🚨 Non-profits and NGOs, are you aware of how the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (2023) and the Draft Rules (2025) affect your data handling? Let’s dive in! 🧵1/10 https://internetfreedom.in/a-guidata-protection-compliance-for-civil-society-organisations-in-india/

🚨 India’s new draft data protection rules reveal a troubling tilt toward state overreach & vague governance. Our Associate Policy Counsel Karthika Rajmohan unpacks the data localisation requirements & their impact on privacy, security & trade. Read more […]

🌍🤖We are thrilled to join the AI Knowledge Consortium (AIKC)! We aim to build capacity and foster knowledge sharing to protect human rights and digital liberties as AI continues to reshape our world. 1/3

🚨 On Nov 18, 2024, the CCI hit Meta & WhatsApp with a ₹213.14 crore penalty for anti-competitive practices tied to WhatsApp's 2021 Privacy Policy update. This marks a major shift in how India views privacy & competition law in the digital age. 🧵1/7 […]

Amid the global moral panic over online child safety, and the recent Draft DPDP Rules, 2025, IFF fellows Medha Garg & Shravani Nag write in The Quint highlighting the need for a more thoughtful approach that considers broader implications […]

The Draft DPDP Rules, 2025 expand on the Govt's surveillance powers with Rule 22. Cautioning against the adverse impact on privacy if they are passed, IFF fellows Rubayya Tasneem & Injila Muslim Zaidi demystify the draft in The Wire ✨ […]

Delhi elections are heating up, & so is the use of AI-generated content. Delhi Police has filed an FIR against AAP for posting manipulated images of PM Modi & Amit Shah. But what's really at stake here? A bigger issue of inadequate & reluctant regulation by the ECI 1/10

Heard about @cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 VPN getting removed in India? We’re on it. IFF has written a letter to the I4C with questions noting our disappointment with the removal of 14 VPN Services from Indian app stores pursuant to an order issued on October 29, 2024. 🧵1/5 […] [Original post on mas.to]

“Who holds the reins—us or the state?” IFF’s Founder-Director Apar Gupta examines how the Draft Digital Data Protection Rules, 2025, threaten privacy through vague governance & overreach. 1/3 Read in The Hindu […]

🚨 Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 are here, & while they aim to strengthen data privacy, there are some major concerns. Let's break down the issues from parental consent for children's data to excessive state powers. 👇1/9 […]

On January 3, MeitY released the Draft DPDP Rules, 2025, 16 & a half months after the DPDP Act, 2024 was enacted. We wrote to MeitY with some requests to make the consultation process more accessible and transparent. 1/5 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z_cwfB9ufwweNe8k4FcTknkHNACF-Mer/view

The long-awaited Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 have been released, and to nobody’s surprise: they do little to protect our privacy 🥴 Join us Friday, January 10 for a briefing call as our team addresses it's impact. 📍Register NOW! […] [Original post on mas.to]

MeitY has released the long awaited DPDP Rules 16 & a half months after the DPDP Act, 2024 was enacted. We are dismayed that after such a long wait the Rules have failed to rise to the occasion & meet our expectations. 1/9 https://internetfreedom.in/statement-on-the-draft-dpdp-rules-2025/

As we wrap up 2024, we asked our team what they were listening to while defending your digital liberties and here's the result: IFF's 2024 Wrapped ⏪✨- a playlist of songs that kept our team going in 2024. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1aecG5Yx10o9YEiMU2kFCi

We also took on DigiYatra—the facial recognition system at airports. It’s invasive, plain & simple. So, we got creative: designing leaflets, & collabs with artists & direct advocacy with policymakers, to raise awareness about the looming dangers of DigiYatra. The message was clear—our faces […]

2024 has been quite the year for our policy vertical. We’ve worked hard to protect your digital rights—pushing back against surveillance, fighting censorship, standing up for privacy. Here’s a quick rundown of our 2024🧵1/10 […]

A heartfelt thank you to the incredible legal team: Apar Gupta, Gautam Bhatia, Brinda Bhandari, Abhinav Sekhri, Gayatri Malhotra, Rubayya Tasneem, and Medha Garg. Their dedication, brilliance, & unwavering support have been the backbone of our strategic litigation efforts. We’re so grateful to […]

