OPEN INVITATION: Country Report Launch & Multi-stakeholder Consultation

VENUE: Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA), 1, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi, Delhi 110001.

DATE: 10TH DECEMBER 2015

TIME: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

ORGANISED BY : Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF)

DEF IMPACT team is launching the Country Research Report titled “Limited Access Restricting Expression” celebrating the human rights day on 10th December 2015. It will be followed by multi-stakeholder consultation “Understanding the “Freedom of Expression Online & Offline”. 

The consultation seeks to bring together representatives from various Human Rights Organisations, Internet NGOs and Government Representatives working in India. There will be a presentation of the summary and findings of the report across the six parameters – 1) arbitrary blocking or filtering 2) criminalization of legitimate expression; 3) imposition on intermediary liability; 4) right to privacy and data protection; 5) cybercrime & cyber attack & 6) access & disconnecting users from the internet.

This will be followed by breakout sessions with the various stakeholders to identify policy gaps and generate recommendations with the help of a facilitator. The breakout groups will then reconvene to share their findings with the larger body before the close of the session.

The report is the outcome of the first year of the IMPACT Project, funded by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and supported by the European Union. DEF is the India country partner for this project. The report aims to assess the state of specific internet rights online, including freedom of expression, by applying the APC-La Rue Frame­work, a checklist of indicators developed by APC based on the work and recommendations of Frank La Rue, the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression.

The report combines secondary desktop research with primary study methods of a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews with various stakeholders to create a holistic view on the state of the online implications of human rights in India.

Provisional Programme Agenda Click Here 

Please send e-mail to eshita@defindia.org with your short bio by 7/12/2015  if you would like to be the part of the consultation on “Understanding the “Freedom of Expression Online & Offline”. We will confirm your participation on 08/12/2015.