Status of Policing in India Report 2023: Surveillance and the Question of Privacy

This report was published in March 2023 by Common Cause, New Delhi, and Lokniti, a research programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi. It is the fourth edition of the Status of Policing in India Report, the first of which was released in 2018. This report discusses the “legal and operational” aspect of surveillance in India. It explores the role of state and non-state players in tracking and infringing upon the privacy of citizens. It assesses and highlights police and public perception around surveillance technologies, internet freedom and the importance of protecting personal data.A survey with 9,779 individuals across 12 states and union territories was conducted to understand digital surveillance in India. The study also involved a Focused Group Discussion (FGD) with experts, police officials, and also an analysis of media coverage.This 296-page document is divided into 10 chapters: Digital Surveillance: Conceptualisation and Theoretical Debates (Chapter 1); Surveillance Trends in India: Official Data Analysis (Chapter 2); Experts’ Perspectives on Surveillance and Privacy in India (Chapter 3); Surveillance in the Media: Analysis of News Coverage on Digital Surveillance (Chapter 4); Privacy in an Age of Video Surveillance: People’s Opinions about CCTVs (Chapter 5); Spying Through Your Pockets (Chapter 6); People’s Perceptions of the use of Advanced Surveillance Technologies (Chapter 7); Digital Financial Security and Cybercrimes (Chapter 8); Privacy and Targeted Surveillance (Chapter 9); Legal Mechanisms and Crime Control (Chapter 10).