From internet shutdowns to censorship, IFF fought for your digital freedoms this year. Wins, setbacks, and everything in between—take a look back at what we were up to in 2024 ⏪1/9 https://internetfreedom.in/2024-year-in-review-in-court-we-won-but-persist/

Then there’s the APAAR ID saga. Schools are pressuring parents to link kids’ Aadhaar, but the reasoning is murky. Our RTIs were redirected over 30 times before we uncovered that “special meetings” are being held to nudge consent. Something doesn’t add up. 4/5

🚨 Big updates from 2024! We filed 511 RTIs to uncover the truth about surveillance, AI, content takedowns & more, 68 First Appeals & 5 cases to the CIC. What did we find? Secretive consultations, unclear AI policies & censorship in action. 👇 […]

🚨 Quarterly Transparency Report (Oct-Dec 2024) 🚨 From AI-enabled CCTVs in hospitals to unanswered questions about APAAR IDs, we’re pushing for transparency one RTI at a time. 🧐 Read more […]

Considering the recency of the DPDP Act’s enactment, its adequacy in dealing with emerging challenges such as web scraping ought to be considered. Any new law, especially ones which deal with emerging tech, must be made future proof & equipped to handle threats. 6/8

Training AI requires huge amounts of data, & recent debates on how your public personal data is obtained through platforms like LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Meta & Bluesky have opened our eyes to the opt-out cop out – how these platforms are scraping user data for training AI often without your consent […]

📍Delhi! Catch IFF Associate Policy Counsel Karthika Rajmohan & Of-Counsel Vrinda Bhandari along with a panel of experts for CCG NLUD’s event: "Navigating Data Protection & Digital Rights: Setting the 2025 Agenda". 📅Monday, 16th Dec ⏲️5:00 - 7:30 PM 🗺Magnolia […] [Original post on mas.to]

On 6 Dec, @DoT_India notified the Telecommunications (Procedures and Safeguards for Lawful Interception of Messages) Rules, 2024 under the Telecom Act, 2023. 🛡️ Here’s a 🧵on our initial analysis of the Rules. 1/9 https://internetfreedom.in/first-read-telecom-interception-rules-2024/

From fighting Big Tech 🧑‍💻to fact-checking the constitutionality of the Fact Check Units, we’re looking out for your digital rights through it all. 💪💪 Donate to IFF or become a Member. Because we’re just chill guys 💞(fighting for your rights!) internetfreedom.in/donate

💸 Financial Disclosure: November 2024 💸 We received a total of Rs. 4,35,439.84, with Rs. 1,30,690.87 from one-time donors & Rs. 3,04,748.97 from our amazing recurring donors. 🎉 Unfortunately, our total expenses this month were Rs. 13,24,098.78. 😥 ⅓

On 22 Nov, @DoT_India notified the Critical Telecommunication Infrastructure Rules, 2024, the 3rd set of rules issued under the Telecom Act. Here is a 🧵on our initial analysis of the rules. 1/9 https://internetfreedom.in/first-read-telecom-critical-infra-rules/

Hello folks! Join us this Thursday, with our Associate Policy Council Karthika Rajmohan for a panel discussion & launch of the report “Prime[D] to Buy Flash Sales & Deceptive Design” by Advanced Study Institute of Asia. 📍5th Dec | 7:00 PM IST | Virtual https://forms.office.com/r/J3tSJ1Acie

On 22 Nov, @DoT_India notified the Suspension Rules, 2024, the 2nd set of rules issued under the Telecom Act. Here is a 🧵on our initial analysis of the rules. 1/9 https://internetfreedom.in/first-read-telecom-suspension-rules-2024/

Attention Parents 🚨🚨 Introduced by MoE as part of the NEP 2020’s ‘One Student, One Unique ID’ initiative, the APAAR ID tracks your kid's lifelong educational records. 🧵on how this data is handled & how to ensure privacy & security. 1/9 […]

The Chinese app CamScanner was banned by the Indian govt 4 years ago. But surprise, surprise! Indian govt agencies did not get the memo. 🤨⁉️1/2 Read the reporting by Ananya Bhattacharya at Rest of world here 👇 https://restofworld.org/2024/india-banned-camscanner-government-agencies/

On the occasion of 75 years of the Constitution, the Ministry of Culture has launched the http://constitution75.com website allowing citizens to ‘read the Preamble and share their videos’. However, a glance at the website's privacy policy raises some concerns. (1/10)

