Category

Others

crypto users

Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt: The FUD Reality of Crypto Users

By Economy, Others No Comments

The FUD Reality of Crypto Users

The Indian government has got the Indian crypto users or crypto traders anxious again due to its antagonistic stance against the contentious digital currency. The recent crypto regulation law has sent many traders desperately trying to sell a part, if not all, of their cryptocurrency portfolio, but, quite detestably, the trades wouldn’t go through. In a turn of recent events, the panic sell-off amongst crypto investors, which had recently warmed up to the technology, was triggered after it was announced that a crypto bill would be introduced in Parliament’s winter session.

What came across as concerning was the fact that the bill mentioned that trading of all private cryptocurrencies would be prohibited.

Given the speculative nature of the market, confirmation of such a humungous step was quite enough to send the market in frenzy. This led to plunging values in the crypto market with the prices fluctuating frequently. This has in fact been proven quite detrimental for the investors who were trying to sell or buy the stock.

With higher transaction values, the complaints about MobiKwik and the Wazir X app crashing were registered as well.

indian crypto tradersA hasty, uninformed decision?

Given the present circumstances prevailing in the crypto market, where does this make the crypto users stand? It is to be noted that the thousands of panic-stricken small investors have been left staring at their screens, being made to face the ordeal by the authorities.

This has led to venting out of frustration by the users on Twitter- which can appropriately be described as the fear, and uncertainty that can be seen among the investors in the market.

But given the uncertainty and mayhem that is at play in the crypto market, can the government be accused of an uninformed, hasty decision? Certainly not. One can perhaps argue, that the market was quite well versed with the government’s antagonistic and aversive attitude towards the contentious distal asset.

With various warnings of a ban, or curtailment, the latest bill shouldn’t come as a surprise for the users who might have been keeping tabs on the news in the market.

But has sagacious investing been a prominent choice for the investors? given the market conditions, one can emphatically argue that the humungous sell-off that happened earlier in the week across one of the biggest Indian crypto exchanges shows the exuberance and irrationality had always pervaded the better judgment of the investors in the market.

What is adding to the mayhem, is the fact that the exchanges keep on crashing, which happens to be becoming a pattern now. According to the reports, when the transactions are high, the exchanges usually crash. This effectively doesn’t let the trades go through.

cryptocurrency portfolioBut has there been a precedent that has been set for such a situation? The answer is affirmative. Similar problems were encountered earlier too when China’s central bank had effectively announced that all transactions involving cryptocurrencies were illegal.

This gives rise to a pertinent question, what exactly should be a preferred course of action under these circumstances? It is to be noted that a few smart investors have already started derisking themselves. This involves trading on various platforms to avoid a glitch.

According to the reports, the people and the traders have been demanding penalization of such exchanges which are working ineffectively. But why is such a glitch leading to such anguish amongst the investors if it merely represents delays in transactions? This is due to the fact that delays are leading the traders to fail in closing the trades.

This brings to the table the proposition that the trades and the platforms should be thoroughly be regulated like equities so that small investors don’t lose much money in the panic and anguish. This proposition has been brought to the table due to the mere fact that Sebi usually launches a probe if people lose money in equities due to a website’s glitches.

To top it all the need of the hour is the government’s intervention and assurance that needs to be provided to the panicking investors. with assurances that time will be given for withdrawal and closing of accounts, not leading to needless losses, such a panic state can be effectively crippled.

This is all the more needed, given the fact that there is already limited information that is coming from exchanges and the market is rife with unfounded rumors. In order to prevent slow down trading to prevent sell-offs, assurances by the government can help save the day.

crypto investorsWhat also needs to be considered is the fact that most of the investors on the exchange platforms are young and from smaller towns in India. Thus, they have limited financial knowledge of the asset class. Thus given the constricted knowledge horizons, one can effectively state that they tend to panic more, especially when there is such adverse news.

Thus, assurances and moderate actions are the need of the hour. now, whether the government takes that into consideration or not, is something only time will tell, but any further investments into the contentious digital asset will largely not be a sagacious idea.


Tags: Indian crypto traders, cryptocurrency portfolio, crypto investors, crypto bill, private cryptocurrencies, crypto regulation, crypto laws, crypto traders in India, crypto users, crypto market regulation, crypto exchange regulation

data privacy laws

Data Privacy Laws

By Others No Comments

Data Privacy Laws in India

One crucial and prerequisite demand of data privacy laws is that it needs to strike a balance between the legal framework for data protection that it proposes and the ability to effectively protect the privacy of the individuals while emphatically ensuring innovation.

What pertinent question the recent privacy laws of India give rise to is that is the recently proposed data protection legislation in India effectively strikes their balance?

data protection actLast year, the Indian government passed the Personal Data Protection Bill. This had provided for the establishment of the first cross-sectoral legal framework for effective data protection in India which until now was emphatically missing.

However, according to various experts, India’s introduction of privacy laws does not address the privacy-related harms in the economy like India which is data sensitive and is going through a digitalization stage.

Instead, of addressing the privacy framework or the vertical, we can scrutinize whether the bill proposes a robust preventive framework.

This effectively in many ways oversupplies the government with the immense power to intervene and strengthen its authority which cannot be too beneficial for the economy or the social structure of India.

One direct consequence of the diabolical aspect is that it can lead to an immense increase in compliance costs. Such costs will have to be borne by the businesses across various sectors of the economy.

Other than the business consequence of the laws, it is to be noted that effective protection of the privacy of an individual is highly necessary as privacy necessarily serves as a means to protect various personal facets like free speech and sexual autonomy.

Given the rise of homophobia and specially caste-based violence in India, it is quite imperative that such rights are protected at all costs. Thus, it can be rightly stated that a robust framework for protecting personal data is the need of the hour which is a contentious subject that lies untouched by the government.

