Lawyer. Infrequent Twiterer. nf.td/matthan
Bengaluru Area, India
- Tweets 9,872
- Following 633
- Followers 7,978
- Likes 2,448
I rarely post my wildlife photography here on Twitter but I’m rather pleased with how this one turned out.
ALT Black panther descending down a tree looking malevolently at the camera.
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The new guidelines for Maps and Geospatial Data are a path breaking reform ending decades of regulatory inertia. It has completely liberalised the generation and usage of maps and made it possible for India to take advantage of future map technologies. dst.gov.in/news/guidelines-a…
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That’s right. This is a book I’d have been interested in buying. If I hadn’t spent 6 months writing it. Oh well. At least the algorithm is working...
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My polling booth was festooned with pink balloons and decorations. I asked why. The officials told me it was because there are 100 more women voters than men in that station. And then pointed out that all the polling officials were also women.
Please go and cast your vote.
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How it started... how it's going.
The Indian account aggregator ecosystem. At launch and 3 months later.
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This is what I’m afraid of in India. Our ability to detect COViD fails at the bottom of the pyramid. Excellent piece by @Rukmini | India’s poor suffer cough and cold routinely, making coronavirus detection difficult bit.ly/2QVuGDQ @livemint
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Today is my last day on the Management Committee of @TrilegalLaw - a firm I helped found over 20 years ago. Effective tomorrow I will step down to make way for the newly elected management committee as a first step towards greater institutionalisation of the firm.
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Ngorongoro is a dust bowl for 90% of the year. Then, for just about one month during the rains, it transforms itself into a photographer's paradise.
This is one of Africa's best kept secrets.
A short 🧵
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When we look back at this week in history we will remember it for being a watershed moment for data governance. A short thread.
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We have world class products that deserve to go global. We should be giving them the attention they deserve rather than fixating on localizing international services. My latest article for Ex Machina on @livemint. livemint.com/opinion/columns…
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This is high praise - and well deserved. It is easy to make glamorous front-page reform but much harder to fix the plumbing behind the scenes that has corroded after years of neglect. The impact of these reforms will be huge and immediately evident.
The reforms of Other Service Provider regulations for BPO/BPM industry is breath-taking in its simplicity. Truly a case of dramatic Ease of Business in the digital world! pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail…
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For the past 20 years we’ve been building a law firm that’s different. Where merit is all that matters and where anyone with skills can rise to the top. Earlier this week, when @TrilegalLaw was declared the Law Firm of the Decade it felt good to have those efforts appreciated.
Trilegal has been recognised as the Law Firm of the Decade at the #RSG Grow India Summit and Awards 2019
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Why I'm not making COVID19 visualizations, and why you (probably) shouldn't either | buff.ly/3c7s4ei
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And with that 1.1 billion accounts are connected through the Account Aggregator system. This is the largest open banking initiative in the world - that no-one knows about.
All Public Sector Banks are live on #AccountAggregator ecosystem sahamati.org.in/fip-fiu-in-a…
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I’m trying to read 52 books this year. Someone suggested that I share my reading list here. I thought that wasn’t such a bad idea.
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Today, Trilegal crossed 1000 lawyers. To celebrate the ocassion I collaborated with @taaqative on a song about that journey. Every line of the lyrics has layers of meaning. I hope you enjoy it.
Apple Music (bit.ly/3W6mAdN)
Spotify (bit.ly/3xFbhQd)
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Last year I read 52 books and recorded my progress on this twitter thread. Now that I’ve got into the habit I’m going to do it all over again this year. So here is the 2019 list.
I’m trying to read 52 books this year. Someone suggested that I share my reading list here. I thought that wasn’t such a bad idea.
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35 years ago I was part of the orientation programme for incoming students into @NLSIUofficial. Today I addressed the incoming students of 2024 at their orientation - 10 times as many in number than when I was in the audience.
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My latest book - The Third Way: India's Revolutionary Approach to Data Governance - is in stores in a fortnight. It explains how India's DPI offers a novel approach to data governance.
