India’s political parties urged to adopt 10-point press freedom program ahead of elections
RSF asks India’s political parties to commit to press freedom by adopting ten key recommendations that aim to defend the right to reliable news and information and protect journalists.
India: Joint letters to Election Commission and platform companies on generative AI and manipulated media content
Groups reminded authorities that urgent measures are essential to ensure that elections in India remain free from manipulation.
As India prepares for elections, government silences critics on X with Executive Order
Ahead of elections, India has issued new demands to X (Twitter) to remove accounts and posts critical of the government.
Throttling telecom: Shutdowns, surveillance, and biometrics in India
SFLC.in warns that the Telecommunications Act of 2023 will broaden governmental powers in the interception and suspension of telecommunication services.
India: SFLC.in statement on reported state-sponsored surveillance of mobile devices
Apple notified several journalists and politicians that their phones may have been targeted by state-sponsored attacks.
India: Alarm over mass raids targeting independent journalists and writers
The raids were conducted as part of a wider investigation into NewsClick, an independent media outlet.
India: Impact of prolonged internet shutdown in Manipur
SFLC.in said that the current internet shutdown disproportionately impacts people, and reminded authorities that it is a tool that must be used sparingly.
India: Writer and human rights defender, Teesta Setalvad, faces imprisonment after Gujarat High Court rejects bail plea
PEN International said that the ongoing case against Teesta Setalvad takes place within an increasingly hostile environment for free expression in India.
India: Internet shutdowns hurt vulnerable communities
Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 70 people, including those directly affected by internet shutdowns in several locations.
India: SFLC.in assists in challenging ban on apps
SFLC.in said that the order for blocking the applications places unreasonable restrictions on the exercise of freedom of speech and expression.
India: Government amends IT Rules to further restrict press freedom
The new IT Rules require platforms to remove content related to “any business” of the government deemed to be “fake or false or misleading” by a fact-checking agency of the government.
Indian tax authority raids BBC after critical documentary
The raid took place a week after the government blocked social media links to the BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots.
India: Government uses emergency powers to block BBC documentary critical of Modi
India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ordered Twitter and YouTube to block clips of a BBC documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Finding 404: A report on website blocking in India
India blocked 55,580 websites, URLs, applications, social media posts and accounts between 2015 to 2022.