Tech Law Forum

Category: Internet Freedoms

Article 13 of the EU Copyright Directive: A license to gag freedom of expression globally?

August 9, 2019

Artificial Intelligence, Censorship, Freedom of Speech, Intellectual Property, Internet Freedoms, Internet Governance, Media Law, Regulation, Social Media, Surveillance

The following post has been authored by Bhavik Shukla, a fifth year student at National Law Institute University (NLIU) Bhopal. He is deeply interested in Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) law and Technology law. In this post, he examines the potential chilling effect of the EU Copyright Directive. Freedom of speech and expression is the bellwether…
Mackinnon’s “Consent of The Networked” Deconstruction (Part II)

July 7, 2019

Censorship, Freedom of Speech, Intellectual Property, Intermediary Liability, Internet Freedoms, Regulation, Social Media, Surveillance

SERIES INTRODUCTION Rebecca MacKinnon’s “Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom” is an interesting read on free speech, on the internet, in the context of a world where corporations are challenging the sovereignty of governments. Having read the book, I will be familiarizing readers with some of the themes and ideas discussed…
Mackinnon’s “Consent of The Networked” Deconstruction (Part I)

July 7, 2019

Censorship, Freedom of Speech, Intellectual Property, Intermediary Liability, Internet Freedoms, Internet Governance, Internet Security, Regulation, Social Media, Surveillance

SERIES INTRODUCTION Rebecca MacKinnon’s “Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom” (2012) is an interesting read on online speech. Having read the book, I will be familiarizing readers with some of the themes discussed in it. In Part I, we will discuss censorship in the context of authoritarian governments. In Part II,…
Continued Use of Section 66A of the Information Technology Act 2000

June 12, 2019

Censorship, Freedom of Speech, Internet Freedoms, Media Law, Open Access, Privacy, Recent News, Regulation, Social Media, Surveillance

The “Existence” of a Non-Existent Law and the Broader Issues it Raises The Information Technology Act 2000 (hereinafter referred to as the “IT Act”), India’s nodal law on regulation of information technology, was significantly amended in 2008 in order to plug certain loopholes in the original Act as well as accommodate further technological development within…
Do not ‘Offend, Shock, or Disturb’: Destroying the Raison d’être of Free Speech

May 3, 2019

101s, Censorship, Freedom of Speech, Internet Freedoms, Media Law, Privacy, Recent News, Regulation, Right to Privacy, Social Media, Surveillance

[Ed Note : In a post that has previously been published here, Hardik Subedi of NALSAR University of Law offers a scathing critique of Nepal’s New Information Technology Bill. Do read to find out more!] “They claim that they have brought in democracy overthrowing monarchy, But today even they have turned as lamentable as the…
The Dark Web : To Regulate Or Not Regulate, That Is The Question.

December 29, 2018

101s, Internet Freedoms, Internet Governance, Internet Security, Media Law, Privacy, Regulation, Right to Privacy, Surveillance

[Ed Note : In an interesting read, Shweta Rao of NALSAR University of Law brings us upto speed on the debate regarding regulation of the mysterious “dark web” and provides us with a possible way to proceed as far as this hidden part of the web is concerned. ] Human Traffickers, Whistleblowers, Pedophiles, Journalists and…
Kill the Kill Switch

March 21, 2017

Internet Freedoms, Internet Shutdowns, Regulation

India is at the third position in a list with some of the most ‘democratic’ countries like Syria, Saudi Arabia, etc. Internet shutdowns can have some serious free speech and free association implications, which is why it is necessary to have clear and precise regulations to ensure that this power is not used arbitrarily and…
Consent to Cookie: Analysis of European ePrivacy Regulations

February 24, 2017

Internet Freedoms, Internet Governance, Internet Jurisdiction, Regulation

This article is an analysis of the newly passed ‘Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications’ passed by the European Union. A huge part of our daily life now revolves around the usage of websites and communication mediums like Facebook, WhatsApp, Skype, etc. The suddenness with which these services have become popular left law-making authorities with…
Cashless Societies: Causes for Concern

January 21, 2017

Digital Piracy, Internet Freedoms, Privacy, Right to Privacy, Technology

Source: CNN A cashless society is no longer a myth but an impending reality, one of the causes for concern is the issue of privacy which this article deals with. The idea of a cashless society, i.e., ‘a civilization holding money, but without its most distinctive material representation – cash’, is said to have originated…
Encryption and the extent of privacy

September 24, 2016

Internet Freedoms, Internet Security, Privacy, Right to Privacy, Right to Privacy, Technology, TLF Editorial Board Test 2016

Ed. Note.: This post, by Benjamin Vanlalvena, is a part of the NALSAR Tech Law Forum Editorial Test 2016. A background of the issue On December 2, 2015, 14 people were killed and 22 were seriously injured in a terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, which consisted of a mass…