Research

In an interview with Anita Gurumurthy and Nandini Chami of IT for Change, Sally Burch (ALAI) explores the concept of “digital intelligence” as a broader conception of AI that takes into account the interaction between human and digital systems. This interview was originally published in Spanish by the digital magazine,…

While DPDPA 2023 is a big step, it requires changes to better safeguard worker rights.

Technological advancements, particularly in data-driven production processes, have expanded the scope of workplace regulation beyond individual privacy concerns to encompass data protections and economic justice within the paradigm of decent work…

Increasing digitalisation has spawned a system-wide disruption resulting in a reorganisation of production on a global to local scale. This is evident in both traditional value chains and in newer forms of work organisation, like platform work, cloud work, microwork and other invisible, but significant, sectors. The world…

IT for Change’s portal 'Judicial Resource Guide on Forging a Survivor-Centric Approach to Online Gender-Based Violence' serves as a tool for judges and lawyers to acquire a comprehensive understanding of gendered cyberviolence and to discover rights-based and survivor-focused solutions within the legal framework. The portal is organized into…

Tech titans are fostering new forms of digital colonialism, both within wealthy countries and on the global stage. But it’s not too late to build a digital economy that works for everyone.

The digital economy is not working.

Democracy, freedom, and prosperity were the original promises of the internet. The world wide web was a…

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 recognizing communities and groups as agents with…

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 otherwise, cities — mostly in the Global South —…

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, depending on how they impact and influence our…

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 permits data fiduciaries to transfer personal data…

Open distance learning (ODL) refers to a flexible mode of education that allows learners to study remotely, leveraging various technologies for communication and interaction. Open universities (OUs) adopt ODL to provide accessible and flexible educational opportunities for diverse learners.
Open educational…