Delusion of Privacy ?

Times of India ( 02 June ) carries following report :

86 % of citizens want law to protect private info : Survey

An NGO , Local Circles conducted a survey among 9653 citizens

Some 59 % of the respondents said that the following information of an individual should be covered under a new privacy law to be enacted :

·         Iris / Retina Scan / Finger Print Scan / DNA

·         Aadhar / PAN card / Passport / Voter ID / Date of Birth

·         Bank Ac / Debit – Credit Card / ITR / Medical Records

·         Credit Ratings / Salary Details / Performance at Work / Mobile Phone details / Residential Address / Family Details

Let no one have doubts that these 9653 respondents must have filled in hundreds of Application Forms , in their life time to avail of Passports / Ration Cards / Gas connections / Bank Accounts / Fixed Deposits / Share Certificates / Credit-Debit cards / Driving Licences / Mobile and landline phones / Club Memberships / Marriage Certificates / Purchase of property - car / Electricity Connection / Internet connections / Admission to hospitals / Aadhar Card / Voter Card / Train tickets / Admission to School – College / filing of tax returns etc………  

This list can run into dozens of instances !

And these citizens must have provided ALL of the above-mentioned information about themselves, to these agencies !

I suppose , their only concern could be :

“ These agencies must not share / exchange the data provided to build up a COMPREHENSIVE DATA-BASE , about me “

I request these citizens to read following extract ( Hindustan Times / 09 June / Keep a careful watch on your data trail ) :

·         

For instance, PhonePe, in its privacy policy , states :

“ We may automatically track certain information about you based upon your behaviour on our App.

We use this information to do internal research on our users’ demographics, interests, and behaviour to better understand, protect and serve our users “

·         The privacy policy of the Bharat Interface for Money ( BHIM ) says…. :

“ …… once you give us your personal information , you are not anonymous to us.

We may automatically track certain information about you based upon your behaviour on our app , to the extent we deem fit “

·         iMobile by ICICI Bank , for instance, in its privacy policy states :

“ ICICI Bank may use and share the information provided by the customers with its affiliates and third parties for providing services and any service-related activities such as collecting subscription fees for such services, and notifying or contacting the customers regarding any problem with,  or the expiration of, such services

In this regard, it may be necessary to disclose the customer information to one or more agents and contractors of ICICI Bank and their sub-contractors,  but such agents, contractors and sub-contractors will be required to agree to use the information obtained from ICICI Bank only for these purposes “

·         JioMoney Wallet , while disclosing upfront that the publishing company and its affiliates do not sell or rent personal information to any third party entities, also adds that the firm,

“ … engages a number of vendors , consultants, contractors and takes support of group companies

We may provide our partners access to or share your personal information to enable them to provide the services subscribed by you “

IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT MOST OF THESE APPS ANNOUNCE UPFRONT THAT THE PRIVACY POLICY COULD CHANGE ANY TIME WITHOUT THE PRIOR INFORMATION OF THE USERS

Have these 9653 respondents any idea as to what personal information ( about them ) gets “ shared “ by Google / Amazon / Facebook / Apple , when they use any of their devices or apps or software ?

How long before these companies succeed in “ reading your innermost thoughts “ ?

{  MATRIX  3  ?  }

How long before they start “ manipulating your thoughts “ for OUTCOMES which they desire ?

{  MATRIX 4  ?  }

If you are using a smartphone / smart watch , this day is not too far !

If you start using VR / AR headsets , you will only hasten this day !

It is time to accept ( and without reservations ! ) what Sun Micro CEO , Scott McNally said :

“ Privacy is dead . Period . Get over it “

10  June  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Urban Transport Policy

Times of India ( 08 June 2017 ) carries following news report :

“ You may soon have to pay more for new cars , parking “

The Maharashtra Government has come up with a new Urban Transport Policy draft

Highlights of the policy are :

·         Introducing additional charges to the cost of vehicle

·         Fixing parking charges based on location / high parking fees / reducing overall supply of parking ( ? )

·         Reduce private vehicles in urban areas / discourage use of personal motor vehicles