The privacy framework needs to be designed along with a more precise understanding of the role of privacy in the whole society.

data protection lawWhat makes the laws even more contentious is the fact that the proposed diabolical framework is not only quite unlikely to protect the privacy of individuals adequately but also emphatically strengthens the role of the state in the data economy.

Given that the process of digitalization is underway in India, the placement of immense power in the hands of the state can prove to be quite diabolical.

On the other hand, more problematic is the consequence of diluting the property rights in data due to an emphatic rise in the state’s power to surveil. This can quite detrimentally lead to deleterious consequences for innovation in the economy which is the prerequisite demand for growth and newer technologies.

But why were these privacy laws needed in the first place? It is to be noted that the recent privacy laws are in, line with the larger context of India’s debate, that had been raged on the right to privacy.

As aforementioned, the proposed preventive framework will usually lead to significant compliance costs for various private businesses. This will be due to the fact that the bill will effectively regulate the data that is used in all sectors across the society for economic activity.

Thus, this will, quite simply, establish new compliance requirements that will need to be followed by the vast majority of affected businesses so as to be on the right side of the law.

data protection bill

Now, why it poses a big threat is due to the fact that most of the businesses in India are quite small. Thus, such overcomplicating, and demanding compliance requirements would be particularly onerous for them. Subsequently, this will also force the government to compel the businesses to share certain nonpersonal data with it.

This directly will have a negative impact on innovation and economic growth in the long run.

The list of detestable attributes of the privacy laws goes further. Another major issue that has been pointed out by various analysts is that the bill effectively proposes to design or construct the Data Protection Authority.

It is to be noted that the same authority or the body will be tasked with the power to regulate the provisions of the bill and frame fresh regulations on various issues.

These issues can be forming regulations on mechanisms for taking consent, or perhaps the limitations on the use of data. In fact, the body is also powered to form or alter rules for the cross-border transfer of data.

Thus, it can be rightfully stated that the supervisory mandate of the body known as the Data protection authority is rather quite sweeping and immense.

personal data protection

The power is particularly immense as the body has the power to effectively regulate a wide array of preventive obligations. These preventive obligations can involve various facets like security safeguarding and transparency requirements, that have to be implemented by businesses.

Thus, given various contentious aspects of the bill, will the government wake up to the discrepancies and will try and mitigate the unwarranted consequences of the bill? It is something only the government’s agenda and long-term goals can answer.


Tags: data protection act, data privacy act, personal data protection act, data protection law, personal data protection bill, personal data protection, data privacy laws, data protection bill, data protection act India, data protection regulation, data protection authority

consumer protection act 2019

Company’s Unfair Trade Practice With Special Reference To Consumer Protection Act 2019

By Hospitality, Others No Comments

Unfair Trade Practice With Reference to Consumer Protection Act 2019

In recent times, the topic of consumer protection law has garnered much attention company’s among the authorities and the citizens around the world.

Recently, the consumer protection Act of 2019 replaced the decades-old Consumer Protection Act of 1986. It is to be noted that the newer act was enacted with a promising view to widen the scope of consumer rights.

This was emphatically done to bring under its preview the field of e-commerce, teleshopping, direct selling, and other multi-levels of marketing.

This is quite crucial due to the fact that India is entering into the age of digitalization with no well-formulated laws to guide and protect consumer interest.

Thus, the newer laws bring into effect the scope of consumer protection in the day and age of digitalization which might turn out to be a nightmare for the users.

The act tries to enact stricter provisions that will aim at revamping the settlement and administration process. This will be done by emphatically and effectively imposing stricter penalties.

unfair trade practiceIf the newer consumer protection act is to be scrutinized, the arbitrariness surrounding the definition of the consumer has been cleared.

As per a certain Section 2(7) of the 2019 Act, a consumer is any such person who effectively buys and ultimately consumes his or her purchases or avails services for his or herself.

This comes in contrast to the consumer who has availed of such services or goods for the purpose of commercial use and resale.

As a matter of fact, the definition specifically and strategically makes use of the expression “buys any goods” and “hires or avails any services”. This effectively includes all online transactions that are specifically conducted through electronic means or teleshopping or direct selling.

As aforementioned, the main jewel of the act is online transactions. Thus, one can effectively argue that the newer laws have been drafted keeping in mind the growing e-commerce business in India that is providing impetus to the advancement and usage of technology in the economy.

unfair trade practices consumer protection act 2019Unfair Trade Practices

It is worth mentioning here that talks about consumer welfare and protection, also bring to the fore the discussion about unfair trade practices.

Thus, given the importance and the certainty of the issue, how have the unfair trade practices been represented in the act? Section 2(47) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 largely and mainly defines ‘unfair trade practice’.

An interesting twist of events presents the fact that the scope of the definition of ‘unfair trade practice’ has been emphatically broadened. But what does this broadened scope of the definition encompass?

It is to be noted that the definition now includes the practices such as strategic manufacturing or offering spurious, deceptive, or bogus goods for sale.

Thus, the act takes into consideration the adaption of deceptive practices for providing services that might be adopted by the corporations that might lead to lower utility or welfare of the public.

The act also takes into consideration the factor of accountability as its definition also takes into consideration the act of not issuing proper cash memos or bills for the services that are effectively rendered and for the good that is sold.

The inculcation and adaptation of the healthy receipt and cash memo practice will effectively help the authority to track the bogus corporation and companies that could be conducting felonies.

In fact, the law has gone even further to include provisions to protect the identity of the public or their personal information. This is needed as the bogus corporations etc. usually share the customer’s intimate details with any other person not in accordance with the prevailing laws.

consumer protection bill 2019It is to be noted that the repealed consumer Act of 1986 did not include in its definition the scope of online misleading advertisements. Thus, these have been added to the 2019 consumer Act.

