Privacy

FSCI's statement on banning of Free Software apps like Element and Briar

Update on 15 May 2023: Several media outlets, rights groups and Free Software projects have published articles based on this writeup to spread the word. The ones we know about are- Scroll.in, Internet Freedom Foundation, The Register, MediaNama, Mountain Valley Kashmir (print version), Tutanota and Indian Pirates. Internet Freedom Foundation has also filed RTI requests to obtain more information.

Prav App Project: Challenging the Monopoly of WhatsApp

PravApp project is a plan to get a lot of people to invest small amounts to run an interoperable messaging service that is easier to join and discover contacts.

Use F-Droid App Store For Freedom and Privacy in Android phones

We have been emphasizing the importance of Free Software (software which gives users freedom to use, study, modify and share) for years now and the problems with nonfree/proprietary software. For users of Android operating system, there is a very easy way to download and use Free Software– via the F-Droid app store. This will help you in replacing proprietary/nonfree apps with Free Software ones, an action which is important to take control of your own device.

Invitation for Webinar on June 13: Better Than Zoom and Google Meet

Hi all,

We are going to conduct a webinar to discuss video conferencing solutions (specifically Jitsi Meet).

Now, you may ask isn’t a webinar an overkill??

FSCI challenges new Intermediary Rules, 2021, in the High Court of Kerala

FSCI has challenged Part II of the Intermediary Rules, 2021 with the help of SFLC India to declare these rules as unconstitutional. The analysis by SFLC India and IFF show us how far-reaching the impact these rules have on our right to privacy and freedom of speech and expression. As a community providing communication services to the general public, FSCI is directly affected by these rules. Our ability to provide privacy-respecting services to the public is affected. We are also forced to censor people’s free speech or be liable for the user generated content we host. The petition has been admitted by Kerala High Court and is pending for hearing.

Reclaim privacy in instant messaging with Free Software and choice of service providers

Free Software Foundation of India released a comparison of different messaging apps and services a few weeks ago. When compared to centralized services like WhatsApp and Telegram, services like Matrix and XMPP which respects users’ freedom (as a user or as a community) and does not lead to vendor lock-in are better according to FSF India. This is because Matrix and XMPP are open protocols that allow federation and have free software implementations to run on servers and clients.

Reclaim Freedom & Privacy - An Open Letter to Organizations

As a follow up of the letter by Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) on Arogya Setu and protection of privcay, autonomy and dignity of workers during COVID-19 outbreak, IFF organized a conference call on May 21st. Praveen Arimbrathodiyil participated in the call representing FSCI and based on the discussions he came up with an open letter to encourage organizations to reclaim freedom and privacy using Free Software. You can read the full letter below: