New Delhi: Marking the anniversary of the historic Puttaswamy judgment that solidified the right to privacy as fundamental and protected under the Constitution, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) hosted the fifth edition of 'Privacy Supreme' to revisit the milestone on Thursday (August 21). This year’s theme, ‘Days of Future Past’, was based on the cult classic X-men movie, where the characters prevent a dystopian future of authoritarianism by revisiting the past. This event was marked by a keynote from Justice Gautam Patel of the Bombay high court, a panel of distinguished Indian science-fiction authors, special messages from Indrapramit Das and Manjula Padmanabhan, and even an interactive Jenga-style game.

To open the event, Justice Patel re-contextualised privacy in the digital age, taking into account how differently privacy is experienced by distinctive groups in Indian society. Discriminated groups such as women, Dalits and LGBTQ individuals do not experience privacy as easily as others. They face constant monitoring that strips them of their dignity and freedom. While we feel the effects of constant surveillance in the technological era of today, it existed long before for groups that are seen but not heard.

He continued to discuss that in today's digital era, where we trade our data for convenience, we may be ignoring what is truly at stake: privacy and individual freedom. When every word spoken is recorded, the invisible overseer becomes a threat. Constant surveillance forces people to self-regulate, a subtle but potent method of societal control. Building on this, Justice Patel commented that the law is out of step with technology, and has to evolve to protect the right of privacy of its citizens by law and design.

Following the keynote speech, a panel of authors and researchers chaired by Gautam Bhatia discussed privacy in terms of science fiction, bringing in concepts of dystopia and utopia. The panel asked pertinent questions: If a utopia exists, who is it for? Who is left behind? In a country as unequal as India, one person’s dystopia is another's reality. We can call constant digital surveillance dystopian now, but is that not what minorities have always faced? It is as important to acknowledge the coming level of surveillance as a threat as it is to recognise the people who were always threatened. The panellists – Swati Daftuar, Sanam Khanna and Ritwick Bhattacherjee – highlighted that privacy is integral to having a quality of life worth living, because it dictates individual freedom.

By connecting privacy debates with science fiction and the digital age, IFF's Privacy Supreme reminded us that Puttaswamy is the bedrock for the fight for privacy. Privacy is more than a legal right, it is the foundation for a life of freedom and dignity, and it must be protected for all as technology continues to transform society.

Anya Rajgarhia is a psychology graduate and an intern at The Wire.

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