Digital rights group claims clarity from DoT on blocking WeTransfer
By MYBRANDBOOK
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has declined to give reasons for blocking WeTransfer last month, on grounds of the matter being under investigation. WeTransfer is a popular file sharing service, based in the Netherlands, used for sharing large files. According to a blog by IFF it has even been as late as 2017 been used in press releases on the Press Information Bureau by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
As per an order dated May 18, 2020, the DoT had directed all internet service providers to block three URLs of WeTransfer, reportedly done in the interests of, "national security and public order".
In response to an RTI filed by digital rights advocacy group Internet India Foundation (IIF) on June 1, DoT said, “It is intimated that information sought by the applicant may impede the process of investigation and therefore the CPIO is not obliged to disclose the same under section 8(1)(h) of the RTI Act 2005.”
IFF argued that the Order has not been pro-actively published and hence there exists a large amount of confusion amongst the large base of WeTransfer users in India as the website is being inconsistently blocked across ISPs throughout India.
The order does not contain any stated reasons but directs that three URLs be blocked. An absence of any reasoning makes the order appear mechanical and lacking an application of mind.
The rights group, in a separate representation, has urged DoT to recall the order and initiate a fresh process under the Blocking Rules with proactive public disclosure and an opportunity for WeTransfer representatives to make their case in defence.
Nazara and ONDC set to transform in-game monetization with ‘
Nazara Technologies has teamed up with the Open Network for Digital Comme...
Jio Platforms and NICSI to offer cloud services to government
In a collaborative initiative, the National Informatics Centre Services In...
BSNL awards ₹5,000 Cr Project to RVNL-Led Consortium
A syndicate led by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (abbreviated as RVNL), along wi...
Pinterest tracks users without consent, alleges complaint
A recent complaint alleges that Pinterest, the popular image-sharing platf...
DIGISOL SYSTEMS LTD.
ALPHAMAX TECHNOLOGIES PVT. LTD.
DRUVA SOFTWARE PVT. LTD.
INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES PVT. LTD.
Icons Of India : Kumar Mangalam Birla
Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla recently made a comeb...
Icons Of India : Debjani Ghosh
Debjani Ghosh is the President of the National Association of Software...
ICONS OF INDIA : RITESH AGARWAL
Ritesh Agarwal is an Indian billionaire entrepreneur and the founder a...
STPI - Software Technology Parks of India
STPI promotes and facilitates the growth of the IT and ITES industry i...
GSTN - Goods and Services Tax Network
GSTN provides shared IT infrastructure and service to both central and...
BEL - Bharat Electronics Limited
BEL is an Indian Government-owned aerospace and defence electronics co...
Indian Tech Talent Excelling The Tech World - George Kurian, CEO, Netapp
George Kurian, the CEO of global data storage and management services ...
Indian Tech Talent Excelling The Tech World - Satya Nadella, Chairman & CEO- Microsoft
Satya Nadella, the Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, recently emphasized ...
Indian Tech Talent Excelling The Tech World - JAY CHAUDHRY, CEO – Zscaler
Jay Chaudhry, an Indian-American technology entrepreneur, is the CEO a...