·         Boost public transport

·         Transit oriented development ( ? )

·         Prioritizing funds for sustainable motorized transport projects

·         Equitable public transport fare structure

·         Annual revision of fare structure to account for inflation

·         Subsidies to cover the viability gap for public or private operators of public transport services

·         Infrastructure development for WALKING , CYCLING and Public Transport

Public suggestions / objections are invited ( to send to which email id ? )

MY SUGGESTIONS :

·         Do not frame rules / regulations which cannot be implemented . Any un-implementable / un-enforceable rule will only increase  CORRUPTION

·         As far as possible , eliminate the “ human intervention “ in the implementation of rules / regulations . Instead resort to use of impartial / unbiased technology , eg :

#   e-challans through CCTV cameras as done at several junctions in Mumbai

#   video-capture of speeding vehicles by drones on Mumbai-Pune highway

#   automatic deduction of toll without stopping of vehicles at toll naka ( through

     installation of prepaid RFID sensors )

#   Proposed introduction of End of Train telemetry ( EoTT ) equipment on 6000

     railway engines ( of 1000 Freight Trains ) , eliminating the need for Guards .

    EoTT equipment is used to establish communication between the loco driver and

    the last wagon of the train, to ensure that the train is running with all coaches and

    wagons , as complete unit

    The equipment is designed to do the “ Guard’s Job “ by notifying the loco driver in

    case any coaches detach from the rear of the train

·         The transport policy should provide for PENALTIES or INCENTIVES , depending upon :

      #   Petrol-Diesel  Vs  Electric – Hybrid

#   Running on crowded city roads Vs running on wide open highways

#   Running during peak traffic hours Vs lean traffic hours

#   Parked on public roads Vs parked inside building compounds

#   Parked in a parking plot Vs parked in a “ No Parking “ zone

#   Parked at night Vs parked during day

#   Carrying ONE passenger Vs carrying many passengers (no of smart phones ?)

#   Private  Vs  Ride-sharing Taxies

·         Through embedding of RFID chips / sensors in vehicles ( make this MANDATORY for all vehicle manufacturers , from 01 April 2018 )

If someone has any doubt ( as to, how any human can track so many “ Use Cases “ , in order to figure out ( automatically too ) , whom to “ punish “ and whom to “ reward “ , he  should read :

·         Internetof Vehicles ( IoV )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/03/internet-of-vehicles-iov.html }

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

·        

Leveraging  NaviC

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/05/leveraging-navic.html }

·         WhoSays, IMPOSSIBLE ?

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/05/who-says-impossible.html }

10  June  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Sai Baba May Save the World !

Devotees of Sai Baba ( Shirdi ) firmly believe in the many miracles that he is supposed to have performed during his life time

But , after reading the following news report which appeared in DNA ( 07 June ) , even those who doubted this , will start believing that Sai Baba may yet save the world :

“ Shirdi temple trust to generate electricity using footsteps of devotees “

As Shirdi-based Sai Baba Temple is set to celebrate its centenary year from October 1, the trust is planning to go as eco-friendly as possible. The trust has come up with various initiatives to go green.

While their pilot project is a FOOT ENERGY project by converting the walking power of the devotees to create energy which can be used to light fans and bulbs, the other initiatives include solid waste management, making incense sticks from flower waste and planting one lakh trees in and around Shirdi and Nashik.

Speaking about the foot energy initiative, Dr Suresh Haware, Chairman of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust said,

"This project will be the first in India. Over 50,000 devotees visit the temple every day.

If we convert their walking energy into electrical energy, we will be able to light bulbs and fans which are installed near the queue.

The first phase will be completed within two months. If the model becomes successful, then it can set an example for such initiatives to be implemented in public places."

Krunal Naik, partner in Innovation For Mankind, who are installing the tiles for the project said,

"We will be installing tiles which can convert the energy when you walk. The phase one will be ready in two months.

We will be installing 200 tiles of 2 X 2 feet. On an average, 20 watt second energy is converted by a single person. The unit of converter energy will depend upon the overall footfalls."

The company will be installing this free of cost at the temple as donation

------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT  NEXT  ?

