India has the potential to use data innovatively for enhancing healthcare outcomes. However, it’s crucial to balance patient privacy with public good, defining clear grounds for data access and stringent punishments for misuse. The draft EHR legislation suggests patients “own” their medical data, but a nuanced approach focusing on access and control is needed. India has a unique opportunity to leverage technology for healthcare, but must strike the right balance between personal privacy and public good.

Social media news algorithms represent the future of news dissemination. However, the need for personalization, driven by advertising revenue, creates ‘filter bubbles’, limiting our exposure to a diversity of information sources. We need to implement software oversight: open-source algorithms auditing newsfeeds for bias, maintaining algorithm secrecy while ensuring objectivity.

The history of copyright reflects the struggle of artists to reach audiences, from direct personal interfaces to the printing press and the Internet. Despite the symbiotic relationship between artists and publishers, the Internet has allowed artists to directly access audiences. Recent amendments to India’s Copyright Act and government clarifications have further extended the scope to Internet broadcasting companies, potentially unlocking vast music catalogues, though the direct benefit to artists remains unclear.

Data is a critical capital asset, driving major business transformations. Industries from retail to transportation are adopting data-driven strategies, with sensor technology and analytics optimizing performance and service. Governments are recognizing data’s value in smart city development and predictive policing, suggesting a future where data not only informs decisions but also automates regulatory compliance, potentially revolutionizing governance and business operations.

Despite the potential benefits of digital payments, its widespread adoption in India is faced with numerous challenges. The real bottleneck is merchant acceptance, hindered by transaction costs and lack of infrastructure. The Unified Payment Interface (UPI) offers hope, integrating with Aadhaar for secure transactions and potentially lower costs, but success hinges on merchant adoption and regulatory support, shifting focus from consumer to merchant-centric solutions.

With the introduction of Aadhaar, the concept of anonymity on the Internet has been diminishing in India. While this shift has benefits, it contrasts with the continued presence of anonymous trolls online. Embracing verified accounts could restore normalcy and trust on the Internet.

India’s map regulations impose restrictions on the cross-border transfer of maps or map data - despite the global shift to cloud-based consumption. I investigate the origins of these arcane regulations to try and figure out how they came about and what can be done to set it right.

While Press Note 3 of 2016, was supposed to liberalise FDI in e-commerce in India, it is filled with contradictory provisions and unclear definitions - particularly regarding the inclusion of service and digital product sales in e-commerce. It is, in fact, a step back and is reflective of the fact that the government’s understanding of technology and its impact is inadequate. Effective regulation in the Network Age requires precise, flexible legislation, understanding network patterns, and a non-linear approach to policy formulation.

Consumption is one of the cornerstones of capitalism and modern society actively encourages it. Planned obsolescence feeds this philosophy by making a placing time limits on technology to make it stop functioning so that replacements can be purchased. If we prioritise access over ownership utilization will increase and products will no longer have to be made obsolete to encourage greater consumption.

The Internet and modern technologies have reduced information asymmetry in markets. With the abundance of data available today, can technology can replace regulations, ensuring data symmetry and achieving “minimum governance?”