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

Monday, 12 October 2020

If Google must pay Publishers, Why not pay Users ?

 


 

Context :

House Lawmakers Condemn Big Tech’s ‘Monopoly Power’ and Urge Their Breakups 

 

Extract :

In a report led by Democrats, lawmakers said Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook needed to be checked and recommended they be restructured and that antitrust laws be reformed.

The lawmakers said the companies had abused their dominant positions, setting and often dictating prices and rules for commerce, search, advertising, social networking and publishing.

 

To amend the inequities, the lawmakers recommended restoring competition by effectively breaking up the companies, emboldening the agencies that police market concentration and throwing up hurdles for the companies to acquire start-ups

===================================================

House Panel Urges Tech Giant Breakup in Plan Republicans Shunned

Extract :

The staff report’s most consequential recommendation is for Congress to consider legislation that would prevent tech companies from owning different lines of businesses, which could lead to a mandate to break them up.

To address this, the report recommends structural separation -- prohibiting a dominant platform from operating in competition with the firms dependent on it

It also calls for line-of-business restrictions, or limiting the markets in which a dominant firm can engage, similar to bans on television networks’ entering production and syndication markets.

Under congressional power, the breakups would target types of business, rather than particular companies, committee counsel told reporters on Tuesday.

=====================================================

Google must talk to French publishers about paying for their content, court says

Extract :

Google must open talks with publishers in France about paying to use their content, an appeals court confirmed on Thursday, paving the way for an industry-wide deal in the country

The ruling may reverberate outside France, as it compels Google to sit down with publishers and news agencies to find a way to remunerate them under the “neighbouring right” enshrined in revamped EU copyright rules, which allows publishers to demand a fee from online platforms for showing news snippets.

“Google’s conduct amounted to saying: I’m offering you a contract under which you give me all your rights for no remuneration,” de Silva said, with reference to the business relationship between news publishers and Alphabet’s Google.

..the French arrangement involves finding a sustainable methodology to remunerate publishers and news agencies.

The ruling confirms a decision in April by France’s competition authority, which ordered Google to negotiate with publishers and news agencies “ the remuneration due to them for any re-use of protected content ”.

===================================================

Startups plan to approach CCI against Google’s rules  { Hindustan Times / 12 Oct 2020 }

Extract :

Ø  The founders are now planning to send a written communication to both the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) as well as the CCI, this week after collating views from the industry. The startup ecosystem will send a single letter to both the government and CCI, the founder said.

Ø  Last week, Mint reported that 120 Indian startup founders were looking to form an independent non-profit lobby to take on Google in India.

Ø  In an interview on Friday, Murugavel Janakiraman, founder of Matrimony.com, said the companies are looking at “ all possibilities ”, including approaching the CCI and the government.

=================================================

MY TAKE :

Ø  GAFA are American companies governed by American Laws

Ø  It is up to the American public and US Congress-Senate to decide how to control / regulate GAFA ( including AT&T type of break-up , several decades ago ). We have absolutely “ No Say “ in that

Ø  But, we [ our Lok Sabha – Rajya Sabha ], have every right to tell them,

      “ You shall pay Indian Users for using their PERSONAL / PRIVATE DATA , which you are selling to

      advertisers and making tons of money. Either you sign up to implement the following ( for which, we are

      modifying our proposed DATA PROTECTION BILL ) , or you QUIT INDIA “

 

      Digital Dividend from Demographic Data [ 4 D ]…………………..... [ 14 Feb 2019 ]

 

     SARAL Single  Authentic  Registration for Anywhere  Login )…[ 10 Feb 2019 ]

 

Ø  It is high time our Lawmakers muster enough courage to stand-up / speak-up for some 400 million Indian Users, whose PERSONAL DATA is being blatantly abused ( without their explicit permission ) by GAFA

 

Ø  Whereas , I have full sympathy – and support – for the cause / rights of Indian Mobile App Developers and Startups, I strongly believe that our Government focuses on the larger OWNERSHIP ISSUE of millions of Indian Users

 

Related Reading :

 

GAFA ( aka Monopoly V 2.0 ? ) ……………………………………….[ 30 Sept 2020 ]

 

