95 pc people happy with coalition rule: Pemmasani
Speaking on the occasion, he stated that the development of infrastructure is clearly visible in every ward since the coalition government came into power. He said that steps are being taken for a legal and humane solution to the issue of stray dogs, keeping in view the relevant animal protection laws. Referring to house site pattas, he assured that efforts are underway, in coordination with the local MLA, to resolve the matter quickly.
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Scroll.in
36 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
Why a court ban on encrypted email service Proton Mail has sparked digital privacy fears
A two-judge bench of the Karnataka High Court is now hearing a challenge filed by Proton AG, the Swiss company that runs the encrypted email service, Proton Mail. On April 29, a single judge of the high court had directed the Union government to block the service in India, setting off a wave of criticism from digital rights advocates. Many of them told Scroll that the court's ban set a dangerous precedent that threatens the privacy of whistle-blowers, activists, journalists, and others who rely on encryption for more secure communications. They said the court had erred in blaming encryption for Proton's alleged non-cooperation with the Karnataka police in its investigation into online harassment by anonymous culprits through its email service. What did the High Court order say? The case began when a Bengaluru-based organisation approached the High Court after some of its female employees were subjected to prolonged online harassment. The company received a torrent of emails from two Proton Mail accounts containing obscene and abusive content, including morphed images of the employees. The company filed a police complaint and reached out to Proton Mail's abuse team. While Proton disabled the offending accounts, it could not provide the company personally identifiable details of the sender of the mail. This is because, it informed the company, under Swiss law, it could only disclose user data upon receiving a formal legal request from Swiss authorities through established international cooperation channels. The police investigation hit a similar wall. The police told the court that they could not identify the culprit through the mutual legal assistance arrangements between India and Switzerland. However, the judgment didn't clarify what specific steps were taken or where those efforts stalled. Nevertheless, Justice M Nagaprasanna took a stern view of the matter in his judgment. Describing the situation as a 'menace', he noted that Proton Mail had also been used to send bomb threats to schools and even to the Chief Minister of Karnataka. 'The State machinery [is] hamstrung by the absence of enforceable cooperation from Proton AG,' Nagaprasanna observed. 'This Court fails to understand the complacency of the Union of India in not taking action towards blocking the Proton Mail…' Concluding that the court could not remain a 'mute spectator', the judge directed the Union government to initiate proceedings to block Proton Mail in India under the Information Technology Act. 'Troubling precedent' As of July 25, Proton Mail was still accessible in India. While the court's intent to protect the victims of harassment is clear, technology lawyers and digital rights advocates raised concerns about the order's sweeping nature and its wider implications. They argue that blocking an entire service used by many for the criminal acts of a few is a disproportionate response that could undermine digital security for everyone. The order 'sets a troubling precedent,' said Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia Pacific Policy Director at Access Now, a digital civil rights organisation. 'It signals that entire encrypted services can be taken down based on allegations linked to a handful of users.' A ban could lead to a domino effect, warned Apar Gupta, lawyer and founder director of the Internet Freedom Foundation. 'Other encrypted platforms could face pressure to weaken their security or risk being blocked,' he explained. 'This approach may inadvertently chill free expression, as journalists, activists and at-risk communities who rely on encrypted communications for safety might feel less secure.' This view was echoed by technology lawyer and online civil liberties activist Mishi Choudhary. 'In today's day of heightened cyber security issues and surveillance, privacy-protecting technologies are more crucial than ever,' she said. Blocking Proton Mail would not eliminate online abuse either, said technologist and interdisciplinary researcher Rohini Lakshané. 'Malicious actors can simply migrate to other encrypted email providers or deploy additional anonymisation techniques,' she said. The fear is that the High Court's order could give cover to authorities to take a heavy-handed approach towards any platform that offers privacy. 'This move will embolden the bureaucracy and the political powers to act first and think later,' cautioned Tanveer Hasan, executive director of the Centre for Internet and Society, an internet and digital technologies research organisation. As Choudhary noted, 'India cannot be a destination that issues blocking orders at the drop of a hat if investigative authorities aren't able to access some data.' Gupta warned that the order would create legal uncertainty for overseas service providers. 'Those in jurisdictions with strict privacy laws could be caught between home-country obligations and Indian court demands, deterring them from offering services in India,' he said. Encryption versus user identification A key point of contention is the court's conflation of the protection of a message's content with the ability to identify a user. The court identified encryption as a factor for the police's failed investigation – without explaining how. Encrypted services like Proton Mail are prevented from seeing the content of messages sent on their platforms, but may still access user metadata, such as internet protocol address – a unique alphanumerical identifier assigned to each computer connected to the internet – from which an account was created or accessed. Nikhil Narendran, a partner at the law firm Trilegal, argued that the ban was based on a misunderstanding of the technology 'Encryption only protects the content of a message but does not prevent a receiver or sender from disclosing it wilfully,' he explained. 