IFF's October Newsletter
Defending the Digital Republic- IFF style!
We are excited to announce the appointment of Ms Vandita Moraka (Founder & CEO,One Future Collective) & Mr Anshul Tewari (Founder,Youth Ki Awaaz) as the new Trustees of the IFF Board. We thank them for their continued dedication and shared passion for digital and privacy rights and will continue working with them in a voluntary capacity.
We want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude towards Ms Rachita Taneja & Mr Aravind Ravi-Sulekha, for their contribution in building IFF from day zero – to what we are today. They are stepping down after serving a term of 7 years respectively as Trustees of the Board.
Speaking of new appointments…
We've got some exciting news to share! Introducing our new Executive Director, Prateek Waghre! His one-and-a-half-year term as IFF’s Policy Director was a successful one. Now, as he steps up into the role of Executive Director, we're confident that IFF will only grow steadily under his vision and leadership!
Additionally, Apar Gupta will be taking on the role of Trustee on the Board in an observer capacity.
Cheers to new beginnings and continued success! Onwards and upwards. 🌟
*sniff* *sniff* hmm, smells like election szn!
Ahead of the 2024 general elections, we bring to you #DoTheRightsThing. This series aims to assess the reporting on human rights impact undertaken by significant platforms.
As part of the first in the series, we assessed Meta's 2023 annual Human Rights Report for India. We discuss the importance of human rights impact assessments (HRIA) for Meta (formerly Facebook) in the context of its platform's impact on users' rights. Additionally, we emphasize the need for Meta to prioritize human rights and conduct comprehensive assessments to address potential issues and ensure a responsible and ethical platform.
We’re always in your corner, from censorship to surveillance.
Join the fight for digital rights and donate to IFF!
Hosted our Members’ Call for the third quarter of 2023 where we recounted all the litigation updates, policy work, and digital literacy efforts from the past three months.
Represented Tanul Thakur before the Delhi HC in his challenge to the Ministry of Electronics and IT’s continued blocking of his website, www.dowrycalculator.com. At the latest hearing, the High Court directed the Union of India to File Inter-Ministerial Committee's Report Rejecting Proposal to Unblock the "Dowry Calculator" in a Sealed Cover.
Received response on RTI requests filed with MeitY & MIB, where they admit that they ordered the censorship of tweets relating to the Muzaffarnagar slapping incident.
Received an RTI response from Delhi Police, that confirms that after we wrote to the Police Commissioner, the Google Form (seeking information on residents hailing from the NE region, Darjeeling and Ladakh) was closed and the data collected under the form was deleted on August 18, 2023.
Sent our comments to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on their draft guidelines to regulate and penalize dark patterns online.
Wrote to the newly appointed Secretaries to MeitY and DoT, welcoming them to the role and highlighting key areas that should be addressed in their tenure.
Analysing the Manipur government's order penalizing the sharing of any videos/images depicting “violent activities”, we wrote to the Home Commissioner with our concerns.
Despite the announcement of the establishment of a Fact Checking Unit (FCU) by the state government, the PIO for the Commissioner of Police rejected our first appeal inquiring about the constitution of FCU by the Bengaluru Police.
We wrote to the Ministry of Culture flagging our issues with the Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyaan 2.0 website’s privacy policy.
We wrote to the Ministry of Education outlining concerns surrounding the use of Aadhaar-based student IDs in India and its potential impact on privacy.
Published a short statement on the Apple threat notification saga. Highlighting the potential use of such illegal & unlawful surveillance tools on political figures is antithetical to the democratic ideals of our country.
And finally, IFF engaged in public advocacy on platforms beyond our own – here’s a round-up:
Discussing the lack of accountability from centers of power, as courts continue to sidestep internet shutdowns, and the perils of “limited internet shutdowns”, Apar Gupta highlights the need for political leadership to end the “cycle of violence”, in an op-ed for the Indian Express.
Addressing the legal interference in journalistic freedom in India, Apar Gupta brings to light that India is passing through a transitory emergency coupled with digital authoritarianism, in an op-ed for The Hindu.
Delving into the impact of biases on information dissemination during the Palestine-Israel conflict, Prateek Waghre emphasizes on the importance of transparent and impartial tech company policies in handling sensitive geopolitical issues.
Unpacking the impact of the omnipresent deceptive UI designs (AKA “Dark Patterns”) on user autonomy, Disha Verma & Prateek Waghre wrote about how they may be regulated, in an op-ed for Financial Express.
Analysing the Manipur government's order, which restricts the sharing of violent content, Radhika Roy & Gayatri delved into its implications on journalistic freedom and the right to information. Originally published on IFF’s website, this article was re-published by The Wire.
Believe the work we do has impact? We need your help to keep doing it!
In October 2023, IFF raised INR 10,93,408.16, of which INR 7,88,212.20 was received from UNESCO as an organizational donation, and the rest as recurring donations. Our expenses for this month were INR 7,44,979.81.
The gap between our income & expenses persists. Presently, individual donations play a pivotal role. Help us bridge this gap? Our memberships start at INR 100/month & donations of all shapes & sizes keep our work going!
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