Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Wednesday 21 March 2018

LET US STOP BEING KING CANUTE !


A  Drop  in  the  Ocean  ?

------------------------------


Over the past two days there is a lot of news / debate in online/offline media about Facebook having “ leaked “ private data of some 50 million of its users to a UK based company called Cambridge Analytica [ CA ]



It is said that  CA analysed this data using technologies such as AI – BIG DATA analysis – Machine Learning etc., and advised Donald Trump on his campaign-targeting strategies – which seemed to have worked !



CA's chief executive, Alexander Nix said, CA and its parent company Strategic Communications Laboratories had worked in more than 200 elections around the World, including India....


Some expert on a TV show last night , said :

“  Fighting election based on facts  known to the public , is stupid . It is all about unearthing the hopes and the fears of the voters and manipulating the same “



Another panellist said :

“  Big online companies ( Google – Amazon – Facebook ) selling user data is nothing new . It is going on for many years “



Although Mark Zuckerberg   is silent for past 3 days , he could argue :

“ You , the users , sign up for dozens of online services or download hundreds of mobile apps , from all over, by just clicking on “ Log in with Your Facebook Profile “ , thereby granting access to that third party to all of your personal data on Facebook . For all I know , you may even be accepting that this party can use your data in any manner it likes ! So , why blame Facebook ? “



He has a point !



Imagine the following scenario :


Between them , mobile service providers of India ( Reliance – Airtel – Vodafone etc ) , serve close to one  BILLION  users


On an average , each user talks for ( say ) 2 hours per day


That adds up to TWO BILLION hours of “ speech “ ( log ) getting recorded on the computer servers of these MSPs . That is approx. 100 BILLION  MB of private / personal data getting harvested , EVERY SINGLE DAY !


For all you and I know, these MSPs may be already using powerful  “ Speech – to – Text “ software to convert those “ spoken words “ into “ written texts “ !


{   If they are not already  doing so , rest assured that they will start after reading this blog ! }


Then subjecting these huge data to AI ( a database of “ Human Intentions “ ?  ),  to 
decipher words (  now appearing as TEXT , instead of VOICE  ) that reveal our innermost
feelings of :


·         Love  /  Hatred

·         Contempt   /  Greed

·         Sympathy  /   Forgiveness

·         Fairness  /  Justice 

·         Pity  /   Ego

·         Rage / Anger ……………etc etc



There was – and probably still is – a time when people revealed their innermost / hidden / suppressed  “ feelings “ to a Psycho-Analyst , while reclining on a couch in her office


Most likely once a week and only if they could afford to pay her, Rs 1,000 per hour


Now a billion Indians  precisely do the same “ revealing “ , to their Mobile phone !

Every day  for 2 hours   and almost FREE  ! Without a worry about how those Mobile Service Provider use their private / personal conversations ! May be they have given an implied consent !




In one of my recent blogs , I said :



Parallel to the ”  Theory of  Thermodynamics “ , I would like to propound the
 following , as far as the  “ Theory of Information “  is concerned :

     
     “  Like Entropy , content keeps growing with each and every human
     interaction , either with other humans or with his environment , and content
     can no longer remain hidden , nor can it be destroyed  “




Ever since Project Manhattan , we are familiar with a self-sustaining  " Nuclear Chain Reaction " - which once unleashed, was impossible to stop 


What we are witnessing thru a billion Mobiles is a similar " Information Chain Reaction "


To know how it feeds on itself, we need to go back to the epic of RAMAYANA , where Lord Rama was confronted by twin demons , Ahi-Ravana and Mahi-Ravana


When Lord Rama's arrows pierced their bodies and blood dripped onto the earth , from every single drop of blood , arose another identical demon !


With every arrow wound , the demons just kept multiplying , until Hanuman killed the bees which brought up drops of nectar from " Paataal " and sprinkled on those drops of blood !


We have yet to discover that " Anti - Nectar " but it is possible that one of these days, some S/W geek develops an operating system which deletes / erases , all that AUDIO LOG from the servers of MSPs, as soon as conversation ends !




Just wait till the manufacturers of Mobile Phones and the suppliers of Operating Systems ( Android / iOS etc ) realize that there is a ton of money to be made by picking up all those billions of hours of mobile talks !


And when they do , don’t expect them to ask for users’ permission !


No doubt , Hon. Judges of the Supreme Court have anticipated this before delivering their final order on the Aadhar case




21  March  2018




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