India’s Digital Panopticon: Interception, Surveillance, And Privacy
- IJLLR Journal
- Jun 26
- 1 min read
Akshat Shrivastava, B.B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow
ABSTRACT
The Panopticon was designed by Bentham as a structure where the guards can watch the prisoners constantly without the prisoners knowing when they are being watched. While the original Panopticon was a physical structure, the modern world has witnessed its evolution into a digital Panopticon that is far more pervasive and potent. This article explores some of the surveillance tools that make up India’s modern day digital panopticon. The article explores the use of spyware, central monitoring system, and facial recognition technology for surveillance of citizens. The article further explores the legal aspects in relation to such surveillance methods including the lack of proper oversight and privacy issues. It critically analyzes how these surveillance methods, owing to the absence of strict privacy laws in India, present a potential threat to individual rights, civil liberties, dissent, and democratic values. The article then concludes with highlighting some suggested improvement.
Keywords: Surveillance, Interception, Privacy, Panopticon, Section 5(2), Telegraph Act, Section 69, IT Act, Central Monitoring System, Facial Recognition Technology, KS Puttaswamy
