Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Friday, 4 August 2017

Racing towards ARIHANT ?





Today { year 2017 } :


Mumbai Mirror ( 03 Aug ) carries following news report :



“ Robots tackle extremist videos better : Google “


Google has said that its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven robots are more accurate than humans in identifying and blocking the extremist videos online.


According to a report in The Telegraph on Tuesday, Google claimed that its robots flag three in four offensive videos from 
YouTube even before they are reported by users.


"With over 400 hours of content uploaded to YouTube every minute, finding and taking action on violent extremist content poses a significant challenge," the report quoted Google as saying.



"But over the past month, our initial use of machine learning has more than doubled both the number of videos we've removed for violent extremism, as well as the rate at which we've taken this kind of content down," the company added.


The AI-driven bots at Google which are meant to identify the offensive content have identified more than 75 per cent of videos removed from YouTube in July.



The company sees this ability of bots as "dramatic" and better than humans.


Facebook is also using AI to remove terrorist propaganda and related content, using image recognition software and video technology.


Social media companies and other 
Internet companies have been under scanner for doing little to curb the spread of violence and terror-related content on their platforms.




Flashback { year 2013 } :



Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen ( both from Google ) wrote in :  THE  NEW  DIGITAL  AGE  ( page : 181 ) :


We can already see early steps in this direction, as some companies make clear statements in policy and procedure


At YouTube, there is the challenge of content volume . With more than four billion videos viewed daily ( and sixty hours of video uploaded each minute ), it is impossible for the company to screen that content for what is considered inappropriate material, like advocating terrorism


Instead YouTube relies on a process in which users flag content they consider inappropriate ; the video in question goes to a YouTube team for review, and it is taken down if it violates company policies


Eventually, we will see the emergence of industry-wide standards


All digital platforms will forge a common policy with respect to dangerous extremist videos online, just as they have coalesced in establishing policies governing child pornography


There is a fine line between censorship and security, and we must create safeguards accordingly



THE INDUSTRY WILL WORK AS A WHOLE TO DEVELOP SOFTWARE THAT MORE EFFECTIVELY IDENTIFIES VIDEOS WITH TERRORIST CONTENT



Some in the industry may even go so far as employing speech-recognition software that registers strings of keywords or facial recognition software that identifies known terrorists



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Fast  Forward  {  year  2020  } :


Sergy Brin / Elon Musk / Satya Nadela / Mark Zuckerberg / Jeff Bezos / Ray Kurzweil / Tim Cook / Vishal Sikka / Nandan Nilekani / Pramod Verma etc , come together and examine the following  :





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04  Aug  2017



Thursday, 3 August 2017

A Union of Vehicle Owners ?



Times of India ( 25 July ) carries following report :



“ Driverless tech will leave millions without jobs . won’t allow it : Gadkari “




Highlights :



·         India will not allow driverless cars to ply on its roads, transport minister Nitin Gadkari said


·         The minister added that focus of the government is to create more jobs to arrest unemployment


·         He said there is already annual shortage of about 22,000 trained drivers in India


Shri Nitin Gadkari announced that the Ministry would launch a single mobile app for booking all kinds of vehicles – car, autos, e-bikes and e-rickshaws , which will end the monopoly of Uber and Ola


Gadkari said the government will provide a app-based platform where anyone who wants to start a cab business, can register and run vehicles


“ Why should two companies like Uber and Ola have a monopoly in the market ?


We want people , even those running cab business at a small scale , to have an equal opportunity to provide service to people .


The mobile app will provide a platform to such people , and better , efficient and cheaper cab services , to people “ , said Gadkari


The Minister said people will have many options to choose based on the most economic operator






Shri Gadkariji seems to be telling the Un-Employed of India :


“ Government cannot provide employment to 12 million persons , every year , but here is your chance to get Self – Employed


Government’s job is to facilitate people to get into business , for themselves 

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Congratulations , Shri Gadkariji :



For taking this  FIRST STEP  which will  UNIFY  the vehicle owners


I have no doubt , your  TRANSPORT  MASTER  PLAN , comprises of the following steps as well



Internet  of Vehicles  [ IoV  ] (  04  March  2017  )



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Public  Transport as  A  Solution ?  (  15  Feb  2016  )



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BravoGadkariji  [  16  Feb  2016  ]

 

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Urban  Transport Policy  [ 09  June  2017  ]



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04  Aug  2017





Look Beyond Liquor Ban



Times of India ( 31  July ), carries following headline :


“ Drink–driving cases down by 40 % after highway liquor ban “


( In Maharashtra )

April -  June 2016 ………….. 32,679

April – June 2017 …………..  19,836



Fatal mishaps and Deaths have also come down , during comparable periods


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This is good news and goes to demonstrate that , when Administration fails to act , JUDICIAL ACTIVISM , can correct a situation !


