Latest news with #NAnandVenkatesh
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Private images, videos leaked? Here's how to report and take down non-consensual content from the internet
At the Madras High Court, Justice N Anand Venkatesh listened to a woman advocate's plea about her private videos being leaked online without her consent. Secretly recorded by a former partner during college, the footage resurfaced years later, and circulated on social media and messaging apps. 'The woman is undergoing great mental agony,' said the judge, 'What if she were my daughter?' The Justice ordered the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to trace and remove the content within 48 hours, demanding a compliance report by July 14. He also brought in the Tamil Nadu police chief, underlining the urgent need for systemic safeguards against such digital abuse. In another case last month, a teenager's world turned upside down when fake Instagram accounts were created in her name. The pages were filled with real and morphed objectionable images of the girl, only 15. The impersonation shattered her and her family. Hearing the plea, the Delhi High Court ordered Meta to immediately block the fake profiles and provide technical details, like IP addresses, to help trace those behind the abuse. So, what can you do if something like this happens to you, or someone you know? When a private photo, video, or impersonation appears online without your consent, it can feel overwhelming. But there are concrete steps you can take to report, remove, and regain control. Contact the website or uploader: If the content is on a website you don't control, try reaching out to the owner directly. Use WHOIS tools to find contact details. Explain your situation clearly and calmly. Use in-platform reporting: On Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or YouTube, use their built-in reporting features. Most have policies against harassment, impersonation, and explicit content. Escalate if needed: If the platform is unresponsive, organisations like Report Harmful Content (UK-based but globally referenced) offer guidance on next steps. 'You can report objectionable content directly on the respective social media platforms. As per the IT Rules, 2021 and the amended rules of 2023, all platforms are required to appoint a Grievance Officer. The officer must acknowledge complaints within 24 hours and resolve them within 15 days,' said Tushar Sharma, cyber expert and co-founder of The Organisation For Enlightenment and Education (TOFEE). He also said, 'In certain cases, such as complaints involving sensitive or harmful content, the resolution must happen within 72 hours. If you're facing issues like child pornography, cyberbullying, online harassment, or crimes targeting women, you can file a complaint through the Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: The Sahyog portal is another tool designed to assist citizens with online safety and digital grievance redressal.' 'You can request Google to de-index content so it doesn't appear in search results. For platforms, direct takedown requests work. There are third parties too, but if the source is on the dark web, it's much harder; removal may involve payments in crypto, and even then, it's not guaranteed,' Pavan Karthick M, threat researcher III at CloudSEK, said in a conversation with DMCA takedown: If someone is misusing your copyrighted content, file a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice. Google removal tool: Use this form to request removal of personal or explicit content from search results. You'll need URLs and proof (like screenshots). Legal assistance: For serious offences like defamation or image-based abuse, consult a lawyer. They can help with formal notices, cease and desist letters, or court action. Shubham Singh, a cybersecurity expert, shared some tools for the readers. Take It Down – Meta's new, free tool helps stop the online sharing of nude or sexually explicit content involving minors (even if you're now an adult). 'You stay anonymous and don't have to upload the image itself,' Singh said, How it works: This is a free tool run by the UK-based Revenge Porn Helpline, established in 2015, under the non-profit SWGfL. It helps victims of non-consensual intimate image abuse (NCII) protect their images by preventing future sharing. The organisation for this tool partners with major platforms; it boasts an over 90 per cent removal rate, with more than 300,000 images removed. How does it work? Google tool: If private, intimate photos or videos of you were shared online without your consent, Google can help hide them from search results. – Fill out a request form on Google's support site. – Share the exact links and any proof (like screenshots). – Google will review your request and update you by email. Google will block the content from appearing in search results. But this won't delete it from the internet, just from Google Search. It's a way to make harmful content harder to find, and take back some control. While no tool can completely erase harm, these steps can help limit the spread and restore a sense of control. No one should have to navigate this alone, or in the dark. The Safe Side: As the world evolves, the digital landscape does too, bringing new opportunities—and new risks. Scammers are becoming more sophisticated, exploiting vulnerabilities to their advantage. In our special feature series, we delve into the latest cybercrime trends and provide practical tips to help you stay informed, secure, and vigilant online.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Madras High Court puts on hold order barring TNSTC buses from using four toll plazas
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), which owes dues of Rs 276 crore user fees to operators of four toll plazas in the southern districts, has got a reprieve as the Madras High Court kept in abeyance its order blocking the buses from passing through these four toll plazas from July 10. On Thursday, Justice N Anand Venkatesh said the order passed on Tuesday to stop the TNSTC buses from plying through Kappalur, Etturavattam, Salaipudhur, and Nanguneri toll plazas, would be held back till July 31. The reprieve was given after Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran submitted that transport secretary has been holding talks with the companies concerned to resolve the issue and a settlement will be reached soon. Recording the statement, the judge granted the temporary relief. On Tuesday, the judge, expressing concern about the mounting dues, issued the order after hearing the petitions filed by the toll companies operating Madurai- Kanniyakumari, Kanniyakumari-Etturavattam, Salaipudhur-Madurai, and Nanguneri-Kanniyakumari toll roads. They had sought the court to issue directions restraining TNSTC buses from plying through the toll plazas till the dues are settled. The judge had also directed the director general of police to take steps for ensuring protection to the toll plazas and to ensure that the toll road operators are not coerced into allowing the buses. This 'extreme order' had to be passed by the court considering the fact that no positive solution was coming forth from TNSTC for settling the dues, the judge had reasoned.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
