Privacy Mode IL Guidelines Study

Developer Survey

This survey is conducted by Hasgeek and Privacy Mode. The survey is targeted at developers to understand what they know about the Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. These Rules were issued by MEITY and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.

All responses will be anonymised.

To read more about the IT Rules, refer to Hasgeek's research report at https://hasgeek.com/PrivacyMode/it-rules-il-guidelines-2021/sub/it-rules-2021-intermediary-guidelines-concerns-and-7swxnPZrCPooJUdLPPqz2u

For further questions, email privacymode@hasgeek.com

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* 1. Name (optional)

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* 2. State/Region

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* 3. What best represents your region

Rural

Urban

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* 4. Gender (Tick all options that you identify as)

Male

Female

Transgender

Non Binary

Prefer not to say

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* 5. Are you aware that the Government of India notified new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 in February?

Yes. I read the rules in detail.

Yes. I followed the news closely.

Somewhat. I saw some headlines.

I think I remember seeing something.

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* 6. What are your trusted sources of information on this? (Select all options that apply)

Government announcements

Mainstream newspapers

Email newsletter

Digital-only News Media

Twitter/Instagram/Facebook or similar networks

Company Communication

Chat groups on WhatsApp/Signal/Telegram/Slack

TV shows/TV News Broadcast

Other

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* 7. When you look for experts on—or simply want to learn more about—government/public policy impacting developers, which groups do you look to? (Select all options that apply)

Professional advocacy organizations such as Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) or similar

Newsletters/shows by commentators

Discussion groups or events that cover such topics

Chat groups of friends/peers

I have a contact I usually ask

None/other

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* 8. In your view, how do these new rules affect you and others like you?

Very Harmful

Cannot Say

Very Beneficial

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 9. How many years have you worked in your sector?

Less than 5 years

5 - 10 years

More than 10 years

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* 10. In the course of your working life, has there been any law/policy change that had a significant impact on the kind of work you do? (Excluding large events such as the pandemic and lockdown.)

Yes

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* 11. How many employees work at your organization?

Less than 25

25-150

More than 150

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* 12. On an average working day, which of these activities is the most important for your role?

Code

Documentation

Design

None of the above

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* 13. At work, you spend more time:

Writing your own content

Reviewing other people’s work

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* 14. What domain does your organization work in? (Select all options that apply)

Social Media Intermediaries

Hosting and Cloud Services

Messaging and Communications

Digital News

Streaming Platforms

Other

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* 15. Does your company have offices in more than one country?

Yes

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* 16. Do you think the IT Rules 2021 (Intermediary Liability Guidelines) will affect your professional life?

No, it won't

Not sure/Cannot say

Yes, it will

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 17. How would aspects regarding your professional life be affected by the IT Rules, 2021?

	Seriously harm	Pose challenges	No effect	Offer some benefits	Strongly benefit
Job security in the current market	Job security in the current market Seriously harm	Job security in the current market Pose challenges	Job security in the current market No effect	Job security in the current market Offer some benefits	Job security in the current market Strongly benefit
Job opportunities	Job opportunities Seriously harm	Job opportunities Pose challenges	Job opportunities No effect	Job opportunities Offer some benefits	Job opportunities Strongly benefit
Work processes and workflows	Work processes and workflows Seriously harm	Work processes and workflows Pose challenges	Work processes and workflows No effect	Work processes and workflows Offer some benefits	Work processes and workflows Strongly benefit

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* 18. Do you think the new Rules will require you to learn new skills?

No, it won't

Cannot say/unsure

Yes, it will

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 19. Do you think your work will involve more compliance requirements?

No, it won't

Cannot say/unsure

Yes, it will

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 20. If you believe there will be a change due to compliance, in what ways?

	More tasks	Same amount of tasks	Fewer tasks
Additional tasks / duties for tech / development	Additional tasks / duties for tech / development More tasks	Additional tasks / duties for tech / development Same amount of tasks	Additional tasks / duties for tech / development Fewer tasks
Additional tasks / duties for reporting / administration / documentation	Additional tasks / duties for reporting / administration / documentation More tasks	Additional tasks / duties for reporting / administration / documentation Same amount of tasks	Additional tasks / duties for reporting / administration / documentation Fewer tasks

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* 21. In what ways will the new Rules affect your output requirements?

