CCG Tech Podcast Centre for Communication Governance

In Episode 03 of Season 02 of the CCG Tech Podcast, Aishwarya and Shashank speak to Prateek Waghre on the major digital rights issues in the run-up to the elections. They discuss the role played by generative AI, the response from industry and government and ways to combat problems of misinformation.

Prateek Waghre is the Executive Director at the Internet Freedom Foundation. His research and work has focused on the impact of technology in democratic networked societies, the role of misinformation and disinformation in the information ecosystem, the governance of digital communication networks, data privacy, internet shutdowns, and major issues affecting the internet policy space in India.



Hosts: Aishwarya Giridhar, Shashank Mohan

Editor: Gopika P

Fact Checker: Srija Naskar

This podcast is created by the ⁠Centre for Communication Governance⁠ at NLUD. Reach out for any queries / suggestions at ccgoutreach@nludelhi.ac.in 

(The opinions expressed in the episode are personal to the speaker. The University does not subscribe to the views expressed in the episode and does not take any responsibility for the same.)

Don’t know whether the content you’re seeing online is real? Or maybe it's AI generated content? As 2024 is the biggest election year in history, countering online mis/disinformation has become an increasingly urgent and pressing concern. Increasing capabilities of Generative AI is also resulting in rampant misuse of the tech towards the spread of mis/disinformation. In this episode of the CCG Tech Podcast, Aishwarya and Fawaz speak to Karen Rebelo about countering mis/disinformation online through fact-checking. They discuss the weaponisation of mis/disinformation, the misconceptions about fact-checking, the fact-checking process, and the challenges to fact-checking, particularly with the rise of AI-generated content.



Karen Rebelo is a journalist, fact-checker and Deputy Editor at BOOM Live⁠, a fact-checking organisation based in Mumbai.




Resources:


Madhya Pradesh politician’s voice cloned to spread disinformation 


Morphed photo of wrestlers smiling in detention 



Hosts: Aishwarya Giridhar, Fawaz Shaheen



Editor: Gopika P



Fact Checker: Sukriti



This podcast is created by the ⁠Centre for Communication Governance⁠ at NLUD. Reach out for any queries / suggestions at ccgoutreach@nludelhi.ac.in 





(The opinions expressed in the episode are personal to the speaker. The University does not subscribe to the views expressed in the episode and does not take any responsibility for the same.)

How much does gender influence the digital divide in India? How do marginalized genders use the internet to access and build safe spaces? How far does anonymity go in a digital space? In Episode 01 of Season 02 of the CCG Tech Podcast, Aishwarya and Shashank speak to Bishakha Datta on the dimensions of the digital divide and gender in India. They discuss the ways in which the divide manifests, who exercises what control, on transfer of norms to online spaces, anonymity on the internet, and how the internet helps build safe spaces and community. 

Bishakha Datta is a film maker, activist and a former journalist. She is the co-founder and executive director of Point of View, based in Mumbai, a non-profit working in the area of gender, sexuality and women's rights. She also serves on the board of nonprofit organizations including Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action and the Wikimedia Foundation (2010–2014), where she was the first Indian to serve on the board of trustees.

Hosts: Aishwarya Giridhar, Shashank Mohan

Editor: Gopika P

Fact Checker: Sukriti



This podcast is created by the ⁠Centre for Communication Governance⁠ at NLU-D. Reach out for any queries / suggestions at ccgoutreach@nludelhi.ac.in 

The opinions expressed in the episode are personal to the speaker. The University does not subscribe to the views expressed in the episode and does not take any responsibility for the same.)

Net neutrality keeps coming up in public discourse in India ever since the #SaveTheInternet campaign in 2015. Recently TRAI put out a consultation on OTT regulation and selective banning of apps which has brought back the discussion on net neutrality.  In this episode, Jhalak and Shashank speak to Apar about the importance of net neutrality, his experience with the #SaveTheInternet campaign, the recent TRAI consultation on the regulation of OTT (over-the-top) communication services, internet shutdowns and the selective banning of applications.

Apar Gupta is a lawyer dedicated to advancing and protecting digital rights. He has over 13 years of experience as a lawyer and a social entrepreneur, specializing in the intersection of technology and democratic rights. He previously served as the Executive Director and later Founder Director of the Internet Freedom Foundation where he led and supported various initiatives to promote digital freedom and safeguard fundamental rights, most notably running the SaveTheInternet.in movement for net neutrality. 



Resources

For more on Apar Gupta

Apar on internet shutdowns in Manipur

For more on the recent TRAI consultation: https://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/publications/response-telecom-regulatory-authority-indias-consultation-regulatory-mechanism-over  

https://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/publications/counter-comments-telecom-regulatory-authority-india%E2%80%99s-consultation-regulatory-mechanism 



Hosts: Jhalak M. Kakkar, Shashank Mohan

Editor: Gopika P

Fact Checker: Srija Naskar

Supported by: Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom

This podcast is created by the ⁠Centre for Communication Governance⁠ at NLU-D. Reach out for any queries / suggestions at ccgoutreach@nludelhi.ac.in

When there is a gap in legislation, it often falls to the court to fill the gap. This is absolutely true in the case of digital rights in India. As the law plays catch up more often than not, the courts have stepped up to safeguard citizen’s rights. In this episode, Shashank and Tejaswita speak with Shrutanjaya Bhardwaj on the role of the judiciary in expanding digital rights in India, the challenges faced by the bar and the bench, and the role of academic institutions within the ecosystem.

Shrutanjaya Bhardwaj is a practising lawyer with 7 years of experience in litigation at the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), and various arbitral tribunals. Besides his law practice, he teaches, researches and writes on constitutional interpretation, free speech, judicial process, reservations, media law, human dignity and religious freedom. Shrutanjaya also hosts Law Vaarta, a podcast where legal issues are simplified and explained in a colloquial mix of Hindi and English.

Hosts: Shashank Mohan, Tejaswita Kharel

Editor: Gopika P

Supported by: Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom

This podcast is created by the ⁠Centre for Communication Governance⁠ at NLU-D. Reach out for any queries / suggestions at ccgoutreach@nludelhi.ac.in

Recently, the Government of India amended rules under the IT Act to introduce the requirement that encourages services like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram take down misinformation related to the government. Under these rules, a fact checking unit will be established for flagging such misinformation. This amendment was recently challenged before the Bombay High Court and we are currently awaiting judgment. In this episode, Jhalak and Shashank speak with Rakesh Maheshwari on the amendment and the challenge before the Bombay High Court. 

Rakesh Maheshwari is a former Government Officer having worked for more than 35 years in Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and retired as Sr. Director and Group Co-ordinator, Cyber Law and data Governance. He is an Engineer in Electronics and Comm. by qualification from Delhi College of Engineering.

Hosts: Jhalak M. Kakkar, Shashank Mohan

Editor: Gopika P

Fact Checker: Sukriti

Supported by: Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom

This podcast is created by the ⁠Centre for Communication Governance⁠ at NLU-D. Reach out for any queries / suggestions at ccgoutreach@nludelhi.ac.in