Pre-orders are already open - in case you want to skip the queue ...
amazon.in/gp/product/9353452…
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Go forth gently into the night, Shamnad. Few could have packed into a dozen lifetimes what you managed to do in one. Or touched so many, so profoundly. The Art of Kindness livelaw.in/columns/the-art-o…
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I've now been to Lupa for 3 separate meals and can confirm that this is Bangalore's finest restaurant. Apart from the location, everything - from the staff, to the seating and the ambience - is fabulous. And as for the food, Manu lifts it above the ordinary as only he can.
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My new book will finally be in stores tomorrow.
Ahead of Pub Date I sat down with @SurakshaPinnuET to talk about why I believe that India’s DPI conceals within it a brand new approach to data governance. m.economictimes.com/tech/tec…
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I’m going to try and read 52 books this year. For the third year in a row. Because three times is a charm. Here’s the list for 2020.
Last year I read 52 books and recorded my progress on this twitter thread. Now that I’ve got into the habit I’m going to do it all over again this year. So here is the 2019 list.
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Early detection is far better than cure - Experimental Blood Test Detects Cancer up to Four Years before Symptoms Appear scientificamerican.com/artic…
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I have a new respect for the art of the longform audio podcasting. The effort it takes to orchestrate such a conversation simply cannot be understated. I can't imagine anyone wants to listen to me going on about law firms and tech policy for 5+ hours.
But if you do here it is.
Technology can be used to empower us—& to hack our brains & our lives.
What laws do we need to protect our freedoms?
@matthan joins me in episode 360 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his work on privacy — & his subtle approach towards data governance: seenunseen.in/episodes/2023/…
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I experimented with Digi Yatra - to evaluate whether it safeguards our facial data as promised. From what I could see, it performed as advertised, securing my data in a digital wallet. This is privacy by design that is tremendously convenient to boot.
paragraph.xyz/@exmachina/dig…
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Since I was critical of the government for issuing the AI advisory in the first place I have to commend this decision to withdraw it. Good governance is also about not being afraid to withdraw a regulation that does not work. ndtvprofit.com/business/gove…
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My book on Privacy should be in stores by the end of the month but it’s available for pre-order now. amazon.in/Privacy-3-0-Unlock…
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This is big | Karnataka opens up agricultural land purchase for all | Deccan Herald deccanherald.com/state/top-k…
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Brilliant thread about how 2GB of data was transferred over 750 years with no data loss.
The Tripitaka Koreana - carved on 81258 woodblocks in the 13th century - is the most successful large data transfer over time yet achieved by humankind. 52 million characters of information, transmitted over nearly 8 centuries with zero data loss - an unequalled achievement. 1/
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It’s finally in my hands.
ALT A hardback book titled Privacy 3.0 - Unlocking Our Data Driven Future by Rahul Matthan
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Aadhaar is a polarizing topic. But when you listen to its Chief Architect explaining what went into its design it presents a whole new perspective. @pramodkvarma and I talk Aadhaar, IndiaStack and a lot more on the latest episode of @exmachinapod.
This is a show about how technology changes society and if ever there was a technology that has changed Indian society it is Aadhaar. Pramod Varma @pramodkvarma, chief architect of #Aadhaar is on the latest episode of @exmachinapod. Listen now: apple.co/3eZ0rGn
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For three years in a row I read 52 books and tweeted them over the course of the year - one book at a time. Last year I took a break. This year I am going to try and do it again. Here is my book list for 2022
I’m going to try and read 52 books this year. For the third year in a row. Because three times is a charm. Here’s the list for 2020.
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Today’s piece was my 150th Ex Machina article. When @HT_Ed first signed me up I never thought I’d be doing this for so long. 3 years later all I can say is the discipline of writing 800 words a week has greatly helped refine my thinking on technology and its role in society.
