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Free Expression

CDT Joins Global Civil Society Orgs in Urging Indian Government to Withdraw IT Rules Amendments That Threaten Press Freedoms

The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) joins a statement – signed by Access Now and numerous local and global digital rights organizations – urging the Indian government to withdraw amendments to the IT Rules that creates a new “fact check unit of the central government” to deem and ultimately order the removal of “fake or false or misleading” media coverage. As this government has shown repeatedly in the past, what is considered fake or false media can be any form of lawful speech including media coverage that sheds light on human rights and abuses of power.

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From the letter: “The IT Rules, 2023, grant the government arbitrary, overbroad, and unchecked censorship powers that threaten the rights to freedom of expression and opinion enshrined in the Indian Constitution and under international human rights law.”

Read the full letter + list of signatories here.

Read Access Now’s press release on this coalition letter.