Hello,
Hope you are doing well. This week we cover 4 policy jobs, and if you are looking for internships do check out the opportunity at RBI. Beyond that, we talk about Facebook’s attempt at rebranding, the policy problem of air pollution and the return of Pegasus.
Top Policy Jobs
Location- Kanpur, UP Work experience- 2 years
Location- Jharkhand
Location- New Delhi
Internship, Reserve Bank of India (125 Positions)
Last date to apply- 31 December 2021
Meta
Mark Zuckerberg in a public announcement shared the brand new name of Facebook- Meta. This action has brought questions on whether this name change is driven only for rebranding purposes or there would be some internal change too?
Mark Zuckerburg clarified-
Clearing the Confusion- The company made sure to reduce interdependence between its applications and products. Consumers using the Virtual Reality product, do not need to connect it with their social media accounts. Reduction of this interconnectedness is a step towards showcasing Facebook and now Meta, that it is not just a social media company but beyond that.
Looking into the Future- Zuckerburg defines the Metaverse to be something that will be used as future platforms and for social experiences as well. Basically, users will feel they are with one another and have a “sense of presence” despite being far apart.
For this, the company has made two different segments. One for the current social media apps and one for future platforms like AR and VR.
What are the critics saying?
Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, stated that- “The fact that Zuckerberg has set his sights firmly on the so-called ‘metaverse’ while societies all over the world are scrambling to alleviate the myriad harms caused by his platforms just goes to show how out of touch Facebook is with real people.”
How is the company moving forward?
Zuckerberg in an interview with TheVerge said that Facebook has already rolled out two metaverse projects last year: One is Horizon World- which will allow users to invite friends over into their digital world & another one is Horizon Workrooms, which does the same in professional settings. He even mentioned that the tech giant will explore NFTs and Crypto to represent media digitally which is also working in gaming applications.
(Sources: The Verge, Meta, The Guardian)
Stubble Burning and the Policy Problem
With the advent of winters, worry about bad air quality and thick smog becomes a priority. Stubble burning, vehicular and industrial pollution are the contributors to it. Stubble burning is a common practice where the remaining straw stubble is burned after the harvest. According to some estimates, farmers in Northern India, burn about 23 million tonnes of stubble. Why is this activity being talked about?
A new report released by climate tech startup Blue Sky Analytics, which is also a part of the global coalition "Climate TRACE" (with a mission to accelerate climate action by providing independent high-resolution and real-time emissions data) has found that India holds the top spot globally for 13% of the total global emissions from crop burning between 2015-2020.
How can we combat the problem in the long term?
As per a Parliamentary report, the stakeholders have been advised to set up biodegrades to deal with the challenges of air pollution and stubble burning
The Union & the State governments tried to even penalize the practice of stubble burning.
(Sources: National Herald, Swaddle, Scroll, Mint)
Pegasus
Pegasus spyware developed by the Israeli cyber arms firm NSO Group has once again made it to the headlines in India with a new committee to analyze its impact. Timeline of Events-
July 2021
The Wire reported that more than 300 verified Indian mobile numbers were intruded. The targeted group included journalists, members of the legal community, scientists, activists.
However, soon after the report, the Government of India announced that "there has been no unauthorized interception by government agencies. The allegations regarding government surveillance on specific people have no concrete basis or truth associated with it whatsoever.”
2nd August 2021:
As per LiveLaw.in, 5 journalists/ activists filed a petition in the Supreme Court to declare the use of Pegasus spyware as unconstitutional and with it, to produce the documents which are related to Pegasus.
27th October 2021
The Supreme court set up a committee of technical experts to examine whether the GOI used Israeli spyware to have unauthorized access to the phones of their citizens.
The committee has been set to focus on these particular points-
Who acquired the Spyware, the union, or the state government? And was it used on phones or other devices of Indian citizens to have unauthorized access?
There is a necessity for the establishment of a grievance redressal mechanism for the suspicion of illegal surveillance.
The committee is free to come up with procedures that require investigation, inquiry, and taking statements of any person in connection with the inquiry.
(Sources: The Wire, Internet Freedom Foundation)