News Type: Event

The Chair on Consumer Law and Practice at NLSIU is organising a National Webinar on “Navigating Consumer Protection in the E-Commerce Metaverse: Safeguarding Privacy in the Virtual Marketplace” on March 15, 2024, from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM IST.

The aim of the National Webinar  is to deepen understanding and foster collaboration on the challenges and opportunities presented by the integration of e-commerce into the metaverse, focusing on consumer protection and privacy. It seeks to equip participants with the knowledge and strategies needed to navigate the complexities of virtual transactions, ensuring a secure, transparent, and consumer-friendly digital economy.

Concept Note

The concept of the metaverse has captivated technologists, entrepreneurs, and consumers, offering a glimpse into a future where virtual reality, augmented reality, and immersive digital experiences converge. This vision, fueled by technological advancements and a growing digital appetite, holds profound implications for e-commerce and consumer protection.

E-commerce platforms are pivotal within this landscape, serving as bustling hubs where consumers can engage with products and services in novel ways. However, as the metaverse expands, so do the challenges surrounding consumer protection and privacy. Traditional notions of commerce and consumer rights are being reshaped, raising critical questions about trust, transparency, and accountability.

As individuals increasingly transact in virtual spaces, they face risks from data breaches, identity theft, and fraudulent schemes. The rapid proliferation of e-commerce platforms within the metaverse amplifies concerns regarding privacy and data protection. Users leave behind personal information and behavioral data, ripe for exploitation by companies and advertisers. Ensuring consumer privacy and data control is complex due to the opacity of virtual environments and the intricate algorithms governing them.

In India, legislation is pivotal to establish a robust framework for consumer protection and privacy in the e-commerce metaverse. The Consumer Protection Act 2019 and Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020 provide a legal basis for safeguarding consumer rights in online transactions. The Information Technology Act 2000 and related regulations govern electronic transactions, digital signatures, and cybersecurity, further ensuring online safety.

Looking forward, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 aims to bolster data protection measures and regulate personal data collection, processing, and storage in digital environments. Against this backdrop, the National Webinar on “Navigating Consumer Protection in the ECommerce Metaverse: Safeguarding Privacy in the Virtual Marketplace” seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of this evolving landscape.

The webinar aims to fosters dialogue, shares insights, and collaborates on strategies to address challenges and opportunities in the convergence of e-commerce and the metaverse. Through insightful discussions, expert presentations, and interactive sessions, participants will explore key themes such as the implications of the metaverse for e-commerce, the evolving landscape of consumer protection in digital environments, privacy concerns in virtual marketplaces, and best practices for ensuring trust and confidence in online transactions. Through interdisciplinary dialogue and problem-solving, the webinar aims to chart a path forward toward a more secure, transparent, and consumer-friendly digital economy in the era of the metaverse.

Download the webinar brochure, to view the full schedule of the webinar.

How do I register?

The registration form is available here.
The Zoom link to join the webinar is available here (Meeting ID: 997 6150 0897, Passcode: 481179).

For additional information or queries, please write to

 

 

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), is hosting an online workshop on ‘Enhancing Consumer Grievance Redressal through Large Language Models (LLMs).’ This event is scheduled for Saturday, March 16, 2024, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Background

In November 2023, the National Law School of India University, with support from Meta, announced a new research project in the field of generative AI and legal system reforms. This project aims to explore how large language models (LLMs) can enhance the efficiency of India’s consumer grievance redressal system. The project will be executed along with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), and in collaboration with the Department Of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) as the knowledge partner.

In this project, we will use Llama 2, Meta’s publicly accessible large language model, to develop and test a citizen-focused chatbot and a decision-assist tool in consumer law. The chatbot’s purpose is to streamline consumer complaint procedures and provide answers to consumer law queries in India. The decision-assist tool, also a part of this research, aims to facilitate the search and summarization of case laws, offering support to judicial authorities in consumer affairs. The project will be anchored with the Chair on Consumer Law and Practice (CLAP).

About the Workshop

The online workshop will discuss the possibilities and challenges of using LLMs for the purpose of consumer grievance redressal in India. In particular, the workshop will discuss:

• Innovative Use of LLMs in the Legal Sector: Exploring the transformative potential and the hurdles.
• Benchmarking LLMs for Legal Tasks: Analysis of current LLMs’ performance in legal applications.
• The Consumer Law Chatbot Initiative: Key elements in designing a custom chatbot from open source LLM models.
• Mapping and Developing a Training Corpus for Consumer Landscape: Strategies for crafting an exhaustive and effective dataset.
• The Imperative for a Consumer Needs Survey: The need to identify and bridge service gaps.
• Lessons from the Adoption of LLMs in Other Industries

This workshop aims to foster a collaborative dialogue among professionals and academics working at the confluence of AI, law, and consumer rights. Your expertise and insights would be invaluable to shaping the future direction of the project.