In addition to all the malpractices that are conducted by bogs organizations, the definition now also includes the concept of an unfair contract.

It is to be noted that the ‘Unfair Contract’ is defined under Section 2(46) of the Act. To define this aspect of the law, it effectively refers to any contract that is between a consumer and a manufacturer.

This can also be between the consumer or the trader or the service provider whose terms bring about a significant change in the consumer rights under the Act.

Given the aforementioned provisions, it is necessary that there is an authority that enables, monitors, and regulates the laws and protects the rights of the consumers.

To enable the same, under the Act of 2019, the law effectively had set up a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA).

The body was established to effectively monitor and regulate matters involving the violation of consumer rights and unfair trade practices aforementioned.

In addition to both, the body will also monitor the misleading or false advertisements by bogus organizations and will help in the enforcement of consumer rights. Here, the members will be effectively appointed by the central government.

the consumer protection act 2019Though, there are certain discrepancies that have surfaced since the inception of the fact. These allegations pertain to the undue influence of politicians the consumer rights and the authority of censorship that the government will effectively enjoy.

With growing dissent in the economy in different spheres of life, the dissenters feel, such undue authority might lead to the discrepancy and undue censorship that might lead to curtailment of freedom of speech.

Though, in spite of certain lacunas in the Act, one should strongly note that the Consumer Protection Act of 2019 is a largely positive step toward the reformation and development of consumer laws in the country.


Tags: unfair trade practice, consumer protection act, unfair contract terms, the consumer protection act, unfair trade practices consumer protection act, consumer protection bill 2019, cpa act, consumer rights act, the consumer protection act 2019, consumer protection rules 2019, consumer protection law, consumer act 2019, unfair trade practices under consumer protection act.

china bans cryptocurrency

China Bans Cryptocurrency Transactions

By Others No Comments

China Bans Cryptocurrency Trading & Transactions

China bans cryptocurrency on its instincts and nonaccommodative attitude towards the cryptocurrency, it has finally banned cryptocurrency transactions in its country.

Though trading was already illegal in China, such activities were usually carried out through international platforms. But with the recent legislation, China has brought in serious laws leading to penalization of any nationals within the geographical boundary and those Chinese individuals outside of China.

Thus, one can effectively state that China has effectively intensified its war against cryptocurrencies.

It is to be noted that with the advent of the newer laws, the investors in the digital contentious asset will find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

china bans cryptocurrency tradingThus, individuals will face legal risk if they indulge in cryptocurrency transactions openly or clandestinely. In fact, not only individuals but also organizations participating in such virtual currency trading will come under the ambit of China’s authoritative laws.

The seriousness of the law that has been proposed can be conjured from the fact that even Chinese nationals that are working overseas aren’t exempt from it. This comes after the Chinese government thoroughly mentioned that it will thoroughly examine and investigate such nationals too according to the law.

As it is quite natural, the bitcoin or the contentious digital market got into a frenzy when such laws were announced by the Chinese government.

This led to a serious drop in the market given that investors’ confidence was dashed by the Chinese government. According to the reports, the Bitcoin market was down by an effective 4.5 percent, whereas on the other hand, Ethereum was down by a significant 7.5 percent. Enter your email to get the Ars Technica newsletter

Top of Form

but this gives rise to a pertinent question was the move by the Chinese government quite immediate without any prior notice?

It is to be noted that to state that there were no prior warnings by the authorities will be a statement that will be farther away from the truth.

The Chinese authorities, time and again, have been dropping hints about banning cryptocurrency mining and severely warning financial institutions to not effectively participate in the same.

Talking about another sector that is quite related to such a debacle is the real estate sector. One sector, other than the crypto sector, that has been gaining much traction in China in recent months, is the retail sector.

With the anticipated debacle of the Evergrande, the biggest real estate developer, many are comparing the current detestable scenario with the Lyman Brothers’ odious financial fallout.

Thus, it is quite pertinent that the connection between the two sectors is scrutinized as the crypto crackdown comes at quite in time when China’s real estate sector is facing a liquidity crunch.

It is to be noted that the retail sector in China is the biggest contributor to the GDP in China, making one-third contribution to the economy.

cryptocurrency trading in china But with the virus exacerbating the financial health of the sector, many were cashing on the loans that were being provided by China for the development of unfished housing in the country. But with the onset of the pandemic, population migration to such households has dropped.

But Chinese authorities, instating its authoritative stance have stated that the houses are for living in, not for speculation. Thus, Cinna is trying to control the sector, when the sector itself is riddled with unfinished or unoccupied housing.

According to the reports, it has been found that the land sales have hit an all-time low with sales down by 90 percent year over year.

On top of this, Beijing is trying to rein in the sector by trying to balance the ratio of debt and emphatically lower them. This is putting undue pressure on the real estate sector.

It was in fact, due to this factor, that Evergrande had found itself at the alter of China’s mercy due to Communist Party’s new demands. One can state that such a decree was quite crippling because even before the decree, the real estate developer was already in trouble.

Given how the sale shave slowed and how the Chinese banks are trying to balance the debt ratio, Evergrande effectively hasn’t been able to generate much cash or revenue that is required to finish projects.

And since it does not have the prerequisite finances to complete its pending projects, it definitely will not have the finances to pay back its’ debt or the interest on it.

china bans cryptoThis has emphatically led the government to restrict Evergrande from issuing any new bonds to significantly pay off its near-term debt.

It is due to the bleak chances of the Evergrande estate developer and the high risk of financial fallout in the economy, that investors are trying to move their capital out of China.

