Pranesh Prakash

Thank you, sir! I'm glad I got to travel to Bangalore for this event. I haven't been out and about very much.

BLR people, please come for this Bangalore Legal Forum event about Free Speech and Internet Regulation (in India) at
the Bangalore International Centre tomorrow evening (1600 - 1730).

Details 👇

Poster: Bangalore Legal Forum panel on "Free Speech and Internet Regulation in India," April 23, 2025, 4-5:30 PM at Bangalore International Centre. Speakers: Dr. Sarayu Natarajan, Mr. Pranesh Prakash, Mr. Prateek Waghre (Fellow, Tech Policy Press), and moderator Mr. Sachin Sathyarajan (Manipal Law School). Organized by MLS-MAHE, Christ School of Law, SJCL, and NLSIU Bengaluru. Contact: +91-9513330565, RSVP link available. The forum promotes legal knowledge sharing.

The Bangalore Legal Forum (MLS-MAHE + NLSIU + SLCU + SJCL) is organizing its inaugural event:

Free Speech and Internet Regulation in India
Bangalore International Centre
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
16:00–17:30

Come join Sarayu Natarajan, @prateekwaghre.com, Sachin S., and yours truly

One ought not be selective about due process.

One ought not say, "he's a terrorist/gang member; due process is a hindrance to justice".

Equally, one must not say, "he's a sexual harasser/white supremacist; due process is a hindrance to justice."

Justice demands due process.

I personally have liberal friends in legal academia who are not "fascists" or "Holocaust deniers" who are afraid to speak their minds on certain topics because they fear it will get them ostracised.

Feeling virtuous about creating this atmosphere of fear doesn't help.

Line graph titled "American attitudes towards free trade have rapidly polarised." It shows the share of US Liberals (blue), Moderates (grey), and Conservatives (red) who strongly approve of free trade from January 2023 to January 2025. Liberal approval rises sharply after the late 2024 election and early 2025 inauguration, exceeding 40%. Moderate approval shows a smaller increase to around 25%. Conservative approval remains low and relatively flat around 15%. The graph demonstrates a growing divergence in attitudes towards free trade based on political ideology.

US liberals haven't been very supportive of free trade over the past few years, just like US conservatives. Trump's election have led them to strongly change their minds. Now more than 40% of US liberals "strongly approve of free trade".

Graph by @jburnmurdoch.ft.com

#tribalism #polarization #USA

This scatalogical rant seems somewhat misplaced in an otherwise scholarly or at least thoughtful India Forum.

“Why do you take such childish delight in puns?”
“I’m a groan man.”

We can never know for sure where the future will take us. But I can speculate.

My latest Ex Machina article.

exmachina.in/09/04/2025/p...

Reorienting the Lens on Judicial Reforms Most litigants will never end up in a high court; their cases will remain in the labyrinths of district courts. Yet, reforms at the base of the judicial pyramid have not got the required attention.

Most litigants will never end up in a high court; their cases will remain in the labyrinths of district courts. Yet, reforms at the base of the judicial pyramid have not got the required attention.
www.theindiaforum.in/book-reviews...

We @okfn.bsky.social are creating, in collaboration with communities all over the World, a tool that helps you learn everything about tabular data while applying it to your workflow! Take the course! Test the App! opendataeditor.okfn.org

Gmail: Bringing easy end-to-end encryption to all businesses | Google Workspace Blog Announcing plans to bring easy to use end-to-end encryption in Gmail to all our business customers

Gmail now makes it easy for orgs to manage end-to-end encryption using S/MIME. It even allows sending e2ee emails to those not using S/MIME.

This is great for security, but terrible for transparency, esp if govts use it, as it'd allow "revocation" of emails.

workspace.google.com/blog/identit...

But I think when people take a look at my record versus Vice President Biden’s record – I helped lead the fight against (North American Free Trade Agreement); he voted for NAFTA,” Sanders said on “Anderson Cooper 360.” “I helped lead the fight against (permanent normal trade relations) with China; he voted for it. I strongly opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership; he supported it. I voted against the war in Iraq; he voted for it.”

Many left-leaning politicians see free trade differently. Sen. Bernie Sanders opposed NAFTA, TPP, and trade normalization with China. They and the unions might he wrong. But at least those unions are being consistent regarding what they see as their interests regardless of who is in power.

In a Victory for Autoworkers, Auto Tariffs Mark the Beginning of the End of NAFTA and the “Free Trade” Disaster UAW Wheel logo This afternoon, the Trump administration announced major tariffs on passenger cars and trucks entering the U.S. market, marking the beginning of the end of a thirty-plus year “free trade” disaster. This is a long-overdue shift away from a harmful economic framework that has devastated the working class and driven a race to the bottom across borders in the auto industry. It signals a return to policies that prioritize the workers who build this country—rather than the greed of ruthless corporations.

