Protect your digital rights by helping IFF survive today!

We have raised Rs. 1635800/30,00,000 so far

66/100 members have signed up

Recurring ads on Spotify may be annoying, but we assure you that they come nowhere close to the outrageous denial of your human rights if there is nobody standing guard for your digital freedoms. Unfortunately, when RBI brought into force regulations for recurring donations on October 1, 2021, this is exactly the threat that haunted Indian civil society. As the International Centre for Non-Profit Law (ICNL) puts it, “While likely not intentionally aimed at the nonprofit sector, the directive introduced another hardship for many organizations struggling to survive.These regulations led to a drop in 70% of our members as our financial model is primarily based on Indian citizens who donate with recurring mandates every month. This is why we urge you to help us survive and continue our fight for your rights by contributing to our fundraiser and supporting us in gaining 100 members. Our goal of raising Rs. 30 lakhs and having 100 new members join us, just like October 2021, is to help us financially survive the foreseeable few months with the hope that the RBI fixes this technical issue and finds a better solution for recurring payment models like ours.

Let's look at the numbers

In August 2021, IFF had 427 members and got about 4.5 Lakhs every month. We were in a good spot, with about 12-17 net member additions every month. This was not to last, and in October with the RBI regulations kicking in we suffered a massive drop. Cards stopped working, payments broke down, and donors who wanted to give us money could not do so any longer. To overcome this disruption, we hosted a successful fundraiser that raised about Rs. 30 lakhs and cushioned us till March, 2022. We expected that things would improve within six months from October and payment systems would stabilize. But even today, depending on the bank of the donor, systems are still, touch-and-go (believe us, we have tried and will keep on trying).

Today, IFF only has 188 members and you can check on how we have been struggling over the past few months as per the transparency reports.

Our fight for your rights

Financial woes have not dented IFF’s courage or its social impact. Our team has continued marching on to protect your digital and fundamental rights from surveillance, censorship, and lack of access to the internet. We focus on results. This includes, but is not limited to, the launch of a one-of-its-kind pro-bono legal clinic for Indian journalists, the successful stay of an internet shutdown order in West Bengal, and the provision of legal representation to the victims of mass surveillance in the Pegasus case before the Supreme Court of India. We also managed to get a Draft Open Access Policy changed under which the government wanted to sell your data. All of this is only possible because of your support. So, we urge you to fundraise for us with one-time donations until there is a better solution from the RBI’s end.

Fight the dystopia of surveillance and violation of your fundamental rights by helping us raise 30 Lakhs + reach 100 members. Protect your digital rights by helping IFF survive today!

What can you do to help us urgently?

While we know how tempting it is to spend your hard-earned income on Netflix, Prime, and Spotify subscriptions, it is imperative to look at the bigger picture and contribute to the protection of your very own digital rights so that dystopias like Black Mirror don’t become the reality of Indian society.

Support, speak, and stand up for your fundamental rights. Contribute to IFF to know your privacy and digital rights are safe. Donate to and share our fundraiser as much as you can because our diligence cannot go very far without you, the people of India!

Donation Questions? Reach out to our fundraising team at [email protected]


Where are your financial transparency reports?

We believe in radical transparency and feel a sense of accountability towards all our donors. We want you to know what you're funding. Here are our reports:

How else can I help?

We need all hands on deck. If you are an individual or organisation that is interested in our work, reach out to us. Join the Internet Freedom Forum and interact directly with the IFF staff and leadership. Get involved in sustained conversations on digital rights with the larger community. You can also write to us at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!

Donate to IFF

Help IFF scale up by making a donation for digital rights. Really, when it comes to free speech online, digital privacy, net neutrality and innovation — we got your back!