Internet Only 'partly Free' In India: Report

[raccoon 53]

NEW DELHI: In its latest report on the state of the internet, Freedom House puts India 14th on a list that ranks 37 countries on the basis of free and unrestricted access to the web. The list was topped by Estonia. According to the report, the internet is only "partly free" in India. It says that even though there is no substantial political censorship, bloggers and online users have been arrested in the last two years.

Among Asian countries, India is on the second position. The country scores 36 points on a scale of 100 compared to South Korea's 32. Less number denotes better access to the web. In 2009, India had scored 34 points.

Freedom House is an organization based in the US, monitoring democratic changes, human rights and freedom of speech.

"The Indian blogosphere is quite active and eloquent, complementing the rise in internet use by different interest groups and civil society actors. Bloggers are rarely forced by the government or private individuals to take down their writings, but there have been a few instances in which this has occurred," the report says.

The report specifically cites the example of Lakshmana Kailash K. "He was jailed for 50 days for allegedly defaming an Indian historical figure online," the report says. "It later emerged that another person had posted the material, and Kailash was arrested based on the (basis of a) wrong IP address."

"In the past, instances of the central government seeking to control communication technologies were relatively rare. However, following the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai and with an expanding Maoist insurgency, the need, desire, and ability of the Indian government to control the communications sector have grown," states the report. "Pressure has also increased on private intermediaries to remove certain information. Though most requests have targeted comments that might incite communal violence, some observers have raised concerns of certain removals being unnecessary."

On the overall state of the internet, the report says that even in democratic countries like Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and the UK, internet freedom is increasingly undermined by legal harassment, opaque censorship procedures, or expanding surveillance.

"The new internet restrictions around the globe are partly a response to the explosion in the popularity of advanced applications like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, through which ordinary users can easily post their own content, share information, and connect with large audiences," says the report. "While mostly serving as a form of entertainment, over the last two years these tools have also played a significant role in political and social activism."

The report talks about wide gulf between urban and rural areas when it comes to internet penetration in India. "There is a pronounced urban-rural divide, with an approximate rural user base of just 6.46 million, and only 4.18 million active users. It indicates there are approximately 10 times more urban internet users than rural internet users in India," says the report.

Source: TOI

Edited April 23, 2011 by raccoon

[ravi_patent 28]

raccon

we can safely call india kleptocracy and these are the consequences

[raccoon 53]

Kleptocracy is right, but don't you see far more ominous signs??

[digitalnirvana 646]

I believe India is parliamentary democracy even with it's failings, it would be unjust to term it as kleptocracy as it tars the entire government with same brush.

[raccoon 53]

Does it not already appear a tad rather thickly tarred?? Edited April 25, 2011 by raccoon

[city02 63]

to me its obvious that we don't have freedom of speech as long as there is a censor board and books can be banned due to objections of a vocal minority / politicians

any other freedom comes second after free speech in any democracy

next most important is secularism - not the way its practiced here where it means political appeasement

but that all citizens are treated equally under the law which is impossible without a uniform civil code

no other 'secular' democracy on the planet has different laws based on your religion

but we are 'like this only'

chalta hai ...

[ravi_patent 28]

@dipan

having observed law making from the closest and seeing the way laws are practiced/adminstered from the closest , did i infer so.most of the time efforts of those who are honest are ruined.

much before satyam's raju confessed to fraud , an IRS officer found that things are fishy, only to be transferred.

what was senoir bhushan's pioint about 50 percent of sc chief justices?

what happened to all vigil blowers?how many of us remember their names atleast.

@nath

forget about relgions .even gender equality doesnot exist. only appeasement to any one who matter . does this appeasment benefit any needy.

[digitalnirvana 646]

@Raccoon and @Ravi,

I do agree with all the points you have mentioned however took objection to the term kleptocracy.

klep·toc·ra·cy  /klɛpˈtɒkrəsi/ Show Spelled

[klep-tok-ruh-see] Show IPA

–noun, plural ‐cies.

a government or state in which those in power exploit national resources and steal; rule by a thief or thieves.

Because it implies everyone in the government or official machinery is corrupt. Even if an overwhelming number of politicians and executives in India are corrupt, still there would be few who are not. The root of the problem is that everywhere from top to bottom there is dynastic politics involved (except the communists). That does not fit with the idea of democracy at all. Plus of course there is a monstrous level of corruption which ironically is fuelled by the common man. It is easy for us to blame the system because we are not part of it. However if we did not feed the system, it would not have become this bad. I would rather not use the term kleptocracy instead describe India right now as an oligarchy with a veneer of democracy.

