets
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/launching-flagship-cis-report-on-private-crypto-assets
<b>The Centre for Internet & Society is launching its flagship report on regulating private crypto-assets in India, as part of its newly formed Financial Technology (or Fintech) research agenda. The event will be held on Zoom, at 17:30 IST on Wednesday, 15th December, 2021
</b>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This event will serve as a venue to bring together the various stakeholders involved in the crypto-asset space to discuss the state of crypto-asset regulation in India from a multitude of perspectives.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This event will serve as a venue to bring together the various stakeholders involved in the crypto-asset space to discuss the state of crypto-asset regulation in India from a multitude of perspectives.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">About the private crypto-assets report</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The first output under this agenda is our report on regulating private cryptocurrencies in India. This report aims to act as an introductory resource for policymakers who are looking to implement a regulatory framework for private crypto-assets. The report covers the technical elements of crypto-assets, their history, proposed use cases as well as its benefits and limitations. It also examines how crypto-assets fit within India’s current regulatory and legislative frameworks and makes clear recommendations for the same.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">About the Event</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The launch event will feature an initial presentation by researchers at CIS on the various findings and recommendations of its flagship report. This will be followed by a moderated discussion with 5 panelists who represent the space in policy, academia and industry. The discussion will be centered around the current status of crypto-assets in India, the government’s new proposed regulations and what the future holds for the Indian crypto market.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The confirmed panelists are as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>Tanvi Ratna - Founder, Policy 4.0 and expert on blockchain and cryptocurrencies</li>
<li>Shehnaz Ahmed - Senior Resident Fellow and Fintech Lead at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy</li>
<li>Nithya R. - Chief Executive Officer, Unos.Finace</li>
<li>Prashanth Irudayaraj - Head of R&D, Zebpay</li>
<li>Vipul Kharbanda - Non resident Fellow specialising in Fintech at CIS</li>
<li>Aman Nair - Policy Offer, CIS (Moderator)</li></ol>
<p>Registration link: <a class="external-link" href="https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TdY-EPLoRvGY2rfsq4CENw">https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TdY-EPLoRvGY2rfsq4CENw</a></p>
<h3>Agenda</h3>
<table class="grid listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>17.30 - 17.35</td>
<td>Welcome Note</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>17.35 - 18.35</td>
<td>
<p>The status of private crypto assets in India</p>
<ul>
<li>Presentation on CIS’ flagship Report on regulating private crypto-assets in India</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Moderated discussion with panelists across industry, government, journalism and academia providing their insight as to the current and future state of private crypto-assets, and their regulation, in India.</li></ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>18.35 - 19.00</td>
<td>Audience questions and discussion</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/launching-flagship-cis-report-on-private-crypto-assets'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/launching-flagship-cis-report-on-private-crypto-assets</a>
</p>
No publisherAman NairInternet GovernanceCryptocurrencies2021-12-13T09:11:18ZBlog EntryTransference: Reimagining Data Systems: Beyond the Gender Binary
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/transference-reimagining-data-systems-beyond-the-gender-binary
<b>The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) invites you to participate in a day-long convening on the rights of transgender persons, specifically right to privacy and digital rights. Through this convening, we hope to highlight the concerns of transgender persons in accessing digital data systems and the privacy challenges faced by the community. These challenges include access to their rights — their right to self-identify their gender and welfare services offered by the State and the privacy challenges faced by transgender and intersex persons in revealing their identity.</b>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">As the meaning of the word ‘Transference’ goes, through this convening, as a learning, we hope to capture and transfer the realities of transgender persons with engaging and being a part of digital data systems in India. Given the rapid digitisation of different public and private data systems in India, we hope to initiate a conversation that understands their struggles and challenges to realistically initiate the re-imagination of data systems — digital and otherwise — one that is mindful about their everyday struggles with privacy and access.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">Owing to the history of systemic exclusions faced by transgender persons, it is important to highlight their difficulties in accessing technological systems and the impact on their privacy, as central issues that require serious consideration. Presently, their realities seem to be ignored by the State while designing most technology laws and policies governing digital systems.</p>
<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">Background</h3>
