Internet Governance/Advocacy

A data-propelled tendency for economic concentration and the policy deficits that have fueled the rise of Big Tech companies have brought to the fore a critical realization – market power is coterminous with data power and the entrenched control of Big Tech over the data value chains is at the…

The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act of 2023 has rightly been criticised for failing to uphold good consent and data subject rights. One provision that has been largely overlooked is Section 16, which pertains to the transfer and processing of personal data outside India. Section 16…

In the last few years, data has been likened, aside from the hackneyed comparison to ‘oil’, to any number of tangible entities such as mineral deposits, dividend deposits, and even the Alaskan Permanent Fund. Metaphors as a tool could re-entrench existing power asymmetries or resist them,…

As procurers of all the civic tech that surrounds us, municipal authorities today find themselves in a unique position — they have become the custodians of personal and aggregate data generated by the world’s largest human concentrations. Rich or poor, large or small, democratic, autocratic, or…

In this paper, the authors argue that there is substantial scope for data governance policies for the Global South to draw from theories and practices informed by the idea that data can be a subject of decentralized, community-centric governance. First, the paper highlights the importance of…

UNESCO has released its initial draft proposal of the ‘Guidelines on Regulating Digital Platforms: a multistakeholder approach’ (Guidance Document) for inputs and observations. The document is meant to serve as a guidance on the regulation, co-regulation, and self-…

IT for Change submitted an input to the UN Human Rights B-Tech project in response to its call for inputs on gender, digital tech, and the role of business, using the lens of the United Nations Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) applied from a gender perspective. In our…

The proposal for a Global Digital Compact arose from the calls to improve digital cooperation on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. It is “expected to outline shared principles for an open, free, and secure digital future for all”, covering…

Anita Gurumurthy and Deepti Bharthur responded to a call for papers on Global AI Governance by UN Tech Envoy’s office for the first meeting of the Multistakeholder Advisory Body on AI in September 2023.

This paper builds on some key threads from a roundtable on ‘Reframing AI governance…

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has invited stakeholders to comment on the ‘Consultation Draft: Targeted update of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and their Implementation Procedures’ (Consultation Draft). The OECD Guidelines for Multinational…

IT for Change contributed to the U.S. Copyright Office's call for comments in relation to AI and copyrights. Our input spoke to the significant issues and challenges around consumption and utilization of knowledge – both public and copyrighted – in relation to the developments in the field of AI…

Continuing our engagement with UNESCO's effort to formulate a set of ‘Guidelines for Regulating Digital Platforms’ to safeguard freedom of expression and access to information, IT for Change provided comments and recommendations on the Draft 2.0 of the Guidelines. We commend the second draft of…

The Global Digital Justice Forum, led by a digital justice vision, is a multisectoral group of development organizations, digital rights networks, trade unions, feminist groups, corporate watchdogs, and communication rights campaigners [including, Campaign of Campaigns,…

The public release of ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot by OpenAI, in November 2022, percolated the public consciousness with the disruptive potential, both incredible and iniquitous, of emerging general purpose AI technologies. In the following months, AI has dominated the public discourse and…

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has proposed amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. With an aim to increase platform accountability, the proposed amendments focus heavily on stemming the…