This also comes after falling Chinese growth prospects due to falling demand and investments in the economy. Such capital outflows are what brings us to connect the cryptocurrency crackdown episode and the Evergrande debacle.

The Chinese government has been significantly and emphatically trying to restrict the flow of capital outside the country. This is being done to keep investors circulating their money within the nation’s economy.

But, given the anonymous character that is provided by the cryptocurrency, it is quite hard to regulate the same. Thus, this is the main reason that has motivated the Chinese government to crack down on the transactions.

Many might consider such a crackdown due to various reasons like pollution generation through bitcoin mining. Though, this is quite true, but not significant enough to make the Chinese authorities ban the transactions altogether.


Tags: cryptocurrency trading in china, cryptocurrency ban in china, china bans crypto, china crypto ban, cryptocurrency banned in china, china cryptocurrency ban, china bans cryptocurrency, china cryptocurrency regulation, china on cryptocurrency, china ban on cryptocurrency, crypto banned in china.

competition commission of india

Competition Commission of India – CCI Penalization of Carlsberg

By Cases, Others No Comments

Competition Commission of India Penalization of Carlsberg

In a recent turn of dramatic events, the Competition Commission of India has effectively imposed humongous penalties on Carlsberg India Pvt Ltd (CIPL), United Breweries Ltd, and all the other India Brewers Association.

In addition to the aforementioned names, additionally, 11 more individuals have been penalized for the cartelization in the supply and sale of beer.

If the enormity of the penalty is to be analyzed it can be conjured from the amount of penalty that stands effectively at Rs. 873 crores.

Quite interestingly, the Anheuser Busch InBev India was also found guilty to be part of the cartel fixing in which other associations were busted.

Though InBev was found to be involved in cartel fixing for beer prices it was exempted from the imposition of a fine on it. Why was this? This was mainly due to the fact that it was the company that was the first company to effectively and emphatically provide key evidence in the investigation against the detestable mechanism.

functions of competition commission of indiaThe reasons for penalization by CCI

It is no news that CCI is the upholder of competition norms in India. With proofs and pieces of evidence about cartel fixing, the involvement of CCI in the agenda was quite necessary and crucial.

According to the reports, thorough searches and seizures were carried out by the Director-General of the CCI. During investigations, it was found that regular communications used to take place between the three companies.

These conversations indulged in topics pertaining to the coordination of price hikes that were immediately submitted to state authorities for their approval.

It is to be noted that consumer welfare was being compromised given the cartel formation that had taken place between the competitors.

Taking into consideration normal laws of economics, healthy competition in the market sustains consumers’ welfare and leads to innovation and fair prices that are calculated using the demand and supply forces in the market.

But with investigations, it was revealed that the various basics and prerequisite of consumer welfare was being compromised for higher profits.

The investigation conducted showed that key managerial personnel used to email the competitors about the price hikes they were planning well in advance.

This was done to effectively coordinate and propose to the state authorities in various states for coordinated price hikes.

The whole agenda consisted of discussions about price strategy before hitting the market coupled with holding discussions about prospective quotes and the way forward.

This exercise was significantly carried out to rehearse for appearing before state excise departments.

In fact, another strategy effectively included the agenda to particularly meet with excise authority under the umbrella of the AIBA. This was done for convenience and so that better chances can be conjured for getting proposed price increases approved.

This involvement of AIBA also covered it under the ambit of CCI’s wrath. This led AIBA to be fined for its detestable role in arranging discussions between the various beer companies on price discrepancy.

Talking about the evidence that was thoroughly scrutinized after the revelation, it was noted that in the case of Maharashtra, odious price revisions by the UBL and AB InBev since 2011 were unchangingly close in timing with Carlsberg India.

Thus, this emphatically points towards the fact that Carlsberg had joined these two companies in making price revisions uncannily around the same time since 2014.

role of competition commission of indiaBut was the price the only characteristic that characterized such cartel fixing? Perhaps no. even the supply was a characteristic that was used to incur profits and carry out fraudulent activities.

According to sleuthing by the CCI, pieces of evidence were found that beer companies had also coordinated cuts in the supply of beer in various states like Maharashtra, Odisha, and West Bengal.

This was effectively done to strongly and adamantly oppose the welfare moves by the state governments which tried to hike the excise duties or had tried to reduce the price of beer.

Quite interestingly, it was found that in pursuit to cut costs, the companies namely UBL and AB InBev had entered into any agreements.

The agreement pertained to the price at which they would procure used bottles from various bottle collectors so that these can be effectively reused at their breweries.

But this gives rise to a pertinent question what rationale was derived from these companies to commit such odious activities?

It is to be noted that the reason cited for the same by key managerial personnel who had been fined was the excessive need to seek approvals from state authorities.

This was regularly done for any price revisions. Thus, according to the defaulters, the excess authorities policy of the state led to the need for the formation of coordination among the competitors.

In fact, the executives have pointed out to a greater degree the government’s redhandedness stating that price changes can only be permitted on three specific dates in a year in a state like Karnataka, which is quite nonaccommodative and crippling.

To quote the submission that was made to the CCI, it was stated by UBL that “draconian laws and practices adopted by the states make it impossible for Beer companies to compete in the ordinary course of business,”.

the competition commission of indiaWhy was AB Inv let go easy?

Though all the three defaulting companies have applied for the reduction of the penalty, AB InBev strategically was given a 100 percent reduction in penalty.

This was mainly due to the fact that the company had effectively and emphatically explained the nature of the cartel and had systematically submitted evidence of email communications.

Breaking down the structure of the penalty, it is to be noted that a fine of Rs. 751.8 crore was imposed on UBL and additionally, Rs 120.6 crore fine was imposed on CIPL.

