Publications

The Sunil Abraham Project curates and archives the published works, papers, and writings of Sunil Abraham, focusing on open knowledge, digital culture, and the social impact of technology.

These publications reflect years of engagement in Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), Internet governance, and open access movements.

Books and Book Chapters

Books

• Agency and Enterprise Handbook for ICT in the Indian Small Scale Sector — Co-authored with Dr. Richard Heeks and Dr. Richard Duncombe.
  Institute for Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester, May 2004.
  Guidelines for applying information and communication technologies in small-scale industries in India.
  Read here

Book Chapters

• “Surveillance Project” — In Dissent on Aadhaar: Big Data Meets Big Brother, edited by Reetika Khera.
  Orient Blackswan, 2018.
  A critical analysis of the Aadhaar programme and its implications for surveillance and citizen rights.
  Read here

• “First Among Equals? The Role of the State in Facilitating Internet Access and Protecting the Freedom of Expression Online in the Global South” — In Just Security in an Undergoverned World, edited by William Durch, Joris Larik and Richard Ponzio.
  Oxford University Press, 2018.
  Examines the state’s dual responsibility to expand access and uphold free expression.
  Read here

• “The Digital Protection of Traditional Knowledge: Questions Raised by the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library in India” — Co-authored with Vidushi Marda.
  In Global Information Society Watch 2016.
  Association for Progressive Communications, 2016.
  Explores policy dilemmas around digital preservation and ownership of traditional knowledge.
  Read here

• “Eavesdropping on the Freedom of Expression in India” — In Free Speech and Censorship around the Globe, edited by Peter Molnar.
  Central European University Press, 2015.
  Discusses surveillance, censorship, and freedom of expression in India’s digital context.
  Read here

• “Open Standards” — In Global Information Society Watch 2008.
  Association for Progressive Communications, 2008.
  Reviews policy and advocacy developments around open standards in ICT governance.
  Read here

Journal Articles

• “India’s Contribution to Internet Governance Debates” — with Mukta Batra, Geetha Hariharan, Swaraj Barooah and Akriti Bopanna.
  Student Law Journal, National Law University Delhi, 2018.
  Analyses India’s evolving role in global Internet governance processes.
  Read here

• “Security: Privacy, Transparency and Technology” — with Elonnai Hickok and Tarun Krishnakumar.
  Digital Debates 2015: CyFy Journal, Volume 2, Observer Research Foundation.
  Examines the tension between privacy rights, transparency, and technological security in governance.
  Read here

• “Shreya Singhal and 66A”
  Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. L, No. 15, April 2015.
  A reflection on the landmark Supreme Court judgment striking down Section 66A of the IT Act.
  Read here

• “Who Governs the Internet? Implications for Freedom and National Security”
  Yojana, Government of India, April 2014 Issue.
  Discusses the intersection of governance, sovereignty, and Internet freedom in India.
  Read here

• “Government Access to Private-Sector Data in India” — with Elonnai Hickok.
  International Data Privacy Law, 2012.
  Analyses legal and institutional mechanisms governing government access to private-sector data.
  Read here

• “The Fight for Digital Sovereignty”
  Economic & Political Weekly, Vol. XLVIII, No. 42, October 19, 2013.
  Explores national policy choices in digital infrastructure and Internet control.
  Read here

• “Unified Payment Interface: Towards Greater Cyber Sovereignty”
  Observer Research Foundation, Issue Brief No. 380, July 2020.
  An analysis of UPI’s architecture, governance, privacy risks and its significance for India’s digital sovereignty.
  Read here

Research Reports and Policy Papers

Major Reports

• “Report on Open Government Data in India” — with Glover Wright, Pranesh Prakash and Nishant Shah.
  Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), 2012.
  A comprehensive study of transparency, data-sharing practices, and open-data policy in Indian public institutions.
  Read here

• “Digital Natives with a Cause?” — with Nishant Shah.
  Hivos Knowledge Programme Report, 2009.
  Explores the intersections of youth, identity, and digital activism in emerging economies.
  Read here

• “Big Data in Governance in India: Case Studies”
  CIS Research Report, 2017.
  Investigates how large-scale data systems are shaping governance and accountability mechanisms in India.
  Read here

