Let’s update the notion of ownership to the digital age

Technology enables us to use things we do not own but unless laws change from regulating based on ownership to regulating based on access despite everything our technology has made possible, innovation will continue to be stifled by legislation.

Prepare for a world of quantum haves and have-nots

Google’s recent achievement of “quantum supremacy” has highlighted the urgency of commercializing quantum computing. Once viable, it will render current encryption methods obsolete, as quantum computers could easily defeat even the highest encryption. India must invest in quantum computing research and development to remain technologically relevant and independent in the future.

Lessons on internet governance from the concert hall

The Treaty of Versailles, known for ending WWI, also standardized musical tuning in Article 282, reflecting the challenges of standardization in music. This mirrors today’s need for an international internet treaty to balance local law enforcement and global human rights standards.

We must act to stop the future from turning dystopian

While dystopian science fiction is increasingly becoming true given the growing stratification of society, and the widening gap between the rich and the poor, technology has greatly exacerbated these differences. As we build our digital public infrastructure we need to redesign these technologies to ensure equitable access and benefits.

We need greater clarity on internet freedom in India

The Supreme Court of India’s recent judgment on internet shutdowns was initially seen as a strong denouncement, but closer examination reveals it’s not an outright condemnation. While emphasizing that shutdowns must be reasonable and proportionate, the court did not elevate internet access to a fundamental right, nor did it provide a clear ruling on the constitutionality of internet shutdowns.

How Britain got ahead of us in economic development

By substituting wood with coal England to achieve a far higher energy utilization and lower the cost of manufacture of iron and steel, generating large amounts of ferrous products and bringing into the production process a level of industrialization that India could not. Since cotton was a valuable trade commodity, effort was invested into producing textiles, resulting in the discovery of new means of production that launched the industrial revolution. This resulted in a loss of demand for various other goods whose continued development would have increased the pace of technological innovation in India. It translated into the destruction of educational institutions that generated knowledge and reduced the patronage for scientific and technical inquiry.

The future is here. It is just not evenly distributed yet

Technological advancements can have a transformative impact. This includes deep neural networks, augmented reality, autonomous transportation, and personalized medicine. I predicts a future where technology will become more intuitive, education will be revolutionized, personal vehicle ownership may decline, and medicine will become highly individualized, though regulators may lag behind these changes.

The rise of TikTok and regulatory eyebrows in the US

TikTok’s rapid growth has led to scrutiny and opposition from the West, particularly the US, over concerns related to content moderation and data privacy. The US government’s anxiety over not being able to directly regulate TikTok’s data collection may lead to new regulations, potentially influencing how other governments approach the issue.

The value of scepticism in the age of deep-fake videos

With the rise of hyper-realistic deepfakes, discerning truth becomes harder. We need to learn to be more skeptical of the content we receive and constantly question its authenticity. Its not hard to do as we have done this before.

Not All It Could Be

There were doubts as to whether Aadhaar would work because of India’s patchy infrastructure. It eventually went on to provide identity to many, but faced challenges like enrolment errors and biometric recognition issues. Because it was mandatory linked to various services, the Supreme Court moved to restrict private sector access - significantly constraining its ability to function as a tool of transformation.