Hi folks,
Last week I had a chance to chat with Prof. Reetika Khera and Srinivas Kodali about how private sector interests have shaped a Digital India where personal data is viewed as a commodity to be monetised. The discussion was hosted by the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle at IIT Madras and a recording of the event is available here: Digital Kleptocracy & Democratic Accountability - Panel discussion | Digital Kleptocracy & Democratic Accountability - Panel discussion | By Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle, IIT Madras | Facebook
The key takeaway for me was that while building technical architecture like Aadhaar, India Stack or Aarogya Setu reduces customer acquisition and transaction costs for select private players, it can increase hardship for those who are excluded from this gold rush.
Here are some readings I would recommend for people interested in the issue:
I am interested in reading about how we can address both competition and privacy concerns which arise from private sector involvement in building of government tech projects and would love to hear thoughts from people in the private sector.
Best,
Devdutta