	Seriously harm	Pose challenges	No effect	Offer some benefits	Strongly benefit
Restrictions placed on products	Restrictions placed on products Seriously harm	Restrictions placed on products Pose challenges	Restrictions placed on products No effect	Restrictions placed on products Offer some benefits	Restrictions placed on products Strongly benefit
Change in output demands	Change in output demands Seriously harm	Change in output demands Pose challenges	Change in output demands No effect	Change in output demands Offer some benefits	Change in output demands Strongly benefit
Reprioritization of work	Reprioritization of work Seriously harm	Reprioritization of work Pose challenges	Reprioritization of work No effect	Reprioritization of work Offer some benefits	Reprioritization of work Strongly benefit

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* 22. Do you think the IT Rules will affect your organization?

No, not at all

Unsure/Cannot say

Yes, very much

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 23. What will be the impact of the new Rules on your organization?

	Seriously harm	Pose challenges	No effect	Offer some benefits	Strongly benefit
Organization structure	Organization structure Seriously harm	Organization structure Pose challenges	Organization structure No effect	Organization structure Offer some benefits	Organization structure Strongly benefit
Costs and expenses	Costs and expenses Seriously harm	Costs and expenses Pose challenges	Costs and expenses No effect	Costs and expenses Offer some benefits	Costs and expenses Strongly benefit
Compliance and regulation	Compliance and regulation Seriously harm	Compliance and regulation Pose challenges	Compliance and regulation No effect	Compliance and regulation Offer some benefits	Compliance and regulation Strongly benefit

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* 24. Do you believe the new Rules allow for criminal liability or likelihood of punishment if your company fails to comply?

Yes

I have read the rules but I am unsure

I have not read the rules and I don’t know

Other

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* 25. Do you think the IT Rules will affect your personal life?

No, it won't

Unsure/Cannot say

Yes, it will

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 26. In what ways?

	Seriously harm	Pose challenges	No effect	Offer some benefits	Strongly benefit
Privacy	Privacy Seriously harm	Privacy Pose challenges	Privacy No effect	Privacy Offer some benefits	Privacy Strongly benefit
Freedom of speech	Freedom of speech Seriously harm	Freedom of speech Pose challenges	Freedom of speech No effect	Freedom of speech Offer some benefits	Freedom of speech Strongly benefit
Security	Security Seriously harm	Security Pose challenges	Security No effect	Security Offer some benefits	Security Strongly benefit

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* 27. Do you believe the IT Rules will affect the user experience of your products?

No, it won't

Unsure/Cannot say

Yes, it will

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 28. How do you believe these Rules will affect your users?

	Seriously harm	Pose challenges	No effect	Offer some benefits	Strongly benefit
Privacy	Privacy Seriously harm	Privacy Pose challenges	Privacy No effect	Privacy Offer some benefits	Privacy Strongly benefit
Freedom of speech	Freedom of speech Seriously harm	Freedom of speech Pose challenges	Freedom of speech No effect	Freedom of speech Offer some benefits	Freedom of speech Strongly benefit
Security	Security Seriously harm	Security Pose challenges	Security No effect	Security Offer some benefits	Security Strongly benefit

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* 29. What should the government do about the new IT Rules?

They’re fine, keep as is

They should be repealed

They should be amended to correct some parts

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* 30. Do you believe that there is a valid legal challenge to the IT Rules?

Yes

Cannot say / Don't know

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* 31. What methods do you believe are feasible for changing the Rules? (Select all options that apply)

File a court case as individuals

Create a union/collective to file the case

Support/work with organizations that have filed cases before

Send petitions to MEITY and other Govt. entities

Ask policy makers to have public consultations prior to implementation

Ask policy makers to interact with domain representatives to hear concerns

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* 32. What type of organizations will be most effective in contesting/influencing the rules? (Select all options that apply)

Advocates for digital rights - Eg: Internet Freedom Foundation, SFLC

Advocates for FOSS - Eg: FSMI, FOSS United

Organizations behind large public projects, like Mozilla and Wikimedia

Big Tech organizations like Google, Amazon, Facebook, etc

Industry bodies such as ASSOCHAM, FICCI, etc

Startup related organizations and associations

Others

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* 33. Do you believe that you have the means to speak up about the IT Rules?

Yes

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* 34. What do you believe are the reasons you may be hesitant to speak up about the IT Rules? (Tick all the options that apply)

Lack of awareness on the Rules

Lack of an effective forum

Fear of government repercussions

Irrelevant to my life