---
layout: default
title: "Security: Privacy, Transparency and Technology"
description: "Explores the tensions between privacy rights, transparency, and technological security in governance, analysing how policy and institutional frameworks can reconcile these competing objectives."
categories: [Publications]
date: 2015-10-01
authors: ["Sunil Abraham", "Elonnai Hickok", "Tarun Krishnakumar"]
source: "Digital Debates 2015: CyFy Journal, Volume 2, Observer Research Foundation"
permalink: /publications/security-privacy-transparency-and-technology/
pdf: /publications/files/security-privacy-transparency-and-technology.pdf
created: 2025-11-04
---

**Security: Privacy, Transparency and Technology** is a co-authored article by Sunil Abraham, Elonnai Hickok, and Tarun Krishnakumar. It was published in *Digital Debates 2015: CyFy Journal, Volume 2* by the Observer Research Foundation. The piece examines how governments, institutions, and private actors can achieve a balance between three core governance objectives — privacy, transparency, and security — in an era of rapid technological change.

## Contents

1. [Publication Details](#publication-details)
2. [Abstract](#abstract)
3. [Context and Background](#context-and-background)
4. [Key Themes or Findings](#key-themes-or-findings)
5. [Full Text](#full-text)
6. [Citation](#citation)

## Publication Details

<dl class="pub-details">
  <dt>👤 Authors:</dt>
  <dd>Sunil Abraham, Elonnai Hickok, and Tarun Krishnakumar</dd>

  <dt>🏛️ Published in:</dt>
  <dd><em>Digital Debates 2015: CyFy Journal, Volume 2, Observer Research Foundation</em></dd>

  <dt>📅 Date:</dt>
  <dd>2015</dd>

  <dt>📘 Type:</dt>
  <dd>Research Article</dd>

  <dt>📄 Access:</dt>
  <dd><a class="btn" href="/publications/files/security-privacy-transparency-and-technology.pdf" download>Download PDF</a></dd>
</dl>

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## Abstract

This article explores the dynamic relationship between security, privacy, and transparency in governance. It argues that while security concerns often motivate greater surveillance and data collection, these measures must coexist with the principles of privacy protection and government accountability. The authors propose a balanced framework that aligns technological safeguards with democratic values, ensuring that innovation and state power do not undermine citizens' rights.

{% include back-to-top.html %}

## Context and Background

The authors draw on five years of research and advocacy in privacy and data protection. Their work includes participation in the Justice A.P. Shah Committee, which shaped the draft Privacy Bill being developed by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). They also led the organisation of eleven multistakeholder roundtables across India to discuss a shadow Privacy Bill drafted by the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), with contributions from privacy commissioners and data protection authorities from Europe and Canada.

Through these engagements, the paper situates India's privacy debate in a global policy context, emphasising the importance of participatory dialogue in shaping technology governance. The authors note that transparency and accountability must evolve alongside security measures to maintain public trust.

## Key Themes or Findings

- **Balancing Objectives:** The article analyses the inherent tension between privacy, transparency, and national security, arguing that effective governance requires reconciling these rather than prioritising one at the expense of others.
- **Policy and Institutional Design:** It identifies the need for stronger legal frameworks and oversight mechanisms to guide data collection, sharing, and retention by both public and private actors.
- **Technology and Accountability:** The authors highlight the dual role of technology — as both an enabler of intrusive surveillance and a tool for enhancing transparency and rights protection.
- **India’s Role in Global Privacy Discourse:** Drawing from CIS’s involvement in domestic and international policy dialogues, the paper underscores India's opportunity to model a balanced, rights-based approach to digital governance.

{% include back-to-top.html %}

## Full Text
<div class="pdf-container">
  <iframe
    src="https://docs.google.com/gview?url=https://sunilabraham.in/publications/files/security-privacy-transparency-and-technology.pdf&embedded=true"
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  <p class="pdf-download">
    <a class="btn" href="/publications/files/security-privacy-transparency-and-technology.pdf" download>
      📄 Download Full Text (PDF)
    </a>
  </p>
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{% include back-to-top.html %}

## Citation
If you wish to reference or cite this publication, you may use one of the following standard citation formats.

**APA style:**

```
Abraham, S., Hickok, E., & Krishnakumar, T. (2015).
Security: Privacy, Transparency and Technology.
Digital Debates 2015: CyFy Journal, Volume 2, Observer Research Foundation.
https://sunilabraham.in/publications/security-privacy-transparency-and-technology/
```

**BibTeX style**
```
@article{abraham2015security,
author = {Abraham, Sunil and Hickok, Elonnai and Krishnakumar, Tarun},
title = {Security: Privacy, Transparency and Technology},
journal = {Digital Debates 2015: CyFy Journal, Volume 2},
institution = {Observer Research Foundation},
year = {2015},
url = {https://sunilabraham.in/publications/security-privacy-transparency-and-technology/}
}
```

**MLA style**
```
Abraham, Sunil, Elonnai Hickok, and Tarun Krishnakumar.
"Security: Privacy, Transparency and Technology."
Digital Debates 2015: CyFy Journal, Volume 2, Observer Research Foundation, 2015.
https://sunilabraham.in/publications/security-privacy-transparency-and-technology/
```

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