9 months ago
Apar Gupta Discusses Indian Digital Policies, Privacy, and Coercion in Technology Deployment
Imagine the government wants to make travel easier using technology that recognizes your face, like the DigiYatra app.
Some people think it's cool because it makes things faster.
But Apar Gupta explains that it's important to think about privacy.
He says that while people might trade some personal information for convenience, they should still have control over their data.
The problem with DigiYatra is that people didn't know if they had to use it or if it was optional, which felt like being forced.
This kind of tech can also lead to more watching, which can be scary for some groups.
Even people with less money seem to care a lot about privacy because they feel how it affects their daily lives, even if they don't use big words to describe it.
Apar Gupta raises concerns about India's digital policies and the trade-off between convenience and privacy.
The DigiYatra app, which uses facial recognition, is cited as an example where convenience might be prioritized over privacy concerns.
Gupta points out that the deployment of DigiYatra involved coercion and a lack of clarity on whether it was mandatory or voluntary.
Increased surveillance through digital technologies can lead to real-world harms, particularly for minority groups.
A study suggests that individuals from lower socio-economic strata in India are more concerned about privacy, feeling its impact on their daily lives.
- Who
- Apar Gupta
- What
- Discussed concerns regarding India's digital policies, particularly the DigiYatra app, highlighting issues of privacy, coercion, and surveillance.
- Where
- India
- When
- Not specified in the article
- Why
- To raise awareness about potential trade-offs between convenience and privacy in government-deployed digital technologies and their impact on citizens, especially vulnerable groups.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Apar Gupta
- Core Issue
- Privacy concerns and government's digital policies in India
- Example of Concern
- DigiYatra app's use of facial recognition and potential coercion
- Impact on Minorities
- Increased surveillance leading to real-world harms
- Socio-economic Impact
- Lower socio-economic strata care more about privacy
Quotes
The speaker
The speaker is an unnamed individual discussing digital privacy and the DigiYatra system.
“I think a lot of people do use DigiYatra and are open to making a bargain or making that trade against their personal information for usability, for comfort, and that is something which needs to be offered on the basis of a right in which people have a continuing ability to demand that how their data is being used.”
thequint.com
“It is not as if privacy is an absolute, privacy means that you have a subsisting right in the personal identifiers related to your existence. There are certain fair terms under which businesses can access it, it needs to be linked to that business purpose, should not be exploited, and you should have a continuing level of control over it.”
thequint.com
