Privacy concerns in Kashmir over cellphone prying: Security forces in Kashmir, particularly in its volatile south, are allegedly prying into cellphones of residents during roadside searches, raising privacy issues in a state where militants use social media to propagate their agenda and garner mass support. Even as officials denied it was routine policing practice, dozens…
Who Rules the Internet? A New Website Tells Us Why Women Should Think about Surveillance: A new website called ‘Gendering Surveillance’ brings you research, case studies, and articles on gendered aspects of internet surveillance. It has been put together by the Internet Democracy Project (an offshoot of the organisation Point of View) examines how the advent of…
Online surveillance: Seeking user info a rising global phenomenon: During the first half of calendar year 2016, social networking site Facebook removed access to 2,034 pieces of content based on requests by the Indian government and other agencies. This was starkly lower than the 14,971 content restricted during the six-month ago period, and 15,155 in…
INTERNET PRIVACY IN 2017: PREDICTIONS AND SECURITY ADVICE: It’s clear that 2016 was probably the worst year ever in online privacy, considering increasingly restrictive surveillance laws of governments around the world, major online hacks—such as compromised accounts of over a million Yahoo users—and authoritarian regimes blocking Internet to restrict the freedom of speech. So, what…
Govt cyber cell to watch social media posts: The Haryana government has decided to ratchet up its cyber policing with a centre for digital investigations that it will inaugurate on Wednesday in Gurgaon. The Digital Investigation Training and Analysis Centre (Ditac) will focus exclusively on social media content, picking up anything it feels is “inflammatory”…
Entertainment industry groups often equate illegal downloading to theft, an act that many people would feel guilty about carrying out. However, millions of downloaders simply do not feel any guilt when they transfer infringing content to their machines, so why is that? Scientists in Australia think they’ve found the answer. Every month millions of people…
Since the Edward Snowden disclosures in 2013, which exposed a vast spying apparatus used by intelligence agencies across the globe to collect and collate the calls, text messages and social media content of citizens, privacy has become ingrained in the public consciousness. So, in this unbridled era of smart-technology, what has happened to personal privacy?…
Shan-e-Punjab Express today became India’s first train to have CCTV cameras installed in all coaches, as part of Railways’ efforts to strengthen security of passengers particularly women travellers. “We have promised it in the budget and today we have fulfilled our promise,” Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said after flagging off the CCTV-equipped train from Amritsar…
On March 11, the Aadhaar Bill was passed by 73 of the 545 members of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, after three hours of discussion. It sanctions the bulk collection and centralisation of biometric and demographic data by the government and private businesses. Many people argue that the controversial Bill contains inadequate…