American unions seem to have a different idea about free trade & tariffs from liberal American academics.

“We applaud the Trump administration for stepping up to end the free trade disaster that has devastated working-class communities for decades.” said UAW Pres Shawn Fain
uaw.org/tariffs-mark...

This I knew about without having learnt any German. I really have no idea why I know of it, though. 😅

YouTube video by Knowledge is Power Americas Chickens Have Come Home To Roost

Rev. Jeremiah Wright: America's chickens are coming home to roost.

youtu.be/Vy6lFFaX0nQ?...

This trend seems to be growing here.

False comfort that AI doesn’t work or that it isn’t getting better is pervasive on Blue Sky. As a result, people who could add important points of view to current discussions on the meaning & use of AI instead try to believe they don’t have to think about it.

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.

Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”

But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?

And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

...

Gibran:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.

काल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब ।
पल में परलय होएगी, बहुरि करेगा कब ॥

Typically, a loyalty oath has wording similar to that mentioned in the U.S Supreme Court decision of Garner v. Board of Public Works: [7] requiring the making of this oath or affirmation, advised, advocated or taught, the overthrow by force, violence or other unlawful means, of the Government of the United States of America or of the State of I further swear (or affirm) that I do not advise, advocate or teach, and have not within the period beginning five (5) years prior to the effective date of the ordinance California and that I am not now and have not, within said period, been or become a member of or affiliated with any group, society, association, organization or party which advises, advocates or teaches, or has, within said period, advised, advocated or taught, the overthrow by force, violence or other unlawful means of the Government of the United States of America, or of the State of California. I further swear (or affirm) that I will not, while I am in the service of the City of Los Angeles, advise, advocate or said period, advised, advocated or taught, the overthrow by force, violence or other unlawful means, of the Government of the United States of America or of the State of California....

Example 2 - As noted on the UC San Diego website, diversity, equity, and inclusion are part of the University of California's fundamental mission and are integral to UC San Diego achievement of academic excellence. My commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, as demonstrated by my past experiences, align well with this philosophy. As a woman in the sciences, I have seen firsthand how the academic environment can be unwelcoming, unfair and inequitable because of not fitting into a particular gender schema. I am committed to making a difference in ensuring that everyone is given opportunities to excel in their scholarly activities.

Aren't forced diversity statements exactly like mandated anti-insurrection pledges of yore which academics challenged in courts and which were found to be unconstitutional by SCOTUS?

X has sought the following relief from the High Court: A declaration that Section 79(3)(b) does not authorize the government to issue information-blocking orders, which are exclusively governed by Section 69A. Quashing of the impugned notifications and restraining the government from taking prejudicial action against X related to the illegal blocking orders and the Censorship Portal. Interim relief to restrain the government from taking coercive action against X for not complying with blocking orders issued outside the Section 69A process or for refusing to join the Censorship Portal.

Twitter/X has filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court challenging the govt's authority to censor under S.79(3)(b) of the IT Act.

Glad to see that Twitter's lawyers are adopting an argument I've put forward for over a decade!

#FoE #censorship #India

www.barandbench.com/news/litigat...

I’m using @graze.social to split my Following feed into arts and entertainment, life and diary, and news and politics using their Topic Analysis feature. It’s free, too! There’s lots of culture talk on here, you just have to find and use the tools available to you.

One of the things I dislike about Bluesky is how hastily people block others. I saw nothing rude in what you said, nothing "block-worthy".

Happy new year!

English translation of https://dravidar.mooligaimannan.com/2016/09/blog-post_5.html The highlighted words read: "Just as Jews have no specific country to reside in and no patriotism, don't Brahmins also have no specific village and no patriotism? Aren't Jews skilled in somehow gaining control over ruling classes without any responsibility other than their self-interest, scheming and tormenting other groups to exploit them?"

"Aren't Jews skilled in somehow gaining control over ruling classes without any responsibility other than their self-interest, scheming and tormenting other groups to exploit them?" — Periyar EVR (1938-03-20, reprinted in Viḍudalai on 2016-07-09)

#Antisemitism #Dravidianism

Folks like Karen Attiah will never understand why so many liberals dislike the mandated segregation and racial hierarchy that "DEI" imposes.

*multiple cases

Immigration agents arrested a U.S. citizen and created warrants after an arrest, lawyers say in court Chicago attorneys were in federal court Thursday accusing federal agents of violating immigration law and the constitutional rights of at least 22 people since January.

This article, otoh, documents cases multiple where due process was not followed:
www.wbez.org/immigration/...