The Madras High Court has ordered Ananda Vikatan Productions Private Limited to remove a caricature depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi shackled in chains during a meeting with United States President Donald Trump. The court ruled that the caricature, published in the magazine, was not protected under freedom of expression and could be considered offensive under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. The court also directed the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to unblock the Ananda Vikatan website upon receipt of confirmation that the caricature has been removed.
'Instead of the government and telecom operators solving the mess of their own creation, they're telling us we need to give access to our phones perpetually.'
Commercial and prohibited speeches are not covered under fundamental rights, the Supreme Court on Monday said as it asked five social media influencers, including India's Got Latent host Samay Raina, to display their unconditional apology in their podcasts or shows for ridiculing persons with disabilities and rare genetic disorders.
It said Sadhguru has acquired uniqueness pertaining to his personality qua his voice, name, signature, image, likeness, vocal, articulation style and his unique attire, looks or appearance.
China accounts for about 70 per cent of global rare earth mining and nearly 90 per cent of rare earth magnet production, making it a dominant player and giving it significant leverage in global supply chains.
The Foxconn move may have been prompted by the Chinese government's focus on strengthening its supply chain.
What has surprised the industry is that the Bill has been tabled without any consultation. Critics warn the ban on real-money gaming could fuel black markets, endanger 200,000 jobs and billions in tax revenue.
The US wants India to recognise internationally accredited labs, harmonise labelling requirements and the validity period of test reports and certification with global practices, and eliminate retesting requirements.
Subscribers of the retirement fund body EPFO may soon be able to withdraw claim amounts from their accounts through ATMs, a top official said. Union Labour Secretary Sumita Dawra has reportedly said that the labour ministry is upgrading information technology infrastructure to provide enhanced services to the Indian workforce.
'I think that kind of change is coming. We should stay prepared for that change, whichever industry or sector we are in, we must be prepared.'
The Delhi high court said on Friday the purpose of Right to Information (RTI) Act is to bring in transparency, and if any information has been sought, it should be made public unless exempted from disclosure under the law.
The Indian government has said that social media platform X will be held responsible for content generated by its artificial intelligence tool Grok. This comes after users on X asked Grok questions about Indian politicians and the AI platform responded with "unpalatable" answers. The government is currently in discussion with X to understand and assess how Grok works. The government has previously taken action against social media platforms for AI-generated content that has been deemed offensive. In this case, the government is considering holding X accountable for Grok's content, even though it is generated by an AI tool. The government's stance is likely to have implications for other social media platforms that use AI tools.
We propose an expert group be set up to form a national strategy on digital fraud. This group would bring together skills in financial regulation, security economics, cyber defence, and public communications, and an understanding of the Indian financial and security systems. It should lay the foundations of a coordinated approach by the Indian State in fighting digital fraud, suggest Ajay Shah and Nandkumar Saravade.
Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda on Thursday said he was invited to speak at an Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee event via a video link when just minutes after his speech, a hacker infiltrated and began streaming explicit, inappropriate content.
A parliamentary panel has asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to submit a note on amendments needed in existing laws to clamp down on controversial content like the one involving YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia. Members from different parties voiced concern over Allahbadia's crass comments at a YouTube programme and called for stringent measures to punish him and to ensure that such an incident does not recur. The committee's chairperson and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shared their concerns at the meeting attended by Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju and other senior ministry officials.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry is examining the existing statutory provisions and the need for a new legal framework to regulate 'harmful' content amid complaints of 'obscenity and violence' being shown on digital platforms.
A BJP leader from Palakkad, Kerala, has filed a complaint against popular rapper Vedan, accusing him of defaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and promoting caste-based division through his music. The complaint, filed with the Union Home Ministry and NIA, alleges that one of Vedan's songs contains defamatory remarks about the Prime Minister and inflammatory language aimed at dividing the Hindu community along caste lines. The complaint also highlights Vedan's past legal issues, including his arrest on April 28 in connection with a drug case. Vedan has denied the allegations, claiming that the criticism is part of a broader attempt to portray him as an extremist.
IT services company Infosys has laid off over 300 freshers who underwent foundational training at its Mysuru campus but could not clear internal assessments after three attempts, according to sources. IT employee union NITES, however, said the number of freshers affected by the move was much higher, and threatened to lodge an official complaint with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, seeking urgent intervention and strict action against the company.
'India has the maths talent, academic institutions, and research institutions to do the next big thing.'
The government on Monday appointed Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra as the 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared Malhotra's name, who has been appointed as the RBI Governor for three years, starting Wednesday. Malhotra, a 1990 Batch Rajasthan Cadre IAS Officer, will replace Shaktikanta Das, whose tenure ends on Tuesday (December 10, 2024).
More than one million cybersecurity incidents were flagged within 10 days.
Amid a spate of hoax bomb threats to multiple airlines, the IT ministry has asked social media platforms to observe due diligence obligations and promptly remove or disable access to misinformation within the strict timelines prescribed under IT rules.
Seeking prompt removal of identifiable references of the deceased from all social media platforms, the IT ministry warned that failure to comply with the apex court's order may result in legal consequences and further regulatory action.
The Indian government has introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to ban online games played with money, aiming to curb addiction, money laundering, and financial fraud. The bill also targets advertisements and financial transactions related to such games.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan emphasized the need for constant high military preparedness, citing Operation Sindoor as an ongoing example. He also highlighted the importance of 'information warriors, technology warriors and scholar warriors' in future warfare.
There's no change in Apple Inc's India strategy, said a top government source. 'It can only be enhanced'.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, marking his first visit in over seven years. The visit signals a potential improvement in India-China relations after recent tensions.
The scale of illegal gambling and betting in India is staggering, with 1.6 billion visits recorded between October and December 2024 across four analysed platforms -- Parimatch, Stake, 1xBet, and Battery Bet.
The Railway Ministry will deliver the advanced locomotives to the African nation over the next three years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first locomotive for export on Friday.
For the first time, the Data Security Council of India assembled a joint task force to source threat intelligence at the origin and ensure coordinated action across the cybersecurity spectrum.
The Centre has defended in the Delhi high court its decision to cancel the overseas citizen of India (OCI) card of United States-based journalist Raphael Satter saying he maligned Indian institutions in the international arena through journalistic activities.
Khan is seen putting pressure on women contestants to perform intimate acts on camera in the clip. The conversation also appears to make some of the participants uncomfortable with probing, personal questions bordering on the vulgar.
Dismissing allegations that Indian phacosrmaceutical companies copy products of Swiss firms, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said it is a long-standing myth and India respects intellectual property rights and never steals technology from others. He said that Swiss pharmaceutical companies have not shown even a single instance that Indian companies have illegally copied any of their trademarks or patents or copyrighted technology.
Railways ramps up project to instal AI-based cameras that can recognise faces.
The Centre's decision to block the entire social media account of 'Hindutva Watch' on the basis of certain alleged offending posts is 'disproportionate' and contrary to the law, social media giant 'X' has told the Delhi high court.
'We will start reaching out to researchers, academics, and experts on AI from top universities and companies from across the world.'
Information Commissioner, in a terse order, pointed out that the website of the application mentions that the content on it is "owned, updated and maintained" by MyGov and MeitY
'We remain in touch with the Chinese side, in Beijing as well as in Delhi, to bring predictability in the supply chain.'
'...they always address problems superficially, never tackling root causes.' 'Currently, the policy response will focus on immediate relief -- getting people to safety, providing facilities, clearing debris.' 'This is necessary, but once immediate relief operations end, everything returns to 'normal' without addressing underlying vulnerabilities.'
India had ordered all unregistered web-based taxi cos to halt operations