To register for the webinar, click here or on the link provided above.

A three-day training programme on ‘Environmental Laws, Compliance, Enforcement, and Regulation’ was organized by the Centre for Environmental Law, Education, Research and Advocacy in collaboration with the Department of Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) at NLSIU between February 26-28, 2024. Around 15 participants representing the Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Boards and the industry participated in this event.

The programme traversed the wide domain of environmental laws ranging from the domestic regime on waste management to the procedural mechanisms concerning pollution control. It comprised sessions that shed light on the framework of environmental remedies, its interplay with criminal law and applicable evidentiary standards.

Besides being familiarized with the powers and functions of the National Green Tribunal, the participants were also introduced to regulatory dimensions of emerging green technologies and norms underlying environmental decision-making including economic considerations. The training programme concluded with an enriching panel discussion on the operational hurdles faced by Pollution Control Boards and how their institutional capacities can be augmented for public good.

The NLSIU is hosting a one day workshop on ‘Realization of Fundamental Right to Water in India: Targeting Equity and Inclusiveness through Executive Led Schemes’ sponsored by ICSSR (Indian Council of Social Science Research). This workshop is being held on Monday, March 11, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The registration link is available here.

Introduction

The right to water is a fundamental right recognized by the higher judiciary in India. The courts have reiterated the rights through different judicial decisions and reminded the State of its duty to adopt positive measures to assure its citizens of this right without discrimination and arbitrariness. Nevertheless, neither the legislature nor the executive have recognized the right to water as an entitlement in any statute or drinking water scheme. Administrative directions from the executive branch regulate the drinking water sector in India.

The central government has focused on the drinking water sector in rural areas since the introduction of community development schemes. In urban areas, particularly metropolitan cities, municipal legislation focuses on water supply. After the 73rd and 74th Amendment acts in 1992, the local self-governments were responsible for water supply and management throughout the country.

Despite these decentralization attempts, the central government supported the country’s drinking water sector through various schemes. Hitherto, most of the schemes focused on the rural sector. One of the schemes that focuses on the urban water sector is the AMRUT Scheme, which focuses on urban water supply and developing urban infrastructure.

ICSSR’s Research Initiative 

The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), started in 2015 and aims to provide basic civic amenities to urban areas to improve quality of life, focusing on equity and inclusiveness, and ensuring adequate water supply in urban areas by implementing urban revival projects. This short-term 6-month empirical research supported by ICSSR examines the contribution of the AMRUT Scheme to the realization of the right to water in Bengaluru city. Through a socio-legal approach, it looks at how this executive-designed scheme helps the people realize their fundamental rights and helps the State implement the constitutional obligations of assuring clean and safe drinking water. This project examined how the AMRUT scheme that aims to secure functional household tap connections to urban areas tries to ensure equity and inclusiveness among water users. Here, the project investigated whether the ability to pay for water connections determines or compromises equity and inclusiveness. It also explored how this scheme helps to promote water conservation strategies in urban spaces.

About the Workshop

This workshop brings together experts, scholars, policy specialists and stakeholders interested in water policies and schemes to examine various contours of contribution of executive determined water schemes to realization of right to water in urban areas and how the state uses these schemes to implement its constitutional objectives of assuring human right to water in India.

The poster for this workshop is available here.

NLSIU will host a public lecture by Dr. Betsy Rajasingh on “Copyright Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries and Archives,” on Friday, 1st March, at 4 PM.

About the speaker

Dr. Betsy Rajasingh is an Assistant Professor and Co-Director at the Centre for IP Research and Advocacy at NLSIU, Bengaluru. She teaches intellectual property and property law and offers electives relating to copyright and geographical indications. Prior to her role at NLSIU, she was an Assistant Professor at Saveetha School of Law, Chennai. She has also previously worked as a Legal Executive in Singapore and as a Legal Associate in Chennai, handling various legal matters. Dr. Rajasingh’s research focuses on intellectual property law, particularly the intersection of technology and law, which formed the basis of her PhD. She has authored a book titled ‘Digital Copyright Law – A Comparative Study of the Limitations and Exceptions Relating to Education’ published by Thomson Reuters.

About the lecture

The law of copyright provides a set of exclusive rights to the copyright holder, including the right to make copies of the work and share them. While libraries worldwide engage in making knowledge accessible through their operation and services, oftentimes they engage in activities that are in direct conflict with the rights of the copyright holder. To ensure that such activities are permitted, copyright law provides for certain limits and exceptions to the rights of the copyright holder and permits use of copyright works by libraries in the interest of the public. Dr. Betsy Rajasingh’s talk seeks to highlight the scope of these limits and exceptions for libraries and archives in the context of international and domestic law and the implications of digitization on the same.

