Context :
[ A ] SC
Seeks Centre Response On PIL On Age-Based Access Of Social Media, Removal Of
Illicit Content
Extract :
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought a response from the Centre on
a PIL filed by law students seeking age-based control on access to
social media.
The plea filed by law students Skand Bajpai and Abhyudaya
Mishra suggested ,
# Development of profile verification to remove unlawful content
from the social media platforms.
# Framework for removal of illicit content
# Keeping an effective watch that such content is not uploaded in
future.
# Enact gender-neutral laws
# Criminalise impersonation
# Direction for effective guidelines for verifying the social media
accounts
[ B ] Taming tech giants takes more than fines, ex-EU
enforcer says
/ 14 Oct 2020
Extract :
Ø For US tech giants,
massive antitrust fines matter less than being ordered to change the way they do business,
according to the European Union official who pushed through
landmark decisions against Microsoft Corp, Intel Corp and Google.
Ø Levying such costs
isn’t the most important thing regulators can do, said Cecilio Madero Villarejo. “ The
number doesn’t matter – what they care about, these companies, is that you declared them as having
violated the law- What they hate are “ remedies we impose ”.
[
C ] OECD warns of delay to
global digital tax deal
Extract :
Ø The
Paris-based organization is helping to lead negotiations between nearly
140 countries in a bid to finally solve the thorny question of where tax is paid by
major digital firms, such as Facebook, and how much.
Ø European
countries want the tech titans to pay their "fair share" of tax in
countries where they operate.
Ø Many EU
officials believe they are avoiding paying the right amount. They say levies
should be calculated on where the digital activity takes place, and not
where firms have their European headquarters.
Ø But any
of its proposals need to be agreed by governments before they can become a
reality.
Ø Slow progress on the international
stage has seen some countries opt to go it alone.
[ D ]
SC notice to Centre, Google, Amazon, FB on plea over protection of UPI
transactions /
HT 15 Oct
Extract
:
Ø A three-judge bench headed by CJI SA Bobde said, “we will
issue notice. Here there is apprehension that the
entire regime of payments will commence before the entire regulatory framework
is put in place.”
[ E ] Digital rights body questions India's move to seek backdoor access to encrypted communication / E Times
Extract :
Ø The UK home
department, this Sunday, issued a joint statement signed by governments of
Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand
and the United States calling
on tech companies to work with governments and find solutions to ensure the
safety of citizens, without eroding user privacy or cyber security.
“..end-to-end encryption is implemented in a way that precludes all
access to content, even
to investigate
terrorism, and child sexual exploitation and abuse,” the document said.
[ F
] Government issues notices to e-commerce firms for not showing mandatory
info on products
Extract :
Ø The government on
Friday issued notices to Flipkart, Amazon and other e-commerce companies for
not mandatorily displaying information, including country of origin, on products sold on
their platforms.
Ø Apart from Amazon and
Flipkart, notices have also been sent to other e-commerce players, sources said
Ø According to the
notices sent to Flipkart India Pvt Ltd and Amazon Development Centre India Pvt
Ltd, they
are e-commerce entities and
therefore, have to ensure that all mandatory declarations should be displayed
on the digital and electronic network used for ecommerce
transactions.
[ G ]
Digital
Giants Don’t Need Your Data To Predict Your Behavior
Extract :
Ø Shopping online. Searching the internet. Posting
to social media.
These ordinary activities allow Amazon, Google, Facebook and other digital
behemoths to amass
offering them little, if any, compensation in return
Ø By collecting data
from every email, purchase, post,
or search on their platforms,
the tech giants have amassed valuable information about entire groups of people
who share similar characteristics, the researchers explained
Ø A post about, say, the
purchase of new fashionable product conveys information that Facebook can use
to predict
the likelihood that
people in the same or similar social networks will buy that product
Ø Regulators have tried
to level the playing field between consumers and big tech companies by
attempting to secure consumers’
control over their information. This, they hope, will lead to people being compensated for the data
they choose to share
Ø “The big digital
firms have near MONOPOLIES
on the personal data,” he said. “They profit from gathering massive amounts of data
while consumers
gain very little from
handing over their information. People would experience greater benefits if the
companies were in direct
competition for the personal data.”
Ø The researchers
suggest the possibility of establishing consumer unions, similar to labor unions, to enhance
competition and provide
individuals greater bargaining power over how companies use their data. New policy interventions
are necessary because
the data market will not resolve these problems on its own, Bergemann said
[ https://cowles.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/pub/d22/d2203-r2.pdf
]
[ dirk.bergemann@yale.edu / bonatti@mit.edu
/ tan.gan@yale.edu ]
Ø “These issues are of
urgent societal importance,” he said. “The data market, which lies at the core
of the internet economy, will not function efficiently absent policy
interventions
===================================================
MY TAKE :
Ø Of
course, GAFA will fight against imposition of any Tech Tax based on their
Revenues (or earnings ? ) , in different countries . But, even if passed by
OECD , GAFA CEOs will not lose any sleep
Ø During
2019 , Sales Revenues of GAFA were ;
Google ….$ 160 Billion /
Apple….$ 260 Billion / Facebook…. $ $ 70
Billion / Amazon …. $ 280 Billion
Will / can, 140 countries
agree “ How much
“ of these REVENUES were earned in “ Which
country “ ?
