They say, Data is the new oil. Internet platforms are the refineries. Owners are the new Sheikhs. By capturing our attention with free information, free services and free entertainment, Big companies and organisations accumulates immense amount of data about us. This data is worth more than any advertising revenue. If we want to prevent the concentration of all wealth and power in the hands of a small elite, we must regulate the ownership of data.
Deliberately designed to be psychologically addictive, big social-media companies works as Universal Election Commissioner. They subverges principal of democracy, free speech, and holds power to do character assassination. Trolling & digital lynching affects open diverse thinkers, free speeches, and promotes loaded narrative buildings by hash tags.
The coining of political phrases for naming & shaming, then repeat it until trending, which main stream print/visual media picks up next, with infinite forEach loop. I laugh at times when hear same 50 years old 'Garibi Hatao' slogan of 1971, with customized aliases. Commercial companies now targets public via pin-pointed ads & not quality products. We're slave of cool brands. In nutshell, Commercialization of Politics & Politicization of Commerce. Social-media jumbo companies feeds upon.
I'm neither a supporter of right wing capitol hill saga, nor a symphethizer of left violence during BLM movement, but such incident disturbs me. So is Delhi riots, Shaheen bagh, Shushant-Rhea case. In absence of, rule of law that governs digital world, the monopoly of being petitioner, lawyer, judge & jury by these tech gargantuan are my biggest concern. It violates 'Principal of natural justice' too, where one imposes verdict without listening to other side, and this time it was USA President Donald Trump. (we gave fare judicial trail to even Ajmal Kasaab, or even UN designates terror outfit Taliban's spokesperson uses social media). Even Indian tweeter accounts were suspended earlier with arbitrarily laws. I'm not against Black-Lives-Matter(BLM) Movement or neither a supporter of Grand old Republican party, but my question is who will decide the tweets of Democrat's leader falls on which category for BLM violence? Sadly, its all about your truth v/s my truth. The ban of Parlour app from internet, without hearing their side sets another dangerous example, and can lead to more polarization in future.
Forget individual privacy, these gigantic companies collects data of even start-ups who are doing well, and then giant tech fishes of ocean, swallows small fishes to maintain supremacy. We're feeding the greedy wolves, they have potential to become next God, with Artificial Intelligence & IoT joining the party next. Mean while all Competition Commission of across different nations, remains a mute expectators due to toothless powers delegated to them, be it in USA Congress or by Indian Parliament.
Not a fan of "great Chinese firewall" but european GDPR(General Data Protection Regulation) kind of democratic law, coupled with free speech(with reasonable restrictions), & curbing fake accounts, is what I suggest. Tech giants are not private, but public platforms, thus need public laws. India needs its own digital rule of law (Indian Data Protection Bill 2019 is stalled due to pressure from various sides), and we should raise our collective voice for same. The current Indian IT Act 2000, is outdated, and requires new major version release. I'm also talking in the context of Puttuswamy v India (2017) case, where Supreme Court has declared privacy is our fundamental right. The other concern is bill does not protect individuals against the Indian government as effectively. And not to forget, ex Supreme Court Justice 'BN Srikrishna', who chaired the committee that drafted the original bill, has warned that government-access exemptions risk creating an “Orwellian-state”. I see it as our social, technical, & electoral duty, before we all got colonised digitally, especially by foreign tech giants! Ever read about big tech planning of creating virtual world for friendship, social engagement, games, etc?! I found it parallel to Neal Stephenson book 'Snow Crash'.
Yes, it may sound bit of exaggeration or my symptoms of past colonial hangover as of now, but Mughal Emperor 'Jahangir' would've been also laughed, if during first decade of 17th century someone would've told him that East India Company will going to colonies entire India for next 200+ years, in case he gives permit for trade to English merchant-navy chief William-Hawkins.
The European Parliament and Council of the European Union adopted the GDPR on 14 April 2016, to became effective on 25 May 2018. Because the GDPR is a regulation, rather than a European Union directive, it is directly binding and applicable and it provides flexibility for individual member states to modify some provisions of the GDPR. The regulation became a model for many other laws around the world, including in Turkey, Mauritius, Chile, Japan, Brazil, South Korea, South Africa, Argentina and Kenya. Soon United Kingdom will enact its own law identical to the GDPR despite no longer being an EU member state. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), adopted on 28 June 2018, has many similarities with the GDPR.
Having said so, I'm well aware of all those modern benefit we are milking from these tech colossus. In the opaque era of Chinese originated covid virus, all I'm saying is, not to panic with fear psychosis of mobile apps privacy policies but.. "Precaution is always better than cure!"✍️🙏
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