Please register for the webinar here.

The webinar is open to all, with no registration fee. The webinar link and joining details will be sent to your registered email address.

NLSIU will be conducting an information session on ‘Preparing for the NLSAT-LLB’ on Saturday, March 02, 2024, from 05:00 PM – 06:00 PM IST. During this online session, NLSIU faculty will guide prospective candidates on preparing for the National Law School Admission Test (NLSAT).

Panel of speakers:

Dr. Salmoli Choudhuri, Assistant Professor of Law, and Affiliated Faculty, M K Nambyar Memorial Chair, NLSIU

Radhika Chitkara, Assistant Professor of Law, and Affiliated Faculty, NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) Chair on Human Rights, NLSIU

Those who have completed the registration process (including the payment) will be eligible to attend these upcoming webinars. Please click on the webinar link available in the admissions portal to register for the information session.

NLSIU is currently accepting applications for 3-Year LLB (Hons), Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP), and the PhD programmes. Admission to these programmes is through the National Law School Admission Test (NLSAT) scheduled to be held on March 17, 2024.  If you are planning to appear for the NLSAT, don’t forget to complete your registration before 11:59 PM on February 28, 2024.

Meanwhile, for any queries regarding NLSAT, please write to 

NLSIU will be conducting a live information session on ‘Preparing for the NLSAT-MPP’ on Saturday, March 2, 2024, from 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM IST. During this online session, NLSIU faculty will guide prospective candidates on preparing for the National Law School Admission Test (NLSAT).

Panel of speakers:

Dr. Aniket Nandan, Assistant Professor, Sociology, and MPP Faculty, NLSIU

Dr. Sudipa Sarkar, Assistant Professor, Economics, and Co-Director, CSSEIP, NLSIU

Those who have completed the registration process (including the payment) will be eligible to attend these upcoming webinars. Please click on the webinar link available in the admissions portal to register for the information session.

NLSIU is currently accepting applications for 3-Year LLB (Hons), Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP), and the PhD programmes. Admission to these programmes is through the National Law School Admission Test (NLSAT) scheduled to be held on March 17, 2024.  If you are planning to appear for the NLSAT, don’t forget to complete your registration before 11:59 PM on February 28, 2024.

Meanwhile, for any queries regarding NLSAT, please write to 

About the Conference

The Government of Karnataka will host a two-day international conference titled ‘Constitution and National Unity’ on February 24th and 25th, 2024, in Bengaluru, India to commemorate 75 years of the Indian Constitution. The conference will focus on topics related to constitutionalism and social justice and aims to contribute to contemporary conversations on these critical themes.

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) will anchor Theme I (The 75th Year of the Indian Constitution) of the Conference.

Theme I: The 75th Year of the Indian Constitution

The National Law School of India will anchor one theme of the Conference. Theme I of the Conference, titled the 75th Year of India’s Constitution aims to recognise and celebrate the strides made in achieving the transformative goals of the Constitution while simultaneously addressing the contemporary challenges that persist.

The speakers in Theme I feature a vibrant group of academics, policy-makers and members of civil society. They will engage in generative discussion and debate, drawing from their research expertise and experience in government and civil society. By revisiting India’s constitutional founding as a reference point, the panels in Theme 1 will navigate the complexities of our present and reimagine our constitutional future.

Panel I: Constitutionalism and Democracy in the 21st Century
2 PM to 3 PM, 24th February (Saturday)

	Prof. Gopal Guru, Editor, Economic & Political Weekly, Mumbai; Retired Professor of Political Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
	Prof Tarunabh Khaitan, Professor (Chair) of Public Law, London School of Economics Law School, UK.
	Prof Nandini Sundar, Professor of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics.
	Prof Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Vice-Chancellor & Professor of Law, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru.

 

Panel II: Ensuring Equality and Equity
3:30 PM to 4:30 PM, 24th February (Saturday)

	Prof Sanjay Jain, Professor and Former Principal, ILS Law College Pune.
	Sr Adv Jayna Kothari, Senior Advocate, Karnataka High Court & Supreme Court of India; Director, Centre for Law and Policy Research, Bengaluru.
	Prof Sukhadeo Thorat, Chairman, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru; Former Chairman, University Grants Commission.
	Prof Meena Dhanda, Professor of Philosophy and Cutural Politics, University of Wolverhampton
	Prof Rochana Bajpai, Professor of Politics, SOAS University of London.

 

Panel III: Re-affirming India’s Federal Design
5 PM TO 6 PM, 24th February (Saturday)

	Prof Govinda Rao, Emeritus Professor, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy; Member of 14th Finance Commission.
	Prof Kham Khan Suan Hausing, Professor & Former Head, Department of Political Science, University of Hyderabad.
	Prof Ashutosh Varshney, Director of the Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia, Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences.
	Ms. Yamini Aiyar, President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research (CPR).