This was after reductions were included in penalties of 40 percent and 20 percent respectively. These were offered for cooperation that was shown with the investigation by the CCI.


cci penalization of carlsberg, inbev india, functions of competition commission of india, role of competition commission of india, the competition commission of india, competition commission of india act, powers and functions of competition commission of india, competition commission in india, power of competition commission of india.

privacy and ai

Privacy and AI: Myth

By Others No Comments

Privacy and AI

Privacy and AI can be a very interesting development for civilization and various sectors. But with the rise of AI technology, there are a definite number of detestable attribute that is attached to the contentious technology.

It is no news that machine learning has immensely revolutionized every niche that it has encountered. This niche involves finance, website development, healthcare, or digital security.

Given that the lives during the pandemic have been altered, usage of technology and hence AI technology is on a rise. But it is to be noted that under usage and over usage of the same can lead to catastrophic circumstances and scenarios.

privacy and ai mythWhat is worth mentioning here is that AI was developed to provide assistance to civilization and reduce its labor. Coupled with its affirmative attributes, AI was also designed to provide significant privacy to media users.

The advent of such a technology was crucial, given the immense rise of online exploitation and money fraud.

Such technology was quite evident to even a normal citizen who witnessed that videos on YouTube or posts on their news feeds were blurred, or certain texts or a person’s face were strategically blurred to protect them from harm and exploitation. Well, that is exactly how digital privacy was ensured for users by using such simple technologies.

But quite detestably such technological advancement does not guarantee digital privacy that cannot be breached easily.

Such a claim has also been corroborated by the advent of technology that has been developed by a team of researchers at the University of Texas.

It is worth mentioning here that the software that has been developed by the team of researchers can easily and quite effectively breach the privacy of a user as its software is designed to easily identify the sensitive content that is strategically hidden behind pixelated images.

Now as we know such pixelated images can contain someone’s identity, house, or vehicle number, therefore the advent of such technology is definitely cancer for the AI technology’s impressiveness and working methods. Thus, this invariably proves that digital security is not as infallible as we may think it to be.

rise of aiInterestingly enough, according to reports the team hasn’t been successful in using some state-of-the-art technology to do it but has instead ironically used machine Learning methods. Such machine learning methods have been used to train neural networks. This effectively means that it has not been programmed but on the contrary, the computer has been fed with large volumes of sample images to breach the data privacy of users.

The Mechanism Used

Firstly, the team effectively uses machine learning to breach the digital privacy of the users. This is done by feeding neural networks with data sets of various blurred images. The mechanism works as the neural network sees more faces, objects, words, and faces; it invariably gets better at its recognition skills. This allows it to get better recognition and achieve good accuracy in identifying objects. Once about 90 percent of the recognition is done, the neural network is fed significantly with blurred versions of the images used to scrutinize the feasibility. This is what leads the neural network to effectively learn to distinguish between the original and the blurred images.

The last step is to witness and effectively scrutinize how accurately the software has recognized the given image, once the former learning process is complete, the neural networks are effectively exposed to an entire set of new images to recheck.

Now it is to be noted that the advent of such odious technology, the rise of AI, and data privacy is a myth. With its burgeoning data breaching power, it has given rise to apprehension amongst its users. As the digital economy is on the rise due to the pandemic, user confidence in digital security is the prerequisite demand for the success of such technology.

But it would be quite inaccurate to state that AI is significantly plagued with only disadvantages. AI technology has effectively both an upside and downside. Given the extent of its advantages in the healthcare, finance, and banking sector, such a technology is too crucial to be set aside or ignored.

Its greater usage has been witnessed in the social media industry where this technology can be incorporated into image-editing software. Such technology leads to the quality of images being restored while zooming.

It can also be effectively argued that such a technology is also a holy grail for the security measures in society. This is due to the fact that the same technology can effectively provide high-resolution images of suspicious vehicles. Such technological and security advancements can lead to advancement in proceedings and tackling of crime when such information is presented to the concerned organizations.

On the other hand, it is to be noted that AI can effectively also lead to changing the dynamics of digital security and privacy. Though certain despicable aspects develop countering the effectiveness of the AI technology, the AI technology also gets updated and prepared to deal with the same.

digital privacy

Thus, it can be effectively stated that as the influence of Machine Learning will grow, its exploiters will grow too. Therefore, adaption throughout should be included in the development of future technologies in the field of privacy. This should be done to incorporate flexibility in the system and to give out a message that no technology is foolproof, and it needs to be enhanced by doing a continuous analysis of the same.

Thus, given the aforementioned reasons and advantages of AI technology, it is definitely high time that we modernized the privacy-preserving methods. More effectively this needs to be done before the Machine Learning techniques turn the very significant idea of digital privacy into a myth.


Tags: rise of ai, digital privacy, pixelated images, data privacy in ai, data privacy ai, digital data privacy, user data privacy, ai and data privacy, rise of ai in recent years.

regulation of artificial intelligence

Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Platform: A Challenge

By Others No Comments

Regulation of Artificial Intelligence

Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Platform: It is a sector that has great potential in the future. With its consistent and rational functioning, it can quite rightly be stated as the most consistent choice for certain future rational assessments. 

But nevertheless, algorithmic decision-making is increasingly proving to be potentially discriminatory.  This has been corroborated in various instances of EU anti-discrimination law that is well equipped with an appropriate doctrinal tool kit.

This arduous algorithm decision-making is quite particularly true in view of the legal recognition of indirect discrimination.  

legal regulation of artificial intelligenceBut on the other hand, Artificial intelligence has a great potential to transform business around the various spectrum.  But its benefits have been certainly more apparent in the IT, banking, healthcare, and media industry. This is due to the fact that all these sectors are technology-intensive sectors. 

