Internet Freedom Foundation defends online freedom, privacy and innovation in India.

Born out of the SaveTheInternet.in movement for net neutrality, IFF works on a range of issues including net neutrality, free expression, privacy and innovation.

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Blogposts

big tech

MEITY has no legal basis to ask social media platforms to remove content in middle of India's COVID crisis!

MEITY has written letters to social media platforms. These letters ask platforms to remove content. We write to MEITY asking them to withdraw these letters as they do not have a legal basis and they curb speech.
22 May, 2021
5 min read
Krishnesh BapatKrishnesh Bapat
Data Protection
Featured

#DataProtectionTop10: Data Localisation

In part 6 of the #DataProtectionTop10 series, we look at the restrictions imposed by the PDPB on the transfer of personal data outside India. We recommend that the Bill explicitly define critical personal data and not impose undue restrictions that affect the open nature of the internet.
21 May, 2021
6 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg
AgriStack

Revealed: Ministry of Agriculture’s MOU with Microsoft on the Agristack. Urgent need for transparency and consultation!

In response to an RTI query by us, the Ministry of Agriculture provided us with a MoU between the Department of Agriculture and Microsoft, and a document titled “Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for verifying Farmer’s Database (100 Villages)”.
20 May, 2021
8 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg & Tanmay SinghTanmay Singh
RTI

IFF keeps pushing against secrecy in surveillance. CIC orders MHA to adjudicate on our request for transparency.

In 2018, we filed six RTIs seeking the number of e-surveillance orders issued by the Home Ministry in 2016-18. The information was denied to us. Two years later, in response to our second appeal, the CIC has held that our request was improperly denied.
19 May, 2021
7 min read
Tanmay SinghTanmay Singh
Data Protection
Featured

#DataProtectionTop10: Voluntary Social Media Verification

In Part 5 of the #DataProtectionTop10 series, we analyse the various issues with the inclusion of social media intermediaries under the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, and the provision for voluntary verification of user accounts. We recommend that the relevant clauses be removed.
18 May, 2021
6 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg
Net Neutrality

Telegraph Act amendments must protect net neutrality #Savetheinternet

Recent news report have said that the Telegraph Act, 1885 will be updated to include net enutrality considerations. In light of this, we have written to the DoT highlighting key issues that still persist and providing our recommendations for addressing these issues.
17 May, 2021
6 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg
DataProtectionTop10

#DataProtectionTop10: On the need to protect the rights of users

In part 4 of the #DataProtectionTop10 series, we explore the issues with the user rights under the Bill. Certain rights are not absolute and contain significant exemptions. The Bill also fails to include certain rights. To address these concerns, we recommend changes to strengthen user rights.
14 May, 2021
5 min read
Rohin GargRohin Garg
ecourts

Ensuring Equity, Accessibility and Transparency in Court: Our Comments on the Supreme Court's Draft Vision Document

Read our comments pursuant to the Draft Vision & Roadmap for Phase III of the eCourts Project released by the The eCommittee of the Supreme Court for consultation.
13 May, 2021
7 min read
Krishnesh BapatKrishnesh Bapat & Rohin GargRohin Garg
Project Panoptic

Facial Recognition Laws in Europe #ProjectPanoptic

In the second part of our series on FRT regulation around the world, we will take a look at what are the existing laws regulating FRT in Europe and where regulation is headed.
13 May, 2021
5 min read
Anushka JainAnushka Jain
Censorship

Indore Collector's welcome response - problematic paragraph repealed

Today, in a major victory for online free speech, the Collector, Indore issued an order repealing paragraph 7 of Indore's 144 order, and replacing it with clearer language, prohibiting only posts "that pose a danger to public peace, law and order, and health of the public"
12 May, 2021
6 min read
Tanmay SinghTanmay Singh

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Campaigns & Projects

The Digital Patrakar Defence Clinic provides pro bono legal assistance to all journalists in India who face legal threats related to their reporting.

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IFF’s Project Panoptic aims to bring transparency and accountability to the relevant government stakeholders involved in the deployment and implementation of facial recognition technology (FRT) projects in India.

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#SaveOurPrivacy is an online collective launched in May, 2018 to safeguard your privacy and ensure a citizen centric data protection law.

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The ‘Zombie Tracker’ is a platform which monitors cases which include a charge under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act 2000 which was deemed unconstitutional by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in Shreya Singhal v Union of India.

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