Ho, ho, ho! ‘Tis the szn of…Parliament’s Winter Session. As the Winter 2024 session commences on 25 Nov, we present our Legislative Brief for MPs outlining key digital rights issues which we hope to see deliberated upon in the houses. 1/8 […]

New Rules Alert! DoT on November 21, 2024, notified the Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Rules 2024. Here’s our (initial) statement on the notified Rules. 1/8 https://internetfreedom.in/first-read-telecom-cyber-security-rules-2024/

🚨 Massive Victory! 🚨 CCI has imposed a historic penalty of ₹213.14 cr (approx. $25.25 M) on Meta for abusing its dominant position via WhatsApp's 2021 Privacy Policy. IFF submitted expert information as an informant. Let’s break it down 🧵👇1/10 […]

In Sept, we found out that the Goa Govt has launched a Social Media Influencer Policy to empanel influencers to promote govt schemes & policies. However, the policy was not made public. We filed an RTI requesting the policy doc & other info on this policy. The recent response provided by the […]

Like, Share, Prescribe 🤨? On Aug 28, 2024, the UP govt introduced the Digital Media Policy, 2024 with financial incentives for digital creators. We compared 5 state-level digital media policies & their impact on our right to free speech. ⅛ […]

💸 Financial Disclosure October 2024💸 We received Rs. 576,309.68, with Rs.153,739.50 from one-time donors & Rs. 352,570.18 from IFF members! 👯1/4

Thank you Prateek Waghre 💝💝! We extend our gratitude to Prateek Waghre for his outstanding contributions as Policy Director & Executive Director at IFF. 1/2 https://internetfreedom.in/thank-you-prateek/

As grave cybersecurity incidents, like the BSNL & Star Health data leak, raise concerns about cybersecurity, our Cyber Security report, outlines the incidents that occurred during the 3rd quarter of 2024 & our actions in response. Read our 🧵here… 1/8 […]

On 13 Sept 2024, MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) issued the draft Cigarette & Other Tobacco Products Amendment Rules, 2024 for public consultation, with a deadline of 12 Oct 2024 for submitting comments. 🧵on our comments. 1/9 […]

With APAAR ID enrollments happening at breakneck speed across Indian schools, we asked Education Ministry Of India & MeitY for the law/policy document grounding the process 5 months ago. Their response? 😶‍🌫️This simple RTI request has been transferred 30+ times since. Read👇1/8 […]

📢 Listen up! We’re hiring! The Internet Freedom Foundation is looking for a Community & Fundraising Associate to join its Operations team! Join a young, dynamic (& v fun) team working at the forefront of digital rights in India. 1/4 https://internetfreedom.in/hiring-fundraising-associate/

227 RTIs on censorship, surveillance, use of AI-enabled cameras, fact-check units & many more… but alas, only a *few* substantive responses. Here’s how we sought accountability from public authorities in the third quarter of 2024. 1/9 […]

In less than 6 hours, we will be at the Global Encryption Day Summit, 2024 for the panel on 'Courts at the Crossroads’. Join us as we talk about about the state of #E2EE in South Asia in light of efforts by governments to undermine it, with a panel of digital rights […] [Original post on mas.to]

On Sept 20, 2024, Reuters reported that stolen data of Star Health Insurance customers including their medical reports were publicly accessible via chatbots on Telegram. IFF wrote to CERT-In, requesting urgent consideration of the data breach. 🔗 Link to our letter: https://lnkd.in/gd4SSqmp

🚨Happening today @ 6:30 PM! The panel discussion 'Seeing like a digital state, advocating like a citizen' starts in just 2 hours! See you at Goethe-Institut Max Mueller Bhavan⚡⚡ https://mas.to/@internetfreedom/113316896509219733

#HearingUpdate On Aug 14, 2024, the Delhi HC began hearing the consolidated petitions challenging the IT Rules, 2021, which impact online privacy & freedom of expression by granting extensive govt. control. Read our 🧵on the hearing. 1/9 https://internetfreedom.in/dhc-it-rules-2021-hearing/

Delhi, any plans for Thursday? Join us for: Seeing like a digital state, advocating like a citizen. A conversation by Alternative Futures to examine the relationship between citizens & the ‘digital’ state in collaboration with QuickSand, @info_activism & […] [Original post on mas.to]