Lead IFF’s programme vertical, build IFF’s advocacy in emerging areas of tech policy, explain policy developments to our community, & drive real world change on digital rights!
The Meghalaya Government has replied to our legal notice and has explained its position wrt to the use of FRT for verification of pensioners’ identities! We have analysed the response here ⬇️ 1/6
The Govt. of Meghalaya says that the deployment of Facial Recognition Technology is optional and not mandatory. What it forgets is that the principles of information security must be complied by any authority collecting data, even when such collection is on a voluntary basis. 2/6
GoM says that the use of FRT doesn’t require any anchoring legislation, and doesn’t violate the right to privacy. What it forgets is that in the absence of a data protection law, the high risk of data misuse outweighs the aim of offering additional convenience to pensioners. 3/6
It’s been over a month since the new RBI guidelines for recurring card payments came into force, but the dust around us has still not settled.
Small businesses, non-profits & international services are still struggling to get a hold of the situation. 1/6 internetfreedom.in/iff-needs-your…
While some big corporations have figured their way out — either by shifting to other payment methods, offering prepaid top-ups or by temporarily offering their services for free — media houses that were finally getting a hang of the subscription model are back to square one! 2/6
Given the sudden drop in their hard-won subscribers, countless young startups that rely on the subscription model now face existential issues.
Read more about what the new RBI mandates entail, and what they really mean for India's subscribers ⬇️ 3/6 the-ken.com/the-nutgraf/ho…
#HearingUpdate! The Delhi HC issued notice on an intervention application by 7 social science researchers in the copyright case filed by large publishers trying to block LibGen & SciHub.
Elsevier, Wiley and American Chemical — 3 large corporate media houses — have sought to have LibGen and SciHub blocked in India on grounds that these websites infringe copyright in works owned by them.
But any such blocking will seriously impact the rights of researchers. 2/8
Research in India is entirely dependent on community access to resources & materials and the knowledge commons.
Especially in universities where libraries are unable to provide access to all the books and journal articles that researchers need — even more so in the pandemic. 3/8
All the internet shutdown orders issued by the Jaipur Divisional Commissioner were identical:
a. Bureaucrat recommends an internet shutdown citing ‘law and order’ concerns.
b. DC expresses satisfaction with the recommendation without reason.
c. DC suspends internet services. 2/6
Protest = Internet Shutdown
Out of 30 shutdown orders, 25 were issued during protests by the Gujjar community demanding reservations in ongoing recruitments & backlog vacancies, as well for the inclusion of a State reservation law in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. 3/6
@ProgIntl is creating an alternative — a global observatory with the legal expertise, data science, and parliamentary power to track anti-democratic attacks and provide real-time defenses against them.
Our work on electoral integrity focuses on — free and fair elections and the impact of digitisation. This is a vital issue where our engagement includes a joint representation in the 2019 General Elections to the Election Commission. (2/4)
IFF has also advocated for a digital rights charter for political parties, and many of these demands have found mention in the manifestos of national political parties for the 2019 General Elections. (3/4)