Mythri Prabhakar of The Bachchao Project attended the virtual edition of the Asia Pacific School of Internet Governance (APSIG) held in November 2020. She received a fellowship from APSIG to attend the school.
List of fellows [PDF]: https://www.apsig2020.org.np/APSIG%202020%20Fellows.pdf
Program schedule [PDF]: https://www.apsig2020.org.np/APSIG%20Program%20Virtual%2026-28%20November%202020_Ver_0.1.pdf
Rohini Lakshané was one of the speakers at the Roundtable on Internet Shutdowns organised by the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B) and Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC) on November 11, 2020. The roundtable was a part of Technology and Society Series hosted by SFLC and the Centre for Software & Information Technology Management at IIM-B. Details of the event: https://www.iimb.ac.in/index.php/iimb-csitm-host-internet-shutdowns
The other speakers at the roundtable were Prof. Rajeev Gowda, former Member of Parliament and former faculty, IIM Bangalore; Anuradha Bhasin, Editor, Kashmir Times; and Prasanth Sugathan, Legal Director, SFLC. Prof. Neena Pandey, faculty, IIM Visakhapatnam moderated the session.
While working with various communities in India we have identified a number of unmet needs when it comes to basic security tools and practices. The language barrier is key access issue for users across India, particularly those who are parts of marginalized groups.
Often the assumption is that localization into Hindi and/or English will suffice for users across India. Most users do in fact access tech in Hindi or English, however neither language is the first language of the majority of the population. While users are able to generally navigate mobile phones and desktops in a second language, they do not necessarily understand how these technologies work, the privacy and security risks associated with them, and tactics for accessing the open internet.
In order to ensure broader adoption of basic security tools and practices – and as importantly, to ensure individuals fully understand the “why” and “how” of these tools and practices – The Bachchao Project has chosen to localize:
While India and the rest of the world continue to struggle through a global health crisis, there is a need to collaborate, convene and build networks in safe ways. In order to achieve the lofty goals of localizing tools and/or resources The Bachchao Project and Localization Lab propose a virtual localization sprint to take place over the course of 2 weekends (28th and 29th November, 5th and 6th December). Hosting 4-5 hour blocks of training, localization discussion and collaboration as well as feedback sessions on both Saturday and Sunday, with offline or chat localization collaboration before and after sessions.
This sprint will be held by The Bachchao Project and Localization Lab and is supported by Random Hacks of Kindness India and DataMeet.
If you are a translator or are simply interested to contribute to the localization of these tools and practices in your language. Please sign up for this event here
https://forms.gle/RM7CisegsJWMveNSA
Here is the wikipage for the event with more details : https://wiki.localizationlab.org/index.php/India_Localization_Sprint_2020
The Bachchao Project is a techno-feminist collective that undertakes community-centric efforts to develop and support open source technologies and technical frameworks with the goals of mitigating gender-based violence and working towards equal rights for women, LGBTQIA people, and gender non-conforming groups. We conduct research and advocacy in all the above areas and guide communities in determining appropriate technological interventions for themselves.
Website: http://thebachchaoproject.org
Twitter: @bachchaoproject
Localization Lab builds bridges between developers, organizations, end users, and communities in need. Our crowdsourced localization results in more accurate and timely translations, and unlocks access to the internet for users all over the world
Website: https://www.localizationlab.org/
Twitter: @L10nLab
For inquiries about this event please write to Chinmayi S K: chinmayi@thebachchaoproject.org
The Bachchao Project submitted comments on the Report by the Committee of Experts on Non-Personal Data Governance Framework, dated July 12, 2020, released by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. A PDF copy of the submission has been uploaded here: http://thebachchaoproject.org/wp-content/uploads/Copy-of-NPD-submission.pdf
This submission was prepared by Rohini Lakshané and Mythri Prabhakara.
Article 21 and Rethink Aadhar organised Janta Parliament on Technology and Surveillance ,On 18 August 2020. Chinmayi SK was invited to participate and put forward policy suggestions on Technology and Surveillance.
Chinmayi spoke about the issues of access to the Internet and contributed the following policy suggestions.
The video of the full discussion can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bszYmUyY0M&t=9104s
Rohini Lakshané co-moderated a session entitled “Not “revenge porn”: New trends in non-consensual intimate imagery in Uganda & the role of digital security” at RightsCon Online. The session was held on July 28, 2020. The speakers were Sandra Aceng and Patricia Nyasuna of the Women of the Uganda Network, Judith Heard (Founder, Day One Uganda), and Joan Katambi (Assistant Lecturer, Uganda Institute of ICT). Peace Oliver Amuge (Program Manager, Women of Uganda Network) was a co-moderator.
RightsCon program: https://www.rightscon.org/program-2020/
Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) has published a detailed blog post on the session on the website of the Association of Progressive Communications: https://www.apc.org/en/blog/wougnet-rightscon-not-revenge-porn-non-consensual-sharing-intimate-imagery-uganda
In the wake of certain recent events, The Bachchao Project (hereinafter “TBP”) has been compelled to publish this disclaimer regarding a talk made by an erstwhile contractor of TBP at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) on 13 November 2018. A video of the talk is available on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nXB9if23Oo. The erstwhile contractor Ms Raashi Saxena has spoken for approximately 1 minutes 48 seconds from the time 33:50 to 35:38 in this video.
The talk is part of a panel discussion entitled “Impact of supplementary models of connectivity in enabling meaningful Internet access for women and gender non-binary persons”. It was delivered by Ms Saxena who represented TBP at this specific session as well as the rest of the IGF 2018. The talk was a part of IGF Best Practices Forum (Gender and Access) 2018. Her trip to the IGF was funded by TBP.
