At DECODE, we explore the interactions between technology, internet cultures and society. A product of @boomlive_in to help keep the Internet clean.
Joined October 2021
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When videos, eyewitness accounts and news reports disappear, the consequences extend beyond a missing post. The public record of a protest becomes harder to access and circulate.
Read the full report by @HeraRizwan1
decodeinternet.in/digital-st…
Challenging a takedown can be another battle. Journalist Ila Kazmi sought reasons after Instagram restricted her reporting on a Delhi Police facial recognition van. She approached multiple authorities but received no substantive explanation.
But what happens when a post is taken down? Notices often cite IT Rules without clearly specifying the grounds of restriction. The government’s Sahyog portal has also made it easier for authorised agencies to send takedown notices to platforms.
A Mathrubhumi video on alleged police violence, which had crossed 11 million views, was restricted. A Delhi University student’s video alleging police tore women protesters’ clothes was also taken down.
The content documenting the protests was disappearing as events unfolded.
The takedowns went beyond individual journalists. Posts sharing Rahul Gandhi’s “Chalo Delhi” call faced restrictions. Videos alleging police violence were affected, as were cartoons criticising the Election Commission and posts about the protests.
Independent journalist Shabana Khan had eight Instagram videos made unavailable in India. Four showed Rahul Gandhi’s October 12 press conference. Others featured protesters and students being detained.
Instagram cited an automated system under India’s IT Rules.
A press conference by the LoP. Videos of alleged police action. A blank placard. Over two weeks, more than 200 social media takedowns were documented during the anti-CEC protests.
What gets taken down and how do you challenge it? @HeraRizwan reports
decodeinternet.in/digital-st…
eMudhra has also announced its exit from the SSL/TLS certification business.
But is the threat over? Not necessarily. Older devices and unpatched software may not stop trusting the affected certificates immediately.
MeitY said the impact on Indian websites and apps was “very limited”. On October 21, CERT-In issued an advisory.
The government later formed a special team to investigate the incident.
eMudhra said it had withdrawn the eight certificates, and maintained that its infrastructure was not compromised and no data breach occurred.
It said social media attention brought disproportionate scrutiny to a business accounting for just 1% of its revenue.
Why does this matter beyond India?
Digital certificates help browsers verify websites and secure HTTPS connections. With the weak keys, attackers could potentially forge certificates to impersonate banks or email services, and make malicious software appear legitimately signed.
Who discovered the flaw?
An independent researcher using the alias ‘Wayne’ reverse-engineered and uncovered the weak keys, then alerted major browser companies, including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla.
The companies moved to block all eight affected certificates.
eMudhra disclosed that weak private cryptographic keys linked to eight intermediate certificates had been compromised.
A flaw in key generation created weak keys alongside the intended, stronger ones. Some had just 3 to 8 bits of strength, instead of the expected 384 bits.
A security key as weak as the number 4.
A flaw at Bengaluru-based eMudhra, a digital certificate provider, raised concerns about the internet’s trust system.
Here’s what went wrong, why it mattered globally, and what happens next.🧵
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Cleansing your feed with the sweetest story of a man’s lost and found boat. Reported by @mofussil_scribe for @DecodeInternet
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In Bihar’s riverine settlements, a local Facebook news page can be more than a source of information. For Janardan Rai, it helped bring his missing boat home.
@mofussil_scribe reports
decodeinternet.in/life/lost-…
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Delhi Police spent Rs 161 crore on 34 signal jammers, but questions remain about how they are used and who oversees their deployment.
An @internetfreedom investigation found conflicting RTI responses, with key deployment records classified as “highly confidential”.
@DecodeInternet spoke to Vikram Raj of Internet Freedom Foundation about the gaps in accountability and what they mean for our right to communicate during protests.
The women had created the group to help one another reach a protest safely. Instead, their private messages became public ammunition, their identities were exposed, and the harassment followed them offline.
@HeraRizwan1 reports
decodeinternet.in/digital-st…