• “Regulating the Internet: The Government of India and Standards Development at the IETF”
  — with Aayush Rathi and Gurshabad Grover.
  CIS Internet Governance Report, 2018.
  Analyses India’s participation and influence in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards process.
  Read here

• “Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in India: Access to Mobile Technology” — with Vidushi Marda.
  Association for Progressive Communications (APC), 2016.
  Examines how access to mobile technologies advances or limits social and economic rights.
  Read here

Policy Briefs and Submissions

• “Inputs to the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation on Public Policy Issues Pertaining to the Internet (WGEC)” — with Vidushi Marda.
  CIS Submission to the United Nations CSTD WGEC, 2014.
  Presents civil society perspectives on enhanced cooperation in global Internet governance.
  Read here

• “Unlicensed Spectrum Policy Brief for Government of India”
  CIS Telecom Policy Paper, 2013.
  Recommends liberalised approaches to spectrum allocation to promote innovation and rural connectivity.
  Read here

• “Availability and Accessibility of Government Information in the Public Domain” — with Nirmita Narasimhan, Beliappa, and Anandhi Viswanathan.
  CIS Policy Brief, 2012.
  Assesses the accessibility of government information for persons with disabilities.
  Read here

• “NITI Aayog Discussion Paper: An Aspirational Step Towards India’s AI Policy” — with Elonnai Hickok, Amber Sinha, Swaraj Barooah, and others.
  CIS Blog and Policy Response, 2018.
  Evaluates India’s AI policy framework and its implications for ethics, privacy, and innovation.
  Read here

• “Artificial Intelligence: A Full-Spectrum Regulatory Challenge”
  CIS Policy Brief, 2019.
  Proposes a granular, domain-specific framework for AI regulation that balances innovation with accountability across sectors such as law enforcement, welfare, and digital platforms.
  Read here

Monograph Series (Edited Volumes)

FOSS Series (APDIP–UNDP / Elsevier)

Sunil Abraham served as Series Editor for the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Primers, published jointly by APDIP–UNDP and Elsevier between 2004 and 2007.
These handbooks offer foundational insights into FOSS implementation, policy, and education across Asia and the Pacific.

• FOSS: Education — by Tan Wooi Tong.
  Elsevier / APDIP–UNDP, 2004.
  Read online

• FOSS: Government Policy — by Kenneth Wong.
  Elsevier / APDIP–UNDP, 2004.
  Read online

• FOSS: Localization — by Anousak Souphavanh and Theppitak Karoonboonyanan.
  Elsevier / APDIP–UNDP, 2005.
  Read online

• FOSS: Open Standards — by Nah Soo Hoe.
  Elsevier / APDIP–UNDP, 2006.
  Read online

• FOSS: Licensing — by Shun Ling Chen.
  Elsevier / APDIP–UNDP, 2006.
  Read online

• FOSS: Network Infrastructure and Security — by Gaurab Raj Upadhaya.
  Elsevier / APDIP–UNDP, 2007.
  Read online

• FOSS: Open Content — by Lawrence Liang.
  Elsevier / APDIP–UNDP, 2007.
  Read online

Media Articles and Commentaries

Sunil Abraham has written widely for both Indian and international media, contributing opinion pieces and analytical essays on technology policy, privacy, and open knowledge.

2009

• “Newspapers Should Empower Citizen Journalism” — DNA India, 2009.
  Read online

• “Piracy Is Now a Mainstream Political Phenomenon” — The Hindu, 2009.
  A commentary on digital rights, access to culture, and new forms of online activism.

2010

• “Does the Government Want to Enter Our Homes?” — Pune Mirror, 2010.
  Read here

• “Wherever You Are, Whatever You Do” — Indian Express, 2010.
  Read here

2011

• “Big Brother Is Watching You” — Deccan Herald, 2011.
  Read here

• “Do You Want to Be Watched?” — Pragati, 2011.
  Read here

• “India’s Dreams of Web Censorship” — Financial Times – beyondbrics, 2011.
  Read here