·         If Shirdi experiment is successful ( with blessings of Sai Baba ) , then we can expect a large number of Public Places to come forward to install such electricity generating tiles . These could include  Railway Station Platforms , Cinema Halls , Schools and Colleges , Commercial Offices ( including government offices ) , Hospitals, Airports, Malls, Temples / Churches / Mosques, Marriage Halls, Jogging Tracks etc

·         Expect the daily visits to Sai Baba Temple to go up to 100,000 per day – doubling the daily donations , which will enable the Sai Trust to extend the project !

REFERENCES :

http://www.newsweek.com/pavegen-floor-tiles-green-energy-472380

http://www.pavegen.com/permanent

In my following blog , I had talked about electricity generation by tyre pressure of running cars on a highway embedded with piezo-electric pads :

AReverse Toll ?  Possible  !

{https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/05/a-reverse-toll-possible.html }

Not satisfied with harnessing the energy of walking , scientists are also working on producing electricity utilizing the body-heat / speech of humans ( though in minute amount )

Given the number of Netas and Experts shouting at each other on TV channels , India can become power surplus if we harness their decibels to produce electricity !

07  June  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

The Missing Link

Government wants to put on the roads , some 6 million Electric Cars by 2022

Only problems are :

·         Li-ion Batteries cost almost 50 % - 70 % of the car price

Sunil Jain ( CEO – Hero Future Energies Pvt Ltd ) says :

“ After 2020, the battery price is going to become one-third of what it is today . Technology is changing very fast . We are looking at Solar Charging Stations “

·         These batteries are huge and take 30 – 60 minutes to re-charge ( who would want to line up in a 1 KM long queue , at Kemp’s Corner charging Station ? )

If battery costs keep dropping by about 22 % each year ,after 2 / 3 years , selling price of EV will come down to below the selling prices of Petrol / Diesel cars !

That leaves the problem of ULTRA QUICK re-chargeable batteries

Fortunately , many battery manufacturers’ R&D labs and University labs are working on this problem

Following news ( on the web ) is just one example :

-----------------------------------------------------------

 ‘INSTANTLY RECHARGEABLE’ BATTERY COULD CHANGE THE FUTURE OF ELECTRIC AND HYBRID AUTOMOBILES

A technology developed by Purdue researchers could provide an “instantly rechargeable” method that is safe, affordable and environmentally friendly for recharging electric and hybrid vehicle batteries through a quick and easy process similar to refuelling a car at a gas station.

The innovation could expedite the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles by eliminating the time needed to stop and re-charge a conventional electric car’s battery and dramatically reducing the need for new infrastructure to support re-charging stations.

John Cushman, Purdue University distinguished professor of earth, atmospheric and planetary science and a professor of mathematics, presented the research findings “Redox reactions in immiscible-fluids in porous media – membraneless battery applications” at the recent International Society for Porous Media 9th International Conference in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Cushman co-founded Ifbattery LLC (IF-battery) to further develop and commercialize the technology. ( drbigjohn@gmail.com  )

“Electric and hybrid vehicle sales are growing worldwide and the popularity of companies like Tesla is incredible, but there continues to be strong challenges for industry and consumers of electric or hybrid cars,” said Cushman, who led the research team that developed the technology.

“The biggest challenge for industry is to extend the life of a battery’s charge and the infrastructure needed to actually charge the vehicle. The greatest hurdle for drivers is the time commitment to keeping their cars fully charged.”

Current electric cars need convenient locations built for charging ports.

“Designing and building enough of these recharging stations requires massive infrastructure development, which means the energy distribution and storage system is being rebuilt at tremendous cost to accommodate the need for continual local battery recharge,” said Eric Nauman, co-founder of Ifbattery and a Purdue professor of mechanical engineering, basic medical sciences and biomedical engineering.

“Ifbattery is developing an energy storage system that would enable drivers to fill up their electric or hybrid vehicles with fluid electrolytes to re-energize spent battery fluids much like refueling their gas tanks.”

Without losing time , India should include this technology under :

Needof the Hour : TEAM

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/04/need-of-hour-team.html }

06  June  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs