Tag: Data Privacy

Android OS: Google Play store adds privacy labels to apps

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Nearly two years after Apple introduced data privacy “nutrition labels” on its App Store, mandating every developer to clearly lay out what data their app will collect from the user and what use it will be put to.

On Tuesday, Google rolled out a similar feature, adding data safety section which came into effect today. In short, users will be able to see more information about how apps collect, share and secure users’ data on the Play Store. Google has directed its developers to complete this section by July 20.

“As app developers update their functionality or change their data handling practices, they will show the latest in the apps’ Data safety section,” Suzanne Frey, Vice President, Product, Android Security and Privacy, said in a blog post on Tuesday.

Frey explained in the post that this was an attempt to give users additional information and context on how and why their data is being collected and used. “Users want to know for what purpose their data is being collected and whether the developer is sharing user data with third parties. In addition, users want to understand how app developers are securing user data after an app is downloaded … Users can also see whether the app needs this data to function or if this data collection is optional,” she said.

Once implemented, users will be able to see the following information on the page of an app:

• Whether and why a developer is collecting data
• Whether the developer is sharing data with third parties.
• How the data is being secure, like its encryption in transit and whether users can ask for it to be deleted.
• Whether a qualifying app has committed to better protect children in the Play store.
• Whether the developer has validated their security practices against a global security standard — the Mobile Application Security Verification Standard.

“Giving users more visibility into how apps collect, share and secure their data through the Data safety section is just one way we’re keeping the Android users and ecosystem safe,” Frey said.

Google aims to do this by having apps ask the users for permission — much like it is done in iOS — to access sensitive information, such as location, or other hardware, such as camera and microphone. The permission can be given for one-time use, always, or denied completely.

Also read: European Union approves Digital Security Act for Google, Meta to curb illegal content

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Is the XX messenger the future of private communication?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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While most messaging apps promise end-to-end encryption, they suffer from 2 fundamental flaws.

Firstly, they are usually governed by a central authority and depend on centralized servers. These servers store all the metadata of your conversations and are vulnerable to attacks. Further, the central authority also controls your data, and they can use it as they deem fit.

The second problem is that end-to-end encryption will become obsolete once we enter the age of quantum computing (more on this later).

To address these issues, a new generation of messaging apps has emerged. They are decentralized, quantum-resistant and will effectively future-proof private communication. And at the forefront of these up-and-coming messaging apps is the xx messenger.

The xx network

The xx network is a full-stack platform with a layer one blockchain that is quantum resistant. It is one of the most private communications networks in the world right now. One unique aspect of the network is that its communication layer even obfuscates the metadata of your chats. This provides an added level of security.

Any application or blockchain platform can route its traffic to the xx network for secure and quantum-proofed end-to-end communication.

Also Read: Explained: India plans to monetise public data. What is the draft data policy all about?

The crowning jewel of the network is its decentralized messaging application, xx messenger. It embodies all the features that the xx network promises. It is an end-to-end quantum secure messaging application that obfuscates metadata.

Both the xx network and the messenger are the creation of David Chaum, a computer scientist and cryptographer known as the ‘godfather of cryptocurrency’. In 1982, way before Satoshi Nakamoto published his now-famous white paper, Chaum published a dissertation titled, “Computer Systems Established, Maintained, and Trusted by Mutually Suspicious Groups,”. This was the first blockchain protocol to exist.

Features of the xx messenger

xx messenger is not just a proof-of-concept utilizing state of the art quantum technology; it is a full-fledged messenger with modern features expected from any top-of-the-line messaging application. It offers popular features such as group chats, audio, and video sharing. It is also very easy to sign up on xx messenger. You do not have to link an existing account, number, or email ID.

Instead, you only have to provide a pseudonym. This makes it free from any form of real-world identification. The application only relies on its underpinning privacy-preserving technology to give users the ultimate privacy communication experience.

The quantum computing problem

We have repeatedly used the phrase quantum protected or quantum proofing, but to really appreciate this feature, we must understand what quantum computing refers to in this context.

Quantum computing applies the principle of quantum physics to the world of computers. Quantum physics relates to understanding problems and physical concepts at atomic and sub-atomic levels. The working of a computer or its smallest unit, a transistor, can also be put in terms of quantum physics.

Today’s computers use the binary digits – 0 and 1 – as the most basic levelled instructions. In machine language, 1 refers to a true statement, and 0 refers to a false statement. A combination of these digits can be used to form complex instructions, and that is how all computer instructions are formed.

Also Read: Bridging the chasm: How technology promises to shape the future

But due to the concept of ‘Quantum superposition’, it is possible for a machine to read both digits simultaneously. While quantum computers do not exist now, experts believe that it is only a matter of time before they do. These computers will be extremely powerful and would be able to crack the encryption standards we use today in minutes.

Chaum and his team at xx network have developed a quantum secure consensus algorithm known as xxBFT consensus to circumvent this problem.

The consensus model ensures that the network is protected from quantum computing attacks. The application’s message mixing protocol called xx Cmix ensures that encryption cannot be broken and also provides a metadata shredding feature.

A decentralized network 

On the other side of privacy is decentralization. It ensures that no organization, third-party or even the xx network itself can access a sender’s or recipient’s data. The xx messenger is built on top of the decentralized xx network.

The xx network uses a randomly selected pool of nodes on the network to help encrypt messages in sets of 1,000. The nodes continuously shuffle these messages and encrypt them. The nodes have an incentive to participate in the encryption — they are rewarded in the blockchain’s native currency for their effort in securing the network.

The xx network is also an open-source platform, meaning anyone with the technical know-how can contribute to the network and any application on it, including the xx messenger. The source code of the application is written in the Golang programming language.

The xx messenger aims to fill a gap in the market by providing a decentralized and quantum secure infrastructure that is robust and easy to use. The application is currently available on both IOS and Android Play Store for download.

Also Read: Top blockchains that are more decentralised than others

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Journey of the Data Protection Bill that may get replaced by a fresh legislation

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Meta may be forced to leave Europe; here’s why

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Meta (formerly Facebook) may be forced to withdraw from Europe due to data transfer regulations between the EU and the USA, the company’s recent annual report filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) indicated.

In July 2020, a landmark ruling disallowed the transatlantic transfer of data. As part of the ruling, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) invalidated the pre-existing data transfer framework that many businesses had so far banked on for their operations. Almost two years later, the EU and the USA are still in the process of negotiation. However, there is neither a resolution in sight nor an alternate proposed framework.

Without the regulators’ nod, Meta may find itself in a jam and could be forced to discontinue operations in the EU altogether (including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook).

What Meta needs:

Just like most USA-headquartered companies doing business in the EU, Meta also relies on transatlantic data transfers for its operations. The data helps them rope in advertisers and develop business models specific to the region. If the data transfer pact ceases to exist, it can have major implications on the company’s profitability.

So far, Meta has relied on the Privacy Shield protocol for its cross-country data transfers. The process was compliant with the Standard Contractual Clause (SCC) and was believed to be in agreement with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laid down by the European Commission (EC). However, the Privacy Shield was doubled down upon by the CJEU in 2020.

A month after the CJEU’s verdict, the Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC) followed suit and deemed Meta’s reliance on the SCC to be in violation of the GDPR. It demanded that Meta’s operations in the region be suspended. The hearing on this matter is expected to reach a verdict in the first half of 2022.

Also read: Meta, Chime file lawsuit against alleged phishing scam on Facebook, Instagram

In May 2021, soon after these developments, Meta categorically stated the steps it had been taking to ensure that data transfers were indeed secure. In June 2021, it published another report explaining the significance of transatlantic data transfers. “According to this study, changes to (the) free flow of data could cause significant harm to telecommunications, digital payments, global services outsourcing and pharmaceutical R&D industries,” the report reads. “Based on the estimates of the Analysis Group economists, European businesses and consumers in each of these industries may incur several billion dollars of additional annual costs,” it adds.

