Privacy concerns in Kashmir over cellphone prying: Security forces in Kashmir, particularly in its volatile south, are allegedly prying into cellphones of residents during roadside searches, raising privacy issues in a state where militants use social media to propagate their agenda and garner mass support. Even as officials denied it was routine policing practice, dozens…
Restore internet, withdraw police: GJM protests as hill shutdown enters 50th day: Demanding restoration of Internet services and immediate withdrawal of police force, the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha took out rallies in various parts of the Darjeeling hills on Thursday. As the indefinite strike called by the GJM in their demand for a separate state enters…
India should not retreat from quality of polity, freedom of speech: ex-World Bank chief economist Kaushik Basu: India should not retreat from the quality of polity and the freedom of speech, the keystones of democracy, former World Bank chief economist Kaushik Basu said in Mumbai on Friday. “Indian leaders may be concerned about the increasing…
Over 650 Social Media URLs Already Blocked in 2017, Compared to Just 10 in 2014: Ahir: The number of social media URLs blocked by the government on the recommendation of an official panel has shown a rising trend with 652 web addresses shut down this year alone compared to just 10 in 2014, official date…
On the Indian Government’s Data Protection committee: India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has set up a committee to look into data protection in India, even as the government of India argues in the Supreme Court that there is no fundamental right to privacy. The committee has 8 weeks to give its recommendations.…
SC hears right to privacy cases: Misuse of personal information cannot be dealt on a case-to-case basis, says top court: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that there has to be “overarching” guidelines to protect an individual’s private information in public domain to ensure that it was used only for an intended purpose. A nine-judge…
Right to Information Act can hinder officials giving advice on decisions: Jaitley: The Indian Right to Information (RTI) Act can sometimes inhibit bureaucrats from giving their honest opinion during the process of decision making, Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday. “Bureaucrats are free to render their advice and opinion during the process of decision making,”…
High time India had a right to privacy law: Public discourse around data privacy is probably at its zenith in India today. In the Supreme Court, a nine-judge bench is hearing arguments to decide whether right to privacy is part of the right to life of an individual under Article 21 of the Constitution. Meanwhile,…
Cybercrime spiked after demonetisation, say experts: Cybercrime has increased drastically in the country after demonetisation and has been under-reported, cyber experts said at a fintech conference organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry on Friday. Read More
Facebook’s Free Basics violates net neutrality and isn’t even that good, says report: A report released today by activist group Global Voices found that not only does Facebook’s Free Basics violate net neutrality principles, it’s not even very helpful to those who use it. Free Basics, an app that provides free access to specific services in parts…