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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Trofim Lysenko’s misguided agricultural practices led to famines in the Soviet Union and China, killing millions. This is no different from the modern-day denial of climate science. We need to learn from the past and try not to ignore scientific evidence for political or economic reasons. Else we risk devastating global consequences.

The arrest of the Golden State Killer, a serial criminal, was made possible through advances in DNA technology and commercial forensic genealogy. While effective in solving crimes, the use of public genetic information raises serious privacy concerns, potentially harming innocent relatives and uncovering unwanted private information.

India’s Data Protection Authority (DPA) must adopt technology to manage the high volume of privacy violation complaints and data-breach notifications. The DPA needs experts in technology, law, and privacy to balance privacy protection with technological innovation, requiring members beyond the traditional pool of bureaucrats and retired judges.

A mass exodus from Twitter to Mastodon in India occurred last week, driven by dissatisfaction with the platform. The migration was sparked by the suspension of lawyer Sanjay Hegde’s Twitter account and users are seeking a more respectful environment for debate on Mastodon.

The WhatsApp hack involving NSO has highlighted the urgent need for a digital surveillance framework in India. While law enforcement agencies demand access to encrypted messages, the incident demonstrates the risks of creating backdoors in communication platforms. Preserving civil liberties and maintaining robust security should be prioritized over short-term safety measures.