<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-491cb7c5-7fff-049a-e44a-d55b71b690d7"> </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; "><span>In the landmark verdict in 2014, NALSA Vs Union of India, the Supreme Court of India for the first time recognised the right of an individual to self-identify their gender as male, female or transgender. This verdict detailed nine directives to be implemented by the central and state governments in India for the inclusion of transgender persons.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; "><span>Similarly, 2017 was a watershed moment in India’s constitutional history when the Supreme Court held the right to privacy to be a fundamental right. More importantly, the Court expounded on this right and held that the protection of an individual’s gender identity is an essential component of the right to privacy and that privacy at its core includes the preservation of personal intimacies, autonomy, the sanctity of family life, marriage, procreation, the home and sexual orientation.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; "><span>The 2017 privacy judgement led to the Supreme Court pronouncing the </span><span>Navtej Johar v Union of India in 2018</span><span>, striking down the </span><span>Koushal </span><span>judgement and decriminalising acts of consensual non-hetrosexual acts of intimacy. In 2019, the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 was introduced in Parliament for the regulation and protection of personal data. The PDP Bill classifies data into two categories as (i) personal data; and (ii) sensitive personal data. As per the PDP Bill, data identifying the transgender status and intersex status falls within the ambit of sensitive personal data. Around the time of the PDP Bill being tabled in Parliament, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019 was passed by the Parliament despite </span><a href="https://scroll.in/article/944943/explainer-despite-criticism-the-transgender-persons-bill-was-just-passed-whats-next"><span>severe opposition</span></a><span> to the Bill from civil society members as well as members of Parliament.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; "><span>There is a lack of clarity on the interplay between the PDP Bill and the Transgender Act and the challenges the PDP Bill may pose to the transgender community. Moving beyond mere mentions in the definition of the law through a cisgendered heteronormative lens, it is important for the discourse on data and privacy to broaden its scope to realistically include people of different sexual orientations, gender and sexual identities, gender expressions and sex characteristics.</span></p>
<h3><span>About the Event</span></h3>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">Through these panel discussions, we propose to highlight the concerns of transgender persons with accessing digital data systems and the privacy challenges faced by them . These challenges include access to their rights — their right to self-identify their gender and access welfare services offered by the State and the privacy challenges faced by transgender persons in revealing their identity.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">The objective of these discussions is to initiate more conversations about the technological and data exclusions faced by this historically marginalised community in India. The intent is to better understand the realities of transgender persons and contribute to the larger advocacy on privacy, intersectionality and (digital) systems design.</p>
<hr />
<p>Click to register for the event <a class="external-link" href="https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpcOiqrD8uG9X_4L6EIzXI-QFCipmFqqDV"><b>here</b></a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/transference-reimagining-data-systems-beyond-the-gender-binary'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/transference-reimagining-data-systems-beyond-the-gender-binary</a>
</p>
No publishertorshaGender, Welfare, and PrivacyEventInternet Governance2021-12-15T12:58:31ZEventHow Function Of State May Limit Informed Consent: Examining Clause 12 Of The Data Protection Bill
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/medianama-february-18-2021-amber-sinha-data-protection-bill-consent-clause-state-function
<b>The collective implication of leaving out ‘proportionality’ from Clause 12 is to provide very wide discretionary powers to the state.</b>
<p>The blog post was <a class="external-link" href="https://www.medianama.com/2022/02/223-data-protection-bill-consent-clause-state-function/">published in Medianama</a> on February 18, 2022. This is the first of a two-part series by Amber Sinha.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In 2018, hours after the Committee of Experts led by Justice Srikrishna Committee released their report and draft bill, I wrote <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/zY8NPWoWWZw8AfI5JQhjmL/Draft-privacy-bill-and-its-loopholes.html">an opinion piece</a> providing my quick take on what was good and bad about the bill. A section of my analysis focused on Clause 12 (then Clause 13) which provides for non-consensual processing of personal data for state functions. I called this provision a ‘carte-blanche’ which effectively allowed the state to process a citizen’s data for practically all interactions between them without having to deal with the inconvenience of seeking consent. My former colleague, Pranesh Prakash <a href="https://twitter.com/pranesh/status/1023116679440621568">pointed out</a> that this was not a correct interpretation of the provision as I had missed the significance of the word ‘necessary’ which was inserted to act as a check on the powers of the state. He also pointed out, correctly, that in its construction, this provision is equivalent to the position in European General Data Protection Regulation (Article 6 (i) (e)), and is perhaps even more restrictive.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">While I agree with what Pranesh says above (his claims are largely factual, and there can be no basis for disagreement), my view of Clause 12 has not changed. While Clause 35 has been a focus of considerable discourse and analysis, for good reason, I continue to believe that Clause 12 remains among the most dangerous provisions of this bill, and I will try to unpack here, why.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Data Protection Bill 2021 has a chapter on the grounds for processing personal data, and one of those grounds is consent by the individual. The rest of the grounds deal with various situations in which personal data can be processed without seeking consent from the individual. Clause 12 lays down one of the grounds. It allows the state to process data without the consent of the individual in the following cases —</p>
<p>a) where it is necessary to respond to a medical emergency<br />b) where it is necessary for state to provide a service or benefit to the individual<br />c) where it is necessary for the state to issue any certification, licence or permit<br />d) where it is necessary under any central or state legislation, or to comply with a judicial order<br />e) where it is necessary for any measures during an epidemic, outbreak or public health<br />f) where it is necessary for safety procedures during disaster or breakdown of public order</p>
