Catergory

MeitY

MeitY

A DM from the PM (and the storm it stirred)

Last week, millions of WhatsApp users received a message from the Ministry of Electronics & IT, undersigned by the Prime Minister, asking for feedback on schemes introduced by the incumbent government. We unravel what this means for your privacy and the electoral process.
22 March, 2024
7 min read
Tejasi PanjiarTejasi Panjiar & Disha VermaDisha Verma
E2EE

Statement: Reportedly, IT Ministry looks to block Proton Mail on request of Tamil Nadu

Reportedly, the E2EE email service Proton Mail has received communication from MeitY regarding a potential block under S.69-A IT Act, at the request of the TN police over a hoax bomb threat sent to private schools in Chennai. 
15 February, 2024
1 min read
Internet Freedom FoundationInternet Freedom Foundation
elections

NIC withdraws polling station surveillance tender: A small win for voter rights #VoterPrivacyWatch

Following IFF's letter to the ECI raising concerns over NIC's tender for deploying drones and facial recognition technologies at polling stations in the 2024 elections, ECI directed NIC to withdraw the tender, noting risks to voter privacy.
22 January, 2024
3 min read
Disha VermaDisha Verma
MeitY

Nice to MeitYou! IFF writes to newly appointed MeitY Secretary

We wrote to the new MeitY secretary, welcoming him to the role and highlighting key areas that should be addressed in his tenure.
13 October, 2023
7 min read
Disha VermaDisha Verma & Prateek WaghrePrateek Waghre
GAC

MeitY's response to our RTI requests on GAC: delayed, denied, deficient.

MeitY responded to our 1st appeal on the RTI application pertaining to the functional and operational processes of the Grievance Appellate Committees (GAC). This post summarises the Ministry’s response (or the lack thereof) to our 1st appeal, and elaborates on our concerns denied information.
19 May, 2023
7 min read
Tejasi PanjiarTejasi Panjiar & Prateek WaghrePrateek Waghre
WhatTheBlock

Mayday Alert: 14 mobile apps banned, no blocking order released. #WhatTheBlock

In May 2023, 14 mobile apps that provided end-to-end encrypted and peer-to-peer messaging services were reportedly banned. Reasoned blocking orders and a pre-decisional hearing were reportedly not provided to these apps. IFF filed a series of RTI applications to seek more information.
10 May, 2023
7 min read
Tejasi PanjiarTejasi Panjiar, Gayatri MalhotraGayatri Malhotra, Prateek WaghrePrateek Waghre & Radhika RoyRadhika Roy
internet shutdowns

Digital censorship in Punjab: internet shutdowns and account suspensions

Internet services in Punjab were shut down from March 18 till March 21 (in some districts till March 24). Reportedly, around 120 twitter accounts were suspended/ withheld. We wrote to the Punjab government and MeitY raising concerns about the internet shutdown and withheld accounts, respectively.
31 March, 2023
4 min read
Tejasi PanjiarTejasi Panjiar & Prateek WaghrePrateek Waghre
Digital India Bill

Many mysteries of 'Digital India Bill'

This post is dedicated towards throwing some light on the much talked, heard, and discussed about ‘Digital India Bill’ (DIB), which strangely hasn’t even seen the light of the day yet.
20 February, 2023
9 min read
Tejasi PanjiarTejasi Panjiar & Prateek WaghrePrateek Waghre
MeitY

MeitY’s merry go round: Statement on blocking and unblocking(?) of apps by MeitY

MeitY has reportedly issued orders to block over 230 applications/ platforms, after receiving instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs. MeitY hasn't yet furnished an official reasoning and justification for it. Read our full statement here.
10 February, 2023
6 min read
Tejasi PanjiarTejasi Panjiar & Prateek WaghrePrateek Waghre
IT Rules, 2021

MeitY proposes another Amendment to the IT Rules: PIB’s fact-check team will be able to take down “fake” news

MeitY has proposed amendments to the IT Rules, 2021, which may require intermediaries to block access to social media posts and even news stories themselves, if the PIB terms them as “fake” or “false”.
18 January, 2023
8 min read
Tanmay SinghTanmay Singh

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