Data localisation and restrictions on cross border data flows are just two sides to the same coin. Maybe we just need to shift perspective slightly to find a solution to the problem. My latest article for Ex Machina on @livemint. livemint.com/opinion/columns…
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This is my 250th Ex Machina article. What better way to celebrate the milestone than to talk about the next big transformational technology that is going to shape our society - the Metaverse. exmachina.substack.com/p/the…
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Attended an excellent session on AI and Finance by @cis_india. We need to do more events like this in Bangalore. Nuanced concepts of law and technology can only be developed when you put lawyers and techies in the same room. And for that we need some #DistanceFromDelhi
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It’s finally here. Episode 1 of my new podcast show @exmachinapod tells the story of one family’s remarkable journey to find a cure for a rare disease that threatens the life of their only child. Listen and subscribe. podcasts.apple.com/in/podcas…
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I’ve waited for the data protection law for over a decade. Now that it’s here there is work to be done. My latest Ex Machina article.
pgrph.xyz/@exmachina/busines…
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I’m a lawyer (late career) who works in policy. I’ve been using Roam for just under a year. So far I’ve taught a course in privacy law using Roam, used it for critical analysis of new legislation and every week to write an article on the intersection of law policy and society.
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The curtain raiser for my new podcast - an interview with J Srikrishna on his views in the draft PDP bill placed before Parliament. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.
It's here! Listen to Rahul Matthan's (@matthan) full interview with #JusticeSrikrishna on the #PDPBill on Spotify now: spoti.fi/2RGnfkQ #LawinIndia #DataProtection
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This might be as good a time as any to repost this article I had written a while back about how the internet is now essential infrastructure and why we can no longer afford to shut it down on a whim.
The internet is now essential infrastructure. Which is why we’ve got to stop shutting it down on a whim. My latest article for Ex Machina on @livemint. livemint.com/opinion/columns…
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When technology marches on it takes no prisoners.
We showed this to a bunch of thirteen year olds. Told them it was a phone and asked them to call someone. Not one of them could figure out how to dial a number. When technology moves on it takes no prisoners. #ThrowbackThursday
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There is a back story to the most influential law review article of all time. And it’s not what you think. My latest article for Ex Machina on @livemint. livemint.com/opinion/columns…
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I stopped my running list of the books I read when th book-a-week drill started to feel performative. But then I wrote a book of my own and realised how much readers depend on the recommnedations of other readers. So I decided to create a list after all.
matthan.notion.site/matthan/…
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There is no point having great ideas if you don’t extract them out of your mind.
The one piece of advice I give everyone who asks — write!
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When I started my seminar course on Privacy Law at @NLSIUofficial, I told my students that if they turned out good writing I’d help them get it published. I am thrilled to share this article by Parv Kaushik that was published in The Mint today. livemint.com/opinion/columns…
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New content regulations in Indonesia require social media companies to register and abide by takedown notices under "flexible" and rubbery criteria. Without a solution that respects national requirements we are going to see more laws like this. ft.com/content/6f9eebf5-6025…
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If you are in Delhi on the 23rd of August please do come for the launch of my book Privacy 3.0. I’ll be chatting with @virsanghvi about privacy and all things tech.
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There is more to the app than just contact tracing. With syndromic mapping yielding positive results new possibilities emerge. My latest Ex Machina article for @livemint | Aarogya Setu and the value of syndromic surveillance
buff.ly/2WpsIim
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It was a pleasure to host 35 Officer Trainees at our office today to discuss IndiaStack and the power of India's Digital Infrastructure with the future of our foreign service. Thank you @kamyachandra @tanujb for sharing your experiences. @SSIFS_MEA
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Wouldn’t you be angry if folks keep stopping to take picture of you every time you settle down for a snooze
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Just completed a quick read of the draft e-commerce Policy. It seems little more than a series of cliches strung together to appease pseudo nationalistic demands. If implemented as is the unintended consequences are likely to be severe.