EU has already started to strengthen its grip on the market, especially the digital industry, including business-to-business applications. And it is worth mentioning that AI actually possesses various fine qualities. 

This is due to the fact that AI, with its rational and consistent assessment, helps people with improved health care. This attribute can be coupled with safer cars and other transport systems that can be the future of civilization.

Also given the importance of cost-induced services, AI can particularly provide tailored, longer-lasting, and cheaper products and services, that can be quite crucial for the business environment.

Apart from the business or manufacturing sector, AI can further facilitate access to education,  information, and training.

It is no news that distance learning, given the pandemic, has become more and more crucial. 

On the other hand, AI can definitely make the workplace much safer as robots can be effectively used for dangerous parts of jobs, which humans are not comfortable taking up. 

 In the legal sector too AI has been predicted to be used more in the criminal justice system and the crime prevention system. This is due to the fact that massive data sets can invariably be processed faster with the use of AI.  

But given the aforementioned affirmations in support of the AI do not guarantee that the AI system is infallible.  This effectively also means that the burgeoning reliance on the AI system will also pose a greater potential risk across various sectors.

regulation on artificial intelligenceIt is to be noted that the underuse of AI technology can be outrightly considered foolish and a major threat. This is especially true in the situation of the EU which cannot miss opportunities in the domain of poor implementation of major programs.

These programs can include deals like the EU Green Deal and especially the loss of competitive advantage towards other parts of the world.

Thus, given its immense usage, one cannot deny that its usage cannot be ceased completely. But to manage it is over usage regulatory framework is required. 

This is due to the fact that over-usage is also problematic. Like used to solve and analyze various complex issues of the society can only lead to devastation. 

 such a question is all the more pertinent if we have to decide who will bear the responsibility for the AI debacle? This is increasingly important given the rise of self-driving cars. To quote an example, recently Tesla’s self-driving car hit a person during its test drive.  Thus, this gives rise to questions like should the damage be covered by the owner or should the car manufacturer, company, or the programmer be to be reprimanded.

But if the producer was to be held accountable for the same, there might be no incentive to provide such good product, service, or innovation. Furthermore,  it can definitely damage people’s trust in the technology.  Thus, given the damage that AI technology can cost, it is quite suiting that regulations are placed strategically in the economy. But on the other hand, such regulations could also be stifling and strict in regard to innovation.

Not only are the accidents that prove to be a threat to the AI technology but its design and data can be intentionally or unintentionally biased towards its users.

For example, as aforementioned,  some important aspects of the issue might not be effectively programmed into the algorithm which can lead to bias. Or on the other hand, structural racism and bias can be a reflection of the structural biases in the society, given they had been programmed.

Thus, such detestable attribute of AI technology needs to be strategically altered.  This is more and more important as if not done properly, AI could effectively lead to decisions that can be heavily influenced by data on sex, age, ethnicity, and race when hiring or firing.

This can also be true in the context of criminal proceedings and offering loans. Thus a cautious approach is the need of the hour.

 this can effectively lead to odious situations where such imbalances of the AI technology can be misused by the miscreants in society. 

artificial intelligence regulation

Also, given that AI can be biased selective content can be visualized and shown which can lead to the spread of misinformation and false narratives in society.

This can again be craft fully exploited in society. A very comprehensive example of the same can be that based on a person’s online behavior that can be studied and collected without their knowledge can lead the political campaigners to adapt their message and lead to the setting up of the demagoguery in the society. 

Thus, though AI might have some fascinating facets to it it is quite true that it can be quite destructive for society given the huge capacity of the power that it can wield in the future.

Thus, strategic and structural regulations are required. On the other hand, over usage of AI technology can also lead to the nemesis of civilization.  Thus, though AI may be interesting its regulation is certainly complex.  


Tags: regulating ai, regulation of artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence platform, ai regulation, ai regulation eu, artificial intelligence law regulation, ai regulations around the world, regulation on artificial intelligence, regulation artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence laws and regulations, artificial intelligence regulation, legal regulation of artificial intelligence.

esop benefits for employees

SEBI’s New ESOP Based Benefits For Employees

By Labour & Employment, Others No Comments

SEBI’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan – New ESOP Benefits For Employees

SEBI’s Issue of ESOP  Regulations in 2002 and SEBI’s Share Based Employee Benefit 2014 were effectively notified in 2002 and 2014 respectively.

It is to be noted that the Sweat Equity regulations had emphatically provided an elaborate efficient framework for the issuance of Sweat Equity shares by various listed companies.

new esop benefits for employees

On the other hand, the SBEB Regulations introduced the framework to regulate Employee Stock Option Scheme. This also led to the introduction of other share-based employee benefits for employees and the Employee Stock Purchase Scheme benefits.

With various recommendations and suggestions from the stakeholders, the SEBI constituted an Expert group to give recommendations in order to further streamline the provisions of these regulations.

The recommendations from the Expert Group made several emphatic and significant policy recommendations which included effectively combining both the regulations. These regulations combined were the Sweat equity regulations and the SBEB regulations.

This led SEBI to present the proposal to effectively merge and amend the Share Based Employee Benefits Regulations of 2014 and the Issue of Sweat Equity Regulations of 2002 into a single regulation. This single regulation came to be known as Share Based Employee Benefits and Sweat Equity Regulations of 2021.

The regulations that have been provided for regulation of all employee benefit schemes of the company and the sweat equity shares have been done to help employees to involve in dealing in shares, either directly or indirectly.

This has been emphatically done to effectively and significantly facilitate the smooth operation of such schemes by the employees and for their convenience. But this doesn’t mean that the regulations have been made less vigilant and stringent. In fact, the newer regulations have been promulgated keeping in mind to prevent any possible manipulation or any other matter connected with the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

sebi esop regulationsWhat Does The Law State?

