Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Opinion | Implications of data mirroring


Opinion | Implications of data mirroring
It remains to be seen whether such a policy will backfire when it comes to the potential threat of data colonialism
Data is the new oil and a driver of growth and change. Indeed, India is a supposed to become data rich before becoming economically rich. This digital growth is being pushed by large foreign digital companies. They are largely fuelled by the data of their users. And they are being welcomed by the establishment as is evident by the visits of the prime minister and Union information technology minister to Silicon Valley over the past few years as part of the Digital India campaign.
Important sectors such as e-commerce, social media, digital entertainment, online communication, and information and communication technology (ICT) hardware in India are predominantly served by foreign companies, or domestic companies funded by foreign capital.
Indian users today are accessing digital technology-driven services not only within India’s national boundaries, but also outside its jurisdiction. Consequently, these foreign service providers are free to process the personal data of millions of Indians within their own shores. The advancement of digital tools and technology in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), has enabled them to monitor and profile user behaviour, preferences and even daily routines, granting them the potential power to influence their decisions through targeted communications.
Many experts have been ringing the alarm bells for the past few years, warning the government of digital colonialism by such companies. Data is now considered a strategic asset by many, and data driven network effects coupled with user feedback loops have given first mover advantage to the more developed western world. The data processed by these companies is not only used offshore to track and profile users, but is also fed as fuel into modern technologies like AI and the Internet of Things (IoT), which are touted to be the drivers of modern manufacturing, service delivery and governance. Perhaps that’s why it is Silicon Valley that is expected to lead the way in researching, implementing and controlling digital technologies, earning it the reputation of being the new Rome.
Recognising the gravity of the issue, the Srikrishna committee in its draft data protection bill has rightly observed that the freedom to share personal data in the digital economy works selectively in the interests of certain countries that have been early movers. These countries can support a completely open digital economy without any detriment to their national interests by virtue of their technological advancement. It goes on to state that popular websites owned by foreign entities refuse to provide data to Indian law enforcement agencies in many instances. It has also flagged other related critical issues in the realm of personal data protection and data sovereignty, such as preventing foreign surveillance and fostering AI in India, all of which need to be addressed.
However, it remains to be seen whether the bill will backfire with respect to the potential threat of data colonialism.
The path recommended by the committee to accomplish the feat is mandating local storage of a copy of user’s data, or data mirroring, something which has not gone down well with its critics. Contemporary public discourse interprets digital colonialism as a large global economy wherein small local players are left out. It has also been argued by industry players, academia and consumer groups that mandating data mirroring will raise entry barriers in the Indian market and adversely impact a variety of smaller domestic stakeholders, such as start-ups and micro, small and medium enterprises .
Valid concerns in this regard are based on the premise that large foreign companies will be able to mobilise the requisite resources to invest in setting up their data centres (DCs) within India, though the same may not be possible for smaller domestic companies. The possible enhanced costs of setting up or renting such infrastructure along with the non-availability of cheaper foreign cloud services may affect their business interests. It may also impact their access to the use of the latest technology.
Such entry barriers, coupled with fears of potential long-term adverse impact on innovation and economic growth, may deepen the existing issues of monopolisation of data and the digital economy, leading to enhanced risks of digital colonialism.
Though with the right intention, it seems that the committee has taken the most obvious path to achieve data sovereignty without exploring other and possibly better alternatives.
The observation of the committee must be treated as a recommendation—one that should be judged from the perspective of India having to carefully balance the possible benefits of localisation with the costs involved in mandating such a policy.
Accordingly, there is a need to do a regulatory impact assessment or cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of the proposed data mirroring mandate before its enactment and implementation. This need is further exacerbated considering the committee’s observation that there was no conclusive evidence presented to them demonstrating a CBA on the above arguments and counter-arguments.
This effectively means that though a draft law has been formulated, it is yet to be determined whether data mirroring will do more harm than good.
Pradeep s. Mehta is the secretary general of CUTS International.
Sidarth Narain contributed to this article.
Comments are welcome at theirview@livemint.com


Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Artwork of Drawing & Painting Contest 2018

FIRST PRIZE WINNER - JESSICA D'SOUZA (BE CMPN A)
SECOND PRIZE WINNER - HARSHAD MHATRE (TE EXTC A)
THIRD PRIZE WINNER - YOGITA LIKHI (FE CMPN A)
RUNNER UP: MOUSUMI HALDER (FE EXTC A)
RUNNER UP - PURNIMA KUBDE (ASST. PROF., INFT)