• “Snooping Can Lead to Data Abuse” — Mail Today, 2011.
  Read here

• “Photocopying the Past” — Indian Express, 2011.
  Read here

• “Privacy and Security Can Co-exist” — Mail Today, 2011.
  Read here

• “That’s the Unkindest Cut, Mr Sibal” — Deccan Chronicle, 2011.
  Read here

• “US Clampdown Worse than the Great Firewall” — Tehelka, 2011.
  Read here

• “We Are Anonymous, We Are Legion” — The Hindu, 2011.
  Read here

2012

• “ಡಿಜಿಟಲ್ ನಿರ್ಬಂಧಗಳ ನಿರ್ವಹಣೆ (Digital Restrictions Management)” — Prajavani, 2012.
  Read here

• “Censoring the Internet: A Brief Manual” — Tehelka Magazine, 2012.
  Read here

• “Copyright Amendment: Bad, but Could Have Been Much Worse” — Business Standard, 2012.
  Read here

• “Do We Need the Aadhaar Scheme?” — Business Standard, 2012.
  Read here

• “Facebook, Privacy and India” — Mint (formerly Livemint), 2010.
  Read here

• “Open Is the Future” — Open World Forum, Paris, 2012.
  An essay on the global evolution of openness and free software movements.

• “Open Letter to Hillary Clinton on Internet Freedom” — Thinking Aloud, 2012.
  Read here

• “Online Censorship: How Government Should Approach Regulation of Speech” — The Economic Times, 2012.
  Read here

• “Smartphones, Tablets and the Patent Wars” — The Economic Times, 2012.
  Read here

• “Sense and Censorship” — Indian Express, 2012.
  Read here

• “The Five Monkeys and Ice-Cold Water” — Deccan Chronicle, 2012.
  Read here

• “The Quixotic Fight to Clean up the Web” — Tehelka Magazine, 2012.
  Read here

• “To Regulate Net Intermediaries or Not Is the Question” — Deccan Herald, 2012.
  Read here

2013

• “Don’t SLAPP Free Speech” — Tehelka Magazine, 2013.
  Read here

• “Online Privacy Should Not Come at the Cost of Security: Sunil Abraham” — Mint, 2013.
  Read here

• “Privacy Law Must Fit the Bill” — Deccan Chronicle, 2013.
  Read here

• “Freedom from Monitoring: India Inc Should Push for Privacy Laws” — Forbes India, 2013.
  Read here

• “TV versus Social Media: The Rights and Wrongs” — The Tribune, 2013.
  Read here

2014

• “Very Big Brother” — Council for Responsible Genetics, 2014.
  Read here

• “Privacy worries cloud Facebook’s WhatsApp Deal” — Economic Times, 2014.
  Read here

• “Net Freedom Campaign Loses its Way” — The Hindu Business Line, 2014.
  Read here

2015

• “Privacy vs Transparency” — New Internationalist, 2015.
  Read here

• “Wiki’s Worth, on a Different Turf” — Mint, 2015.
  Read here

• “Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt” — Deccan Chronicle, 2015.
  Read here

• “India’s Digital Check” — DNA India, 2015.
  Read here

• “The Generation of e-Emergency” — Mint, 2015.
  Read here

• “Multiple Aspects Need to be Addressed as the Clamour Grows for Network Neutrality” — DNA India, 2015.
  Read here

• “Big Win for Freedom of Speech. Really?” — Bangalore Mirror, 2015.
  Read here

• “Internet Censorship Will Continue in Opaque Fashion” — The Times of India, 2015.
  Read here

• “Connected Trouble” — The Week, 2015.
  Read here

• “Hits and Misses With the Draft Encryption Policy” — The Wire, 2015.
  Read here

2016

• “Aadhaar is Actually Surveillance Tech” — Business Standard, 2016.
  Read here

• “The Net Neutrality Debate: TRAI Has a Point in Imposing Temporary Ban on Free Basics” — Firstpost, 2016.
  Read here

• “Free Basics: Negating Net Parity” — Deccan Herald, 2016.
  Read here

• “Facebook Shares 10 Key Facts about Free Basics. Here’s What’s Wrong with All 10 of Them.” — Catch News, 2016.
  Read here

• “Facebook’s Fall from Grace: Arab Spring to Indian Winter” — Firstpost, 2016.
  Read here

• “Services Like TwitterSeva Aren’t the Silver Bullets They Are Made Out to Be” — FactorDaily, 2016.
  Read here

