Daily Archives: March 25, 2015

Government not in favour of curtailing communication on social media, says Ravi Shankar Prasad
Union Communications and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre respects freedom of speech and ...

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Government not in favour of curtailing communication on social media, says Ravi Shankar Prasad - Video

SC strikes down Section 66A of IT Act Constitution guaranteeing freedom of speech and expression
SC strikes down sec 66A of IT Act, says it #39;s unconstitutional Constitution guaranteeing freedom of speech and expression. http://goo.gl/Y4yRZG Check out our website: http://www.asianetnews.tv...

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SC strikes down Section 66A of IT Act Constitution guaranteeing freedom of speech and expression - Video

Supreme Court Scraps Section 66A of IT Act | Studio N
The Supreme Court scrapped Section 66(A). A controversial cyber law, saying it reduces a citizen #39;s constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression that gave police sweeping powers...

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Supreme Court Scraps Section 66A of IT Act | Studio N - Video

Several people were victimised under Section 66(A), says Prashant Bhushan
The Supreme Court on Tuesday scrapped out a controversial law seen as a big violation of the freedom of speech online as it allowed the arrest of a person for posting offensive content. Introduced...

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Several people were victimised under Section 66(A), says Prashant Bhushan - Video

Lynn Cullen 3/24/15
NY Times article on Brown University on safe spaces and freedom of speech. Andrew Jackson may replaced by a woman on the twenty dollar bill.

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Lynn Cullen 3/24/15 - Video

ABP News BIG debate ll Can Freedom of Speech be upheld now?
For latest breaking news, other top stories log on to: http://www.abplive.in http://www.youtube.com/abpnewsTV.

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ABP News BIG debate ll Can Freedom of Speech be upheld now? - Video

ROC Constitutional country,unconstitutionality,illegal off I do a miscarriage of justice
Constitutional country, as dare unconstitutional Article 11 (freedom of speech, freedom of the press)! (Constitution) conflict (legal), then (the Constitution) is greater than the (law) of...

By: bi bi Chang

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ROC Constitutional country,unconstitutionality,illegal off I do a miscarriage of justice - Video

Pc upgrades and trouble, Bloodeborne and what seems like randomness.
I didn #39;t mention it in the video but if anyone takes offense to what I told the rep on the phone that I talk about in the video, I do not apologize because we have freedom of speech. If someone...

By: Nate Decker

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Pc upgrades and trouble, Bloodeborne and what seems like randomness. - Video

Since it was enacted in 2000, the controversial Information Technology Act, has been used by political parties to stifle criticism.

In 2008 it was amended to include Section 66(a), which stated that any person found sending information that was false, "for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred or ill will, persistently by making use of such computer resource or a communication device" could be punished.

Even 'likes' on Facebook were included in the law's provisions.

Now India's Supreme Court has scrapped it - causing the newspaper Firstpost to conclude that 24-year-old Shreya Singhal - the woman behind the law suit - had saved freedom of speech in India.

"The courts are the one place where every citizen can go," said Shreya after the offending law was struck down yesterday. "If you say something in a newspaper or on TV, thats fine, but if you say it on Facebook, you get arrested... I think there are so many people in India who are tech-savvy and very vocal about their views."

Her campaign was triggered by an argument with her mother.

After Shreya returned to India, having completed a degree in astrophysics in the UK, she found out that two girls living near Mumbai had been arrested because of a Facebook post about the controversial late politician Bal Thackaray.

Her outrage led to a heated debate at home, and her mother, herself a lawyer, challenged her to stop shouting and do something. So she did.

On Tuesday the Supreme Court judges found the law unconstitutional, saying it violated the right to freedom of speech and expression enshrined in the Indian constitution.

Facebook and Twitter have been flooded with jubilant messages from academics, students and lawyers.

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Shreya Singhal: saviour of freedom of speech in India?

This day marks freedom for Internet in India. The Supreme Court today passed a judgement on Section 66A of the Information Technology Act terming it as unconstitutional. This landmark ruling upholds the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression given under the Constitution of India.

In the past there have been many cases where citizens used the Internet as a means of free speech but were convicted or harassed under the senseless Section 66A of the IT Act. These included airing of free opinions such as criticism over the near shutdown of Mumbai city due Bal Thackerays death or political cartoons and many other cases, where the citizens were arrested for contravening the law. The new SC ruling upholds the freedom of speech in such cases.

Further, Supreme Courts reading down of the provision under section 79(3)(b), will now make it necessary to take legal permission from a court to takedown any content with the exception that the government can still issue orders to block access to websites under 69A rules. This will reduce liability on intermediaries and will go a long-way in setting up a free, fair and independent ecosystem.

Section 66A reads: Any person who sends by any means of a computer resource any information that is grossly offensive or has a menacing character; or any information which he knows to be false, but for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine.

Expressing his views on the development, Mr. R. Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM, said, Internet as a medium is meant to be free and transcend territorial borders with minimal regulation and monitoring. The IT Act has well served the objective to provide the legal framework for data security and internet laws in the country. The changes enabled by the Supreme Court judgement would provide much needed boost to the citizens of the country and help the objective of a digitally connected India.

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Freedom of Speech on Internet: SC Strikes Down Section 66A of the IT Act