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My latest book - The Third Way: India’s Revolutionary Approach to Data Governance - will be in bookstores on 16 October 2023. But you can pre-order a copy at amazon.in/gp/product/9353452…
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A couple of months ago when I wrote about the privacy features of Aarogya Setu, I indicated that the one thing that could have been improved was if the code could be released as open source. Today the government announced it was doing that. livemint.com/opinion/columns…
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The Trilegal microsite on the DPDP Act is developing into a useful resource for understanding what the new privacy law will mean for various sectors. This one on AI is a case in point.
trilegal.com/dataprotectiona…
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In my latest Ex Machina Article I wonder what will happen to the explosion of home cooks and micro-entrepreneurs that we have seen in India over the past year if the Consumer Protection eCommerce rules are enforced in full. exmachina.substack.com/p/the…
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Now that I've crossed 350 articles, I've been looking for a way to make all my Ex Machina articles easily accessible. Today you can do so from exmachina.in - a static website I built myself using Hugo. I am still learning so please forgive the bare-bones aesthetic.
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No one tells you that one of the special side effects of writing a book is seeing pictures of it in the hands of those who have bought it. I’m feeling two parts nervous and one part thrilled.
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Last day of school - no clue what life has in store for any of us. This is such a blast from the past!
Last day of school 1987 - seems just yesterday
Am top right, on the shoulders of Pritam @ipritamofficial - now Bollywood music director. Next to me is @matthan - now one of India's top lawyers. In the middle is Gary O'Brien - one of India's best tennis coaches
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We’ve stood at these crossroads before - My opinion piece in @htTweets | Shutting down Aadhaar is not the answer to the privacy question mtth.in/2F4WsWa
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Data localisation and restrictions on cross border data flows are just two sides to the same coin. Maybe we just need to shift perspective slightly to find a solution to the problem. My latest article for Ex Machina on @livemint. livemint.com/opinion/columns…
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Today is publication date so my new book should be in stores everywhere by now. If you’ve preordered you should be getting your copy soon.
There is nothing I like to see more than my book in the hands of readers - so please post a #bookselfie when you get your copy.
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I had 10 minutes to explain the DEPA framework at the @CarnegieIndia #GlobalTechSummit. This is what I said.
What is Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA)?
@matthan, Partner at @TrilegalLaw, explained this at the #GlobalTechSummit.
Watch the full video: piped.video/DQYGwXE_5Jg
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The Government has radically amended the OSP regulations taking out the registration requirement and removing all the crud that has been clogging the wheels. Most companies outside the sector have no idea just how big this reform actually is. pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.…
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Just completed my first Beckn-enabled transaction on the new @PhonePe app #Pincode. Smooth as silk. Great UI. Seamless handoff from merchant to @DunzoIt for delivery. Well done @_sameernigam, @ONDC_Official.
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One of the perks of having a new book out is getting to visit bookstore around the country. Last week I signed a bunch of books at Bahrisons and Om Bookstore in Delhi. In case you want signed copies.
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The proposed digital competition legislation presumes big is bad. Which is strange considering that we can so easily leverage our DPI to achieve much more nuanced outcomes. My latest Ex Machina article. @srajagopalan
paragraph.xyz/@exmachina/dpi…
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For those of you who follow my writing in my Ex Machina column and elsewhere you will know that this is a reform that I have been clamoring for for years.
The new guidelines for Maps and Geospatial Data are a path breaking reform ending decades of regulatory inertia. It has completely liberalised the generation and usage of maps and made it possible for India to take advantage of future map technologies. dst.gov.in/news/guidelines-a…
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I’m increasingly concerned by the rising intolerance to encryption and privacy online. So I thought I’d spell out why we still need anonymity even though there are so many ways in which it could be misused. My latest article for Ex Machina on @livemint. livemint.com/opinion/online-…
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My latest project - a podcast on tech, law and society and the various other issues that consume my waking hours.
Technology has always had a transformative effect on society. For better or for worse, the technology that India has built over the past decade has had tremendous national significance. #Podcast #Data #Law #Tech #India
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But it is only by taking this step — by transitioning to elected management — that we’ve truly become what we promised ourselves we would be. I couldn’t be prouder of the partners, lawyers and staff for all that we have achieved and look forward to my new role on the board.
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TikTok is forcing the US government to confront what countries around the world have been grappling with for some time now — their citizens’ data in the hands of a company registered in a foreign country. My latest article for Ex Machina on @livemint. livemint.com/opinion/columns…
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It’s great to see the commitment to building DPI find mention in the key outcomes of the First EU-India Trade and Technology Council meeting. ec.europa.eu/commission/pres…
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I always thoroughly enjoy my conversations with Justice Srikrishna and @bhairavacharya. More so when it’s in front of an engaged and wonderfully participative audience. Thank you @carnegieindia for organizing the #GlobalTechSummit — the best tech event in the country.