If the ruling does not go in Meta’s favour, it will have no framework to continue within which data transfers will be possible. “We are unable to continue to rely on SCCs or rely upon other alternative means of data transfers from Europe to the United States, we will likely be unable to offer a number of our most significant products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations,” the annual report mentioned.

What the EU regulators want:

Their verdict invalidated the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework. They highlighted that the GDPR guidelines require the country receiving the data to offer the same level of protection to the country from which the data is borrowed. In terms of standards, data protection has to match with that offered in the European Economic Area (EEA).

Also Read: Woman recalls ‘gang rape’ in metaverse; concerns grow over making VR platforms safe from sexual predators

Consultancy firm Ernst & Young told Capital.com that the CJEU gave two reasons for their judgement:

By US law, citizens of the USA are allowed to collect data on citizens of the EU without providing them with adequate security.

Should there be a misdemeanour, EU citizens have no way to seek justice against US-based businesses.

Companies are now being compelled to deploy adequate safeguards to ensure SCC-level security. They must also explain case-by-case how the data is being protected post-transfer in the destination country.

In January 2022, Kent Walker, President – Global Affairs & Chief Legal Officer at Google and Alphabet, expressed his concerns about the lack of a framework to replace the Privacy Shield. “If a theoretical risk of data access were enough to block data flow, that would pose a risk for many publishers and small businesses who use the web and highlight the lack of legal stability for international data flows facing the entire European and American business ecosystem,” he wrote. He added, “The stakes are too high – and international trade between Europe and the US too important to the livelihoods of millions of people – to fail at finding a prompt solution to this imminent problem.”

Meta is hoping for the negotiations with the EU to continue such that an alternate solution may be arrived at. The company has explicitly clarified its position stating, “We have absolutely no desire to withdraw from Europe; of course, we don’t. But the simple reality is that Meta, like many other businesses, organisations and services, relies on data transfers between the EU and the US in order to operate our global services. We’re not alone. At least 70 other companies across a wide range of industries, including 10 European businesses, have also raised the risks around data transfers in their earnings filings.”

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Meta may shut down Facebook, Instagram in Europe in next few months

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Mark Zuckerberg-owned Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has said that it may be forced to shut down its two popular social media platforms in Europe in the next few months.

The sensational claim was made in Meta’s annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which mandates publicly traded companies to disclose issues that may affect profits and losses.

What’s the issue?

While it is well known that the business model of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram is heavily dependent on user data, Europe may soon cut this source.

It all started when Europe tightened its data security laws by passing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) law in 2016. After the law came into force, companies like Facebook relied on the EU-US Privacy Shield, a framework that regulated data transfer across the Atlantic, to carry on their business in the continent.

However, in July 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the EU-US Privacy Shield agreement was invalid. Nonetheless, the court allowed the companies to leverage the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC), which allow data to be transferred from the EU to another country and still be compliant with the GDPR.

>>Read: Meta, Chime file lawsuit against alleged phishing scam on Facebook, Instagram

For almost a year and a half, Meta has run the two platforms using these clauses but even the SCC may soon be scrapped by the court.

A petition was filed against the SCC by Max Schrems, an Austrian privacy activist. Hearing the petition, the Court of Justice of the European Union has observed that US law does not ensure an “adequate level of protection”. The court remarked, “For the data transfers to be valid, US law would have to be essentially equivalent to those required under EU law.”

As this case had come up through an Irish court, the country’s Data Protection Commission reviewed Meta’s data privacy policy. The Irish regulator, in its preliminary decision, said that Meta’s data privacy safeguards are “not up to par”. A final order is likely in the next few months. If the Irish regulator stands by its preliminary decision, Meta might have to pull out of Europe.