<p>In order to carry out (b) and (c), there is also the added requirement that the state function must be authorised by law.</p>
<h2>Twin restrictions in Clause 12</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The use of the words ‘necessary’ and ‘authorised by law’ is intended to pose checks on the powers of the state. The first restriction seeks to limit actions to only those cases where the processing of personal data would be necessary for the exercise of the state function. This should mean that if the state function can be exercised without non-consensual processing of personal data, then it must be done so. Therefore, while acting under this provision, the state should only process my data if it needs to do so, to provide me with the service or benefit. The second restriction means that this would apply to only those state functions which are authorised by law, meaning only those functions which are supported by validly enacted legislation.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">What we need to keep in mind regarding Clause 12 is that the requirement of ‘authorised by law’ does not mean that legislation must provide for that specific kind of data processing. It simply means that the larger state function must have legal backing. The danger is how these provisions may be used with broad mandates. If the activity in question is non-consensual collection and processing of, say, demographic data of citizens to create state resident hubs which will assist in the provision of services such as healthcare, housing, and other welfare functions; all that may be required is that the welfare functions are authorised by law.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; ">Scope of privacy under Puttaswamy</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">It would be worthwhile, at this point, to delve into the nature of restrictions that the landmark Puttaswamy judgement discussed that the state can impose on privacy. The judgement clearly identifies the principles of informed consent and purpose limitation as central to informational privacy. As discussed repeatedly during the course of the hearings and in the judgement, privacy, like any other fundamental right, is not absolute. However, restrictions on the right must be reasonable in nature. In the case of Clause 12, the restrictions on privacy in the form of denial of informed consent need to be tested against a constitutional standard. In Puttaswamy, the bench was not required to provide a legal test to determine the extent and scope of the right to privacy, but they do provide sufficient guidance for us to contemplate how the limits and scope of the constitutional right to privacy could be determined in future cases.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Puttaswamy judgement clearly states that “the right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution.” By locating the right not just in Article 21 but also in the entirety of Part III, the bench clearly requires that “the drill of various Articles to which the right relates must be scrupulously followed.” This means that where transgressions on privacy relate to different provisions in Part III, the different tests under those provisions will apply along with those in Article 21. For instance, where the restrictions relate to personal freedoms, the tests under both Article 19 (right to freedoms) and Article 21 (right to life and liberty) will apply.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In the case of Clause 12, the three tests laid down by Justice Chandrachud are most operative —<br />a) the existence of a “law”<br />b) a “legitimate State interest”<br />c) the requirement of “proportionality”.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The first test is already reflected in the use of the phrase ‘authorised by law’ in Clause 12. The test under Article 21 would imply that the function of the state should not merely be authorised by law, but that the law, in both its substance and procedure, must be ‘fair, just and reasonable.’ The next test is that of ‘legitimate state interest’. In its report, the Joint Parliamentary Committee places emphasis on Justice Chandrachud’s use of “allocation of resources for human development” in an illustrative list of legitimate state interests. The report claims that the ground, functions of the state, thus satisfies the legitimate state interest. We do not dispute this claim.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; ">Proportionality and Clause 12</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">It is the final test of ‘proportionality’ articulated by the Puttaswamy judgement, which is most operative in this context. Unlike Clauses 42 and 43 which include the twin tests of necessity and proportionality, the committee has chosen to only employ one ground in Clause 12. Proportionality is a commonly employed ground in European jurisprudence and common law countries such as Canada and South Africa, and it is also an integral part of Indian jurisprudence. As commonly understood, the proportionality test consists of three parts —</p>
<p>a) the limiting measures must be carefully designed, or rationally connected, to the objective<br />b) they must impair the right as little as possible<br />c) the effects of the limiting measures must not be so severe on individual or group rights that the legitimate state interest, albeit important, is outweighed by the abridgement of rights.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The first test is similar to the test of proximity under Article 19. The test of ‘necessity’ in Clause 12 must be viewed in this context. It must be remembered that the test of necessity is not limited to only situations where it may not be possible to obtain consent while providing benefits. My reservations with the sufficiency of this standard stem from observations made in the report, as well as the relatively small amount of jurisprudence on this term in Indian law.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Srikrishna Report interestingly mentions three kinds of scenarios where consent should not be required — where it is not appropriate, necessary, or relevant for processing. The report goes on to give an example of inappropriateness. In cases where data is being gathered to provide welfare services, there is an imbalance in power between the citizen and the state. Having made that observation, the committee inexplicably arrives at a conclusion that the response to this problem is to further erode the power available to citizens by removing the need for consent altogether under Clause 12. There is limited jurisprudence on the standard of ‘necessity’ under Indian law. The Supreme Court has articulated this test as ‘having reasonable relation to the object the legislation has in view.’ If we look elsewhere for guidance on how to read ‘necessity’, the ECHR in Handyside v United Kingdom held it to be neither “synonymous with indispensable” nor does it have the “flexibility of such expressions as admissible, ordinary, useful, reasonable or desirable.” In short, there must be a pressing social need to satisfy this ground.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">However, the other two tests of proportionality do not find a mention in Clause 12 at all. There is no requirement of ‘narrow tailoring’, that the scope of non-consensual processing must impair the right as little as possible. It is doubly unfortunate that this test does not find a place, as unlike necessity, ‘narrow tailoring’ is a test well understood in Indian law. This means that while there is a requirement to show that processing personal data was necessary to provide a service or benefit, there is no requirement to process data in a way that there is minimal non-consensual processing. The fear is that as long as there is a reasonable relation between processing data and the object of the function of state, state authorities and other bodies authorised by it, do not need to bother with obtaining consent.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Similarly, the third test of proportionality is also not represented in this provision. It provides a test between the abridgement of individual rights and legitimate state interest in question, and it requires that the first must not outweigh the second. The absence of the proportionality test leaves Clause 12 devoid of any such consideration. Therefore, as long as the test of necessity is met under this law, it need not evaluate the denial of consent against the service or benefit that is being provided.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The collective implication of leaving out ‘proportionality’ from Clause 12 is to provide very wide discretionary powers to the state, by setting the threshold to circumvent informed consent extremely low. In the next post, I will demonstrate the ease with which Clause 12 can allow indiscriminate data sharing by focusing on the Indian government’s digital healthcare schemes.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/medianama-february-18-2021-amber-sinha-data-protection-bill-consent-clause-state-function'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/medianama-february-18-2021-amber-sinha-data-protection-bill-consent-clause-state-function</a>
</p>
No publisheramberData GovernanceInternet GovernanceData ProtectionPrivacy2022-03-01T14:56:49ZBlog EntryClause 12 Of The Data Protection Bill And Digital Healthcare: A Case Study
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/medianama-february-21-2022-amber-sinha-data-protection-bill-digital-healthcare-case-study
<b>In light of the state’s emerging digital healthcare apparatus, how does Clause 12 alter the consent and purpose limitation model?</b>
<p>The blog post was <a class="external-link" href="https://www.medianama.com/2022/02/223-data-protection-bill-digital-healthcare-case-study/">published in Medianama</a> on February 21, 2022. This is the second in a two-part series by Amber Sinha.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In the <a href="https://www.medianama.com/2022/02/223-data-protection-bill-consent-clause-state-function/">previous post</a>, I looked at provisions on non-consensual data processing for state functions under the most recent version of recommendations by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on India’s Data Protection Bill (DPB). The true impact of these provisions can only be appreciated in light of ongoing policy developments and real-life implications.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">To appreciate the significance of the dilutions in Clause 12, let us consider the Indian state’s range of schemes promoting digital healthcare. In July 2018, NITI Aayog, a central government policy think tank in India released a strategy and approach paper (Strategy Paper) on the formulation of the National Health Stack which envisions the creation of a federated application programming interface (API)-enabled health information ecosystem. While the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has focused on the creation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) Standards for India during the last few years and also identified a contractor for the creation of a centralised health information platform (IHIP), this Strategy Paper advocates a completely different approach, which is described as a Personal Health Records (PHR) framework. In 2021, the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) was launched under which a citizen shall have the option to obtain a digital health ID. A digital health ID is a unique ID and will carry all health records of a person.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; ">A Stack Model for Big Data Ecosystem in Healthcare</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">A stack model as envisaged in the Strategy Paper, consists of several layers of open APIs connected to each other, often tied together by a unique health identifier. The open nature of APIs has the advantage that it allows public and private actors to build solutions on top of it, which are interoperable with all parts of the stack. It is however worth considering both the ‘openness’ and the role that the state plays in it.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Even though the APIs are themselves open, they are a part of a pre-decided technological paradigm, built by private actors and blessed by the state. Even though innovators can build on it, the options available to them are limited by the information architecture created by the stack model. When such a technological paradigm is created for healthcare reform and health data, the stack model poses additional challenges. By tying the stack model to the unique identity, without appropriate processes in place for access control, siloed information, and encrypted communication, the stack model poses tremendous privacy and security concerns. The broad language under Clause 12 of the DPB needs to be looked at in this context.</p>