It is to be noted that the provisions of these regulations will effectively apply to the employee stock purchase scheme, stock option scheme, stock appreciation rights, retirement benefits scheme, and many more. Moreover, the promulgated regulations shall effectively be applied to any company whose equity shares have been listed on a recognized stock exchange in India. It will be also applicable to companies that seek to effectively issue sweat equity shares or has a stipulated scheme for the direct or indirect benefit of employees.

The Employee Stock Ownership Plan Benefits

The changes had led the Securities and Exchange Board of India to significantly relax the minimum vesting period. This requirement was changed for the employee stock option plan in the event of the death of an employee of a company.

 as per various scrutinization and speculations, such regulations are effectively aimed at providing relief to the families of the deceased employees of the various listed companies. This has been done to provide assistance and benefits to the deceased employees’ families in times of the covid already has crippled the financial standing of many in India. As per the regulation, the recommended relaxation would effectively be available to all the employees who have deceased on or after April 01, 2020.

 to provide financial backing to various families in India, Sebi’s rules have effectively stated that there should be a minimum vesting period of at least one year. This has been done in accordance with employee stock options and stock appreciation rights. Also, as aforementioned, it also states that in the event of death of any employee in any listed company, the benefits of SAR or any other benefit that had been previously granted to the employee under a scheme will be vested in the legal heirs or nominees of the deceased employee.

employee stock ownership plan benefits Secondly, the newer SBEB Regulations will be effectively applied to all permanent employees of a company. Thus, the range of applicability has been widened. In the previous regulations, these employees also included employees of the holding company or the subsidiary of such a company that could have effectively been working in or outside of India.

Thus, it was a system where an employee that was in dual employment could have widely partaken in the share-based benefit scheme.

Thus, such a benefit could have been availed from either its subsidiary company or the holding company. However, in the recent amendments of the 2021 regulations, the scheme now only applies to employees who are exclusively working for a company.

Now the exclusive company here means that the employee could even be working exclusively for a group company of such company.

On the other hand, further amendment shows that independent directors will effectively not be eligible to participate under the equity-based benefit schemes. But several clarifications have been provided that non-executive directors would be effectively and significantly be eligible to participate in such schemes.

A series of other welcome changes that has been emphatically brought about by SEBI in its 2021 amendment law is that it has provided an increase in the time limit for appropriating inventory.

Under the recently amended regulations, if a company has effectively implemented a stock appreciation rights scheme that significantly involves purchasing shares from the market via trust, then the time limit has been increased from 1 financial year to 2 financial years.

employee stock option planThe benefit of the same is that this will significantly give companies sufficient time to identify employees. This identification of employees will include those employees to whom grants can be made while making the purchase of the shares of the company (via the trust) at an opportune time.

Thus, the short-term benefits of the amendment look quite promising but what the future holds is still a mystery.


Tags: sebi esop regulations, esop sebi, employee stock ownership program, employee stock option plan, employee stock ownership plan, employee stock ownership,
employee stock ownership plan benefits, share based employee benefits, advantages of esop to employees, esop to employees, esop benefits for employees

ipo season

The Rise of the IPO Season in India

By Economy, Others No Comments

IPO Season 2021 in India

India in recent months has been witnessing spectacular, blockbuster IPO debuts. The debuts are being made by some of the very leading companies like Zomato, Nykaa, Mrs. Bector, Happiest Minds, Burger King, etc.

Thus, it can be rightfully stated that such robust IPOs are ushering in a new era of realizing the full potential of the startup culture in India.

ipo season 2021

Like the western countries, the startup culture in India is booming. This fact can be corroborated by pieces of evidence of astonishing IPOs being carried out in the market, the great pompous that surrounds them, and the public’s willingness to invest leading to overvalued stock.

It can be seen that the market is bullish, so much so that Zomato, which was a loss-making company, had its stock overvalued in the market with quite some buzz that was created around its name.

But, here it is worth mentioning that Zomato has emphatically ushered in the IPO season 2021.

An online food tech company going for an IPO in a competitive market sparked much confidence in others. thus, Zomato’s first step and Indian stock markets that are quite bullish this year emphatically led to the country’s emerging tech startups effectively gearing up their confidence.

This confidence was geared up encouragingly knocking on the doors of the public markets.

ipo debuts It is to be known, that 2021 isn’t the only year that saw a burgeoning IPO, 2020 too ended with two hot techs IPOs, but in the US stock market.

These were namely Airbnb and DoorDash. Thus, it can be rightfully stated that the amazing, gratifying success of these IPOs surely had an impact on the Indian investors.

On the other hand, this also led to the strengthening of their belief in technology startups.

 Thus, it is quite stratifying to decipher that the Indian IPO market has finally realized and deciphered the great potential of startups. These startups can be said to have been disrupting traditional ways of business.

One can also say that such a hunger in the market can be due to the burgeoning profits that such companies had earned during the pandemic. the avarice of such gains can also be a driving force to garner a large market share in different segments.

It is to be noted that 2020 and 2021 were unconventional years. With lockdowns and restrictions plaguing the economy, unusual and unconventional ways of business paved the way for the conducting of business activities.

On the other hand, the high exuberance in the market which made Zomato’s IPO an amazing success has inspired many to go for the same. This claim can be corroborated by the fact that all the recent IPOs, be it Zomato, CAMs, Route Mobile, Burger King, and Happiest Minds have all been effectively oversubscribed many times over and debuted with high multiples.

The government

But given the recent boom in the market, how is the Indian government coping with the recent, newfound mechanism of profit that is unfolding in the startup culture? It is to be noted that the Indian government seems to be, quite cheerfully, welcoming such tech IPOs.