“If a new transatlantic data transfer framework is not adopted, we will likely be unable to offer a number of our most significant products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe,” Meta said in its annual filing. It added, “If the company were to pull Facebook and Instagram from the market, it would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.”

>>Also Read: Woman recalls ‘gang rape’ in metaverse; concerns grow over making VR platforms safe from sexual predators

EU’s reaction

Speaking on Meta’s claim of a likely shutdown in Europe, EU officials — Robert Habeck (German Economy Minister) and Bruno Le Maire (French Finance Minister) — clarified that if Meta doesn’t abide by the new EU regulations, its social media platforms would be banned across Europe.

“I’ve lived without Facebook for four years and life has been fantastic. The European Union is such a big internal market with so much economic power that if we act in unity we won’t be intimidated by something like this,” said Habeck.

Meta’s damage control

After Meta mentioned the likelihood of pulling out of Europe in its annual filing, several media houses reported the development as the social media giant “threatening” to leave Europe. Reacting to such media reports, Meta has issued a statement saying, “There has been reporting in the press that we are ‘threatening’ to leave Europe because of the uncertainty over EU-US data transfers mechanisms. This is not true.”

The company added, “We have absolutely no desire to withdraw from Europe; of course we don’t. But the simple reality is that Meta, like many other businesses, organisations and services, relies on data transfers between the EU and the US in order to operate our global services… Like other international and European businesses, brands and trade organisations, we hope to see continued progress in negotiations for a Privacy Shield replacement to protect transatlantic data transfers, ensure robust privacy protections and keep global communities, economies, businesses and families connected.”

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

WhatsApp update may allow you to edit the recipients before sending media

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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WhatsApp recently rolled out its new beta update for Android version 2.21.25.19 through the Google Play Beta Program. The new beta update contains hidden references in the code, which suggests that WhatsApp developers may be working on a new layout for sending media. Additionally, the instant messaging app may also be working on a feature that lets users edit their recipients when they are sending media, reported WABetaInfo.

“Thanks to the 2.21.25.19 beta update, we have discovered that it will be really possible to edit the recipients before sending your media,” stated the independent portal which shares news and updates about WhatsApp.

Read Also | WhatsApp to allow multiple durations for ‘Disappearing Messages’; here’s how to enable it

While the feature is currently in development, it won’t be available for testing by beta users as of yet. The Meta-owned app may unveil the feature for testing by the public at a later date. As such, WhatsApp may decide to change how the feature works or scrap it entirely in the future.

For now, previews suggest that users will be able to choose the contacts to send media when they select the option to share media. Users will be able to send media to multiple other users from one single chat window without the need of forwarding it multiple times afterwards.

“This is a partial screenshot but this section contains the list of your contacts and groups and it appears when you tap the recipient’s name in the drawing editor section,” stated the WABetaInfo report with accompanying screenshots of the feature.

WhatsApp had recently unveiled its feature allowing users to increase the time of disappearing messages to 90 days and to let it be turned on by default. The updates were made for increasing the security and privacy of the users of the app.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Storyboard18 | ‘Power of community should never be underestimated,’ Pragya Misra Mehrishi, Truecaller

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Fifty percent of Truecaller’s user base in India is women and the country accounts for 73 percent of total users in the world. Considering the gender divide and access to digital tools or even mobile phones in our country, this is fairly interesting, says Pragya Misra Mehrishi, director of public affairs, India at Truecaller, while highlighting a slew of women-centric features and initiatives launched by the company.

The Swedish company recently revealed that it has grown by 50 million monthly active users over the last year and that India continues to remain its largest market. On the heels of this announcement the company also unveiled ‘Truecaller Version 12′ that features an all-new redesign with a host of user-focussed enhancements. The features will be gradually rolled out for all Android users in India in the coming weeks, with several other countries soon to follow. No doubt India is the most important market for the brand.

