प्रभावी दूरसंचार व्यवस्थेसाठी -- तरुण भारत 4 जुलै 2014

दूरसंचारकी दिशामें प्रभावी पहल के लिये--देशबन्धु 24 जून 2014
http://www.deshbandhu.co.in/newsdetail/4557/10/0

http://leenamehendale.blogspot.in/2014/06/24-2014.html
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प्रभावी   दूरसंचार  व्यवस्थेसाठी
तरुण भारत 4 जुलै 2014
http://epaper.tarunbharat.com/298618/Tarun-Bharat/BELGAUM#page/4/2

देशांत  सर्वदूर पोचवतील अशा  यातायात साधनांची गरज ओळखून  अटल बिहारी बाजपेयीजीच्या कार्यकाळांत रस्ते बनवण्याची प्राथमिकता जाहीर झाली होती.
त्यांनी देशाच्या चार टोकातील प्रदेश जोडण्यासाठी चार मोठे रस्ते आणि समोरासमोरच्या टोकांना जोडतील असे दोन मोठे रस्ते, अशा प्रकारे “स्वर्णिम चतुष्कोणाची ”  कल्पना केली होती आणि त्या दिशेने सार्थक प्रयास सुध्दा आरंभ केले होते. आज त्या  योजनेचा चांगला लाभ देशाला मिळतो आहे. याची चर्चा मी २००६ मधे माझा मराठी लेख  “तीन उत्साही पावले” मधे केली होती.

अशा प्रकारे हायवे तयार होतात तेंव्हा आजुबाजूची गावं आणि शहरं  त्यांना जोडली जायला सुरुवात होते. संचाराचे माध्यम तयार झाल्यामुळे यातायत वाढते. अनेकदा अस होत कि गावची माणसं पटकन् गावाबाहेर पडून   मोठ्या शहरात पोहचतात. शहरांत रोजगार पण आहे आणि आकर्षण सुध्दा, सुविधा पण आहे आणि शक्यता सुध्दा. जेव्हा रस्ते नव्हते  तेंव्हाही  लोक गाव सोडून शहरात जातच होते. पण जेव्हा रस्ते बनले तेव्हा शहरात जाणे सुगम झाले. तेंव्हा विचारातही एक बदल झाला कि आता शहरातून गावापर्यंत परत जाणे सुध्दा सुगम आहे.

अशा प्रकारे संचार  एकतर्फा न ठेवता दोन्हीकडून सुगम करण्याच्या   ध्येयात पहले पाऊल तर उचलले गेले -- विचारांत बदल करण्याचे. पण वास्तवात शहरातून गावाकडे जनप्रवाह वळवायचा असेल तर गावामधे अवसर आणि शक्यता वाढणे सुध्दा गरजेचे आहे. यासाठी केवळ रस्ते ऊभारून चालत नाही. आपल्याला गरज आहे  एका वेगळ्या अदृश्य  हायवेची. माझा इशारा ऑप्टिकल फायबर केबल - ओएफसी कडे आहे.

देशामधे टेलीकॉमच्या आरंभिक दिवसात  फक्त सरकारी टेलीकॉम विभाग होता आणि बहुतेक संपूर्ण  टेलिकॉम नेटवर्क सरकारच्या अखत्यारीत होते. त्या नेटवर्कसाठी तांब्याच्या तारांचे जाळं टाकले जायचे. १९९० पर्यंत याच्यामध्ये  इतर काही  पर्यायांची गरज वाटली नाही.
 
नव्वद च्या दशकाच्या प्रारंभ पासूनच जगामधे संगणकांचा वापर मोठ्या प्रमाणांत सुरू झाला.  याचे कारण  मायक्रोसॉफ्टने बाजारात आणलेले विण्डोज  पॅकेज . या पॅकेजमुळे संगणकावर दैनंदिन काम करायला प्रोग्रामिंग शिकण्याची आवश्यकता संपली.  याच्या आधी संगणकामधे प्रोग्रामिंग आणि प्रत्यक्ष काम यांना  एकमेकांपासून वेगळे ठेवता येत नव्हते.  ज्यांना प्रोग्रामिंग येते, केवळ त्यांनाच संगणकाची सुविधा मिळाली असती. कुठल्याही नवीन कामासाठी  किंवा जुन्या प्रोग्राममधे    नवीन सुविधा जोडण्यासाठी प्रोग्रामिंगची जाण असणे आवश्यक  होते. असे प्रोग्रामर्स  उच्च शिक्षित होते व पगारही भलामोठा घेत होते. पण विण्डोज आल्यावर विविध प्रकारच्या सुविधा  सामान्य माणसाच्या  आवाक्यांत आल्या  आणि त्या वापरण्यासाठी  प्रोग्रामर्स ची गरज संपली. मोठ्या  मोठ्या कार्यालयांमधे  अधिकांश लोकांना संगणकाचा दैनंदिन वापर  करता येऊ लागला. भारतातही तसेच झाले.

