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Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) Profile picture
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5 Jul, 4 tweets, 2 min read
Hearing Update: @PUCLindia’s application seeking directions against the continued enforcement of S. 66A of the IT Act, 2000 is listed as item 29 before the Supreme Court. IFF has provided legal assistance in this case. We will keep you updated.
S.66A criminalised “offensive speech” on the internet. In Shreya Singhal vs Union of India (2015) 5 SCC 1, Supreme Court struck down S.66A. A summary of the decision in Shreya Singhal is available here -
globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/cases/shreya-s…
(2/n)
In 2019, PUCL had approached SC against non-compliance with the decision in Shreya Singhal. SC directed the government to provide copies of the decision in Shreya Singhal to all Chief Secretaries who in turn were directed to sensitise police departments.

internetfreedom.in/66a-zombies-co…
Yet despite directions from SC, findings on zombietracker.in (built by IFF and @CivicDataLab) demonstrate that at least 745 cases of S.66A are still pending in the 11 states from where data was gathered. @PUCLindia’s application places these findings before the Court.

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More from @internetfreedom

Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) Profile picture
6 Jul
IFF suggests that all #AgriStack implementation be halted till extensive consultations with farmers have been carried out. Issues exist with data localisation & protection, federalism, user rights, and there's a need for public investment.

Details: internetfreedom.in/iff-response-t… (1/n) Green background. Farmer el...
Robust data standards are also very much a necessity. What is the AgriStack project? Last year, we released an explainer. We have continued to engage with the issue through letters, analyses, & disseminating relevant information. #PrivacyOfThePeople (2/n)

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b. The potential threat of the erosion of privacy and data exploitation.
c. The fear of a ‘corporate takeover’ of agriculture. (3/n)
Read 9 tweets
Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) Profile picture
5 Jul
.@PUCLindia’s application seeking directions against the continued enforcement of S. 66A of the IT Act, 2000 was heard by the Supreme Court today. IFF provided legal assistance in this case. Thread: (1/n) Faded background. Outline of a police man. Text: Why is the
Section 66A of the IT Act criminalised “offensive speech” online. In 2015, the Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India held that the provision was vague & unconstitutional and declared it void ab initio, i.e. was deemed never to have existed on the statute books. (2/n)
So it makes sense that all pending cases would be dismissed, and no new cases should have been instituted under S.66A, right? Well, in 2018, a research paper by @abhinavsekhri10 and @apar1984 showed that S.66A was being used to prosecute individuals all over the country. (3/n)
Read 9 tweets
Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) Profile picture
4 Jul
You might have heard about facial recognition being used for authentication in vaccination centres. So did we — and filed an RTI application to understand the process & authenticate reports. We just got a reply confirming the use of FRT, but without any guidelines in place! (1/n) Red background with translucent elements and a yellow outlin
Although official statements said that:
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We filed an RTI application asking the MoHFW to furnish details about the use of FRT in the vaccination process.

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Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) Profile picture
23 Jun
Privacy is a right, not a privilege. So why are ASHA workers, who ensure the welfare of rural & marginalised communities, facing mass surveillance? India's incoming data law has a lot to do with these rights violations. A thread on #PrivacyOfThePeople.
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Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) look over a thousand families in 1 administrative unit, going door-to-door to increase awareness on healthcare, sanitation, etc. in rural communities. Usually, ASHAs belong to the same marginalised groups.
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Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) Profile picture
23 Jun
In keeping with a rising trend of arbitrary suspensions, Twitter has suspended actor and activist Sushant Singh (@sushant_says)'s account for the second time. We assisted him in drafting a representation to Twitter raising issues with its policies.
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Earlier, on February 1, access to Mr. Singh’s account was withheld without prior notice in response to a “legal demand”. Twitter later stated that access had been restricted due to a specific tweet. Mr. Singh deleted it, yet access was restored only after a lapse of 12 hours.
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Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) Profile picture
22 Jun
With over 2.6 million users in India, Clubhouse is growing in popularity- but we are concerned about how it fares in terms of protecting your human rights. Today we bring you our assessment of the app and suggestions on how it can improve its policies.
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Firstly, reports suggest that government law enforcement agencies such as the NIA, CBI, and IB are monitoring conversations on Clubhouse. We have filed an RTI with the Ministry of Home Affairs to determine the veracity of these reports.
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Clubhouse has not provided sufficient safeguards against rising hate speech and disinformation in India, and is not respectful of user privacy. We believe that a social media platform that was rolled out in 2020 should have accounted for these concerns.
3/n
Read 11 tweets

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