Storyboard18 caught up with Mehrishi to find out more about Truecaller’s plans and strategy for the Indian market, and approach to user safety and privacy.

Edited excerpts:

You have launched a raft of new features such as Video Caller ID, Ghost call, opened up voice recording to all in the new Truecaller Version 12. Can you tell us about these new features and the kind of demand and excitement around these in the Indian market?

Our primary goal has been to simplify the navigation within the app. We have decoupled calling with the messaging tabs. We heard feedback that users were finding it extremely cluttered. This was a good step forward in cleaning our UI and making it easier for users to navigate around our app. Secondly, Video Caller ID is a really fun feature that allows you to send a short video that plays automatically when your friends and family call you. We wanted to make the calling experience interactive. Imagine next time you call your mother on her birthday as the call hits her phone you have a video playing of you with a banner wishing her a ‘Happy Birthday’ with your family around and she can watch that video even before she picks up the phone.

The other feature that I am personally very excited about is call recording and the reason why I feel strongly about it is because it can play a crucial role in women’s safety and more broadly driving safe communication. Currently, when women or anyone vulnerable reports a case of online harassment they are unable to back it up with any sort of evidence. In this case, the person can literally start recording the conversation if they feel that they are in a sensitive situation or could be a victim of bad behaviour.

Truecaller has been running a number of initiatives around women safety including your #ItsNotOk campaign. How have they panned out?

Nearly 50 percent of our user base is women. Considering the gender divide and access to digital tools or even mobile phones in our country, this is fairly interesting. If you look at Tier 2-3 markets in India, most people have shared devices and shared mobile phones and it is really not necessarily owned by one person. You have one phone – the child uses it for online education, the father uses it for his business and then you have many more women now using the phone for many other functions including running small businesses out of their homes. Therefore, Truecaller becomes their first line of defence when it comes to fighting harassment and also navigating unwanted communication from unknown numbers.

Over the past five years, we have had a lot of success in rolling out this campaign and we have done a lot in bringing this conversation to the forefront. Though five years is a short time to solve any problem and this is a very complex issue, which has many stakeholders engaged. We want to do our bit in bringing this conversation to the forefront and having many more people create awareness not only when it comes to digital platforms but also civil society, government, and women themselves who have faced this issue.

Financial and money-related scams have been rampant over the past two years of the pandemic. What are the efforts taken by Truecaller to avert these?

Reports that we read from the RBI or Home Ministry say that financial fraud has been at an all-time high. But, I would say that the power of community should never be underestimated. We rely on users to actively report on the platform so that all our users can remain protected. And this crowd-sourcing really helps the community to stay safe as a whole. Along with that, we have machine learning and algorithms which are becoming more sophisticated as time goes by and many more data points are being collected to ensure that when you have scammers and fraudsters reaching out to you, that the number of these messages are automatically moved into your spam inbox if you are using Truecaller as your default.

In addition to this, we work with the Ministry of Home and the Cybercrime Division during this time to make sure that the number against which there was already a formal complaint filed, we can actually go ahead and mark those numbers as “Covid Fraud’.

Most of the big tech companies the world over have been questioned about data privacy. What are the steps taken by Truecaller in safeguarding the privacy of its users?

Our app is built in a way where we do follow data minimisation principles and we only take as much data as we need to run the service. In addition to that, we want to iterate that Truecaller has gone ahead and data localised in India. It means that all of the data of Indian users basically resides in India. This is a proactive measure that we took since India is our most important market. As we evolve as a company, we are also trying to put in place how we can think about privacy by design principles and make sure that even with newer features that we roll out, privacy is at the core of every feature because that is particularly important.

