
PIL filed in Supreme Court challenging MHA snooping notification: Report
The petition filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma challenges government's 20 December notification.

Both UPA and NDA built infrastructure, amended rules to legalise snooping: Timeline of events that led to 20 December MHA order
A look at the events which led to the 20 December MHA order on computer surveillance shows both the UPA and NDA governments have been on the same page when it comes to internet surveillance.

Firstpost Editor's Picks: MHA notification on surveillance, waning Modi wave, lost NITI Aayog; today's must-read articles
A quick rundown of the five best articles published by Firstpost on Friday, 21 December.

MHA notification: Authorised agencies don't have suo motu powers to issue interception, monitoring directions
The notification is not blanket empowerment of these agencies to carry out surveillance.

MHA says 'snooping order' based on UPA-era IT rules, no new powers conferred on any security agencies
The MHA has authorised 10 central agencies, including the IB, CBI, and ED to intercept, monitor, and decrypt "any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer" for national security

Australia passes controversial bill forcing tech companies to hand over encrypted data
The bill provides for fines of up to A$10 million ($7.3 million) for institutions and prison terms for individuals for failing to hand over data

Does a machine-colonised future await Indian youth in the era of Industry 4.0?
Industry 4.0 moves brusquely into India without moderation and qualification by academic reflection.

Amazon will sell facial recognition tech to police despite employee protests
In a recent company-wide QnA session, Andy Jassy insisted that Rekognition offered “great value.”

China introduces surveillance tool that identifies people by the way they walk
Gait recognition is part of a push across China to develop artificial-intelligence based surveillance.

Ex-Facebook security chief calls out Apple for supporting surveillance in China
Stamos spoke about how China was an “ethical blind spot” for all tech companies, including Apple.

Google to no longer bid for $10 billion cloud computing Pentagon data deal
This is partly because Google’s new ethical guidelines do not align with the project.

'Security state' China is using QR codes, big data to track, monitor Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, claims Human Rights Watch
China is using latest biometric and surveillance technology including installing QR codes on homes of the Uyghur ethnic community in the Xinjiang to track their movement and get instant access to the personal details of people living in the area, a report in the Human Rights Watch said.

US government forces Facebook to break encryption in Messenger for wiretapping
Facebook might be held in contempt of court for refusing to carry out the surveillance request.

China's use of high-tech surveillance tools rapidly expanding to contain dissent
Training firms for surveillance tools have cropped up in its military, police and private firms.

Data Protection Bill: Why it's critical we look at fair digital economy, state functions and surveillance reform
Here are three common concerns raised in the context of the Data Protection Bill recommendations.

US relaxes control on exporting high-tech products for sale in India: Wilbur Ross
Political and military ties between the countries have expanded significantly in recent years.

Amazon's controversial facial 'Rekognition' tech gets dropped by Orlando Police
Rekognition may have been booted out of Orlando, but the program could restart in future.

Beijing could introduce bio-recognition tech at subway stations, fuels privacy concerns
China is increasingly using surveillance technology for everything from bolstering domestic security to speeding up orders at fast-food restaurants.

Asserting control over data by enforcing data localisation policies is wrong
But for democracies, like India or the US, data localisation is altogether the wrong approach to law enforcement in digital society.

Google will not allow the use of its artificial intelligence technology in weapons and surveillance tools
Google will not allow its artificial intelligence software to be used in weapons or unreasonable surveillance efforts under new standards said Sundar Pichai