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Sindhu A - 28th July 2020
The lack of access to high speed internet within Indian island territories is a violation of digital equality, and a host of connected rights. This has been further exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ‘Digital India’ programme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015. It promised, among other things, nation-wide access to high […]
- 8th July 2020
The Brazilian Senate approved a bill to fight fake news on 30 June 2020. The bill now goes to the lower house and will need the President’s approval afterwards. This comes in the context of the alleged existence of a ‘bureau of hate’ led by President Bolsonaro’s allies, which supposedly coordinates virtual attacks against dissidents […]
Ananaya Agrawal - 2nd June 2020
The past months have truly tested the global healthcare system, with over 5,240,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Many countries are at the stage of ‘community outbreak’, with entire regions placed under lockdown. As governments and healthcare agencies rush to control the pandemic, concern for the privacy of citizens, in particular, of patients […]
Ashi Mehta - 11th May 2020
On 14 April 2020, during his speech on the extension of the lockdown in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to download the Aarogya Setu app to supplement the state’s efforts in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Its download was once pitched as a voluntary step taken by citizens, but a directive now makes this […]
Divij Joshi - 26th March 2020
Even as the use of technologies utilising ‘artificial intelligence’ and ‘big data’ proliferates in the public sector, their compatibility with human rights norms and constitutional rights has been circumspect. Investigations into the ‘digital welfare state’ reveal that the implementation of automated decision-making tools within essential government services is prejudicing the human rights of welfare dependents. […]
Daniel Cullen - 16th March 2020
On 30 January 2020, the High Court of Kenya – the first level of the country’s superior courts, whose decisions can be appealed to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court – handed down its judgment in the case of Nubian Rights Forum and Others v Attorney General. The case concerned a challenge to the […]
Sapan Maini-Thompson - 24th February 2020
In September 2019, the English High Court ruled the use of automated facial recognition technology (AFR) by South Wales Police Force was consistent with ECHR Article 8 and data protection legislation. Facial recognition technology harnesses a new form of biometric data, which engages a novel aspect of information privacy. By failing to interrogate how and […]
Vrinda Vinayak - 6th September 2019
The issue of importing human rights to the digital sphere, especially in the context of state surveillance, has elicited extensive debate. China’s social credit system is the epitome of the disastrous consequences of technological advancement without a commensurate commitment to human rights. This system surveils every online and offline action of Chinese citizens, and increases […]
Yohannes Eneyew Ayalew - 18th July 2019
In the month of June 2019, Ethiopia encountered two major internet shutdown measures following a potential fear of leakage of school exams over the internet, and high profile assassinations. This blog post briefly sheds light on internet shutdowns during the reign of successive prime ministers of Ethiopia, and its impact on free speech. Internet shutdown […]
Ewelina U. Ochab - 26th March 2019
On 24 January 2019, the European Court of Human Rights (the ECtHR) delivered its judgment in the case of Catt v. the UK and found that police powers to retain personal data in its Extremism Database is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. The case concerns Mr John Catt, a 94-year-old activist […]
Michelle Bright - 20th March 2019
In R. v. Jarvis, the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed that children can reasonably expect that they will not be the subject of surreptitious recording by their teachers at school. High school teacher Ryan Jarvis was charged with voyeurism contrary to section 162(1)(c) of the Criminal Code of Canada after he secretly recorded female students while […]
Purushotham Kittane - 15th March 2019
The Indian Government’s Information Technology Ministry had recently invited comments on proposed amendments to the existing guidelines for intermediaries mainly governing how social networks (and other intermediaries) facilitate the flow of information. Through this, the State seeks to come down harshly on the spread of fake news. This comes to fore as the world’s largest […]