I know that there are many myths about Truecaller collecting information or user data. If you have downloaded Truecaller from Playstore or Apple store, you would know that we have no access to phonebook data. We don’t collect that or store it anywhere. That will be a violation of privacy. While we may use that information or have access like any other application that uses your phonebook information to create a far more sophisticated experience for you. But it is not like the data is stored somewhere on our servers and we are constantly using it.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Facebook: Latest court case shows how Europe is clamping down on big tech

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Facebook’s approach to users’ data has just been dealt a major blow from the European court of justice (ECJ). In an answer to a question from Germany’s highest court, the ECJ’s advocate general whose opinion is not binding but is generally followed by the court has made an essential clarification to Europe’s data protection law to confirm that consumer associations can bring actions on behalf of individuals.

If followed by the ECJ, this will make it much easier for people to defend their rights against tech giants in future. Coming on the back of a decision by the European general court against Google several weeks ago for using its platform power to restrict competitors, it is the latest example of European regulators making the business climate increasingly chilly for the companies that control our data in sharp contrast to the US. Facebook and consent The current case is about the way that Facebook, now known as Meta, in its early years encouraged users to play quizzes and games such as FarmVille, before sharing the results with all their friends.

In an action brought by the Federation of Germany Consumer Organisations (VZBV), that was originally heard in 2014, it claimed that Facebook’s data protection notice did not clearly explain to users how their data could be shared. It wants the company to be forbidden from using similar consent forms in future. VZBV won the original case and on appeal, before it was heard by Germany’s highest court in May 2020. The judges agreed that Facebook had misled users with the notice, but sought an opinion from the ECJ on Facebook’s argument that only individuals and not consumer organisations can bring complaints under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which governs this area.

The advocate general’s recommendation, ahead of a final ECJ decision in 2022, reflects the fact that individuals do not typically start legal proceedings against large companies for a small breach of a rather technical regulation. Suing big firms on behalf of society is what consumers’ organisations do, so it would limit people’s protection if this was disallowed. Facebook’s approach to games is not the only time there have been questions about how it obtained users’ consent over data. It famously sent unsolicited emails to users’ contacts when they joined the social network. It also placed like buttons on third party websites and harvested the data without seeking users’ consent.

One by one, national European regulators have ruled these practices illegal, but always long after the fact. When Facebook was ordered to pay 100,000 (85,138) by German regulators in 2016 for sending unsolicited emails, for instance, it was clearly too late to affect the company’s behaviour on that individual issue. VZBV has been at the forefront of fighting to make tech giants accountable for customer data since the early 2010s, though not always successfully. It failed in an attempt to stop Facebook claiming its platform is free and will always be, while making users pay with their private data. It was also unable to require the company to allow users to adopt a pseudonym. Facebook had resisted citing safety concerns, but perhaps also because data on identifiable consumers is more valuable than anonymous ones.

The GDPR and future regulations As Facebook and other social media companies have continued to develop new techniques to harvest consumer data, the GDPR was adopted by the EU in 2018 as a general framework to clarify the rules. It gives users more control and rights over their own data, requiring clear consent before it can be used. Pending a decision on consumer organisations, the ECJ has already recently decided that national privacy watchdogs can directly fine tech firms under the GDPR for breaches affecting their citizens. Facebook had claimed only the Irish authority was competent, since its EU headquarters are there. A forthcoming ECJ case will look at giving similar powers to antitrust authorities.

The EU rules around big tech are also set to be strengthened in 2022 with the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act. This package of extra restrictions is set to include curbing the uncontrolled spread of unverified and often hateful content, with the potential for penalties of 10% of a company’s annual revenue. And for all the talk of a bonfire of EU data protection rules after Brexit, the forthcoming UK Online Safety Bill goes arguably even further in the same direction, with not only similar fines but potential prison sentences for executives over breaches. The bill may even make Facebook responsible for scams by other companies advertising on the platform.