<p>Clause 12 allows non-consensual processing of personal data where it is necessary “for the performance of any function of the state authorised by law” in order to provide a service or benefit from the State. In the previous post, I had highlighted the import of the use of only ‘necessity’ to the exclusion of ‘proportionality’. Now, we need to consider its significance in light of the emerging digital healthcare apparatus being created by the state.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The National Health Stack and National Digital Health Mission together envision an intricate system of data collection and exchange which in a regulatory vacuum would ensure unfettered access to sensitive healthcare data for both the state and private actors registered with the platforms. The Stack framework relies on repositories where data may be accessed from multiple nodes within the system. Importantly, the Strategy Paper also envisions health data fiduciaries to facilitate consent-driven interaction between entities that generate the health data and entities that want to consume the health records for delivering services to the individual. The cast of characters involve the National Health Authority, health care providers and insurers who access the National Health Electronic Registries, unified data from different programmes such as National Health Resource Repository (NHRR), NIN database, NIC and the Registry of Hospitals in Network of Insurance (ROHINI), private actors such as Swasth, iSpirt who assist the Mission as volunteers. The currency that government and private actors are interested in is data.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The promised benefits of healthcare data in an anonymised and aggregate form range from Disease Surveillance to Pharmacovigilance as well as Health Schemes Management Systems and Nutrition Management, benefits which have only been more acutely emphasised during the pandemic. However, the pandemic has also normalised the sharing of sensitive healthcare data with a variety of actors, without much thinking on much-needed data minimisation practises.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The potential misuses of healthcare data include greater state surveillance and control, predatory and discriminatory practices by private actors which rely on Clause 12 to do away with even the pretense of informed consent so long as the processing of data is deemed necessary by the state and its private sector partners to provide any service or benefit.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Subclause (e) in Clause 12, which was added in the last version of the Bill drafted by MeitY and has been retained by the JPC, allows processing wherever it is necessary for ‘any measures’ to provide medical treatment or health services during an epidemic, outbreak or threat to public health. Yet again, the overly-broad language used here is designed to ensure that any annoyances of informed consent can be easily brushed aside wherever the state intends to take any measures under any scheme related to public health.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Effectively, how does the framework under Clause 12 alter the consent and purpose limitation model? Data protection laws introduce an element of control by tying purpose limitation to consent. Individuals provide consent to specified purposes, and data processors are required to respect that choice. Where there is no consent, the purposes of data processing are sought to be limited by the necessity principle in Clause 12. The state (or authorised parties) must be able to demonstrate necessity to the exercise of state function, and data must only be processed for those purposes which flow out of this necessity. However, unlike the consent model, this provides an opportunity to keep reinventing purposes for different state functions.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In the absence of a data protection law, data collected by one agency is shared indiscriminately with other agencies and used for multiple purposes beyond the purpose for which it was collected. The consent and purpose limitation model would have addressed this issue. But, by having a low threshold for non-consensual processing under Clause 12, this form of data processing is effectively being legitimised.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/medianama-february-21-2022-amber-sinha-data-protection-bill-digital-healthcare-case-study'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/medianama-february-21-2022-amber-sinha-data-protection-bill-digital-healthcare-case-study</a>
</p>
No publisheramberData GovernanceInternet GovernanceData ProtectionPrivacy2022-03-01T15:07:44ZBlog EntryNothing to Kid About – Children's Data Under the New Data Protection Bill
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/ijlt-shweta-mohandas-and-anamika-kundu-march-6-2022-nothing-to-kid-about-childrens-data-under-the-new-data-protection-bill
<b>The pandemic has forced policymakers to adapt their approach to people's changing practices, from looking at contactless ways of payment to the shifting of educational institutions online.</b>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 iWv3d b+iTF _78FBa _1FoOD iWv3d _1j-51 mm8Nw" style="text-align: justify; ">The article was originally <a class="external-link" href="https://www.ijlt.in/post/nothing-to-kid-about-children-s-data-under-the-new-data-protection-bill">published in the Indian Journal of Law and Technology</a></p>
<hr />
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 iWv3d b+iTF _78FBa _1FoOD iWv3d _1j-51 mm8Nw" style="text-align: justify; ">For children, the internet has shifted from being a form of entertainment to a medium to connect with friends and seek knowledge and education. However, each time they access the internet, data about them and their choices are inadvertently recorded by companies and unknown third parties. The growth of EdTech apps in India has led to growing concerns regarding children's data privacy. This has led to the creation of a <a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/edtech-firms-work-to-get-communication-right-with-the-asci/articleshow/89082308.cms" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">self-regulatory</a> body, the Indian EdTech Consortium. More recently, the <a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/edtech-firms-work-to-get-communication-right-with-the-asci/articleshow/89082308.cms" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Advertising Standard Council of India</a><span class="_3zM-5"> has </span>also started looking at passing a draft regulation to keep a check on EdTech advertisements.