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Rohin Garg

Rohin Garg

accesstointernet

Bridge the #DigitalDivide: On chronic inequalities in internet access

Data from the 5th NFHS survey indicates that while internet access is increasing, a significant digital divide remains as a result of issues such as gender gaps and rural-urban gaps. These inequalities are also borne out by other government statistics and our conversations with stakeholders.
07 January, 2021
5 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg
Policy

2020 in Review: Policy Advocacy in the year of Covid

2020 has been quite the eventful year, and the policy front was no different. Here is a quick breakdown of all that we achieved this year. For 2021, we hope to further increase our collaboration to increase the impact of digital rights across the spectrum of individual liberty and social welfare.
29 December, 2020
4 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg
Net Neutrality

Arbitrary blocking of websites by Indian ISPs continues unabated #WhatTheBlock

Railwire seems to be arbitrarily blocking access to Reddit and DuckDuckGo. After Railwire subscribers sent us repeated reports on SaveTheInternet.in and also tagged us on social media we wrote to them today asking them to remove these blocks and follow the license conditions for ISPs.
21 December, 2020
2 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg
DOT

Privacy Policies of Telecom Service Providers - Or Why You Shouldn't Just Click Accept

We analysed the privacy of policies of the 4 large telecom service providers to check not only whether they were Puttaswamy-compliant, but also whether they would need updating in the face of the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019. We found certain alarming issues in these policies.
18 December, 2020
7 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg

Going beyond hashtags: how to ensure AI technology truly benefits everyone

IFF has submitted its comments on NITI Aayog's draft Working Document: Enforcement Mechanisms for Responsible #AIforAll, highlighting the following issues: need for concrete principles, role of the oversight body, robust regulation for the private sector, and risk assessment based restrictions .
14 December, 2020
8 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg
Surveillance

Comments on the Draft Social Security Rules to safeguard worker's rights #SaveOurPrivacy

The Ministry of Labour released the Draft Code on Social Security (Central) Rules, 2020. In our comments on the draft, we have highlighted the following issues: mandatory aadhaar based verification and inadequate security safeguards for employee databases.
08 December, 2020
4 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg
algorithmic bias

The AgriStack: A Primer #SaveOurPrivacy

IFF has a published an explainer on the 'AgriStack' proposed by the Centre. Through the explainer we hope to provide an introduction to the 'Agristack' and it's potential benefits and drawbacks, with a larger aim of starting a public conversation about this issue.
04 December, 2020
5 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg
innovation

Data Empowerment is a result of Data Rights

IFF has submitted its comments on the draft Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture Policy. Our comments highlighted four main issues: ensuring truly informed consent, orienting new technology towards citizens, implementing a robust regulatory mechanism, and expanding the role of civil society.
30 November, 2020
5 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg
Parliament

Strengthening the Joint Parliamentary Committee process on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019

The Joint Parliamentary Committee for Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 is considering a revolutionary legislative proposal. To strengthen its process we request that the JPC work within its mandate and not consider extraneous issues, and that it consider more consultations with civil society.
25 November, 2020
3 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg
Breaches

Security incidents and the Personal Data Protection Bill. Need to do more and do better.

The recent BigBasket data breach was the most recent example of a spate of security incidents that have plagued the country recently. As work becomes more and more digital, the legislative framework for cyber security must be strengthened by strengthening the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019.
24 November, 2020
5 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg

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