Why? #

The Ministry for Electronics and IT has invited comments on the draft data protection bill prepared by the committee of experts headed by Justice Shrikrishna. Once passed, this bill will be the first comprehensive law addressing the issues of data and justice by setting in place new institutions, articulating new rights and imposing new obligations on the handling of data.

Such a law has implications for how information technologies and the data economy will be governed, and also crucially, how we may be governed through data and databases. We are organising this workshop because we believe the various human rights movements have important insights that can inform the data protection debate. Specifically, we want to unpack what a feminist data protection framework might look like.

How can fights against resource extractivism inform current debates on data extractivism?

What insights does the #metoo movement have that are useful in the formation of a privacy bill?

What lessons can the regulatory tool of Environmental Impact Assessments teach us about Data Protection Impact Assessments?

Who? #

We believe that the data protection bill will be strengthened with inputs from researchers and activists working on gender and sexuality rights, land rights, environmental rights, anti-caste movement, disability rights — as the bill presents many challenges encountered before.

At the same time, we also believe it is important to get people who have been involved in these longstanding struggles to reflect on the bill, as the bill will have a crucial role in shaping whether and how information and communication technologies will intermediate fights for social justice in the future.

What? #

Through an interactive workshop format, we plan to arrive at potential next-steps on making suggestions to improve the bill and report.