The first draft report of India’s Non-Personal Data Committee suggests democratizing data and introducing a new category of data principal - the community. However, absent guidelines for data trusts, the potential risks of politicization and favoritism within community action groups could result in potential misuse.

The article “The Right to Privacy” by Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis, published in 1890, has been influential in shaping modern privacy law. This foundational work has indirectly contributed to securing protections for the LGBTQ+ community, including influencing decisions that decriminalized homosexuality in the U.S. and India. But recent scholarship suggests that Warren’s motivation for writing the article may not have been what we thought it was.

The pandemic’s shift to online education highlights social inequities, as not all students have equal internet access. Asynchronous learning, unlike the current synchronous virtual classrooms, offers a solution by allowing students to learn at their own pace and access materials offline, potentially making education more inclusive and adaptable to individual needs.

In 2011, a biology book was listed on Amazon for $1.7 million, eventually reaching $23 million due to two sellers’ algorithms reacting to each other’s pricing. This incident underscores the challenges and potential regulatory issues as businesses increasingly rely on algorithms. It has gained attention in legal contexts, including Indian courts, where cases challenge the legality of pricing algorithms used by ride-hailing companies.

As countries grapple with COVID-19’s community spread phase, the focus has shifted to frequent testing. It is time to consider the potential use of health and immunity passports. These passports could become essential for travel and social activities, but at the same time give rise to a greater risk of deepening social divides and creating new forms of privilege.

Covid forced courts to adapt to remote working. And they did remarkably well considering the extent to which court processes rely on physical interactions. We need to use this opportunity to radically re-imagine dispute resolution. We can move to written advocacy, use artificial intelligence to make better decisions about litigation strategy - such as the chance of success of an appeal.

We need to radically reimaginine India’s justice delivery system by leveraging digital technology. We should propose written advocacy into the dispute resolution workflow and rely on data-driven reports to inform litigation strategies. How much we can transform is only limited by our courage.

I believe the Indian government should introduce Good Samaritan protections in its new Intermediary Guidelines, prosecuting those who negligently allow violative content on their platforms. There is a need for a balanced approach that encourages responsible moderation without stifling free speech.

In times of uncertainty - such as during a pandemic, conspiracy theories abound. This gives lie to the notion that free speech ensures that truth will prevail. Since the internet lacks bi-directional links and user-editable pages, its design contributes to misinformation spread, unlike Wikipedia’s more reliable, interconnected model.

Cities are dense hubs of economic activity. However when they come up against an epidemic like COVID-19, it prompts rethinking urban design, emphasizing remote work, local markets, and reduced physical contact, while considering the impact on migrant populations and urban efficiency.