Friday, September 7, 2018

Display Journals on 6th Sept.2018



Display Journals on 6th Sept.2018




World’s 1st Blockchain Experience Centre launched in India


World’s 1st Blockchain Experience Center - Blockspace has been launched in Noida. It will become a key driving force for global technology companies working on blockchain to come to India. It is the only space to focus dedicatedly on Blockchain technology, with their incubator program the focus is to support and build great startups and products from India and take it to the global market. The blockspace also has a Blockchain library for people to read and learn about this technology for free. Soon Blockspace will be opening at international locations such as London, Zurich, Dominican Republic and more!
To bridge the gap between global and Indian pace of growth of companies in new technologies such as Blockchain, EL International Group and Proviar has launched BlockSpace. It will be the go to place for Blockchain related up skilling, consulting, investment and product development. It also offers a co working space for companies working in new technologies. Requests from international companies have started pouring in for the virtual offices service offered by Blockspace.
The launch was followed by a sessions and discussions by Evan Luthra , Serial Entrepreneur and Investor; Sandro Stephen  India Angel Network; Bibin Babu , Founder Blockspace ; Suresh Mansharmani , Founder Tajurba International and Sam Baisla, Founder NeXel South Africa. People from various parts of the country and industries joined the launch event. Participation from companies like IBM India, GSK, American Express, KPMG, Fortis, HCL, DHL, NTPC, OLA, HDFC Bank and more displayed the interest various industries have in a promising technology such as Blockchain.

To read the full article, visit:
http://bwcio.businessworld.in/article/World-s-1st-Blockchain-Experience-Centre-launched-in-India/04-09-2018-159228/ 

 

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

BOOK BANK FACILITY FOR FE

LEARNING & INFORMATION RESOURCE CENTRE
BOOK BANK FACILITY FOR FE

The library is providing the “Book Bank” facility to the FE students

Date & Timing is as mentioned below :

Classes
Date
Timing
FE
05/09/2018
12.15 PM  to 1.00 PM

The “Book Bank” system works as under:

1) A maximum of 2(two) books can be issued.

2) They are requested to pay an amount of  Rs.20/- for Donated Books and 20% of the Original cost on remaining books.

Students are requested to return the book on or before 15/01/2019; failing which a fine of Re.1 per day (inclusive of holidays) will be charged.

Students are requested to note the following:
1) DO NOT disfigure (markings, tear, underline etc.) any of the books; failing which you would be liable to pay Rs.100/- per book and/or replace the book.
2) It is expected that the students maintain the books in good reading conditions.
3) Book Bank facility is available to the valid SFIT library members only.
4) Return the books on or before the due date.

The list of books in the Book Bank will be made available on the college library web page http://www.sfitengg.org/library > List of Book Bank Books.

STUDENTS WILL BE PROVIDED BOOKS ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS.


Friday, August 31, 2018

ACTIVE USERS OF THE LIRC (1-31 August , 2018)

ACTIVE USERS OF THE LIRC
(1-31 August , 2018)

All the below Active Users are eligible for one extra library card for the month of 
September 2018.


Sr. No.
Member
No's. of Transctions
1
MASCARENHAS RACHEL NOEL JACINTA
35
2
JAYBHAY SHEETAL SHANTILAL MANISHA
31
3
CRASTA RYAN RONALD LEENA
30
4
KESARKAR KOMAL PRAKASH PRATIKSHA
30
5
JAIN DHRUVI MAHENDRA PRIYANKA
29
6
KOTIAN DIVYA SHAM RENUKA
29
7
ANTONY ALEX LEENA
29
8
GUPTA PRADEEP FULCHAND RENU
28

Monday, August 27, 2018

Register Yourself at National Digital Library, India

To all the staff members and students at SFIT

Kindly register yourself at the National Digital Library of India Portal.

 About NDL India

Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) under its National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) has initiated the National Digital Library of India (NDL India) pilot project to develop a framework of virtual repository of learning resources with a single-window search facility. Filtered and federated searching is employed to facilitate focused searching so that learners can find out the right resource with least effort and in minimum time. NDL India is designed to hold content of any language and provides interface support for leading Indian languages. It is being arranged to provide support for all academic levels including researchers and life-long learners, all disciplines, all popular form of access devices and differently-abled learners. It is being developed to help students to prepare for entrance and competitive examination, to enable people to learn and prepare from best practices from all over the world and to facilitate researchers to perform inter-linked exploration from multiple sources. The pilot project is devising a framework that is being scaled up with respect to content volume and diversity to serve all levels and disciplines of learners. It is being developed at Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.
Subject Domains
  • Computer Science, Information and General Works
  • Religion
  • Philosophy and Psychology
  • Social Sciences
  • Language
  • Technology
  • Natural Sciences and Mathematics
  • The arts; fine and decorative arts
  • Literature and Rhetoric
  • History and Geography

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