Read our recommendations to @DGCAIndia on the Draft UAS (Drones) Rules. Our main recommendations were the introduction of privacy protecting measures & the prohibition of aerial surveillance. #SaveOurPrivacy 1/n
The draft Unmanned Aircraft System Rules, 2020 were notified on June 2, 2020. An unmanned aircraft system includes a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone, a ground based controller and a system of communications between the two. 2/n
We have previously sent a legal notice (Ref. No. 143/2019) to the DGCA on December 27, 2019 on the illegal use of drones by the Delhi Police during the December 2019 protests. 3/n
The Delhi Police also admitted to hiring drones for various purposes over the course of the last few months including the 2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections and during the riots in North-East Delhi. 4/n
On May 2, 2020 the MCA issued a conditional exemption wherein they allowed government authorities to procure drones for COVID-19 related activities which included aerial photography and surveillance. 5/n
In response, we sent a representation to the MCA and DGCA asking them to recall the conditional exemption and to commence an investigation into the ongoing illegal use of drones by the Delhi Police for mass surveillance. 6/n
In our submission, firstly we have recommended that certain privacy protecting measures be added into Rule 35 of the draft rules which talks about aerial photography by UAS to ensure that it protects the personally identifiable data of any individual whose image is captured.
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Our second recommendation is related to the insertion of a new rule which would prohibit aerial surveillance by drones for law enforcement purposes and would also prohibit the integration of FRT with drones for the purpose of surveillance. 8/n
Insertion of these rules are necessary in order to regulate aerial surveillance from occurring which leads to the collection of personally identifiable data of individuals over a large field of vision.
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It is important to consider that the privacy right applies even in public spaces and to acts of aerial surveillance since as per the right to privacy judgment. Help us protect your privacy by donating to us or becoming a member with IFF today! 10/n
Here’s how your beloved DigiYatra uses facial recognition technology (FRT) Content warning: ***DYSTOPIAN USES*** ⚠️⚠️ 1/10
Now that we have your attention, here are the recent ways in which Indian public authorities and police forces used (and abused) facial recognition systems, jeorpardising the human rights and data privacy of millions of Indian citizens without much accountability. 2/10 🧵
1️⃣ @tnpoliceoffl suffered a massive data leak in its FRT portal, making 8,00,000 lines of data vulnerable. This incl. personal data of policemen & FRT reports on thousands of accused persons. IFF called for a total ban on use of FRT by police forces. 3/10
🚨 On May 4, 2024, a massive breach in @tnpoliceoffl’s Facial Recognition (FRT) Portal exposed over 8,00,000 lines of data—which include 50,000 facial IDs, personal information of police officers, & details of crimes, police stations, & FIRs filed. 🚨🧵1/8
The FRT software, developed by CDAC-Kolkata and hosted on TNSDC, which was storing facial images alongside personal details of suspected, accused, & incarcerated persons, was compromised—and the list of data leaked from it is disturbingly long. ⬇️ 2/8
FRT is an extremely invasive & dangerous surveillance tool which poses direct threats to privacy, especially at the hands of law enforcement. Police forces are able to amass & process large volumes of sensitive facial data without any checks, consent, transparency, or procedural safeguards. 3/8
Been hearing some chatter around #DigiYatra? As scary questions about ownership, transparency, and data flow emerge, here is a quick rundown of everything we know about the service, and more importantly, everything we don’t. 😶🌫️🧵1/7
1️⃣Who owns DigiYatra?
In 2019, @MoCA_GoI passed on DigiYatra's operations & data ecosystem to a *private company* created for this very purpose – DigiYatra Foundation. DYF is a joint venture between 5 Indian airports (public-private, 74% stake) & @AAI_Official (public, 26%). 2/7
2️⃣ Such a public-private venture must be answerable to citizens?
Not exactly. Neither DYF nor its security audit agency @IndianCERT fall under the RTI Act. It cannot, technically, be forced to disclose any information on its data practices & security. 3/7 medianama.com/2023/03/223-ci…
Were you among the millions of @WhatsApp users who got a DM from ‘Viksit Bharat Sampark’? 🫠🫠
The account, seeking feedback on government initiatives, is now barred by the Election Commission from sending messages.
But several concerns persist… (1/10) internetfreedom.in/whatsapp-messa…
The message, accompanied by a letter from the PM, listed the various schemes and initiatives introduced by the incumbent government and was, in many cases, sent after the ECI released its Model Code of Conduct for upcoming elections. (2/10)
It stirred a storm and how…
First, we wonder how exactly did MeitY secure the contact information of such a large number of people and when/how did it begin using this information for outreach purposes? (3/10)
@GoI_MeitY has notified the @PIBFactCheck of the @MIB_India as the fact-checking unit (FCU) under the IT Amendment Rules, 2023.
The notified FCU will be empowered to flag online “false”, “fake”, or “misleading” information related to the Union govt. 1/9 🧵
The establishment of the FCU less than a month before the country heads for the #GeneralElections2024 could vastly affect the nature of free speech on the internet as it holds the potential to be (mis)used for proactive censorship, most importantly in the context of dissent. 2/9
This notification follows the March 13 decision of the Bombay HC, where the Bench refused to restrain the setting up of an FCU until the third Judge decides on the constitutionality of the 2023 Amendment.
This effectively allowed the Union govt to operationalise the FCU, despite its constitutionality being under deliberation before the High Court. 3/9
‼️Indian Railways has floated a tender for the installation of 3.3L facial recognition-enabled CCTV cameras inside railway coaches with a central face-matching server to surveil & identify passengers (adults & children) to ‘curb crime’. (1/7)
@amofficialCRIS invited tech providers to install FRT-enabled tech with ‘video analytics’ to identify faces & send them to a ‘face matching server’. This lacks legal safeguards, creates a fertile land for misidentification & staff bias, & fails Puttaswamy criteria. (2/7)
CCTV systems enabled with FRT operate in regulatory limbo as there is no legislative basis to use it to combat crime. & there’s the currently inoperational DPDPA which may not adequately regulate CCTV and FRT, leaving individuals' sensitive facial data vulnerable to misuse. (3/7)