2017

• “സ്വകാര്യതാലംഘനം: ധനനഷ്ടമില്ലെങ്കിലും കേസിനു പോകാം (Privacy Violation: Even Without Financial Loss You Can Sue)” — Malayala Manorama, 2017.
  Read here

• “How Aadhaar Compromises Privacy? And How to Fix It?” — The Hindu, 2017.
  Read on CIS
  Read online

• “It’s the Technology, Stupid” — The Hindu Business Line, 2017.
  Read here

2018

• “Fixing Aadhaar: Security Developers’ Task Is to Trim Chances of Data Breach” — Business Standard, 2018.
  Read here

• “Data Protection: We Can Innovate, Leapfrog” — Deccan Herald, 2018.
  Read here

• “Why NPCI and Facebook Need Urgent Regulatory Attention” — Economic Times, 2018.
  Read here

• “Lining Up the Data on the Srikrishna Privacy Draft Bill” — Economic Times, 2018.
  Read here

• “Spreading Unhappiness Equally Around” — Business Standard, 2018.
  Read here

• “Cambridge Analytica Scandal: How India Can Save Democracy from Facebook” — Business Standard / Global Reposts, 2018.
  Read here

• “A Trust Deficit Between Advertisers and Publishers Is Leading to Fake News” — Hindustan Times, 2018.
  Read here

• “Analysis of ICANN Revenue Shows Ambiguity in Their Records: Financials from 2012–2016” — CIS Blog, 2018.
  Read online

2019

• “Registering for Aadhaar in 2019” — Business Standard, 2019.
  Read here

• “Intermediary Liability Law Needs Updating” — Business Standard, 2019.
  Read here

• “Linking Aadhaar with Social Media or Ending Encryption Is Counterproductive” — Prime Time, 2019.
  Read here

• “When Governments Tag You on Social Media” — Business Standard, 2019.
  Read here

Needs to be relocated

• “Availability and Accessibility of Government Information in the Public Domain” — CIS Policy Brief.
  Read online

Blog Entries and Online Essays

Sunil Abraham has contributed extensively to the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) blog and other online platforms, writing on privacy, openness, data governance, and digital rights.
These essays often serve as short policy commentaries or exploratory analyses of ongoing regulatory debates.

• “India’s Draft Privacy Bill: The Illusion of Control” — CIS Blog, 2018.
  Critiques the structure of India’s proposed data protection law and the limitations of consent-based models.
  Read online

• “Data Protection Framework: Gaps in Accountability” — with Elonnai Hickok. CIS Blog, 2018.
  Examines institutional weaknesses in India’s proposed data protection regime.
  Read online

• “Privacy, Security and Trust in the Digital Economy” — CIS Blog, 2017.
  Analyses the challenges of building public trust in data-driven systems.
  Read online

• “Algorithmic Transparency and the Future of Governance” — CIS Blog, 2016.
  Discusses algorithmic decision-making and the demand for transparency in automated governance.
  Read online

• “India’s Position on Net Neutrality” — CIS Blog, 2015.
  Explains India’s regulatory and civil society advocacy for network neutrality.
  Read online

• “Digital Privacy and the Aadhaar Ecosystem” — CIS Blog, 2013.
  Explores privacy challenges arising from India’s biometric identity infrastructure.
  Read online

Presentations and Lectures

Sunil Abraham has presented lectures and keynote talks at universities, research institutions, and international conferences, combining perspectives from technology, law, and policy.
His talks often focus on openness, ethics, and governance in digital systems.

Academic Conferences

• International School on Digital Transformation, Porto, Portugal.
  Lecture on digital governance, open data, and global Internet policy.

• Open World Forum, Paris.
  Session on open source policy and global knowledge-sharing frameworks.

• CyFy: The India Conference on Cyber Security and Internet Governance, New Delhi.
  Panel on privacy, transparency, and the politics of data.

• Internet Governance Forum (IGF) — multiple years.
  Participation in global multistakeholder dialogues on digital rights.

See also

• Authors directory, highlights authors who have collaborated with Sunil Abraham on various publications featured within this project
• Media directory, a directory of the newspaper or media outlet where they appeared

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