Catergory

Surveillance

We will not be tracked! Indian Railways’ plans to introduce FRT surveillance in train coaches is a big departure from the right to privacy

Indian Railways has floated a tender for the installation of 3.3 lakh FRT-enabled CCTV cameras in train coaches which will be used alongside face-matching servers to surveil and identify passengers and ‘curb crime’. We write to authorities pushing back against this massive privacy violation.
12 March, 2024
10 min read

Statement: Haryana Police Seeks to Cancel Passports and Visas of Farmers Identified Through Drone & CCTV cams to be “causing disturbances” during #FarmersProtest

We are deeply perturbed by this decision and the police’s unchecked use of surveillance technologies to crack down on dissent and free speech.
29 February, 2024
1 min read

Haryana police’s use of drones against protesting farmers is a disproportionate and unconstitutional response

Haryana police is deploying drones to drop tear gas shells and potentially surveil farmers protesting near the Shambhu border as part of their Delhi Chalo march. We write to state authorities contending that such use of technology is disproportionate and unconstitutional, and must cease immediately.
24 February, 2024
5 min read

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

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

Why NIC’s proposed polling station surveillance during the 2024 elections is a terrible idea

It’s election year, and NIC is already planning on deploying FRT and drones at polling stations to surveil voters and “maintain law and order”. We write to NIC and ECI outlining why this is undemocratic, unconstitutional, and overall a terrible idea.
18 January, 2024
4 min read

Resist Surveillance Tech, Reject Digi Yatra

Digi Yatra continues to raise privacy, surveillance, exclusion and transparency concerns, made worse by the highly disturbing manner in which it is currently being deployed at airports – with coercion and deception, at the cost of passengers’ dignity, privacy, and autonomy.
16 January, 2024
12 min read

First Read: The Telecom Bill, 2023 is on Santa's evil list

The Telecom Bill, 2023, much like the 2022 one, continues to hang on to the colonial provisions of its 1885 predecessor it purportedly aims to overhaul. It misses a huge opportunity to reform the telecom sector and create a rights-centric law that protects user rights instead of infringing on it.
20 December, 2023
11 min read

A worm in the Apple? IFF writes to CERT-In as it begins probe into Apple’s state-sponsored attack notification

As CERT-In launches a probe on the recent threat notification sent by Apple to some of its users, we highlight key considerations and historical baggage that should inform the investigation.
09 November, 2023
4 min read

Madras HC issues notice on petition challenging use of FRT in Tamil Nadu

Madras High Court has issued notice in a petition challenging the installation and deployment of Facial Recognition Technology (“FRT”) across the State.
21 August, 2023
6 min read

IFF’s first read of the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023

Read our initial analysis of the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023.
03 August, 2023
9 min read

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