Real estate transactions in India are complex due to difficulties in confirming property titles. The Torrens system, offering indefeasible title guarantees, could revolutionize this, as seen in Rajasthan’s new legislation. Implementing blockchain technology for land records could ensure tamper-proof, transparent, and efficient property transactions, modernizing the archaic system.

The QWERTY keyboard layout was designed to slow down typing to prevent mechanical jams. This design has persisted despite alternatives that could improve typing speeds. Path dependence like this is reflected in the legislative process in India, where outdated laws still govern modern technology. We need to break free from path dependence, especially in the context of enacting a new privacy law, to create regulations that are responsive to modern technology.

Music’s evolution from live performances to digital streaming has been shaped by technology, expanding audience reach but often at the cost of artist revenue. With the advent of blockchain-based services like Musicoin, artists can now bypass traditional intermediaries, offering direct access to their music and potentially transforming the industry’s revenue model.

The marketplace has always been a battleground between buyers and sellers. With industrialization, sellers gained an information advantage, leading governments to implement regulations like maximum retail price (MRP) to protect consumers. E-commerce has shifted the balance, offering consumers more price transparency and forcing sellers to adapt. Online shopping leaves a digital trail, allowing sellers to gain insights into consumer behavior and price sensitivity. Sophisticated algorithms are now being developed to achieve “perfect price discrimination,” where each buyer pays exactly what they perceive a product is worth. In this new paradigm, traditional concepts like MRP may become redundant.

If the use of biometrics like fingerprints and iris scans for identity raises concerns about personal privacy, facial recognition poses a far greater threat. Unlike other biometrics, faces are easily captured, and the lack of regulation and rapid advancement of technology expose individuals to the risk of active surveillance.

In “Homo Deus”, Yuval Noah Harari suggests that Homo sapiens’ success is due to our unique ability to believe in myths, like nation-states, which unite individuals under a common identity. This concept is crucial in modern society, where identity systems like India’s Aadhaar balance social responsibilities with personal privacy, highlighting the need for privacy laws to maintain this equilibrium.

We need to question the concept of “average” human medical standards, such as body temperature given the extent of the individual variations in human biology. There is a need for personalized medical treatment particularly when one considers how wearable technologies could revolutionize healthcare by enabling continuous monitoring and customized care.

Technology is inherently neutral but depending on how it is used it can be either good or bad. This applies to gene editing, drones and even to identity.

In the “attention economy,” businesses compete for user attention through persuasive technologies, leading to a potential technological addiction. There is a need for ethical boundaries in app design that will call for major tech companies agreeing to rewrite rules to discourage addictive persuasion, and aim for a more sustainable approach.

In the 19th century, London faced the Great Manure Crisis, a seemingly insurmountable urban catastrophe. The advent of automobiles resolved the issue within a decade. Might we dare to imaging that the global pollution crisis, might have a similar, as yet unknown technological solutions?