Lecture on
“Freedom of Speech Online & the Law”

by Nappinai N S
Advocate, Supreme Court & Bombay High Court, specialising in Cyber laws
& Author of the book on cyber laws titled “Technology Laws Decoded”

Saturday | 18 August 2018 | 11.00 am – 12.30 pm

Organised by The International Centre Goa

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N. S. Nappinai, a highly respected and senior practitioner (since 1991) before the Supreme Court of India and Bombay High Court, has pioneered the development of cyber laws in India. Her repertoire of cases includes Constitutional, Criminal, cybercrime, IPR, corporate and commercial matters. She practices primarily in the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court. She is amicus curiae before the Supreme Court in Prajwala v. UOI which is exploring path breaking alternatives to root out child pornography from online dissemination including through social media platforms.
An alumnus of the Chevening Cybersecurity Fellowship, UK and IVLP, USA, Ms. Nappinai utilizes her expertise in undertaking training and capacity building programs inter alia in cyber laws for judiciary (SAARC and Indian Judiciary), Armed Forces, Police and Intelligence Agencies and industry verticals.
Ms. Nappinai is a prolific writer, whose articles have been published in leading publications such as the Times of India. She has authored a seminal book “Technology Laws Decoded” (2017). She has represented in many Government Committees including on cryptocurrencies and in the Government Committee constituted by the Supreme Court to evaluate technical solutions for rooting out dissemination of content pertaining to specified heinous crimes through social media and online platforms.
“Freedom of Speech Online & the Law”
Social Media, which has made the world a “new public square” (Gray, L. E. 2012)[1], “where minds are changed and public consciousness is shaped” [2] has provided a global platform for one and all to voice their thoughts. The disinhibition that the Internet has imbibed in the individual has opened the floodgates to express freely and in an unrepressed manner.
All things however come with a price tag – social media sites may provide a free platform to express freely i.e., without restraint. They also become the modus for data collection and aggregation. The platform has also been used as a medium for spreading disinformation; possibly a methodology to modulate individual behaviour through social engineering; and a means to profile individuals and subjecting them to surveillance.
The talk would focus on the legalities of such actions, primary of which pertains to privacy rights and other incidental rights of users including the right to be forgotten, in the now GDPR[3] driven world of data protection; Government surveillance using such platforms and the possible impact of the same on purported free speech. Recent instances of circulation of fake news using social media platforms also brings up another legal complexity on curbing this menace.