I urge the Supreme Court to :


·         Come out and support ( through another order ) , Shri Raoteji ‘ s suggestion to :


Immobilize State Transport Bus , through embedding of RFID chips in State Transport Buses , if a driver is found drunk


Read :   ShriRaoteji has a vision ( 23 March 2017 )




·         Treat my following blog as a Public Interest Litigation and issue appropriate order to phase out TOBBACO INDUSTRY ( over the next 20 years ) , which is causing 60  LAKH premature deaths , each year :


Going  Up in  Smoke  ?  ( 18  Aug  2013  )



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04  Aug  2017


www.hemenparekh.in / blogs        




Simultaneous Polls : Public Discourse



Times of India ( 03 Aug ) carries following news report :



“ Take issue of simultaneous polls to people , Modi tells MPs “



PM Narendra Modi again stressed on holding Lok Sabha and assembly polls in states simultaneously and asked BJP MPs on Wednesday to create an environment for a public discourse on the issue.


“Political leaders should discuss with people the issue of simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies as frequent polls lead to huge wastage of time and money ,“ the PM told the MPs on Wednesday.


Even Niti Aayog has suggested a synchronised two-phase LS and assembly polls from 2024 to ensure minimum “ campaign-mode “ disruption to governance.


The Think tank had asked the Election Commission to look into the suggestion. A report in this regard needs to be finalised within six months and the final blue-print will be ready by next March, it said.




In case , MPs / MLAs are looking for a more specific / step – by – step / detailed , ROAD MAP on ,


·         How to obtain  Voter Feedback  on this reform ,


they may want to look up my following email ( sent to them earlier ) :


·         OneNation , One Vote ?  [  29  Nov  2016  ]




And as far as “ Educating “ the public is concerned , MPs / MLAs will find answers to all the FAQ (  Frequently Asked Questions  ), in my 34 blogs ( also sent to them earlier as Emails ) , at :




03  Aug  2017



Wednesday, 2 August 2017

Three got it Right !



In the “ Right to  Privacy “ litigation before a 9 judge Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court , arguments concluded yesterday , ending 6 days of “ beating around the bush “ !


But , at least 3 parties seem to have got it RIGHT :


·         Justice D Y Chandrachud cautioned that privacy could not be raised to a level so as to stifle innovation ….. those adjudicating on privacy must ensure that our quest for innovation is not stifled

[  source : Hindustan Times / 03 Aug  ]


·         Additional Solicitor General , Tushar Mehta contended :

“  Whether or not the Court declares it as a fundamental right , there is very little of it left in this information age

·         The Unique Identity Development Authority of India ( UIDAI ), the agency that enrols citizens for Aadhaar and issues the 12-digit identity number , argued that privacy was an elusive notion in the online age “

[ source : Economic Times / 03 Aug  ]



Apparently , they were privy to the planned publication of following report in today’s Economic Times :



“ Taxmen Tap Data Analytics to Uncover Benami Deals “



Bank deposits , property registration , tax returns, PAN, Social Media posts, foreign travel and credit card statements under taxman’s scrutiny


Big data analytics undertaking cross referencing of different data & raising red flags


Tax department to start action within 3 months




All of this started with the petitioners opposing the linking of Aadhaar with the PAN ( Permanent Account Number ) issued to income tax payers




How myopic can you get ?



All that the government has to do is :


·         Tell the Supreme Court : We will not ask for Aadhar Number to be linked to PAN


·         Tell UIDAI and Income Tax department , to issue ( or re-issue ) those documents ( cards bearing unique numbers ), only AFTER recording the following BIOMETRIC data :


#    IRIS scan

#    Finger-print scan

#    Voice-print scan

#    Facial Recognition scan



·         Get the Central Server ( BIG DATA BROTHER ? ) to “ Match “ those Bio-metric Scans , to establish that “ desired linkage “ !


    As simple as that !  No Rocket Science  !



It is about time someone read out the following news to the Hon Judges :



[ source : Times of India / 01 Aug ]


AI Chatbots spook Facebook , Shut Down



Facebook shut down an AI system on Monday , where chatbots had started speaking in their OWN  LANGUAGE , without human input


In June, Facebook said the bots had created a  NEW  LANGUAGE that only AI systems could understand  and NO HUMAN  COULD  !


These bots also proved to be “ INCREDIBLY  CRAFTY  NEGOTIATORS


In BOT – to – BOT interactions , the Bots even began feigning interest in one item in order to “ sacrifice “ it at a later stage of a NEGOTIATION , as a faux compromise





Future historians might write :


India was born , a free nation on 15 Aug 1947

70 years later , Privacy began its terminal illness on 15 Aug 2017


Although , some continued to be in denial !





03  Aug  2017