And agree as to “ how much
did each company spend in each country and left with how much “ Earnings ( Profit ) “ in each country ?
Possibly, 140 countries will keep fighting for years, to
settle this issue !
Ø Which
of these companies are “ E Commerce entities “ ? Does a “ traditional /
normal “ commerce become “ E Commerce “ , as soon as one of its “ Transaction
Process “ gets carried out “ Electronically / Online “ ?
Following tabulation list
various “Business Structures “ of these companies .
Some of these “ Structures
“, require use of Electronic Platforms ( portals / apps etc ) , whereas some
require “ Face to Face Interactions “. These structures are NOT same/identical
in all countries . Even within a given country, the “ Transaction Processes “are
continuously changing , with more and more becoming “ Digital “. No law will /
can, stop this march of technology
But one thing is certain.
GAFA are NOT content to
just monopolize the world of “ Buyer – Seller “ online digital platforms.
They want to MONOPOLIZE between
them, the ENTIRE SUPPLY CHAIN of World Trade !
They want to become THE GATEKEEPERS between individual buyers and sellers ( domestically ) and between companies ( internationally ) . They want to replace WTO !
From conceptualizing a
product or a service, to all the way getting consumers to consume and keep
ordering, again and again
They are not content with
even leaving those “ Ordering Decisions “ to consumers !
They will ensure that ,
based on your “ Purchase History “ , your fridge / microwave oven / Alexa /
Smart Phone / Smart Watch / Google Mini or even your AR-VR glasses , will decide
and automatically ORDER things which GAFA has “ determined
“ that you ought to be using / consuming !
Remember Steve Jobs saying
: Customers don’t know
what they want !
And none of the following
will stop them from ruthlessly pursuing their goals of WORLD DOMINATION :
Taxing them / requiring them to make declarations – file affidavits – pull down offensive content / verify profiles of their users / undertake “ self-regulations “ / prevent fake – duplicate accounts / remove fake news – hate speech / promise not to influence public opinion during elections
It is high time
politicians around the World perceive the TRUE NATURE of
these BIG TECH, who will, like a BLACK HOLE , suck up any and all Startups
which they believe to be potential competitors .
With their money power –
and amenable politicians - they will
ensure that legislation of no country prevents them from becoming such Black
Holes
Can India lead
the World in thwarting the hidden Agenda of Big Tech ? If yes , how ?
Ø Yes, very much ( if there is a political will
)
Ø By
enacting a modified DATA PROTECTION LAW which will,
# Prevent Big Tech to collect / compile “Private / Personal Data “ of 400
million Indian Users
# Force Big Tech to “ Buy “ such personal data ( aggregated / anonymized )
by compensating Data Owners
# Enable each Indian User to earn Rs 30,000 / month , directly from GAFA ,
by SELLING their personal data
# Set up “ Direct Competition “ between Data Buyers to “ buy “ personal data
of its users ( anonymized )
# By implementing :
SARAL ( Single Authentic Registration
for Anywhere Login )[ 10 Feb 2019 ]
Digital Dividend from Demographic Data [ 4 D ]…………..... ..[ 14 Feb 2019 ]
Dear Shri RaviShankar Prasadji,
India has an opportunity
to create a NEW WORLD ORDER, by implementing my suggestion
But that Opportunity
Window will not remain open forever !
================================================
|
Srl No |
Business Structures |
Google |
Apple |
Facebook |
Amazon |
|
1 |
GEOGRAPHIC
SPREAD * Across National boundaries ( International Trade ) * Across State boundaries
( within India ) * Across Municipal boundaries (within
a State ) |
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
SUPPLY-
CHAIN / INTERMEDIARIES ·
Mfr > Distributor > Dealer
> Retailer > Buyer * Mfr > Buyer * Any disintermediation in the above chain |
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
ORDER
PLACEMENT / ACCEPTANCE ·
In a physical location ( Shop / Store / Office / Factory /
Home ) * In a virtual location (Web
site/Mobile App/SMS/
Email / Phone / Video Conference ) |
|
|
|
|
|
4 |
DELIVERY ·
Physically in a Shop / Store etc where Buyer collects /
picks-up from shelf * Delivered to Buyer's location, thru
Delivery person * Delivered to Buyer's location, using a
Drone * Delivered to Buyer on his home-based 3D Printing Machine ( using internet ) |
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
PAYMENT ·
Cash against delivery * Pre-paid / Post-paid Cheque * Credit / Debit Cards across counter * Credit / Debit Cards thru online Payment Gateways * Through Mobile Wallets * Electronic Bank Transfer * Using Virtual Currency like Bit-Coins * Barter of Goods or Services |
|
|
|
|
|
6 |
FOREIGN
INVESTMENTS ·
FDI in Manufacturing / Supply Chain / Payment Gateways -
Apps- Mobile Wallets *
FDI in Web sites like Amazon -
Flipkart – Alibaba – Snapdeal
etc ( What percentage ? ) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related Reading :
If
Google must pay Publishers, Why not pay Users ?......[ 12 Oct 2020 ]
GAFA ( aka Monopoly V 2.0 ? ) ……………………………………….[
30 Sept 2020 ]
===================================================
With regards,
Hemen Parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 18
Oct 2020