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 iWv3d b+iTF _78FBa _1FoOD iWv3d _1j-51 mm8Nw" style="text-align: justify; ">The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), tasked with drafting and revising the Data Protection Bill, had to consider the number of changes that had happened after the release of the 2019 version of the Bill. While the most significant change was the removal of the term “personal data” from the title of the Bill, in a move to create a comprehensive Data Protection Bill that includes both personal and non personal data. Certain other provisions of the Bill also featured additions and removals. The JPC, in its revised version of the Bill has removed an entire class of <a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-personal-data-protection-bill-2019#:~:text=Obligations%20of%20data%20fiduciary%3A%20A,specific%2C%20clear%20and%20lawful%20purpose" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">data fiduciaries</a> – guardian data fiduciary – which was tasked with greater responsibility for managing children's data. While the JPC justified the removal of the guardian data fiduciary stating that consent from the guardian of the child is enough to meet the end for which personal data of children are processed by the data fiduciary. While thought has been given to looking at how consent is given by the guardian on behalf of the child, there was no change in the age of children in the Bill. Keeping the age of consent under the Bill as the same as the age of majority to enter into a contract under the 1872 Indian Contract Act – 18 years – reveals the disconnect the law has with the ground reality of how children interact with the internet.</p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 iWv3d b+iTF _78FBa _1FoOD iWv3d _1j-51 mm8Nw" style="text-align: justify; ">In the current state of affairs where Indian children are navigating the digital world on their own there is a need to look deeply at the processing of children’s data as well as ways to ensure that children have information about consent and informational privacy. By placing the onus of granting consent on parents, the PDP Bill fails to look at how consent works in a privacy policy–based consent model and how this, in turn, harms children in the long run.</p>
<h3 class="public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 iWv3d aujbK _3M0Fe _1FoOD iWv3d _1j-51 mm8Nw">1. Age of Consent</h3>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 iWv3d b+iTF _78FBa _1FoOD iWv3d _1j-51 mm8Nw" style="text-align: justify; ">By setting the age of consent as 18 years under the Data Protection Bill, 2021, it brings all individuals under 18 years of age under one umbrella without making a distinction between the internet usage of a 5-year-old child and a 16-year-old teenager. There is a need to look at the current internet usage habits of children and assess whether requiring parental consent is reasonable or even practical. It is also pertinent to note that the law in the offline world does make the distinction between age and maturity. For example, it has been <a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/pallavi-bedi-and-shweta-mohandas-cis-comments-on-data-protection-bill" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">highlighted</a> that Section 82 of the Indian Penal Code, read with Section 83, states that any act by a child under the age of 12 years shall not be considered an offence, while the maturity of those aged between 12–18 years will be decided by the court (individuals between the age of 16–18 years can also be tried as adults for heinous crimes). Similarly, child labour laws in the country allow children above the age of 14 years to work in non-hazardous industries, which would qualify them to fall under Section 13 of the Bill, which deals with employee data.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>A 2019 </span><a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="https://reverieinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IAMAI-Digital-in-India-2019-Round-2-Report.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">report</a><span> suggests that two-thirds of India’s internet users are in the 12–29 years age group, accounting for about 21.5% of the total internet usage in metro cities. With the emergence of cheaper phones equipped with faster processing and low internet data costs, children are no longer passive consumers of the internet. They have social media accounts and use several applications to interact with others and make purchases. There is a need to examine how children and teenagers interact with the internet as well as the practicality of requiring parental consent for the usage of applications.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Most applications that require age data request users to type in their date of birth; it is not difficult for a child to input a suitable date that would make it appear that they are </span><a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jul/26/children-lie-age-facebook-asa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">over 18</a><span>. In this case they are still children but the content that will be presented to them would be those that are meant for adults including content that might be disturbing or those involving use of </span><a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jul/26/children-lie-age-facebook-asa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">alcohol and gambling. </a><span>Additionally, in their privacy policies, applications sometimes state that they are not suited for and restricted from users under 18. Here, data fiduciaries avoid liability by placing the onus on the user to declare their age and properly read and understand the privacy policy.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Reservations about the age of consent under the Bill have also been highlighted by some members of the JPC through their dissenting opinions. </span><a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="http://164.100.47.193/lsscommittee/Joint%20Committee%20on%20the%20Personal%20Data%20Protection%20Bill,%202019/17_Joint_Committee_on_the_Personal_Data_Protection_Bill_2019_1.pdf#page=221" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MP Ritesh Pandey </a><span>suggested that the age of consent should be reduced to 14 years keeping the best interest of the children in mind as well as to support children in benefiting from technological advances. Similarly, </span><a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="http://164.100.47.193/lsscommittee/Joint%20Committee%20on%20the%20Personal%20Data%20Protection%20Bill,%202019/17_Joint_Committee_on_the_Personal_Data_Protection_Bill_2019_1.pdf#page=221" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MP Manish Tiwari </a><span>in his dissenting opinion suggested regulating data fiduciaries based on the type of content they provide or data they collect.</span></p>