In fact, India’s market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has effectively set up an Innovators Growth Platform. On the other hand, it has encouraged, through its recently announced consultation paper, that it is seeking comments for the new rules that will emphatically encourage startups to head for IPO.

 It is to be noted that companies opt for IPOs when their investors, who throughout their funding process need an exit.

ipo market

Thus, given the circumstances and the trend in the IPO market, it can be rightfully stated that there are certain healthy tailwinds that are emphatically pushing startups towards IPO. The IPOs in the market are moving towards fundraising and to emphatically provide investors, as aforementioned, with a healthy exit.

But this gives rise to a pertinent, inquisitive query, what norms or regulations are actually supporting such techs to opt for IPOs?

It is to be noted that new norms that were announced by the SEBI are the answer. Its newer norms have provided regulations and framework for easier migration to the mainboard, special rights that come with IPO, and decreased holding period. Such norms are definitely making launching IPOs more lucrative in the market.

Also, the market is doing its magic as usual. With the cautious approach of the RBI and yields low in the bond market, many investors have moved to the stock market to incur high profits.

ipo market 2021

This is the very emphatic reason that IPOs are overvalued and are being sold at a higher price with so much buzz around them. The main contributor to the same has been the financial literacy that has grown in developing countries like India, which has also contributed its part.

Thus, lastly, it can be stated that the IPO market is on the boom right now with various tech companies opting for healthy financing. But how long will the exuberance surrounding the IPO season last, is something we will have to wait and decipher.


Tags: ipo debuts, startup culture in india, ipo market, rise ipo, ipo market watch, ipo market 2021,
ipo season, ipo grey market, ipo season 2021

rise of nft

The Rise of NFT Market

By Others No Comments

Rise of NFT Market

Rise of NFT: It is no news that the digital economy is on the rise. The era of the digital economy was effectively ushered by the pandemic. The digital transformation took place rapidly which was mainly due to the compulsion faced by many individuals to work in their remote surroundings.

Not only cryptocurrency but the rise of the broader digital asset industry was also witnessed. Thus, with the rise of cryptocurrency, the rise the popularity of non-fungible tokens has also been seen. It is to be noted that according to various reports a total of more than $208 million of NFT artwork had been sold. Given its recent nature, it is quite extraordinary that it has recorded such a humungous growth.

This also corroborates the fact that NFT is on the rise and is just in its nascent stage of development, mustering all the growing popularity in the global market. Since the onset of the pandemic some $250 million worth of total NFT volume has been traded. This data was collected for just one year i.e.2020. This effectively shows that even with economic uncertainty and financial crippling of many, NFT trade is on the rise.

The NFT model has been immensely helping various sectors that are looking for alternatives to monetize their businesses. In addition, creative artists are effectively utilizing NFTs to significantly generate revenues for their creative works. It is to be noted that concerts and music festivals were not held due to the onset of the pandemic, but many artists around the world have enthusiastically used the novel methods of monetizing their creative work by selling in the form of NFTs.

A very appropriate example of the same is the music brand, Kings of Leon, releasing its new album as a limited edition NFT. The sale of just six NFTs has provided lifetime tickets to front-row seats for the band’s shows in the future.

It is to be noted that NFTs that are digital creative works are actually premised on blockchains which work quite similarly to crypto. Blockchain technology which is quite permanent and has unchangeable digital ledgers provides the user the security of recorded transactions that reveal history. It is to be noted that this has led to growing confidence in the industry which secures transactions for future issues and gives effective ownership of NFTs to the rightful owners.

It is to be noted that before the invention or emphatic use of the NFTs the creators were facing limitations for their revenue. But now with the rise of the NFTs, an infinite number of copies can be made of their digital creative works and can be distributed throughout the internet to generate humongous revenue.

This gives rise to the question that how do NFTs make it possible for creators to generate and distribute their artwork that cannot be plagiarized? It is to be noted that the finite tokenized versions of these digital creative works ensure their uniqueness and make the attempt to counterfeit scarce. this helps the artists to preserve the uniqueness of their work.

Additionally, the NFTs cannot be replicated which insures the creators of her work. Thus, given the robust base of the establishment of the NFTs, it can be rightfully stated that excitement relating to NFTs is growing exponentially in the global market.

But given all the favorable attributes of the NFTs, their legal treatment and regulation are somewhat unsettled. As aforementioned that the royalties and uniqueness of the work are preserved through NFT trading, it is to be noted that this might not always be true. Smart contracts are written into the code of NFTs. This invariably allows for the distribution of funds in the form of royalties that the creator receives each time his or her work is resold.

However, this is applicable and works only when the NFT resale is done through the same platform. To add to the arduous attribute of the NFT, US law does not effectively recognize resale rights. These resale rights are unrecognized and are in relation to the creative works. Thus, this nonrecognition of the resale attribute of the NFT means that no law provides recourse for unpaid resale royalties.

Given the exuberant rise of the NFT market, people from all walks of life are participating in the NFT market. But given various legal restrictions, many are unaware of the same. This usually leads to odious infringement liability. Thus, lastly, it can be stated that the introduction of NFTs has great potential to emphatically influence and usher in the digital revolution in the economy.

Its usage has led many artists to earn their due during the failing pandemic period and can be used in the future too making the transition to the digital world more prominent.

Additionally, not the conventional arts being monetized but also the creators can also monetize against other unconventional physical properties and can gain proof, scarcity and uniqueness, ownership of digital assets. However, it is to be noted that the NFT market is still in its nascent stage of development.


Tags: nft market, digital economy, rise of nft, the digital economy, nft marketplace bsc, internet economy, bsc nft market, best nft market, nft marketplace on bsc, crypto nft market