IFF provides inputs to United Nations on Internet Shutdowns

The submission to United Nations analyses the legal basis of internet shutdowns in India, the instances of disruptions, their impact on human rights and the efforts by the Indian Government to improve internet connectivity.

Gauhati HC allows IFF's intervention application in petition challenging the constitutionality of internet shutdown rules #KeepItOn

At a hearing dated January 31, 2022, IFF's intervention application challenging the Telecom Suspension Rules, 2017 has been allowed by the Gauhati High Court, and IFF has been impleaded in the case. IFF is now allowed to assist the Court with oral...

IFF explains DigiYatra: Turbulence ahead

In the second part of our series on the Ministry of Civil Aviation's DigiYatra Scheme, we analyse how the collected personal data may end up commercialised even as the Scheme fails to deliver on its promised convenience.

IFF writes to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT on the “Bulli Bai” and “Sulli Deals” Incidents

The Mumbai and Delhi Police have arrested the perpetrators of the fake online auction of Muslim women. But what took so long? We wrote to the Standing Committee with a few recommendations

IFF explains: An Election Commission vulnerability that could expose your phone number!

A vulnerability in the ECI’s National Voters Service Portal website was exposed by an independent security researcher in December last year. The vulnerability allowed access to un-redacted, registered phone numbers of voters. The vulnerability was...

IFF releases the second edition of the Connectivity Tracker #MapTheDigitalDivide

IFF’s #connectivitytracker for Jan 2022 is here! In this edition of the report, we analyze the data on telecom and internet connectivity, digital divide in the context of access to online education, and the progress of government schemes aimed at...

Internet Shutdown Rules: Gauhati HC on IFF's application

Gauhati High Court agreed to hear IFF's application question rules which empower the government to suspend internet services without any judicial/independent oversight.

IFF wrote to the MHA and the DOT seeking implementation of the recommendations made on internet shutdowns by the Standing Committee on Communication and Information Technology

tl;drThe Standing Committee on Communication and Information Technology (‘Standing Committee’) released its report on ‘Suspension of telecom services/internet and its impact (‘Report’) on December 1, 2021 highlighting several important...

IFF questions the legality of Tripura Police’s direction to block accounts on Twitter

West Agartala Police issued a notice under Section 91 of CrPC directing Twitter Inc. to block 68 Twitter pages/accounts. We wrote to the police highlighting the legal infirmities in the notice.

Introducing IFF’s Connectivity Tracker #MapTheDigitalDivide

IFF is introducing its Connectivity Tracker, compiling available data related to connectivity each quarter, like: telecom subscriptions, internet connections, penetration rates, average data usage per user, and more. This edition contains data...

IFF assisted in sending a legal notice to the Hyderabad Police Commissioner regarding search of mobile phones for keywords such as ‘ganja’

We assisted in drafting a legal notice to the Hyderabad Police, when we learned that it is stopping random passers-by on the roads, and going through their phones. News videos clearly showed police personnel asking people to unlock their phones...

IFF submits its comments on the Draft Aadhaar (Pricing of Aadhaar Authentication Services) Regulations

We have provided our comments on the Draft Aadhaar (Pricing of Aadhaar Authentication Services) Regulations 2021. In our comments, we recommended that Aadhaar authentication charges be scrapped and private entities be barred from acting as...