<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Deji Olukotun</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:deji@accessnow.org">deji@accessnow.org</a>></span><br><br><br><div dir="ltr"><div>Hi to All,<br><br></div>Thought this might interest you. It's a
complex situation with a lot of flash points right now.<br><div>
<h2>Access urges officials in Gujarat, India to rescind internet disruption</h2>
<h4>4:57pm | 27 August 2015 | by <a href="https://www.accessnow.org/blog/author/122/%20Raman%20Jit%20Singh%20Chima" title="Blog posts by Raman Jit Singh Chima" target="_blank"><b> Raman Jit Singh Chima</b></a>,
<a href="https://www.accessnow.org/blog/authors/98/Max%20Anderson" target="_blank"><b>Max Anderson</b></a>, <a href="https://www.accessnow.org/blog/authors/58/Peter%20Micek" target="_blank"><b>Peter Micek</b></a></h4>
<p><img alt="gujarat_suzanne_lee" src="https://www.accessnow.org/page/-/Gujarat_suzanne_lee.jpg" style="margin-top:7px;margin-bottom:7px" title="gujarat_suzanne_lee" height="380" width="570"></p>
<p>This week telecom operators complied with a request from agencies of
the Gujarat state government to shut down SMS functionality and disrupt
mobile internet service. To justify the ongoing shutdown, the state
police are <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/india/mobile-services-blocked-in-gujarat-patel-unrest-not-the-only-one-affected-by-internet-rumours-2410362.html" style="text-decoration:none" target="_blank">reported</a> to have cited “concerns of rumour-mongering and crowd mobilization through WhatsApp”, a reference to <a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/news/politics/patel-quota-stir-continues-gujarat-government-asks-telecos-to-temporarily-shut-down-internet-services-1051614.html" style="text-decoration:none" target="_blank">ongoing actions by a group of organised protestors</a> to force a general strike, or “bandh”, across the state.</p>
<p><strong>Internet shutdowns have no place in Indian law or globally</strong></p>
<p>The disruption of the network in Gujarat for more than 60 million
residents raises many concerns. The Constitution of India provides
strong fundamental rights protecting the freedoms of expression and
association, and the right to liberty. <a href="https://www.accessnow.org/blog/2015/03/24/supreme-court-of-india-issue-historic-ruling-on-free-expression-but-disappo" style="text-decoration:none" target="_blank">Earlier this year in its landmark Shreya Singhal v. Union of India</a>
judgment, the Supreme Court of India emphasised that these fundamental
rights apply to Indian citizens accessing the internet, and that any
government measures affecting these rights have to pass careful
constitutional scrutiny.</p>
<p>The current situation is especially troubling, as news reports appear
to indicate that telecom operators merely implemented the shutdown at
the request of state government officials, and not under any direction
from the Union Government’s Department of Telecommunications — which
under Indian law holds national authority for regulating
telecommunications. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has made it clear
that any restriction by the Union Government that affects network
functioning and access to the internet must be made in accordance with
applicable law, particularly the provisions of the Information
Technology Act and Telegraph Act. So far, there has been no indication
that any such order has been passed.</p>
<p>At the global level, it has become increasingly clear that internet
shutdowns conflict with international law. This year, experts from the
UN and several human rights bodies jointly declared that shutdowns — and
other communications network “kill switches” which shut down entire
parts of communications systems — <a href="https://www.article19.org/resources.php/resource/37951/en/joint-declaration-on-freedom-of-expression-and-responses-to-conflict-situation" style="text-decoration:none" target="_blank">can never be justified</a> under international law.</p>
<p><strong>Disrupting internet access harms crisis response</strong></p>
<p>Not only are they illegal, shutdowns are bad public policy: you do
not quell “rumour-mongering” by cutting off access to information.
Attempts to block online tools for crowd mobilization
disproportionately harm everyone by restricting access to emergency
services and news reports. Blocking also cuts off avenues for public
officials and community leaders to communicate accurate information or
voice calls for restraint. There is no compelling evidence that shutting
down of communication services improves security, further casting doubt
on the value of network shutdowns as tools for public officials in
democracies.</p>
<p>Given these concerns, it is even more imperative for us to recognise
that blanket denial of internet access is a violation of fundamental
rights. As Access’ Brett Solomon <a href="https://www.accessnow.org/blog/2015/05/08/its-time-to-say-no-to-internet-shutdowns" style="text-decoration:none" target="_blank">wrote recently</a>:</p>
<p style="padding-left:30px"><em>Shutdowns are a horribly blunt
instrument: they affect dissidents and rabble-rousers, ambulance
drivers, and worried parents alike, plunging whole societies into
darkness. Rather than increasing public safety, they cut off access to
vital information and send more people into the streets.</em></p>
<p><strong>Who should fix this</strong></p>
<p>Telecommunications companies and ISPs are crucial gatekeepers in
responding to shutdown orders. We believe that they hold a
responsibility to respect the fundamental rights of their users and that
they have an obligation to ensure that users can access
telecommunications networks at all times. Together, the companies can
push back on government requests and end — or even prevent — shutdown
orders by following the steps in our <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/access.3cdn.net/1f9ab2891a86f3f081_uom6iil1w.pdf" style="text-decoration:none" target="_blank">Telco Action Plan.</a>
In the present situation, in which a blanket network shutdown might not
even meet Indian legal and regulatory requirements, the onus falls on
telcos to act and respond to the government.</p>
<p>Access strongly believes no authority should issue internet shutdown
orders, and that authorities in the state of Gujarat should urgently
rescind the current blanket measures affecting so many Indian citizens
and institutions. Public officials and telecom companies should uphold
their duty to restore unfettered internet access for millions of users.</p>
<p><strong>For more information, contact Raman Jit Singh Chima at raman [at] <a href="http://accessnow.org" target="_blank">accessnow.org</a> or at <a href="mailto:press@accessnow.org" target="_blank">press@accessnow.org</a>.</strong></p><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888">
</font></span></div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><br clear="all"><div><div><br>-- <br><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr">Deji Olukotun<br>Senior Global Advocacy Manager<br>Access | <a href="http://accessnow.org" target="_blank">accessnow.org</a><br><br>tel: <a href="tel:%2B1%20415-935-4572" value="+14159354572" target="_blank">+1 415-935-4572</a> | @dejiridoo<br>PGP: 0x6012CDA8<br>Fingerprint: 3AEE 4194 F70E C806 A810 857A 6AD5 8F48 6012 CDA8<br><br></div><div><i>Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter on digital rights, the Access Express: <a href="https://accessnow.org/express" target="_blank">accessnow.org/express</a></i><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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