bravenewweb

a casual(ish) collective of researchers exploring the intersection of technology and rights

[Srinivas Kodali @digitaldutta]

Whatever happens in Hyderabad first, it comes to rest of India next. The idea of being punished before even being heard is literally Kafka's trial.

[Road Scholarz @roadscholarz]

Disguised slavery: These VB-GRAMG workers in Banswara (Rajasthan) have been paid Rs 72/day. Atrocious!
@Dmbanswara @MoRD_GoI

[disha verma @di_shawarma]

Completely neutral and strictly educational thread 🧵

Non-exhaustive list of all private vendors who provided surveillance tech and other tools of oppression & control to the Delhi Police during the Jantar Mantar youth protests 1/n

[bravenewweb @thebravenewweb]

Delhi Police has stationed private camera operators across Jantar Mantar to take pictures of protestors—which include minors/students—at @CJP_for_India & Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite strike.

Precedent suggests facial recognition tech may be used to profile all attendees. 1/6

[bravenewweb @thebravenewweb]

Every inch of Delhi’s designated protest site is permanently covered in networks of smart cameras, e-surveillance tools, and as some suspect, listening devices.

An ‘ikshana’ van parked at the entrance is mounted with 360-degree cameras to watch & analyse crowd behaviour. 4/6

[Cockroach Janta Party - CJP @Cockroachisback]

🚨 JANTAR MANTAR IS A PROTEST SITE, NOT A DIGITAL OPEN-AIR PRISON! 🛑

Delhi Police has stationed Facial Recognition Vans to live-scan peaceful protesters. They are harvesting biometrics and extracting personal data on the spot—and we have three direct questions for the administration:

❌ UNDER WHAT LAW IS THIS LEGAL?
Supreme Court ruled that Privacy is a Fundamental Right (Puttaswamy case). Mass-scanning citizens exercising their legal right to protest is unconstitutional.

📂 WHERE IS THIS DATA COMING FROM?
How are these AI systems identifying youth live on site? Are national databases, Aadhaar records, and public registries being illegally cross-matched to turn citizens into targets?

⚠️ HOW WILL THIS DATA BE WEAPONISED?
Who stores these facial scans? How long will they be kept? Are secret registries being built to shadow-ban, intimidate, and target students for demanding accountability?

[disha verma @di_shawarma]

not long before private tech companies build their own parallel surveillance state and start policing our every move. 👏🏽

[Srinivas Kodali @digitaldutta]

Congratulations Delhi, you are becoming Hyderabad

[Live Law @LiveLawIndia]

Delhi High Court agrees to hear on Monday PIL alleging continuous surveillance of peaceful protesters at Jantar Mantar by Delhi Police.

Plea alleges that since commencement of sit in protest and hunger strike on June 20, protesters have been subjected to continuous photography, videography and round the clock monitoring.
@Cockroachisback @CJP_for_India @Wangchuk66

[bravenewweb @thebravenewweb]

Civil liberties are at a critical junction in today’s India, and spaces of free expression and dissent need to be preserved.

We must question the misuse of technologies in stifling democratic dissent in the national capital and hold @DelhiPolice to account. 6/6

[bravenewweb @thebravenewweb]

Delhi Police has stationed private camera operators across Jantar Mantar to take pictures of protestors—which include minors/students—at @CJP_for_India & Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite strike.

Precedent suggests facial recognition tech may be used to profile all attendees. 1/6

[bravenewweb @thebravenewweb]

Right to democratic protest is a well-established fundamental right u/a 19(1)(a), (b) of the Indian Constitution. Use of FRT not only makes people exercising this right vulnerable to arbitrary police action, but also causes a chilling effect on our ability to express dissent. 5/6

[Rhydhi Gupta @RhydhiG]

If you have/haven't summited enough, do join @thebravenewweb fringe event for some Discourse and Impact Bingo @TejasiPanjiar

[disha verma @di_shawarma]

real conversations happen in alt spaces, not in manicured liminal rooms

come take refuge from AI summit posters at our fringe event tomorrow!! DM to get an invite

[Tejasi Panjiar @TejasiPanjiar]

Are you already over the AI Impact Summit?

If you’ve attended Day 1, heard from someone who has, or been on Twitter today -- you probably are.

We’ve got the perfect respite planned. Brave New Web is hosting an invite-only fringe on the 18th for some much-needed candid convos 👇

[bravenewweb @thebravenewweb]

sidestep the summit slop,
dard-e-discourse @/method

if you’ve been a good boy, you’ll find the invite in your inbox.

see you, maybe

[bravenewweb @thebravenewweb]

https://t.co/r1tUl8U8aN

[Aditi Agrawal @Aditi_muses]

New: IT parliamentary committee on wants MIB to introduce Broadcasting Bill in Parl at the earliest. In Jan submission to the committee, for the first time, MIB acknowledged the existence of the 2024 draft.

Story in today’s paper:

Link to full story: https://t.co/rkCOwYaAyw