<h3><span>2. How is the 2021 Bill Different from the 2019 Bill?</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>The </span><a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="http://164.100.47.4/BillsTexts/LSBillTexts/Asintroduced/373_2019_LS_Eng.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2019 </a><span>draft of the Bill consisted of a class of data fiduciaries called guardian data fiduciaries – entities that operate commercial websites or online services directed at children or which process large volumes of children’s personal data. This class of fiduciaries was barred from profiling, tracking, behavioural monitoring, and running targeted advertising directed at children and undertaking any other processing of personal data that can cause significant harm to the child. In the previous draft, such data fiduciaries were not allowed to engage in ‘profiling, tracking, behavioural monitoring of children, or direct targeted advertising at children’. There was also a prohibition on conducting any activities that might significantly harm the child. As per Chapter IV, any violation could attract a penalty of up to INR 15 crore of the worldwide turnover of the data fiduciary for the preceding financial year, whichever is higher. However, this separate class of data fiduciaries do not have any additional responsibilities. It is also unclear as to whether a data fiduciary that does not by definition fall within such a category would be allowed to engage in activities that could cause ‘significant harm’ to children.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>The new Bill also does not provide any mechanisms for age verification and only lays down considerations that verification processes should be undertaken. Furthermore, the JPC has suggested that consent options available to the child when they attain the age of majority i.e. 18 years should be included within the rule frame by the Data Protection Authority instead of being an amendment in the Bill.</span></p>
<h3><span>3. In the Absence of a Guardian Data Fiduciary</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>The 2018 and 2019 drafts of the PDP Bill consider a child to be any person below the age of 18 years. For a child to access online services, the data fiduciary must first verify the age of the child and obtain consent from their guardian. The Bill does not provide an explicit process for age verification apart from stating that regulations shall be drafted in this regard. The 2019 Bill states that the Data Protection Authority shall specify codes of practice in this matter. Taking best practices into account, there is a need for ‘</span><a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="https://cuts-ccier.org/pdf/project-brief-highlighting-inclusive-and-practical-mechanisms-to-protect-childrens-data.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">user-friendly and privacy-protecting age verification techniques</a><span>’ to encourage safe navigation across the internet. This will require </span><a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="https://cuts-ccier.org/pdf/bp-global-technological-developments-in-age-verification-and-age-estimation.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">looking at </a><span>technological developments and different standards worldwide. There is a need to hold companies </span><a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="https://www.livemint.com/opinion/columns/theres-a-better-way-to-protect-the-online-privacy-of-kids-11615306723478.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">accountable</a><span> for the protection of children’s online privacy and the harm that their algorithms cause children and to make sure that they are not continued.</span></p>
<p class="public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr fixed-tab-size public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 iWv3d b+iTF _78FBa _1FoOD iWv3d _1j-51 mm8Nw" style="text-align: justify; ">The JPC in the 2021 version of the Bill removed provisions about guardian data fiduciaries, stating that there was no advantage in creating a different class of data fiduciary. As per the JPC, even those data fiduciaries that did not fall within the said classification would also need to comply with rules pertaining to the personal data of children i.e. with Section 16 of the Bill. Section 16 of the Bill requires the data fiduciary to verify the child’s age and obtain consent from the parent/guardian. The manner of age verification has also een spelt out. Furthermore, since ‘significant data fiduciaries’ is an existing class, there is still a need to comply with rules related to data processing. The JPC also removed the phrase “in the best interests of, the child” and “is in the best interests of, the child” under sub-clause 16(1), implying that the entire Bill concerned the rights of the data principal and the use of such terms dilutes the purpose of the legislation and could give way to manipulation by the data fiduciary.</p>
