Thread by @BiIndia

#Datacracy | @mozilla is not happy with India's new IT rules claiming there aren't enough checks and balances in place

@udbhav_tiwari

businessinsider.in/tech/enterpris…

By @pabsgill

@mozilla @udbhav_tiwari @pabsgill Internet giant @mozilla, the company behind Firefox browser, has always been a big propagator of the open internet. And, they are not pleased with India’s new IT Rules for social media platforms, OTTs and digital news content.

#Datacracy @udbhav_tiwari

@mozilla @udbhav_tiwari @pabsgill According to @mozilla’s public policy advisor, @udbhav_tiwari, the sudden move will have ‘disastrous consequences’ for the open internet.

#Datacracy

@mozilla @udbhav_tiwari @pabsgill “By expanding the ‘due diligence’ obligations that intermediaries will have to follow to avail safe harbour, these rules will harm end-to-end encryption, substantially increase surveillance, promote automated filtering & prompt fragmentation of the internet,” @udbhav_tiwari said.

@mozilla @udbhav_tiwari @pabsgill Tiwari highlighted six reasons why the new regulations are not going to empower Indians but harm their interests. Their implementation could even lead to unintended consequences on the overall health of the internet, according to him.

#Datacracy @udbhav_tiwari

➡️ The rules can’t be followed without breaking end-to-end encryption.

According to @mozilla, this will give platforms like #WhatsApp, #Signal and #Telegram no option but to break end-to-end encryption.

#Datacracy @udbhav_tiwari

➡️ Not enough time is provided to verify claims of misuse.

The 36-hour limit for content takedown and the 72-hour window for sharing user data is not enough to analyse requests or seek further clarification, according to Mozilla’s public policy head.

#Datacracy @udbhav_tiwari

➡️ The new laws are against Supreme Court judgement

While it's a legitimate issue, @mozilla's Tiwari points out that it goes against the Shreya Singhal judgement by the #SupremeCourt in 2015. The bench clarified that companies would only be expected to remove content when told.

➡️ They take away all anonymity provided by the Internet.

This may create an incentive for the collection of personal data. While the law says nothing about potential misuse, the details can be used to profile and target users.

#Datacracy @udbhav_tiwari

➡️ There aren’t enough checks and balances against over reach.

There are no safeguards in place to ensure that the rules themselves will not be misused just to silence opposing opinions, which may not necessarily be a ‘national security’ threat.

#Datacracy @udbhav_tiwari