Author: Rajat Kumar, Research Associate, Digital Empowerment Foundation “The internet is a crucial medium not just for personal communication or news and information, but for political participation and civic engagement. The struggle for internet freedom is consequently inseparable from the struggle for freedom of every kind.” [1] With digital connectivity on the rise and more…
In the colonial times, the conventional idea people carried about a Government was fixed to that of an unchallenged authority which restricted and controlled the lives of its citizens. However, with time, things changed and so did ideas and perceptions. Now the Government is seen as the ultimate benefactor; responsible for extending services to its…
Banks have made significant efforts in educating customers on safe banking practices, but it is often found to be inadequate in the face of a sustained cyber attacks, a top RBI official has said. Data breach arising from phishing attacks and social engineering continues to be on the rise, according to G Padmanabhan, Executive Director,…
The Delhi Dialogue Commission, the Delhi government’s ‘think tank’ led by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday, decided to form 21 task force groups on various issues ranging from Wi-Fi connectivity CCTV coverage and government on mobile to priority areas like women’s security, water, electricity, pollution and unauthorized colonies. A nine-member panel for DDC headed…
The purpose of education is to help the deprived sections of the society; and students need to make use of the opportunities while at colleges to understand the human right issues in depth, said Professor Kalyani, coordinator of the Pazhangudi Irular Padhukaapu Sangam. He was delivering the keynote address during the inauguration of the UGC…
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) executive director G Padmanabhan has called for the need for a statute protecting a common citizen against cyber fraud or cyber crime. “Cyber-attack is generally met with panic. A policy that clearly states the roles and responsibilities of each stake holder and the response that is required for each scenario will ensure that…
The Opposition on Monday charged the government for being driven by corporates even as it accused it of remaining silent over cases of communal violence and failing on national security front and stopping transfer of public money to foreign telecom firms. The main Opposition Congress also charged the BJP-led government with failing to make sufficient…
This week, the Indian government spelled out its reasons for placing higher restrictions on the Internet as compared to television or print medium, and pushed for the retention of the Section 66A of Information Technology Act, which it has itself termed “draconian“. “There are institutions which are working in other media whether it is paper,…
Facebook Inc founder Mark Zuckerberg was on hostile turf on Monday as spoke to executives at the world’s biggest annual gathering of the mobile industry, renewing attempts to win their backing to help reach billions of users with no Internet access. Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Zuckerberg sought to make peace with…
The e-commerce sector failed to find a place in the Budget for 2015-16. Measures proposed on taxation or start-ups may benefit online retailers, but there were no sector-specific measures for the sector. Sectors that made it to the budget over e-commerce were leather footwear, which received a reduction in excise duty; incense sticks, which received…