Indian law requires governments to be reviewed by a committee of high-level government officials. We have written to the Chairperson of the Review Committee, i.e. the Chief Justice of Rajasthan urging greater scrutiny of shutdown orders.
Calcutta HC has stayed an internet shutdown order dated 03.03.2022 issued by the State of West Bengal. The HC was of the view that the order was not issued by a competent authority. The order was stayed in a petition filed by Ashlesh Biradar. IFF provided legal support.
The submission to United Nations analyses the legal basis of internet shutdowns in India, the instances of disruptions, their impact on human rights and the efforts by the Indian Government to improve internet connectivity.
At a hearing dated January 31, 2022, IFF's intervention application challenging the Telecom Suspension Rules, 2017 has been allowed by the Gauhati High Court, and IFF has been impleaded in the case. IFF is now allowed to assist the Court with oral and written submissions in the proceedings.
IFF’s #connectivitytracker for Jan 2022 is here! In this edition of the report, we analyze the data on telecom and internet connectivity, digital divide in the context of access to online education, and the progress of government schemes aimed at improving internet access.
The Standing Committee on IT has published its report on ‘Suspension of telecom services/internet and its impact’. The report has a range of recommendations including a review of the legal regime for suspension of internet services and establishing a database of internet shutdown orders.
In our latest explainer, we look at the National Digital Education Architecture, detailing what this policy entails and exploring its legislative and policy origins. We also explore issues of a lack of internet access, low digital literacy, and an inadequate consent framework.
We filed RTI applications to determine the extent of the Rajasthan government’s compliance with directions in Anuradha Bhasin. We have received a response from the Jaipur DC, who issued 30 Internet shutdown orders, which follow an identical copy, cut, paste format — same as Udaipur!
IFF is introducing its Connectivity Tracker, compiling available data related to connectivity each quarter, like: telecom subscriptions, internet connections, penetration rates, average data usage per user, and more. This edition contains data from Jan '20 to Aug '21.
We wrote to the Delhi Police asking them to expeditiously investigate the 'Sulli Deals' incident to provide closure and support to those targeted.