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Excellent perspective. A rise in the number of patents filed is not of itself a measure of greater innovation.
India's recent reforms in the patenting process resulted in a notable increase in both applications
& grants. But as we enhance our efficiency in granting patents, the focus should also be on ensuring each patent represents substantial innovation. @adityasinha004 writes. (1/5)
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We all now how DPI has allowed India to leapfrog its traditional development journey. But what we don't often realise is that it has done so by adopting a revolutionary techno-legal approach to data governance. businesstoday.in/latest/corp…
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Proof that any technology can be used for evil. #deepfake
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What an extraordinary book. @sohinichat has woven so many different narratives - personal, societal, human - around the central theme of women running that I simply could not put it down. Terrified that this is what I have to share shelf space with.
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Book #31 - The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by @AlexEpstein. I try to engage with points of view different from my own. But never before has a book so methodically challenged my views on climate change. Worth a read - even if you’re not a climate denier. amazon.com/dp/B00INIQVJA/?co…
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I used to hate marking up books. But I have to say I love reading the notes that readers have scribbled in the margins of my book.
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I’ve long worried about how our anachronistic map regulations hold us back. But its still not too late to change our regulations so that we can to take advantage of all that modern mapping technologies. My latest Ex Machina article. exmachina.substack.com/p/nex…
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When we started @TrilegalLaw, all law firms in India were either family run or centred around individual personalities. We promised ourselves that we would be different. So we set up meritocratic partner promotion mechanisms and transparent governance systems.
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There are few people I enjoy talking with more than @pramodkvarma - especially when it comes to figuring out technology solutions to societal problems. We are sitting down for a fireside chat during ODR23 on the 18th of March. Join us. It should be a fun conversation.
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It’s World Tiger Day!
ALT Tiger drinking water at night
ALT Tiger scratching a tree curiously
ALT Crouching tiger
ALT Tiger and it’s reflection
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I signed the last four copies of the Third Way that are available at BookCetera at Terminal 2 in Mumbai. And while I was doing that one of them was snapped up. There are three left. Grab your copy.
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As glad as I am that we might finally get a privacy law I have grave misgivings about the Srikrishna Committee Report. I am doing a 3 part series in @livemint on this. Part 1 - How its going to affect us all | Complexity will be the privacy law’s undoing buff.ly/2NUygKI
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History shows that every advance in communication technology placed new constraints on privacy. Which is not be surprising considering that the very act of communication is 'a controlled violation of privacy'. My latest Ex Machina article. exmachina.substack.com/p/cal…
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New blog post from the World Bank on Indian DPI. The momentum that the DPI story has achieved is impressive.
India’s digital transformation could be a game-changer for economic development blogs.worldbank.org/developm…
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When arguments are raised against DPI they often go unanswered. Which is a shame - because many of them are based on an incomplete understanding of the issues. So I sat down and wrote up my responses to some of the more common criticisms of DPI.
paragraph.xyz/@exmachina/in-…
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I spent half a day with 36 IFS Officer Trainees at @EkStep_Org along with the geniuses behind all of India’s DPI. Such a treat to get into the weeds of this uniquely Indian contribution with our future diplomats.
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Dropping into your podcast app first thing tomorrow morning — the first episode of my new podcast. Do make time in your locked-down day to listen.
Episode 1 of @exmachinapod is about rare diseases and the challenges with finding a cure. Modern genetic technology has given us the ability to better understand these diseases but even if we find a cure will our drug regulations allow us to use it? #ExMachinaPod
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What a remarkable tale of investigative journalism | The Unbelievable Tale of Jesus’s Wife mtth.in/1W2nrHk
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Questions are constantly being raised about the viability of the UPI revenue model. In my latest Ex Machina article I propose an alternative way of thinking about this. exmachina.in/03/04/2024/a-ne…
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