The year 2012 was by no means a year of quantum leaps in the world of
technology. Yet, technology news consistently hit headlines — be it
globally where tech policy debates in the U.S. Senate pitted big
entertainment companies, and their lobbies, against Internet users, or
closer home, where Internet service providers arbitrarily cut access to
simple video-sharing sites and the streets swelled in protests against
the perceived affront to ‘free speech’ online by a draconian law.
As we bid adieu to this eventful year, we bring you a selection of
technology news that we read through the year, updates on some of them
and some perspective on the way forward. By no means exhaustive, the
list is a mix of news both Indian and global, of gadgets and
technologies and praxis and policy. The list is not ranked in any
particular order.
Free speech on the Web
The IT Act, a legislation that governs all things Internet in India, was
in the news for all the wrong reasons. The low point indeed was the
arrest of two young girls in Mumbai, for their innocuous status update
about a bandh enforced by the Shiv Sena, following the death of Sena
chief Bal Thackeray. Earlier this year, a Jadavpur University professor
was arrested for merely sharing on email a cartoon with a satirical take
on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee's style of functioning;
cartoonist Aseem Trivedi's website was shut down and he was arrested;
and more recently, a Twitter user was arrested in Puducherry for making
corruption allegations against Finance Minister P. Chidambaram’s son,
Karthi, in a tweet. Following the Mumbai arrests, netizens and rights
activists took to the streets to protest the arbitrary use of the
legislation.
Earlier in June, another spate of protests were held, led by the online
hackers collective Anonymous, following a John Doe order by the Madras
High Court over a piracy complaint leading several Internet service
providers to block online content and video-sharing sites. An annulment
motion was introduced in Parliament, following which the government
promised a review of the law and the Intermediaries Guidelines (2011).
Internet firms too supported this call after Union IT and Telecom
Minister Kapil Sibal used these guidelines to lay the onus of
“pre-screening” posts and messages for “offensive and hurtful” content.
Most recently, the government, in a bid to increase awareness among law
enforcement authorities, has issued guidelines on registering complaints
under the controversial section.
The flip side: misinformation
All along, the government argued that the internet must be regulated,
like all other media, because it too could be misused to spread
misinformation or hate. Them, and other advocates of tighter controls on
the Web, were somewhat vindicated when the near-mass exodus of
northeast Indians from cities such as Bangalore and Pune was attributed
to misinformation and false rumours spread via SMS and social networks.
Messages and false rumours on a communal backlash triggered wide-spread
panic, leading thousands to pack up, leaving behind their jobs and
livelihoods, and head home. Though some arrests were made for sending
out these SMSs and rumour mongering on the web, the jury is still out on
whether technology was the culprit, or it merely exacerbated existing
fears and insecurities on the ground.
And 'Clicktivism'
2012 also proved that social media had arrived as a means to build
public opinion, gather support and actually organise mass protests and
gatherings. Most recently, Twitter and Facebook were used effectively to
coordinate protests in Delhi over the gang-rape of a 23-year-old
physiotherapy student. Other campaigns such as Kony2012 proved that
‘clicktivism’ — a term used moWstly in the pejorative to talk about
movements that revolve around the click of a mouse — was here to stay.
And whether it’s your neighbourhood pothole or weightier concerns such
as female foeticide or rape laws, online petitions have become the norm.
The SOPA opera
This story, about a U.S. policy decision to crack down on copyrighted
content, proved two things: one, the Internet is truly global in nature,
and two, the controls of the Internet are indeed with the U.S. That the
proposed legislations — the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the
Protect IP Act — equipped the U.S. government to act against any website
hosting content that it believes infringes copyrights, even those
hosted overseas, made it a global issue. It pitted big entertainment
businesses against the internet user across the world. Further, the fact
that this action could involve the domain name system, which lies at
the technological core of the internet, also had huge implications for
the stability of the web.
Both legislations were repealed after Internet users — led by major
internet corporations, giving it a 'entertainment/media houses vs web
business' angle — rose in protest. Several Internet services, most
notably Wikipedia, blacked out their sites and services to protest the
clampdown.
Around the same time, the U.S. government also shut down the popular
file-sharing site MegaUpload, again in an attempt to stop alleged
copyright violations, rekindling the debate on IP and piracy.
IP wars in courtrooms
The buzz around ‘smart’ devices this year was less about innovation and
more about courtroom battles. Most notably, tech major Apple and Korean
electronics giant Samsung were locked in over 50 patent lawsuits in 10
countries. Some of these lawsuits were over features as trivial as the
shape of the screen, an interface layout or even the unlock feature.
Though Apple — which sued Samsung for infringing both design and utility
patents — won a major round with Samsung having to pay over $ 1 billion
in damages, Samsung managed to dodge a ban on the sales of its
products. Samsung too has been suing Apple, among other mobile players,
with its wireless patents (on 3G/4GLTE).
The loser, of course, at the end of the day is the consumer who can only
hope that companies throw their weight behind innovation, a key product
of which could also be affordability.
iHits and iFlops
No tech wrap-ups can be complete without the glitzy Apple releases.
Minus showman Steve Jobs, Apple’s launches lost their sheen. However,
the iPhone 5 did managed to impress with its sleeker body and slicker
interfaces. Later, the iPad Mini, the much-awaited compact version of
the iPad that aims at capturing the low-end market, also created a buzz.
But by far, the most-talked-about tech dud of the year was the iOS6,
which did away with Google Maps. Apple’s own maps were buggy and all
over the place, so much so that entire websites were dedicated to
recording the faux pas the Maps threw up. Deserts located in towns,
cities mapped in the ocean and so on; the quick and untested release
irked Apple users, so much so that many refused to upgrade until a
Google Maps app was released earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Google released turn-by-turn navigation and traffic updates
in 15 major cities in India, reinforcing its position as the top choice
as far as internet maps go.
Facebook's IPO/Instagram outrage
Social media giant Facebook finally went public this year. Months within
it hitting the one billion user mark — making it the third most
populous country, after India and China — Facebook’s shares opened at
$38. The shares have reportedly fallen by a fourth over the last six
months.
In another fiasco, weeks within acquiring the hugely popular photo
application Instagram, Facebook announced a tweak in its ‘Terms of
Service’. Its declaration that the company could monetise user content
by selling user’s photographs to advertisers created quite a stir among
Instagram users. The wide outrage online led Facebook to revoke this
policy and tender an apology of sorts.
Oppa, Gangnam Style!
In July this year, a short music video uploaded in South Korea made
headlines for its catchy tune, hilarious video and choreography, and its
subversive subtext. Last week, ‘Gangnam Style’, by Korean pop star Psy,
became the first video ever to cross the 1 billion views mark on
YouTube. Now, whether it's his apologies to the United States for an
anti-war song he sang long before he became a viral hit or his
controversial appearance in a Japanese Manga comic, Psy himself has
become the headline!
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