Born out of the SaveTheInternet.in movement for network neutrality, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) is a domestically funded not-for-profit organisation in India with a mission to advance digital rights. Its work is guided by principles of progressive constitutionalism to advance the democratising potential of technology and individual liberty, and ensure that Indian citizens can use the Internet with liberties guaranteed by the Constitution of India.
IFF’s areas of activities are strategic litigation, policy advocacy and parliamentary engagement and civic literacy. Its current engagements include strategic litigation on wide-ranging issues including internet shutdowns, website blocking, surveillance reform, data protection, press freedom and intermediary liability; policy interventions like relaunching the #SaveTheInternet campaign to resist potential regulations on online communication services; and other campaigns such as the one against the privacy-infringing DigiYatra scheme.
APCNews spoke to Purvai Dwivedi at IFF to find out more about the organisation's priorities and why it has joined the APC member network.
Why did you decide to join the APC network?
APC’s core values of solidarity and community align perfectly with the principles on which we’ve built the Internet Freedom Foundation. We believe becoming an APC member will enable us to contribute significantly to expanding and contributing to the digital rights ecosystem. It will help us learn from our international peers and share learnings from different geographies across the world.
What do you think you can contribute as a member? And what do you expect from APC?
APC members are using information and communication technologies (ICTs) in a variety of ways to empower and support organisations, social movements and individuals through the use of ICTs to build communities and strengthen initiatives to make meaningful contributions to equitable human development, social and gender justice, participatory political processes and environmental sustainability. ICTs can play a transformational role for communities that lack power. One of the major ways in which IFF has successfully increased its community base is by actively using the potential of ICTs.
As an APC member, we will be equipped with tools to reach a wider and more global community and help make people understand that digital rights are not separate from or an addendum to our fundamental rights. They are an indispensable part of our rights.