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

Sunday 31 March 2019

HERE IS DRAFT OF THAT SOCIAL CONTRACT


Dear Dipayan,

Just read your article in Hindustan Times :

“ Tech Companies are taking Indian users for a ride “ , where you write :

“ We need a social contract , a compact that holds the digital sector , accountable to the public “

In my following blog, I have tried to describe a framework for such a contract

I would appreciate your views on my suggestion

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

Mumbai  /  www.hemenparekh.in




Thursday, 14 February 2019

Digital Dividend from Demographic Data [ 4 D ]





Background :

Of late, “ Digital Gurus “ / “ Marketing Experts “ /  “ Data Scientists “ are all excited with the concept ,

DATA  is  the  NEW  OIL


They are all advocating that individuals ( Data Owners ) should be enabled to make money from selling their own Personal / Private data




What is behind this sudden advocacy ?

Experts have just realized that Social Media web sites / E Com web sites / Fintech web sites / Mobile Apps etc., have all been earning BILLIONS of dollars every year , by selling data submitted by their users or compiled by them surreptitiously , through snooping on their users’ online visits / activities / purchases – and audio / video sessions



Question :

Who are buying these data and for what purpose  ?




Answer :

·         Companies of all types - who wish to advertise their products / services to billions of users

·         Advertising Agencies / Public Relations agencies - to deliver marketing messages

·         Political Parties /  Political Lobbyists - to influence voters

·         Interest groups / Think Tanks – to propagate their ideologies

·         Terror Groups – to recruit supporters

·         Polling / Surveying agencies – to uncover social trends …………..etc




Question :

Is there a way to make the likes of Google – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – WhatsApp etc to pay their users , every time they use / sell , users’ personal data  ?




Answer :

Absolutely !



Related blogs :






Right to Sell My Soul ?  


Wealth of Nations   





How will it help ?

·         SARAL will become the DATA REPOSITORY of  500 million current Indian internet users and will keep growing


·         This  DATABASE  will become the single largest ( and searchable ) Demographic Profile in entire World



·         Data Buyers will be allowed to search this database and compile / download “ Target Demographic Profiles “ upononline payment of published “ Sale Price “   to  SARAL 


·         Such profiles will not reveal the identities of the registered Indian users ( of SARAL ) . The compiled profiles will be anonymized / aggregated



·         SARAL will immediately distribute the Sale Income among the users whose data got included in the downloaded Demographic Profie ( DBT into bank accounts of users )





Can you show how a Buyer can generate a typical Demographic Profile ?

A buyer may start the “ Profile Configuration Process “ by selecting a “ profile value “ and then keep “ filtering to zero in “ , on the desired outcome . He can start and stop at any result to click “ Add to Shopping Cart “ . He can even “ select / unselect “ as he proceeds



Serial No
Demographic Profile Set
Selected ProfileValue
No of Records found ( eg )
1
Geography
Entire India
500  million
2
Cities
A category cities
300  million
3
Gender
Male
250  million
4
Age Range
20-25
  80  million
5
Education Level
Graduate
  20  million
6
Degree
Computer Science
  10  million
7
Languages spoken
Hindi – English – Gujarati- Marathi
    5  million
8    
Employment Status
Employed
    3  million
9
Social Media Presence-Postings
FaceBook – Linkedin – Twitter - WhatsApp
    2  million
10
FinTech Engagement
Paytm – BHIM – Credit card
     1  million




How much can such target profiles be refined ?


Depending upon ,

·         Initial personal data submitted by users on SARAL , and

·         Users’ Online activities captured by SARAL ( - with prior permission of Users ),


-      it would be possible for a DATA BUYER to refine such Demographic Profiles , to further narrow down the number of records based on :


·         Medical History
·         Income Tax Status ( exempt / filed )
·         Credit History
·         Cultural Activities
·         Online Purchases made ( especially Clothes & Cosmetics )
·         Travels / Tours / Family Holidays , undertaken
·         Family Data / Domicile
·         Mobile Service provider
·         Internet Service provider
·         OS of mobile phone
·         Photos on Social Media web sites
·         IoT connected gadgets in home ( Alexa – Siri – Cortana – Google Home etc )
·         DBT Scheme benefits enjoyed
·         Schools – Colleges attended
·         Companies worked for
·         Ownerships ( flats – land – Equity – Vehicles etc )
·         Single – Married – Divorced / No of children
·         Veg / Non Veg / Food preferences / Restaurants visited
·         Entertainment preferences ( Music – Movies – Plays etc )
·         Crime record ( Traffic offences )
·         Political History ( Memberships / Elections contested )


The list is unending


And only the very naïve would think that the existing Social Media websites / Apps / Alexas etc do NOT know these things about us !




How much should we charge the Purchasers for record of each user included in the download ?

Rs 50 / =





How much do you think an user might earn per month from this arrangement ?

Assuming , his personal data gets included in 1000 downloads per month , he could end up earning Rs 50,000 per month !  ( a Universal Basic Income without burdening exchequer  )




How can millions of Indian users be motivated to REGISTER on SARAL  ?

When a Indian User visits any of these web sites , he will get to read the ,



-      which will tell him how he can earn by registering


SARAL will also send email / SMS to an user , every time Rs 50 / - gets transferred to his bank account


Imagine the pleasant surprise of the user if he receives 20 such messages in a day !


He will share this news with 500 contacts ! – adding that this INCOME is tax-free !





Which country is most likely to be the first to implement SARAL ?

Very likely , it will be EU




What makes you think so ?

Just came across following news report in today’s Economic Times :




Extract :

Online platforms will be required to compensate publishers and creators for the content that appears on their websites, 

The new rules mean music producers and publishers could come gunning for more money from Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook Inc to compensate for the display of their songs, video and news articles.
 


Does SARAL have any supporters  ?


I have come across similar views – following being the latest :

Extract :

“If a company wants to buy iron from a country, it must pay something to the seller. But there is no price tag on data, considering that it is far more valuable than iron today,” Harari  said. 


His solution:

may be a union of data-producing countries, along the lines of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC.


According to him, it seems likely at present that those who control data will control the world. And where is all this data going? Currently, “to only two places – US and China



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



And this is what Nilanjana Bhowmick has to say :


The prime reason for our lackadaisical attitude is that most Indians don’t value privacy.

We are yet to register the value of personal information — the actual monetary, marketable value.

My personal data, for instance, costs roughly $2.

If I take that as an average, then at least $2 billion worth of data belonging to 1.3 billion Indians are at stake here.

Which is why, when this data is taken without consent, it is a financial crime.

Yes, digitisation is the future. But let’s first plug the social, institutional and systemic weaknesses in our systems.

( source : 

Make our digital backyard safe



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

Added on 19 Feb 2019 :

Here are similar views expressed by Michael Spencer

What is a Data Dividend?

More efficient than UBI in creating a fairer Capitalism.



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Dear Shri Ravi Shankar Prasadji,


If you want to put an end to the DATA COLONIZATION / DATA IMPERIALISM of those arrogant Social Media web sites , this is the only language that they will understand

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15  Feb  2019



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