'It also doesn't prevent a company from disclosing user information once the content is disclosed.' This metadata can be a crucial tool for law enforcement to trace the origin of a criminal act. In 2021, Proton Mail handed over the internet protocol address of French Proton Mail users to the French police upon an order by the Swiss government. 'So, the idea that Proton Mail is immune to legal process is simply not true,' Chima said. Sharveya Parasnis, a journalist at the technology policy portal Medianama, questioned the court's invocation of encryption. 'I don't know if the case is about encryption as much as it is about the obligation of foreign companies to comply with Indian law enforcement requests for user data,' he said. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 mandate that online platforms 'enable the identification' of anyone communicating through the platform upon a government or court order. The right way forward? Experts pointed out that a blanket ban failed the three-part test for restricting fundamental rights laid down by the Supreme Court in its landmark privacy judgment in 2018. Any restriction must be lawful, necessary and, crucially, proportionate. 'Here, less intrusive options clearly existed,' Chima said. He and other experts Scroll spoke with argued that instead of resorting to bans, Indian authorities should strengthen and use existing legal channels. India and Switzerland are both signatories to a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, a formal mechanism for requesting and obtaining evidence for criminal investigations. The treaty should be reformed 'so investigators can lawfully obtain data in a timely manner,' suggested Gupta. 'Regulators can also establish clear, transparent protocols for engaging with encrypted services based abroad, and even update outdated agreements to address modern cybercrime.' Rahul Narayan, a partner at the law firm Chandhiok & Mahajan who has expertise in privacy and data protection, batted for more legislative clarity in such situations. 'Precise parameters for when a service may be blocked should be laid down in a legislation, rather than decided on an ad-hoc basis by courts,' he said.
Indian Express
36 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Amid resentment against land pooling, CM Mann interacts with villagers in Ludhiana
Amid the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's proposed land pooling policy facing massive backlash and opposition in rural areas, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann Sunday reached Ludhiana villages to 'seeks suggestions from farmers on vital issues to create Rangla Punjab.' The chief minister's office said that 'instead of a cosy sofa, Mann interacted with villagers sitting under a tree' in Samrala and Libra of Ludhiana district, and 'sought their vital inputs regarding the carving out of Rangla Punjab and apprised them about key initiatives of his government.' 'There were no cozy sofas or the formalities of government protocol in usual meetings of the state government but there was a sense of belongingness where a Chief Minister visited the ground to open his mind with the people and get feedback from them,' said a statement. Mann said that at the time he assumed office, only 21% of canal water was being used for irrigation but today that number has risen to 63%. He said that it was 'for the first time the water of canals and rivers have reached the villages in the tail end of the state.' Mann also mentioned that his government successfully safeguarded Punjab's water resources from being diverted to other states. He informed the farmers that in order to avoid complications to them in selling their paddy harvest due to high moisture content in October, the state government has advanced the paddy cultivation season. He said that zone wise cultivation of the paddy crop has been ensured in the state along with necessary planning and arrangements. Mann said that the state was divided into zones to implement this sowing mechanism in an effective manner and the dates of paddy cultivation in a phased manner were announced soon so that farmers can take benefit from it. Mann said that he had called the Union Food Minister and urged that now the procurement of paddy must start from September 15 so that the farmers of the state can sell their in a smooth and hassle free manner. He also spoke about the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna — the first-of-its-kind scheme in the country that provides cashless medical treatment up to ₹10 lakh for every resident family in Punjab. He claimed that Punjab was the first state to offer such comprehensive healthcare coverage. The Chief Minister said that his government has revived 15947 water courses in the state due to which water has reached at the tail ends even in remotest villages. Expressing concern over big fat weddings in the state, the Chief Minister said that they are putting a huge burden on the pockets of the common farmers. Bhagwant Singh Mann, while batting for simple weddings, said that it is the need of the hour so that farmers can be pulled out of the vicious circle of debt. He quipped that the top leaders of the opposition parties are not even aware of the basic Punjabi due to which they can't read or write it well. Mann said that these leaders who had took education from high end schools were poor in speaking Punjabi due to which they can't connect with masses.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Parliament Monsoon Session Day 6 Live Updates: Fiery Op Sindoor Debate Begins In Lok Sabha Today
Parliament Monsoon Session Day 6 Live Updates: The much-awaited Operation Sindoor debate in the Parliament is all set to take the centrestage in the Parliamentary proceedings on Monday, as the Opposition demands answers from the government over India's May 7 to 10 operation against Pakistan. The Opposition also looks to corner the government over the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed in cold blood. Top Ministers in the government, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP MPs Anurag Thakur and Nishikant Dubey will take part in the Lok Sabha. LoP in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is expected to open the debate from the Opposition. The discussion in the Rajya Sabha will take place on Tuesday, July 29. Both Houses will hold 32 32-hour debate in all on the topic. India targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on May 7 operation.
