The US Supreme Court recemtly ruled that collecting cellphone location data without a warrant violated privacy. This case challenges the third-party doctrine, which states that shared personal information has reduced privacy expectations. The ruling highlights the difficulty of applying traditional legal principles to modern technology, particularly regarding data privacy. This case could guide Indian privacy law, emphasizing the need for clear legislative direction on data collection and privacy.

Benjamin Day published The Sun which was the world’s first penny press newspaper that was entirely ad-supported. This gave rise to advertising as a means to support the cost of news. Warren and Brandeis defined the Right to Privacy which contributed to the decline of yellow journalism. We need a similar reconceptualisation of regulation today to address the menace of ad driven news.

SpaceX’s plans for Mars colonization, challenge traditional space exploration norms dominated by governments. This raises questions about the regulation of private space exploration and the governance of extraterrestrial colonies, highlighting the need for a new regulatory framework as private companies lead space exploration.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on 25 May, affecting entities worldwide that do business with EU citizens. While the regulation has stringent requirements for consent and high penalties for non-compliance, it may have unintended consequences. Large platforms can easily adapt, but smaller entities and start-ups may struggle with the complexity and cost of compliance, potentially leading to a consolidation towards large data platforms and a chilling effect on new ventures.

There are inherrent challenges of using autonomous weapons with human oversight - in particular the fact that human judgment becomes an “inconvenient impediment” to the speed of modern warfare. Future wars, especially in the cybernetic arena, may render human intervention meaningless - and that should raise ethical and practical concerns.

The proliferation of smart devices offers convenience by automating and personalizing daily tasks, like brewing coffee when an alarm is switched off. Integrating these devices with AI-powered smart speakers enhances this automation, but raises privacy concerns as these systems collect detailed personal data. This data could revolutionize e-commerce by predicting and fulfilling consumer needs before they’re explicitly expressed, shifting from a shop-then-ship to a ship-then-shop model, but at the cost of increased surveillance and data collection.

We should not create specific laws for new technologies when general legal principles will suffice. Recently, a government task force recommended applying existing legal provisions to AI, but this approach may not address AI’s unique aspects, such as personhood and liability in autonomous systems. The complexity of AI decisions, especially in impactful areas like criminal sentencing, necessitates a tailored regulatory framework that balances accuracy with explainability, challenging the notion of applying traditional legal principles to AI regulation.

There is a need for accurate, real-time court reporting by professional journalists. At present we are relying on lawyers’ live tweets that cannot be expected to be unbiased and factual public information. We need to make changes to enable this institutionally.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has banned regulated entities from providing services related to virtual currencies, citing concerns over consumer protection, market integrity, and money laundering. I question the necessity of this step, since the perceived anonymity of bitcoin transactions can be penetrated. What’s more, the ban may drive nefarious activities further underground, making them harder to detect. I suggest improving forensic skills might be a more effective approach.

The internet, originally designed for data collection and surveillance, faces a credibility crisis due to its misuse for manipulating public opinion. Its origins trace back to Hollerith’s punch card tabulators, which evolved into a government surveillance tool. Despite historical protests against its potential for “computerized people manipulation,” the internet’s utility has consistently outweighed concerns, leading to its current indispensable status. Yet, recent scandals like Facebook-Cambridge Analytica highlight ongoing tensions between its benefits and the risks of data misuse.