[rajanmehta 4,056]

No access to pornography in cyber cafes, declare new rules

Source

NEW DELHI: Fresh guidelines, which are part of Information Technology (guidelines for cyber cafe) Rules 2011, will require cyber cafe owners to "tell users" not to surf websites that contain "pornographic or obscene material". Experts termed the rule arbitrary, saying that watching pornography is not an offence in India.

According to the rules notified on April 11, all cyber cafes in the country will have to register with an "agency as notified" by the government. While some of the guidelines deal with the security threat posed by "anonymous internet users", most aim to make sure that people don't use cyber cafés to access pornographic material.

Pawan Duggal, a lawyer who specializes in IT laws, said the new guidelines were arbitrary. "Watching pornography is not illegal in India," he said. "It's absurd to ask cyber café owners to tell their customers not to access pornographic material even as law allows individuals to access adult websites unless it's not child pornography. The new rules require a second look."

The new rules suggest café owners install filtering software and keep a log of all websites accessed by customers for at least one year. Café owners have also been asked not to build a cabin/cubicle with a height of more than four and half feet. In a cyber café where there are no cubicles, "owners will have to place computers with the screens facing outward" or towards open space. The move is aimed at reducing privacy a cyber café user can get.

Duggal said if implemented earnestly, the new rules will put most of cyber café owners out of business.

Internet activists termed the guidelines "unconstitutional". Pranesh Prakash, a programme manager with Centre of Internet and Society, said the rules will violate privacy and will hamper internet users' ability to freely express themselves.

The new rules make it mandatory for user to carry an identity card. Cyber café owners have been asked to give user logs to the "registration agency" every month as well keep these records along with the log of websites accessed at the cyber café safe for a period of one year. A few café owners said that technically, it would be a daunting task to keep a record of every website accessed using their computers for a year.

While minors, if carrying identity cards have been permitted to use computers in a cyber café, they won't be allowed inside cubicles if not accompanied by guardians or parents. There is also provision of photographing cyber café users using a webcam or other device. The photographs will have to be authenticated by the user. Prakash said that photographing users raises serious privacy questions, especially in the case of children.

[digitalnirvana 646]

Big brother government, eh? When are we becoming Democratic People's Republic of Gandhistan?

Feeling quite cynical at the worthlessness of our political system. Dr. Ambedkar will be spinning in his grave.

[raccoon 53]

Ok, now do most of these laws seem to be enacted with just security in mind? Seems we are slowly turning into a police state. Does the day seem far when they will also tell us what to do at home and install cameras in all rooms? Good, at least we shall be darn safe then...

Enjoy life with big bro.

He is not just watching but wants to direct every move you make.

Btw, as far as I know, Gandhi did not dictate what you should or should not do... at least not overtly. So Gandhistan would not be the appropriate term. We are perhaps going in the direction of Saudi and the like.... its another thing that they are revolting in that part of the world too.

Edited April 26, 2011 by raccoon

[digitalnirvana 646]

^

Not talking about MK Gandhi bhai, talking about our Amul Baby's clan.

[raccoon 53]

Oh okie.

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Right to Privacy May Become Fundamental Right in India

By amending Indian Constitution.. Expected To Be Tabled in Monsoon Session of Parliament..

Source

NEW DELHI: The law ministry is working on a proposal to make right to privacy a fundamental right in the Indian Constitution.

Corporate lobbyist Niira Radia's phone tapping row and new-age surveillance techniques being extensively used to crack down on economic offences are the trigger behind the move.

"We are working on making right to privacy a fundamental right. It is likely to be tabled in the monsoon session of Parliament. However, it's difficult to commit the timeframe," law minister Veerappa Moily said.

The right to privacy would include the right to confidentiality of communication, confidentiality of private or family life, protection of his honour and good name, protection from search, detention or exposure of lawful communication between individuals, privacy from surveillance, confidentiality of banking, financial, medical and legal information, protection from identity theft of various kinds, protection of use of a person's photographs, fingerprints, DNA samples and other samples taken at police stations and other places and protection of data relating to individual.

"Many of these are already observed at a practical level. For example, it's a part of professional ethics of a lawyer or a doctor not to reveal details about clients or patients. The same applies for the banking sector. Apart from strengthening norms for interception of communication, the proposed Act will guarantee an individual's right to privacy. It's similar in the way the Constitution guarantees existing fundamental rights like right to equality, right to freedom of expression etc," explained a senior law ministry official.

The fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution include right to equality, right to freedom of speech and expression, right to property, right to education, right to conserving own culture, language and script, right to religion and right against exploitation.

If the legislation is passed, it would address several concerns expressed by some sections of the civil society. For instance, there has been outrage over the `compromise' of an individual's privacy in a project like UID, where all personal data will be available at the click of a mouse.