Digital rights group flags lack of transparency in internet shutdowns
Internet shutdown orders continue to suffer from inadequate transparency, an annual report by the Delhi-based Software Freedom Law Centre India said. “Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling in Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India, which established the principles of necessity and proportionality in restricting internet access, implementation remains inconsistent, with limited transparency and accountability,” the report said. “The absence of a structured oversight mechanism increases the risk of misuse, with shutdowns potentially being employed for purposes beyond legitimate security concerns,” the report says. Advocate and human rights activist Vrinda Grover pointed out that in spite of a Supreme Court order explicitly requiring a review committee to look at internet shutdown orders, “there are no review committee orders in the public domain, or you dig them out from I don’t know which nook and cranny of which website.” India is a frequent deployer of internet shutdowns as a tool to enforce public order.
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