A Greed-Ship named Facebook ………………………………………[ 21 Sept 2020 ]

 

Time for the Next Step ……………………………………………………[ 15 Sept 2020 ]

 

Only Answer : a Statutory Warning…………………………………[ 10 Nov 2018 ]

 

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 12 Oct 2020

Friday, 9 October 2020

Migrant workforce = 42 Crore ( MSME + Self Employed )

 


 

Lok Sabha just recently passed “  The Social Security Code “ , whose clause 113 (2) says :

“Every eligible unorganised worker, gig worker or platform worker shall make an application for registration in such form along with such documents including Aadhaar number as may be prescribed by the Central Government and such worker shall be assigned a distinguishable number to his application.”

Source : Aadhaar-‘plus’ on anvil for migrant workforce


Extract :

Ø  The Centre is set to issue Aadhaar-linked unique registration numbers to migrant workers

 

Ø  The numbers are expected to help maintain the first-ever data base of the country’s migrant workforce,

 

Ø  Pitching for a unique number for workers, the labour standing committee pointed out that this would help the state clearly identify unorganized sector workers including migrant workers.

 

Ø  It also asked for a wider definition of migrant workers to include those who are hired through contractors, come to their place of work independently, and even long-term labourers as opposed to seasonal migrants

 

Ø  “As migrant workers move frequently, it is necessary to link their registration with Aadhaar,” said Bhartruhari Mahtab, the chairman of the standing committee of labour in parliament.

 

     [ bhartruhari.mahtab@gmail.com ]

 =================================================

Conclusion :

From the broad definition, it seems this will cover registering ALL the 120 million UNORGANIZED sector workers ( migrant or otherwise ), working in 60 million MSME + 300 million SELF EMPLOYED workers

Question :

How should Govt go about this massive exercise to REGISTER ( I suppose, ONLINE on some portal ) millions of workers MSME ? What kind of PERSONAL DATA a registering worker may need to submit ?

When In his budget speech on 01 Feb 2019 , Shri Piyush Goyal announced the , “ Pradhan  Mantri  Shram-Yogi  Maandhan Scheme “ [ Source : Budget speech of Shri Piyush Goyal on 01 Feb 2019  ] ,

 

I sent him, the following E Mail :

 

Organizing the Unorganized ……………………………………………….[ 04 Feb 2019 ]

 

Extract :

Ø  Develop the software platform for digitizing the HR related operations of MSME , through design / develop / launch of portal  www.MaanDhan.gov.in

 

Ø  Direct each of the 1.2 million operators of 3 lakh CSC [ Customer Service Centers ] to visit 50 nearby MSME and guide / help, both the workers and the MSME employer, to enroll the workers on

       www.MaanDhan.gov.in ,

by filling in the REGISTRATION FORM with the following data about each worker :

    #   Name / Contact Details / DOB / Aadhar Card No / Employee Number

       ( Each unique Employee Number will be auto-generated by a common

         Salary Payment Software, running on Web site Server )

         

   #   Employee's Jandhan Yojana Bank Account Number for salary transfer (

        DBT )

   #   Employer's Jandhan bank account / Unique Employer Number

        (  Employers will be mandated to effect the salary payments , only

         through digital bank transfer and never through CASH )

         

  #   Employee Category ( Hourly-rated / Daily-rated / Monthly-rated )

  #   Payment Frequency ( Daily – Fortnightly – Monthly )

  #   Leave provisions / PF rate / TDS rate / Allowances / Reimbursements

  #   Any other relevant data ( either about employee or of employer )

 

Each CSC operator will be assigned 50 MSME so as to cover all 60 million MSME within one year

 

      Role  of  the  MSME :

      #      To ensure that ALL of its employees ( blue collar workers or white collar

              supervisory staff ), get enrolled n the Scheme by registering 

              on www.MaanDhan.gov.in  – whether they earn less or more than Rs

              15,000 per month

              

 

            #       To effect their salary – wages payment , only through online bank

                      transfer , after deducting Rs 55 or Rs 100 from their salaries and

                     depositing these amounts in the Pension Accounts of the respective

                     employees . Hence no need for any misses !

