NLUO to discuss Strategic Litigation on Digital Rights today

NLUO today organising a panel discussion on Strategic Litigation on Digital Rights: Examining Issues of Online Content Moderation, Internet Shutdowns and Intermediary Regulations’.

The National Law University Odisha (NLUO) in association with Internet Freedom Foundation is organising a panel discussion today on Strategic Litigation on Digital Rights: Examining Issues of Online Content Moderation, Internet Shutdowns and Intermediary Regulations’. The guest lecture will be held from 5 pm to 6:30 pm on Google Meet. 

The Internet Freedom Foundation (“IFF”) is a registered charitable trust which advocates to protect and advance constitutional freedoms in a digital society. It works across a wide spectrum of issues, with expertise in free speech, electronic surveillance, data protection, net neutrality and innovation; and aims to champion privacy protections, digital security, and individual freedoms in the digital age. 

The panellists of the discussion include Mr Tanmay Singh, a Senior Litigation Counsel at IFF. He is a graduate of the National Law School of India University (2013) and completed his Master's from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019. Mr Krishnesh Bapat is an Associate Litigation Counsel at IFF and graduated from Jindal Global Law School in 2019. Ms Anandita Mishra is an Associate Litigation Counsel at IFF and graduated from National Law University Odisha in 2019.  

NLUO's official notification reads, "'Big Brother from George Orwell’s 1984 has come to life in this internet age as Governments across the globe, seemingly desire to arrest the growth of the thriving digital space, which has become the newest avenue of disseminating information and ideas to the global populace. The lack of any clear boundaries on the limits of the powers of the authorities allows for the infringement of the privacy of their citizens and also allows for the muzzling of free speech through surveillance, internet shutdowns, etc. In light of numerous internet shutdowns in India, especially UT of J&K, the intermediary guidelines encroaching on the freedom of speech of the citizens, and the increased surveillance by the government in various forms, it is crucial to secure free speech through the intervention of the Constitutional safeguards in place."

"Recently, the Union Government has also withdrawn the Personal Data Protection Bill, which was first proposed in 2019, after pushback from a range of stakeholders such as big tech companies and civil society activists. India, being one of the largest internet markets in the world, has no basic framework to protect the privacy of its citizens, and the Government shows no signs of urgency. This paves the way for blatant abuses of power by authorities to control the dissemination of information as well as curb liberties granted by the Constitution," added the notification.

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