HC suspends order barring govt buses from using 4 toll plazas
Chennai: A day after prohibiting TNSTC buses from passing through four toll plazas — Kallapur, Etturavattam, Salaipudhur, and Nanguneri toll plazas — connecting the southern districts of the state from July 10, in view of toll arrears amounting to 276 crore, the Madras high court has kept the order in abeyance until July 31. Justice N Anand Venkatesh decided to suspend the order in view of a submission made by the additional advocate-general J Ravindran that the state's transport secretary is in talks with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) concessionaires and an amicable solution will be arrived at soon. The issue pertains to the pleas moved by Madurai-Kanyakumari Tollway Private Limited, Kanyakumari-Etturavattam Tollway Private Limited, Salaipudhur-Madurai Tollway Private Limited, and Nanguneri-Kanyakumari Tollway Private Limited. They alleged that four state transport corporations are liable to pay approximately Rs 276 crore, which includes the penalty and interest. Even excluding the penalty and interest, Rs 113 crore is payable to the petitioners by the corporations, they said. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai In arriving at this amount, the petitioners took into consideration the various payments that were made by the corporations to the tune of Rs 48.5 crore. This apart, there is another major issue involved in this case, which pertains to the violations of the Motor Vehicles Rules, 2000, which mandates FASTags in all vehicles. On July 9, since the corporations could not come up with a viable solution to settle the dues, the court took the extreme step of stopping buses from using the national highways.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Madras high court appalled by monstrous men, orders Centre to delete obscene pictures of young lawyer
Madras high court CHENNAI: 'A man can become a monster,' said Justice N Anand Venkatesh of Madras high court , empathising with a young woman lawyer whose dignity was battered after her non-consensual intimate images and videos were circulated on the internet by the man she had trusted. Her intimate images — recorded and shared without consent by the man who promised to marry her — were uploaded online and distributed across more than 70 websites, including pornographic platforms and social media, leading to severe personal and professional distress for her. Justice Anand Venkatesh, who was visibly moved during the hearing, said, 'What if it happened to my daughter?' He then directed the Union govt to invoke its authority under the Information Technology Act and ensure the removal of all such content from the internet within 48 hours. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai 'In the considered view of this court, it is the duty of a constitutional court to safeguard the fundamental rights guaranteed to all persons and not limited to just citizens when it comes to gross violations of Article 21. The right to privacy and the right to dignity are guaranteed under Article 21, and the same is being violated every second insofar as the petitioner is concerned,' the judge said. 'Therefore, this court has to exercise its power and ensure that the untold agony faced by the petitioner is at least mitigated by removing those contents as early as possible and to ensure that the petitioner can lead a normal life at least in the future,' he added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Get ₹2Cr life cover@ ₹700 p.m. ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan Get Quote Undo Representing the petitioner, senior advocate Abdu Kumar Rajaratnam brought to the notice of the court a judgment passed by Delhi high court in 2023, setting guidelines to be followed by the authorities to deal with such cases. 'Delhi high court made tremendous efforts in somehow trying to find a solution for this problem faced by young girls across the country,' Justice Anand Venkatesh said. This lengthy exercise undertaken by Delhi high court must be followed up by the authorities, since it is the duty of the state to safeguard the fundamental rights of its citizens. It is only the Union authorities who are vested with the power, even as per their own stand taken before Delhi high court, to initiate action under the IT Act for the removal of the contents from the internet and social media platforms, he added. In order to create awareness among the Tamil Nadu police, the court suo motu impleaded the DGP as a party respondent to the petition. The court then adjourned the hearing to July 14 for reporting compliance.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Madras HC tells four toll plaza operators to block all TNSTC buses over Rs 276 crore dues
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered the operators of four toll plaza in the southern districts including Madurai, Kanniyakumari, and Tirunelveli to stop Tamil Nadu state transport corporation (TNSTC) buses from crossing the toll plazas from July 10 until a solution is arrived at to clear user fee dues amounting to Rs 276 crore. The interim order was passed on Tuesday by Justice N Anand Venkatesh on the petitions filed by four companies operating the toll plazas, praying for orders to TNSTC to pay the dues owed to them. The petitioner companies are operating on Madurai- Kanyakumari, Kanyakumari-Etturavattam, Salaipudhur-Madurai, and Nanguneri-Kanyakumari toll roads. They sought the court to issue directions restraining TNSTC buses from plying through Kappalur, Etturavattam, Salaipudhur, and Nanguneri toll plazas. The judge added that these measures will continue till the respondent-corporations come up with a viable solution to clear the dues owed to the petitioners. He also directed the DGP to direct jurisdictional police officers to provide protection at the toll plazas The judge further stated that the directions shall be complied with strictly and the police shall ensure that no undue pressure is exerted on the toll operators to permit TNSTC buses. This 'extreme order' has to be passed by this court considering the fact that no positive solution was coming forth from TNSTC for settling the dues, the judge reasoned.
