Category: Data Protection

Metadata by TLF: Issue 14

Posted on by Tech Law Forum @ NALSAR

Welcome to our fortnightly newsletter, where our reporters Kruttika Lokesh and Dhananjay Dhonchak put together handpicked stories from the world of tech law! You can find other issues here.

India bans 59 Chinese Apps including Tik-Tok

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology announced in a press release on 29th June that it had invoked its powers under section 69A of the Information Technology Act to ban 59 Chinese applications. The Indian government cited ‘raging concerns on aspects relating to data security and safeguarding the privacy of 130 crore Indians’ as reasons behind the ban. The move comes after a border skirmish with China resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers. Regardless of the cybersecurity concerns cited in the press release, speculation remains rife over whether the ban was a retaliatory measure in light of the worsening geopolitical situation between India and China. India is a huge market for Chinese apps, particularly for the video-sharing platform Tik-Tok which had previously been banned in February 2019 for encouraging the spread of pornography and ‘cultural degradation’. The ban was ultimately lifted after assurances by Tik-Tok that it had the tools to censor explicit content. The current ban has been called a purely political decision and criticised for its procedural impropriety and its excessive restriction on dissemination of online content.

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Rethinking the Essential Facilities Doctrine In the Context of the Digital Economy

Posted on by Tech Law Forum @ NALSAR

[This post has been authored by Sanchit Khandelwal, a third year student of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.]

The ‘digital economy’ has witnessed remarkable growth and change in the last few decades and promises to continue to do so. Deepened penetration and wider access to the internet has further helped to alter the erstwhile relationship between customers and businesses. The exponential growth of computing power has enabled the upsurge of business models based on the collection and processing of ‘information/data’ exchanged between consumers and business firms.

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How Facial Recognition Systems Threaten the Right to Privacy

Posted on by Tech Law Forum @ NALSAR

[This post has been authored by Prajakta Pradhan, a 1st year student at Dr. Ram Manhar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU), Lucknow.]

Facial recognition involves the use of face mapping techniques to identify an individual’s facial features and compares it with available databanks. The facial recognition market is expected to grow to $7.7 billion in 2022 from $4 billion in 2017. The reason for this stellar growth is the varied application of facial recognition technology in both private and public sectors, with governments of many countries using facial recognition for law enforcement and surveillance.

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Abrogating Self-Regulation of E-Commerce Marketplaces: An Analysis of CCI’s Market Study

Posted on by Tech Law Forum @ NALSAR

[This post has been authored by Urmil Shah and Vishwa Mukhtyar, 3rd year students at Auro University, Surat.]

With the growth in economic activities in digital space, the e-commerce industry has gained traction in the last decade and revenue from the sector is expected to shoot USD 120 billion by 2020. Realizing the anti-competitive concerns arising out of the inventory model of e-commerce, whereby the platforms can hold inventory and sell directly to consumers, the DPIIT has disallowed FDI and permitted 100% FDI under automatic route for marketplace model. The Indian anti-trust regulator CCI, in January 2020, released a detailed report on understanding the modus operandi of e-commerce operations in India and the anti-trust ramifications in the market. The focus of the study was on e-commerce marketplace platforms in sector of goods food delivery and accommodation service. Certain competition issues are akin to this sector, which creates a novel groundwork for regulatory supervision for competition authorities includes:

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Examining Artificial Intelligence and Privacy in the light of COVID-19

Posted on by Tech Law Forum @ NALSAR

[This post has been authored by Suvam Kumar, a 3rd year student at National Law University, Jodhpur.]

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the frailty of mankind’s societies and systems. In spite of tremendous progress made by humans in several fields of life, we are rendered helpless by the rapid and uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus. In these crucial times, the role of Artificial intelligence (“AI”) becomes very important and countries like China, USA, Canada, Australia, and India have leaned on AI to fight the pandemic. The use of AI has also been approved by the World Economic Forum (“WEF”) which has emphasized the role of AI as a panacea to fight this pandemic. However, the widespread use of AI is not without its own challenges and risks. There are serious concerns regarding the application of AI in the health sector especially during a pandemic like COVID-19; however, they can be mitigated by utilizing a legal regime that regulating AI effectively and conscientiously.

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Welcoming The Era of Technology Friendly Laws in India

Posted on by Tech Law Forum @ NALSAR

This brief introduction to regulation of autonomous vehicles has been authored by Khushi Sharma and Aarushi Kapoor, second year students of Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur. [Ed. Note: This article was written before the 2019 Personal Data Protection Bill had been made public. Click here for the new Bill.]

India being the 7th largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the year 2017-18, coupled with its automobile sector which is the 4th largest in the world, are key factors driving India’s economic growth. Technological advancement is both a cause and effect of this growth. Innovative minds rule India and the world today to such an unimaginable extent that the very idea of acar running by itself with onejust sitting back and relaxing, now seems a reality. The debut of driverless vehicles in India was at Defexpo 2016 in New Delhi where Novus Drive, a driverless shuttle was introduced. However, a recurring question is ‘Are we really ready yet?’

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