                     

 

           Role  of the  Workers :

          #      They must not only enroll in the Scheme by registering online but 

                  they MUST download (from www.MaanDhan.gov.in web site ) ,

                  MAD mobile app on their smart phones and register their ENTRY

                  and EXIT at the work-place as explained in :

              From  BAD  to  MAD  (  01  June  2016  )

 

ADVANTAGES  of  enforcing “ From  BAD  to  MAD:

#   For employees , no need to file a separate annual Income Tax Return

#   Direct deposit of PF / TDS amounts into bank accounts of Govt Depts

#   Direct Benefit Transfer ( DBT ) to every Employer for Stipend Subsidy ,

     based on number of total trainees / apprentices employed

#   Total number of employees in India ( category / region / industry )

    (  No more disputes re Jobs Generated each month ! )

#   Employment Density ( Industry wise / Region wise / Skill wise etc )

#   Net Employment Growth Rate ( weekly - monthly / Industry-wise )

#   Co-relation with no of persons graduating at various levels

#   Data about those Unemployed ( " Graduating " less " Employed " )

#   Overtime Statistics ( Use / Abuse )

#   Work-hour Analysis ( Ave hours / week - month )

#   Wage / Salary Rates ( Rs per hour ) - Industry wise / Region wise

     ( of great interest to Foreign Investors looking to bring down

       manufacturing costs , by outsourcing to India / manufacturing in India )

#   Compliance with labour laws / tax laws / Apprentice Act etc

#   Job Market Forecasts through BIG DATA ANALYTIC ( region / industry )

#   Demographic  Profiles of employees  ( Rural to Urban migration )

#   Per Capita Income Growth for persons using MAD app  ( MOM / YOY )

#   Changing composition between Blue Collar and White Collar employees

 

CAUTION :

  

Nothing like this has ever been attempted earlier , so it is not possible to envisage ALL the problems that Ministry / LIC will face during the course of implementation

 

Hence , as the implementation rolls out , course-corrections will become necessary , as it happened during the implementations of De-Monetization /  GST / AyushMan Bharat Scheme and now , about to happen in implementation of the E Commerce Policy

  

But , if we keep “ analyzing “ for years ( for fear of getting wrong, ) , we will remain “ paralyzed “ forever !

  

Hence, I suggest , Ministry / LIC make a beginning as follows :

  

    In the first phase , roll out the scheme for only those who are “ Employed “ in MSME

 

 Based on experience gained, roll out for the “ Self Employed “ in second phase

 

======================================================================

Dear Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwarji,

 

[ Minister for Labour / molegangwar@yahoo.com  /  Santosh.gangwar.bareilly@gmail.com ]

Let  

   The Social Security Code “ , clause 113 (2) “.

become the first step towards final implementation of ,  From  BAD  to  MAD

{ Make its implementation mandatory for employers who want Stipend Subsidies / other Govt benefits }


There is no better way to get comprehensive data re EMPLOYED – SELF EMPLOYED – UNEMPLOYED , in India


If in doubt, please take a look at :

MAD goes to Mandi …………………………………….[ 02 Jan 2020 ]

 

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh  /  hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  10  Oct  2020

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, 8 October 2020

TRP : Manipulation can be Eliminated

 


 

Context :

 

Extract :

Ø  Television Rating Points, the audience measurement system on which 35,000-crore worth of advertising on Indian television hinges, was in the eye of a storm on Thursday over charges of manipulation

 

Ø  It has also brought back into focus TRAI’s recommendations on overhauling the operational framework of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, the joint-industry body for TV audience measurement.

 

 

Ø  Significantly, on Wednesday, the Minister for I&B Prakash Javadekar also made a case for rethinking TRPs, tweeting that “ there should be a better way to monitor popularity ”.

 

Ø  Most advertisers BusinessLine spoke with said they had no other choice and the BARC’s system was the most definitive

 

 

Ø  A top executive at a leading FMCG firm said, “TRP is not the only metric by which we take a decision to advertise on TV channels. As an advertiser, one also looks at the kind of content, the look and feel and the word-of-mouth perception and kind of language used by a TV channel.”

