--- layout: default title: "Rational Internet Laws Essential to Fulfil India's Digital Goals" description: "A Deccan Chronicle report examining India's need for pragmatic internet laws despite having 400 million users, featuring expert analysis on speech regulation, intellectual property, and data protection gaps." categories: [Media mentions] date: 2016-08-14 authors: ["Krishna Makwana"] source: "Deccan Chronicle" permalink: /media/rational-internet-laws-digital-goals-deccan-chronicle/ created: 2026-01-06 --- **Rational Internet Laws Essential to Fulfil India's Digital Goals** is a *Deccan Chronicle* report published on 14 August 2016. The article examines the gap between India's growing digital connectivity—with approximately 400 million internet users—and the absence of coherent legal frameworks to support innovation whilst protecting rights. It features expert commentary from Sunil Abraham identifying critical weaknesses in speech regulation, intellectual property policy, and data protection laws. ## Contents 1. [Article Details](#article-details) 2. [Full Text](#full-text) 3. [Context and Background](#context-and-background) 4. [External Link](#external-link) ## Article Details
📰 Published in:
Deccan Chronicle
📅 Date:
14 August 2016
👤 Authors:
Krishna Makwana
📄 Type:
News Report
📰 Newspaper Link:
Read Online
## Full Text

India has emerged as a digitally-connected nation but experts suggest the country still lacks pragmatic Internet laws.

According to a report by Internet and Mobile Association of India, our country has approximately 400 million Internet users. Given the fact that we now prevail in the digital age, the government needs to work towards devising an unbiased internet policy for helping budding entrepreneurs and businesses.

Though the government, under its Digital India initiative, has addressed manifold problems over the past year, the ambiguous internet laws in the country have had a drastic effect on businesses and individuals.

Sunil Abraham, Executive Director of Centre for Internet Society, said, "There are three categories of laws which we must consider. One, speech regulation laws — here we tend to be more repressive in comparison to other mature democracies. Two, intellectual property law which can enable or undermine access to knowledge — here we are quite progressive and we must thank our policymakers for their foresight. Three, privacy and data protection laws — these are incomplete, outdated or missing — this not only undermines the rights of citizens but also weakens our cyber security."

Defamation and national security can be listed among other issues that have threatened free speech; there have been instances where weak Internet laws led to the defamation of several artists and authors, curbing freedom of expression.

Not only individuals but online businesses have also had to limit their potential, in order to adhere to India's hazy Internet laws. Among others, countless websites have been blocked by the government over the past few years.

However, with proper regulation in place along with rational vigilance, many of these problems might cease to exist.

It's essential that these issues are thought about, in-depth. The country needs to build a structure that can deliver innovation, protection and provision of one and all.

"Without improving the three important areas that I pointed out, we cannot be successful at Digital India, Make In India and Start Up India," Abraham concluded.

{% include back-to-top.html %} ## Context and Background This article was published in August 2016, during a period of rapid growth in India's internet user base, driven by expanding mobile connectivity and falling data costs. By mid-2016, India had an estimated 400 million internet users, reflecting the growing reach of digital services across urban and semi-urban populations. At the policy level, this expansion coincided with the early years of the government's Digital India initiative, which aimed to improve digital infrastructure, service delivery, and digital literacy. Despite this growth, India's legal framework governing internet use remained fragmented and uneven. Laws affecting online speech, intermediary liability, and website blocking were frequently criticised for being vague, inconsistently applied, or overly restrictive. At the same time, businesses and entrepreneurs faced uncertainty due to unclear regulatory standards and the risk of sudden enforcement actions. The article highlights this tension through expert commentary from Sunil Abraham, who identifies three key areas shaping India's digital environment: speech regulation, intellectual property, and privacy and data protection. While India's intellectual property regime had retained important public-interest safeguards, gaps in privacy and data protection law left citizens' rights insufficiently protected and weakened overall cybersecurity preparedness. Rather than arguing against regulation, the article calls for rational, proportionate internet laws that balance innovation with accountability. It reflects concerns within India's technology policy community that without coherent legal frameworks, the country's digital ambitions—Digital India, Make In India, and Start Up India—risked being undermined by legal uncertainty and inconsistent enforcement. ## External Link - Read on Deccan Chronicle