BUSINESS
X’s flip-flop on account curbs raises questions about its appeal in Karnataka High Court
The Elon Musk-owned microblogging platform readily suspended the account of a doctor on the orders of a civil court, weeks after appealing a verdict that upheld the government of India’s orders to block some accounts
BUSINESS
Can we tame a dragon, aka ChatGPT?
As the early frenzy over the AI chatbot fades, misgivings and fears are growing. Two key questions arise. Can it be trusted to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth? Can it be trusted to follow the orders of man?
BUSINESS
Don’t write off Twitter just yet
Twitter is going through an unsettling time, but Musk has a track record for turning organisations around
BUSINESS
AIIMS ransomware attack deserves parliamentary scrutiny
A day likely never passes without ransomware striking some corner of the globe, with healthcare a more likely target than any other
BUSINESS
Data Protection Bill | State gets absolute power, and that’s not a good thing
Where the Bill is fundamentally flawed is in the government’s refusal to explore any nuance in asserting the State’s absolute right to access anybody’s data
BUSINESS
Elon Musk’s Twitter unlikely to be a free speech haven
It’s fair to say that Elon Musk’s concept of free speech remains a nebulous idea, and regardless seems like an idea whose time is actually past
BUSINESS
Primacy for State nullifies real data protection for individual in draft Bill
The Joint Parliamentary Committee’s report on data protection brings no substantive change from the 2019 version of the proposed legislation
BUSINESS
Online grocery’s mad delivery rush is no longer innovation
Grofers’ 10-minute delivery service seems like a gimmick from an underdog facing gruelling competition from the likes of Amazon, Reliance and the Tatas
BUSINESS
Could China tech crackdown offer lessons to the rest of the world?
It has looked sudden, not to mention sharp, but more likely than not, Chinese President Xi Jinping has a broad geopolitical agenda, as much as a plan to rein in tech excesses that are tearing apart not only Chinese society, but also those across the world
BUSINESS
What lies behind RBI’s unease over Big Tech in financial services?
The central bank’s concerns range from financial stability to the emergence of “too-big-to-fail” entities and monopolies
BUSINESS
What constitutes an ideal social media policy?
While a total lack of control over Big Tech might seem like a recipe for chaos, a wiser course of action would be to set up an independent regulator for social media with parliamentary oversight, rather than government control
BUSINESS
WhatsApp’s case against the government hinges on two key questions
While one question will determine technology’s potential to comply with a government rule, the other will determine if a demand to trace messages to the ‘first originator’ is tantamount to a constitutional violation of an individual’s right to privacy
BUSINESS
New IT rules lay down India’s authority over social media
The government has laid down the law to establish its authority without fear of further challenges from social media platforms. To that extent, India’s new social media rules are strong and robust, and might be a template for adoption by many other countries
BUSINESS
Will Australia’s efforts to make Google and Facebook pay for news have takers in India?
Many wrongly believe the Australian law will cause Google to pull out all its products from the market, or that Australia could build a so-called Great Barrier Firewall. In fact, it is not even certain that Google will carry through its threat to end the search service
BUSINESS
Do we need a United Nations to oversee technology platforms?
The recent ‘armed insurrection’ in Washington DC revealed the best and worst of technology platforms, but the inarguable lesson is to find a way to finally tame these platforms
BUSINESS
WhatsApp’s new privacy rules are no surprise, but reveal opportunism
With a stark threat to users, the Facebook-owned app has stolen a march over global regulators and sets the stage for likely rapid commercialisation of the platform
BUSINESS
2021: What technology offers
There are three clear-cut areas in which WFH can make a huge and lasting impact, given the right policy and planning — IT outsourcing, youth empowerment and urbanisation
BUSINESS
Is data localisation the leverage India needs to regulate Big Tech?
India does not still have a personal data protection law. So, it is an opportunity to craft something strong, durable and all-encompassing, and something that places national interest above anything else
BUSINESS
What is India doing to break Google’s stranglehold on news publishers?
Neither Indian regulators nor publishers have so far shown much interest in monitoring the Internet giant Google for most things — least of all its domination of news
BUSINESS
India has tech smarts to build a rival app store, but platform monopoly will be hard to break
A rival app store might be a sub-optimal choice for most companies and a needless distraction from their core business. The wiser course would be to nudge the government into antitrust action and set fair rules
BUSINESS
The road ahead for Google’s $10-billion India Digitisation Fund
Google’s promised investment into India’s digital space on the heels of Facebook and Amazon affirms the huge digital potential of India, but also underscores different approaches towards cracking a cluttered and noisy market
BUSINESS
Ban on Chinese apps alone will not address long-term information threats
Millions of China-branded smartphones sold in the country are likely to capture far more sensitive user data than standalone apps and require greater scrutiny, as does telecom gear from Huawei and ZTE
TECHNOLOGY
COVID-19 | Why apps might not help track coronavirus patients
There’s no app or smartphone yet that can run a swab test for COVID-19, or a blood test. The only thing technology can do right now is warn people if they have been in close proximity to an infected person.
TECHNOLOGY
WhatsApp snooping case | Focus must be to find out who spied on Indian citizens
To single out WhatsApp, as the Union government has done, is to miss the larger point as far as India is concerned. It’s time not to quibble over technicalities of reporting the hacking, but to find out who bought the NSO Group’s Pegasus.
