A panel of journalists and researchers gathered this month for a convening titled “Privacy Supreme” to examine digital privacy in everyday life [1].
The event marks the nine-year anniversary of the Indian Supreme Court ruling that affirmed privacy as a fundamental right [1]. While the legal framework exists, participants said the actual experience of digital life often contradicts these protections.
Led by Apar Gupta, the session was a collaboration between The Wire and the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) [1]. The discussion focused on unpacking what privacy looks like in practice and identifying the distance between a constitutional guarantee and the reality of surveillance.
The convening occurred via a YouTube livestream, bringing together young participants and experts to analyze the erosion of personal boundaries [1]. The conversation highlighted that the right to privacy is not merely a legal abstraction but a lived experience that is increasingly under pressure.
External perspectives on digital tools echoed these concerns. Cory Doctorow wrote in June that the most important thing about a gadget is not what it does, but who it does it for and what it does it to.
Other security experts have warned that the loss of privacy extends beyond individual rights. One SecurityWeek author said that collected information is a powerful tool for data theft, targeting critical industries, and disrupting governments.
The discussion of data collection comes amid the rapid rise of generative AI. For example, ChatGPT reached 100 million monthly active users within two months of its release [2].
“The most important thing about a gadget isn’t what it does; it’s who it does it for and what it does it to.”
The gap between the Indian Supreme Court's landmark ruling and the daily digital reality suggests that legal victories alone cannot secure privacy. As AI tools scale rapidly to millions of users, the tension between state-affirmed rights and the data-driven business models of technology companies creates a systemic vulnerability for citizens.
