India’s internet freedom on the decline: Report
Internet freedom declined slightly in the country even though India overtook USA to become second largest internet consumer after China.
Although India overtook the US to become the
worlds second largest internet consumer base behind China last year, internet
freedom declined slightly in the country, offsetting gains made in 2014 and
2015, a report revealed on Monday.
According to the “Freedom on the Net 2016”
report by Freedom House, a US-based think tank, both government and
non-governmental entities made efforts to bridge the digital divide in India.
After effective digital campaigning, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) introduced strong net neutrality protections in 2016, prohibiting
differentia l pricing by service providers for different content or applications.
“However, other developments undermined
internet freedom. Local authorities ordered service providers to temporarily
shut down internet access in at least 23 reported incidents in various states.
In 2016, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the use of broad
powers provided to state governments under the criminal procedure code to shut
down internet services,” the report stated.
The Supreme Court also upheld laws
criminalising defamation which apply to both online and offline speech.
“Arrests for online activities declined in
mid-2015. But arrests increased again during the coverage period of this report
(June 2015-May 2016) under other sections of the IT Act and provisions of the
penal code. At least 17 people were detained for content circulated on
WhatsApp, including group administrators who were not responsible for the
content,” the report added.
Overall, internet freedom around the world
declined in 2016 for the sixth consecutive year. Two-thirds of all internet
users — 67 percent — live in countries where criticism of the government,
military or ruling family are subject to censorship.
“Although there were no reported instances of
unlawful surveillance during the reporting period of coverage, this may be due
to the extreme opacity of the regulatory framework governing surveillance. In
May 2016, officials said the government’s Central Monitoring System — an
ambitious nationwide mass surveillance programme — became operational through
regional monitoring centres in New Delhi and Mumbai,” the report stated.
In June 2015, journalist Joginder Singh died
in Uttar Pradesh when assailants set him on fire after he posted allegations
about a local official’s wrongdoing on Facebook.
Internet penetration in India continued to
increase in 2016 with mobile penetration playing a significant role.
“Inadequate infrastructure remains a
significant obstacle to access, especially in rural areas; however, various
governmental and non-governmental efforts to improve access nationwide are
underway,” the report said.
According to the report, social media users
face unprecedented penalties, as authorities in 38 countries made arrests based
on social media posts over the past year.
Globally, 27 percent of all internet users
live in countries where people have been arrested for publishing, sharing, or
merely “liking” content on Facebook. Governments are increasingly going after
messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, which can spread information quickly
and securely,” the report stated.
“Internet freedom has declined for the sixth
consecutive year, with more governments than ever before targeting social media
and communication apps as a means of halting the rapid dissemination of
information, particularly during anti-government protests,” said Sanja Kelly of
Freedom House in a statement.
Public-facing social media platforms like
Facebook and Twitter have been subject to growing censorship for several years,
but in a new trend, governments increasingly target voice communication and
messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
These services are able to spread information
and connect users quickly and securely, making it more difficult for
authorities to control the information landscape or conduct surveillance.
PR Source
| http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/indias-internet-freedom-on-the-decline-report-4376241/
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior
Manager @ Library
Khaitan
& Co
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