<h3><span>Conclusion</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Over the past two years, there has been a significant increase in applications that are targeted at children. There has been a proliferation of EduTech apps, which ideally should have more responsibility as they are processing children's data. We recommend that instead of creating a separate category, such fiduciaries collecting children's data or providing services to children be seen as ‘significant data fiduciaries’ that need to take up additional compliance measures.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Furthermore, any blanket prohibition on tracking children may obstruct safety measures that could be implemented by data fiduciaries. These fears are also increasing in other jurisdictions as there is a likelihood to restrict data fiduciaries from using software that looks out for such as </span><a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="https://www.unodc.org/e4j/en/cybercrime/module-12/key-issues/online-child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Child Sexual Abuse Material</a><span> as well as online predatory behaviour. Additionally, concerning the age of consent under the Bill, the JPC could look at international best practices and come up with ways to make sure that children can use the internet and have rights over their data, which would enable them to grow up with more awareness about data protection and privacy. One such example to look at could be the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) in the US, where the rules apply to operators of websites and online services that collect personal information from kids </span><a class="_1lsz7 _3Bkfb" href="https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-six-step-compliance" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">under 13 </a><span>or provide services to children that are directed at a general audience, but have actual knowledge that they collect personal information from such children. A form of combination of this system and the significant data fiduciary classification could be one possible way to ensure that children’s data and privacy are preserved online.</span></p>
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<p>The authors are researchers at the Centre for Internet and Society and thank their colleague Arindrajit Basu for his inputs.</p>
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For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/ijlt-shweta-mohandas-and-anamika-kundu-march-6-2022-nothing-to-kid-about-childrens-data-under-the-new-data-protection-bill'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/ijlt-shweta-mohandas-and-anamika-kundu-march-6-2022-nothing-to-kid-about-childrens-data-under-the-new-data-protection-bill</a>
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No publisherShweta Mohandas and Anamika KunduDigitalisationDigital KnowledgeInternet GovernanceData ProtectionData Management2022-03-10T13:19:52ZBlog EntryDebate: Online content row-1
https://cis-india.org/news/online-content-row
<b>In a debate moderated by TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, panelists Chandan Mitra, Editor-in-Chief, 'The Pioneer' & MP, BJP; Sabeer Bhatia, Co-founder, Hotmail; Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, Centre for Internet and Society; Ankit Fadia, Ethical Hacker; Suhel Seth, Managing Partner Counselage; Pradeep Gupta, Chairman, Cyber Media and Rajesh Charia, President, Internet Service Providers Association of India discuss the issue if the Government should make clear definition of what is objectionable to internet/social media companies and draw a clear distinction between communally incitable material and political censorship.</b>
<p>Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal today (Dec 6) vowed to stop offensive and defamatory content on internet sites as a controversy raged over government's move to monitor content in cyber space. Maintaining that the government does not want to interfere with the freedom of the press, he said if the social networking sites are not willing to cooperate with the government on stopping incendiary material "then it is the duty of the government to think of steps that we need." Sibal's hurriedly-called press conference came against backdrop of government's meetings with the officials from Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Yahoo over last few weeks after offensive material particularly against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was put on the net. He said his request for cooperation from them fell on "deaf ears" and "we will not allow intermediaries to say that the throw up our hands and we cannot do anything about it."</p>
<p>Facebook in its reaction said it will cooperate in removing any content that violates its terms which are designed to keep material that is hateful, threatening, incites violence or contains nudity off the service. Google said it will abide by local law and take any material if it violates its policies but asserted that it will not remove any content just because it is controversial. Google said that when content is illegal it abides by local law and removes it. And even where the content is legal but violates "our terms and conditions, we take that down too, once we have been notified." However, it says, when content is legal and does not violate its policies, it will not remove just because it is controversial.<br /><br />Even as Sibal defended the government's move, criticism poured in the cyber space that India should not emulate countries like China in attempting to gag freedom of expression. However, the Minister got support from Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP, who is popular in cyber world. "Have to say I support Kapil Sibal on the examples he gave me: deeply offensive material about religions & communities that could incite riots," Tharoor tweeted. But his political rivals and MPs Varun Gandhi and Jayant Choudhary differed. Gandhi said Internet is the only truly democratic medium free of "vested interests, media owners & paid-off journos. Can see why Sibal wants to gag it," he said. Chaudhary said "Censorship of the internet - Forget the desirability issue for a minute, IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE??!!!"</p>
<p><em>Sunil Abraham was on Times Now from 9.05 p.m. to 9.45 p.m. on December 6, 2011 speaking about freedom of expression in India</em>.</p>
<p>See the debate on <a class="external-link" href="http://www.timesnow.tv/Debate-Online-content-row-1/videoshow/4390736.cms">Times Now</a></p>
<p><strong>VIDEO</strong></p>
<embed width="420" height="315" style="z-index: -1;" src="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/configspace/ads/TimesWrapperEmbedVideo.swf" name="myMovie" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allownetworking="all" flashvars="contentid=0_xlcsm6m8&videosection=videoshow&channelid=10004&playerid=24&section=&autoplay=1&keywords=&title=Debate: Online content row-1&description=&duration=12:00&flavour=&relatedvideo=/videpostroll/4310636.cms&embval=false" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" quality="high" allowfullscreen="true">
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For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/news/online-content-row'>https://cis-india.org/news/online-content-row</a>
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No publisherpraskrishnaFreedom of Speech and ExpressionInternet Governance2011-12-07T11:06:19ZNews Item