Major EU countries such as Germany, France and the Netherlands also want the Digital Services Act to block what has become big tech’s major strategy to attract new users: identifying non-profitable but successful internet companies, and buying their technology and user base. The UK is now decisively on the same path, as the Competition and Market Authority just ordered Facebook/Meta to sell Giphy, the largest repository of GIFs on the internet, which it bought in 2020 for USD 400 million (301 million pounds).

European regulators are therefore unravelling tech giants’ business models one decision after the other. European data regulation is also becoming the de facto global standard because to be allowed to operate in Europe (which generates a quarter of Facebook’s annual profits), global tech often has to obey the stricter European rules across the board. The European logic is that harvesting private data is often a rip-off. People care about privacy but give away their data in exchange for almost nothing, and the government should protect them. American regulators consider this patronising, with the Supreme Court ruling almost 20 years ago that a dominant firm is free to exploit its consumers.

Recent whistleblower Frances Haugen has provoked some soul searching in the US, but will probably ultimately struggle to secure meaningful changes to the rules around data and content. With the likes of the UK now strongly following the path of the EU, the US is becoming increasingly isolated in this area. Meta is still free to make money out of their existing Facebook users in Europe.

But as younger generations leave Facebook for the likes of TikTok and Snapchat, it faces increasing difficulties in reaching them and gathering the necessary information to sell their profiles to advertisers. It may therefore be time for companies like Facebook to find new sources of revenue.

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3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Coming Digital First revolution to make India more inclusively prosperous: Mukesh Ambani

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani today said the rapid shift towards adoption of digital technologies, and very soon a ‘digital first’ world, would result in a more equal world. He mentioned this in an interview at the Infinity Forum, hosted by International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), virtually from the GIFT City.

“No one will be last, and no human being will be left behind, the digital-first world will also be a planet-first world,” Ambani said, adding, “everything will first be digital and then get physically transformed. There will be drastic cost reduction in the coming years.”

He said care for the planet and care for the people will be the two major principles that guide the technological transformation of the world in this century.

Ambani has always referred to data as the ‘New Oil’. Elaborating on it, Ambani said that one fundamental difference between New Oil (data) and traditional oil is that data has been completely democratised and decentralised.

“Digital-first world will be a people’s first world. This new oil is different from fundamentally old oil. This new oil (data) can be generated and consumed everywhere by everybody,” Ambani said

And India had two major advantages when it came to data. One was demography-a population of 1.35 billion- and the other was having built a world-class digital pipeline.

“That (digital pipeline) has reached all our cities and towns, and almost each of our 600,000 villages. A person in the remotest village can today learn from the latest developments around the world, consult and collaborate with people across continents and share her views on global platforms,” he said.

Ambani said he was proud of the fact that Jio had taken the lead in this direction by ensuring that people had access to affordable high-speed data connectivity, a pre-requisite for the digital revolution.

“We are in the process of creating an equally affordable ecosystem of devices to enable greater adoption, supported by a faster rollout of optic fibre, cloud, and data centre infrastructure,” he said.

A data privacy bill and a cryptocurrency bill are in the pipeline and Ambani welcomed the moves by the government and praised the progress made so far.

“I am happy to mention here that India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is putting in place the most forward-looking policies and regulations,” he said.

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He said India was now ready to transform itself into a leading Digital Society, having put in place two critical pre-requisites.

One, a digital infrastructure that is the best in the world, and two, a regulatory framework that is the best in the world.

Ambani expressed amazement at the pace at which the youth of this country was ‘digitally transforming India’.

“In the coming years, I see them offering solutions across the globe, which can address many of the most complex problems facing the world,” Ambani said.

On blockchain, Ambani said he was a big believer in the technology.

“Using Blockchain, we can deliver unprecedented security, trust, automation and efficiency to almost any type of transaction,” he said.

“It can be used to modernize our supply chains that form the lifeblood of our economies,” he said.

He predicted that soon ideas and innovation will become more valuable than the financial strength of entrepreneurs.

Disclosure: Network18, the parent company of CNBCTV18.com, is controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow