India's '21 #MonsoonSession has ended, with minimal progress + frequent disruptions over a lack of discussion around BIG issues like the #Pegasus hacks & farm bills.
In the midst of it all, we take a look at how your digital rights fared. Follow 🧵 👇🏽 1/n
internetfreedom.in/monsoon-sessio…
In the midst of it all, we take a look at how your digital rights fared. Follow 🧵 👇🏽 1/n
internetfreedom.in/monsoon-sessio…
It was an extraordinary session! In the beginning, protests around the #PegasusLeaks and farm bills led to multiple adjournments, with the government claiming a loss of 133 crore INR.
But the first 10 days also saw 12 important bills being passed with minimal discussion. 2/n
But the first 10 days also saw 12 important bills being passed with minimal discussion. 2/n
Average discussion time in the first 10 days: 7 minutes only!
Disruptions continued, with a huge ruckus in the Rajya Sabha on August 11th, leading to the house being adjourned for 2 whole days.
tl;dr: The parliament functioned for less than a quarter of the scheduled time. 3/n
Disruptions continued, with a huge ruckus in the Rajya Sabha on August 11th, leading to the house being adjourned for 2 whole days.
tl;dr: The parliament functioned for less than a quarter of the scheduled time. 3/n
Key legislation & issues still pending:
India's FIRST data protection law, the DNA Bill (which raises multiple crucial questions on privacy & surveillance), and an amendment to The Cinematograph Act that brings in significant changes to certification categories & processes. 4/n
India's FIRST data protection law, the DNA Bill (which raises multiple crucial questions on privacy & surveillance), and an amendment to The Cinematograph Act that brings in significant changes to certification categories & processes. 4/n
An important issue on the table was the controversial #ITRules that made fundamental changes to India's online experience!
Arbitrary obligations of content regulation, traceability & decryption were placed on large platforms, and the imprecise language certainly didn't help. 5/n
Arbitrary obligations of content regulation, traceability & decryption were placed on large platforms, and the imprecise language certainly didn't help. 5/n
This brings us to the biggest and most chaotic issue in Parliament this session: the explosive #Pegasus reports.
@AshwiniVaishnaw presented a bewildering speech that led to pandemonium in the Lok Sabha, with the official stance being that Pegasus was a non-issue. 6/n
@AshwiniVaishnaw presented a bewildering speech that led to pandemonium in the Lok Sabha, with the official stance being that Pegasus was a non-issue. 6/n
This reluctance to discuss #Pegasus also came through when a question about GoI’s dealings with the NSO Group was disallowed, saying that the Rajya Sabha Rules prohibit questions on subjudice matters.
But: the Speaker *can* decide to discuss a subjudice matter on discretion! 7/n
But: the Speaker *can* decide to discuss a subjudice matter on discretion! 7/n
Vital issues have now been postponed to the Winter Session, and this is the fourth successive session that has been cut short. Data protection remains a phantom, and digital rights have been put on the back-burner again. We hope these matters are taken up in the next session! 8/n
Have a thought, a meme or an interesting statistic to share? Talk to the IFF team!
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