===================================================


Dear Shri Prakash Javadekarji,

 

There is a far BETTER way to “ monitor popularity “ of any / all TV Channels , as suggested in my following E Mail :

The Future of TV Viewing ? ………………………………………..[ 26 March 2019 ]

 

Extract :

But imagine if each Set Top Box , were to morph into a BAR-O-Meter

By end of 2019 , number of households with TV sets , is likely to be close to 200 million  

That makes for 200 Million BAR-O-Meters  - as against 40,000 today !

And to complete the TV VIEWERSHIP MEASUREMENT revolution , stretch your imagination as follows :

#   All of this 200 MillionSmart Set Top Boxes “ will be tiny Super-computers

     with terabytes of memory

#   All of these will be only “ Pre-paid “ versions enabling instant Online

     Payments from TV Screen / Remote

#   These Set Top Boxes will show ALL TV channels , all the time, – eliminating

      need for ala-carte pre-selection on Service provider’s web site

      / filling up channel selection forms of MSO ( TV Cable operators )

#   A viewer would be able to view ANY channel , any time

#   Smart Set Top Box will automatically / instantly, deduct money ( from pre-

     paid account of the household ),based on “ Per Minute “ tariff for each

     channel 

     “ Credit Balance “ will flash in screen corner , every 10

     minutes

#   Being a “ Super Smart Set Top Box “ , internet will be integrated and web

      sites made available on TV screen ( - why need a separate computer screen ? )

    

#   Smart Set Top Box will also enable Video – Audio Streaming services like

     Netflix and just announced Apple TV+ / Apple News Plus / Apple Arcade 

     

#   Smart Set Top Box will enable job portals ( and of course, LinkedIn ) to

     deliver “ Suitable / Recommended Job Alerts “, and permit “ Apply Online 

     , using remote

     

#   Solely at his own discretion , a viewer would ,


Ø  Allow advertisers to display “ Customized Advts “ on his TV screen , based on his TV Channel Viewing History

Ø  Rent his “ Net Surfing History “ to Social Media Sites for a “ Monthly Rental “ of Rs 1,000

Ø  Set Top Box will be synchronized with Alexa – Google Home – Siri – Cortana etc to accept voice commands

 

When 5G – Quantum Computing – DNA based Memory Storage – Li Fi – Face Recognition – AR – VR – AI - Blockchain etc mature , what I have envisaged above , is bound to happen

I am a great believer in :

If you can imagine something today , technology will turn it into reality tomorrow !

Questions are :

#   Will TRAI or some other regulating agency try to stop the advance of

      technology ?

#   Will some Start Up come forward to take up this challenge to disrupt the

     Advertising Industry ?

#   I am sure , Shri RaviShankar Prasadji would appreciate how this innovation

     could turn every Indian home  into a ,

     

    Back Factory of  the  World........09 Sept 2015

=================================================

Here is what I missed out in above 18 month old E Mail :


Ø  Every 10 minutes , those 200 million  Super Smart Set-top Boxes “ , will automatically upload, the “ Channel wise , Hours Viewed “ data onto a CENTRAL SERVER of BARC ( Server will aggregate data ) .


In this age of IoT { Internet of Things } , where millions of EV cars have become “Computers on Wheels “ and where TV Channels display WEATHER MAPS of 10,000 Cities ( with their latest temperature / humidity ), what I am suggesting is something that TCS-WIPRO – INFOSYS – L&T INFOTECH, can implement within 6 months !


Ø  Software on BARC server will dynamically compute TRP ( for each TV channel ), and display graphically on the “ Home Page “ of BARC website  ( a Bar Chart in descending order , with a “ time stamp “ ) . Everything automatic ( without human intervention ) / up-to-date / transparent / cannot be manipulated by anyone ! Remember , it might be possible to bribe 2000 households in Mumbai, to leave their TV Sets ON ( 24x7 ) , but there is no way anyone can bribe 200 MILLION households, spread all over India

 

Ø  Clicking on the BAR for any TV Channel , will display its TRP Graph , of last 1 day / 1 week / 1 month etc

 

Dear Shri Javadekarji,

You are in the position to start this REFORM of “ Social Benefit Consequences “ ( “ Employment “ – by way of just one example ) , which goes far beyond a matter of concern to Companies wanting to advertise on TV channels

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh  /  hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  09 Oct 2020