Ms Saxena was terminated from The Bachchao Project on 12 July 2019.
The contents of Ms Saxena’s talk are either half-correct or factually incorrect or misleading and portray our work as being of poor quality. In light of certain recent events, we are now publishing this public disclaimer that we do not approve of the contents of this talk. This talk is not a true reflection of the organisation’s research, advocacy and capacity-building efforts on intentional Internet shutdowns and access to the Internet in the northeast, which we have been doing since late 2017. This talk also does not reflect the tenacity, rigour and diligence that people at TBP bring to their work, and in which we take great pride.
Unfortunately, this talk has been referenced on several online pages, most of which were published after the former contractor’s affiliation with TBP had ended and in violation of the terms of her exit. Some of them have been listed below. On account of the disclaimer published above, these references are a misrepresentation of our organisation and its work:
“Through serving as a panelist at the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, Raashi has also been a strong voice for women in North East India, helping them with network accessibility issues and fighting against Internet Shutdowns faced by those living rurally.”
URL: https://www.studio-into.com/people/raashi-saxena/
Date: October 2019 (according to publicly available and searchable information on LinkedIn)
Archive URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20200724110415/https://www.studio-into.com/people/raashi-saxena
Our attempts to contact Studio Into have not elicited a response.
“In 2018, she served as a panelist at the United Nations Internet Governance Forum and presented her work on the network accessibility issues women face in North East India.”
URL1: https://igf2019.sched.com/raashisaxena
Date: November 2019
Archive URL1: https://web.archive.org/web/20200724193139/https://igf2019.sched.com/raashisaxena
URL2: https://voicefromthais.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/speakers-bios-1.pdf
Date: November 21-22, 2019
Archive URL2: https://web.archive.org/save/https://voicefromthais.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/speakers-bios-1.pdf
URL3: https://www.facebook.com/455359008576002/photos/a.483712769073959/483712742407295/?type=3
Date: 22 July 2019
“Raashi has been a speaker at several international forums such as UN Internet Governance Forum… for her contributions in the Internet Governance space. Her capacity building & advocacy efforts in the North East region of India have helped rural women fight against Internet Shutdowns.”
URL: https://women-in-tech.org/events/women-in-tech-monthy-forum/
Date: 30 January 2020
Archive URL: https://web.archive.org/save/https://women-in-tech.org/events/women-in-tech-monthy-forum
Rohini Lakshané delivered a talk on “Usability and privacy issues in government-issued Covid-19 apps in India” on June 22, 2020. The talk was organised by Thus Critique and Hasgeek and moderated by Nishthaa Manchanda.
Event details: https://hasgeek.com/thus/usability-and-privacy-issues-in-government-issued-covid-19-apps-in-india2/#about
Video recording of the talk: https://www.pscp.tv/w/1mrxmEVawgZxy (Periscope)
About the talk: A slew of mobile apps were released by different government bodies in India as a response to the Covid-19 outbreak. State and Union Territory (UT) governments released apps for the purposes of quarantine management, ensuring compliance to quarantine rules, providing healthcare information and updates, and so on. Public health being a subject on the State List, the federal governments were the first to respond to the outbreak with technical interventions, much before the Aarogya Setu app was released. While Aarogya Setu has received much attention, the apps issued by state and UT governments in India have posed their own technical, privacy and usability issues. In this talk, Rohini Lakshané will speak about her findings from a preliminary analysis of approximately twenty government-issued Covid-19 apps from the perspective of privacy and usability of the end-user and will take the audience through a brief timeline of their deployment and subsequent events.
Suggested reading: Tracking quarantine, tracing cases, sharing info: Can these govt-issued apps help fight Covid-19
Spreadsheet with information about 50 government-issued Covid-19 apps in India: https://bit.ly/2BB3R32
The talk was also streamed live on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
An article on the talk was published in Herald Goa: https://bit.ly/389Z3Oj
A breakout session entitled “No Woman, No Panic: Public Safety Tech, Women’s Agency, and Privacy” was held at the Global Digital Development Forum (GDDF), a virtual conference held on May 6, 2020. The speakers were Rohini Lakshané (The Bachchao Project), Chinmayi S K (The Bachchao Project) and Kate Sim (PhD Researcher, Oxford Internet Institute). The session was moderated by Dr Becky Faith, Research Fellow & Digital Cluster Lead, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK.
The session elucidated on the efficacy, evaluation, and audit of technological interventions such as mobile apps and panic buttons for public safety and their impact on women’s agency and privacy.
GDDF Agenda: https://digitaldevforum.com/agenda
Video of the session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgJGLJMCwfo
The Bachchao Project and the Centre for Internet and Society had jointly conducted a preliminary study in late 2016 on “Evaluating Safety Buttons on Mobile Devices“.
Rohini Lakshané moderated a breakout session entitled “Holistic security strategies to address non-consensual intimate images” at the Global Digital Development Forum (GDDF), a virtual conference held on May 6, 2020. The speakers at this session were Peace Oliver Amuge, Sandra Aceng and Patricia Nyasuna of the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET).
This session elucidated on some of the recommended strategies and measures for holistic security (digital, physical, and psychosocial) that women and no-binary persons may adopt in order to recognise and prevent incidents of non-consensual intimate images (NCII), commonly known by the misnomer “revenge porn”.
GDDF Agenda: https://digitaldevforum.com/agenda
An article based on the talks made in the session was authored by the speakers and moderator: Holistic security strategies and measures to address non-consensual intimate images (NCII)
Slide deck:
Slides_Holistic_security_strategies_to_address_non-consensual_intimate_images_GDDF_2020