 

Panel IV: Institutional Safeguards for Democracy
9:30 AM TO 11 AM, 25th February (Sunday)

 

	Dr. Aparna Chandra, Associate Professor of Law, M K Nambyar Memorial Chair on Constitutional Law, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru.
	Honourable Dr S.Y. Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India.
	Prof E. Sridharan, Academic Director & Chief Executive, University of Pennsylvania Institute for the Advanced Study of India, USA.
	Prof Arun Thiruvengadam, Professor and Faculty In Charge, V.R. Krishna Iyer Chair on Public Law and Policy Choice, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru.

 

Panel V: Forging Constitutional Culture and Consciousness
11:30 AM to 1 PM, 25th February (Sunday)

	Prof Shruti Kapila, Professor of History and Politics, Cambridge University, UK
	Prof G Mohan Gopal, Former Director of the National Judicial Academy of the Supreme Court of India, Founder Chair of the National Court Management Systems Committee of the Supreme Court of India.
	Prof Anurag Bhaskar, Deputy Registrar, Supreme Court of India; Assistant Professor (on leave), Jindal Global Law School; Affiliate Faculty, Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession.
	Mr. Bezwada Wilson, Co-Founder and National Convenor, Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), New Delhi.
	Dr. John Brittas, Honourable Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha.

 

A discussion on NLSIU faculty Dr. Debangana Chatterjee’s book, ‘Lives of Circumcised and Veiled Women: A Global-Indian Interplay of Discourses and Narratives’, will be held at the India International Centre, New Delhi, on February 17th, 2024, (Saturday), from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. The South Asian Edition of the book is available here.

You can also read our interview with Dr. Debangana Chatterjee, on her book.

About the book

The book unravels the politics of representation and the process of exoticising women’s bodies through the prism of external gaze and knowledge production. It brings out the intricacies of representational discourses around cultural practices of female circumcision (FC)/female genital cutting (FGC) and Islamic veiling. Focusing on crucial international legal texts and national legislation, the book gives an overview of the cultural nuances in FC/FGC and juxtaposes it with the Indian variation, khafz.

The author studies the international veiling narratives that conjure up a fractured discourse containing aspects of colonialism, Islamophobia, and Islamic fashion and maps them with the regional variations of Islamic purdah in India. The volume explores the cultural practice of khafz and purdah through narratives in India, portraying how representational factors from international discourses reflect on the Indian context and vice versa.

Amid the world of binaries and polarised opinions, the book offers a nuanced analysis of the space in-between, characterised by narratives from women. By situating women’s narratives in relation to family, community, state, and international politics, the book explores the global-Indian interplay of discourses on FC/FGC and Islamic veiling. This volume will be of interest to scholars, students, and readers of gender studies, feminism, cultural and religious studies, sociology, South Asian studies, and International Relations.

The flyer (for the book discussion) available here, contains a QR code and additional details.

 

 

The Chair on Consumer Law and Practice (CLAP) at NLSIU, is organising a Virtual Panel Discussion on “Unveiling the Shadows: Exploring Dark Patterns in the Realm of Consumer Protection Law” on Saturday, February 10, 2024, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

The panel discussion aims to shed light on the pervasive use of dark patterns in the digital landscape and their implications for consumer protection laws. Recognizing dark patterns and bringing them out of disguise not only cautions those who practice them but also creates awareness among the consumers, regarding such manipulation.

By bringing together experts from legal, academics, consumer advocacy and e-commerce fields, the discussion will explore the challenges posed by dark patterns and potential strategies to address them within the framework of Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023 (Guidelines) notified by the Central Consumer Protection Authority. This discussion is a part of CLAP’s mission in fostering awareness and promoting positive change in the digital landscape.

About the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023 

The Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023 (Guidelines) have been officially notified by the Central Consumer Protection Authority. These guidelines aim to prevent and regulate the use of ‘dark patterns’ employed by online platforms, advertisers, and sellers. Issued under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (Act), they extend and complement the previously issued Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022 (Misleading Advertisements Guidelines) notified under the Act in June 2022.

Dark Patterns: Meaning

In the Guidelines, Dark Patterns are expansively described as any practices or deceptive design patterns within the user interface or user experience interactions on any platform. These are crafted with the intent to deceive or mislead users into taking actions they did not initially intend or desire. The practice or deceptive design should have (a) resulted in subverting or impairing consumer autonomy, decision-making or choice; and (b) amounted to a misleading advertisement or an unfair trade practice, or a violation of consumer rights.

The tentative schedule is available here.

The link to join the session on February 10, 2024 is available here.