आता प्रोग्रामर्स ची गरज उरली ती केवळ  अशा कंपन्यांसाठी ज्यांना ग्राहंकासाठी नवीन नवीन पॅकेजेस  निर्माण  करायची होती. ते काम पण कमी नव्हते आणि संगणकाचे सर्व उच्च शिक्षित प्रोग्रामर्स या नवनव्या कंपन्यांमधे  भरपूर  पगारावर नोकरी मिळवत राहिले. अशा नवीन कम्पन्या अजूनही निघतच आहेत.  पण एक साधारण माणूस संगणकपासून सामान्य  सुविधा घेऊन कामं पार पाडायला बघतो. अशा अधिकांश ग्राहकांसाठी प्रोग्रामिंग शिकण्याची किंवा वापरण्याची गरज संपली.

विशेषतः १९९५ मधे वर्ल्र्ड-वाइड-वेबची परिकल्पना आली तेव्हा संगणकच्या सामान्य ग्राहकांसाठी खूप अधिक सुविधा दैनंदिन वापराच्या टप्प्यांत आल्या. संगणक ही आता एक   घरगुती आवश्यकता बनून गेली  आणि इंटरनेट हा एक  रोजचा शब्द झाला.  इंटरनेटसाठी   टेलिफोन कनेक्शनचे माध्यम गरजेचे होते. इंटरनेटच्या आरंभिक काळातच जगभरांत  असे समजून आले कि वाढत्या मागणीसाठी टेलिफोनच्या तांब्याच्या तारांपेक्षा मोठ्या क्षमतेचं  काही वेगळ माध्यम लागणार होते जे संदेशांना अधिक वेगाने आणि अधिक मोठ्या प्रमाणावर वाहून नेऊ शकेल.  ऑप्टिकल फायबर केबल – ओएफसी हे ते  वेगळ माध्यम होतं.

जसं  एखाद्या लांब रूंद छान रस्त्यमुळे  ट्रकांमधून जास्त सामान  तीव्र गतीने वाहून नेले  जाऊ शकते आणि लांबवर  पोहोचले जाऊ शकते, तसेच तांब्याच्या तारांच्या तुलनेत  ओएफसीचे जाळं   टाकल्यामुळे  संगणक (किंवा मोबाईल) द्वारे पाठवले जाणारे संदेश अधिक सुगमतेने आणि मोठ्या प्रमाणावर वाहून नेले जातात.

ही गोष्ट  जाणून  स्वीडन देशाने एक नीति आखली. त्यांच्या सरकारने सुरुवातीचा  मोठा खर्च   पत्करून जाड म्हणजेच मोठ्या क्षमतेच्या ओएफसी चे जाळं संपूर्ण देशात टाकले. हा एका प्रकारे ओएफसीचा हायवे तयार केला म्हणायचा. त्या मुख्य केबल्सना जोडून मिडियम साइझच्या केबल द्वारे प्रत्येक गावापर्यंत  ओएफसी केबल नेऊन ते टोक   गावातील पंचायतीला सोपवले गेले. यामुळे पंचायतीसाठी ती आर्थिक उत्पन्नाची बाब बनली.  नंतर गावात संगणक आधारित  छोट्या छोट्या  सुविधा देण्यासाठी जे उद्योजक पुढे येतील त्यांना त्या टोकापासून तांब्याची केबल टाकून   इंटरनेट कनेक्टिविटी दिली जाईल अशी व्यवस्था आखली. या उद्योजकांनी गावच्या लोकांसाठी विभिन्न प्रकारची इंटरनेट सेवा उदा. शेतमालाचे भाव, ट्रॅव्हलिंग आणि टूरिझम,  सांख्यिकी, इत्यादि सेवा  उपल्बध करून दिल्या. कनेक्टिविटीपोटी  मिळालेले भाडे ही   गाव-पंचायतीच्या उत्पन्नाची बाब झाली.

अशाप्रकारे एका बाजूने गाव-पंचायतीला उत्पन्नाचे स्रोत मिळाले, तर दुसरीकडे  गावामधे इंटरनेट आधारित सुविधा उत्पन्न झाल्यामुळे गावातील उद्योग वाढले.  तिसरे, गावामधे कम्प्यूटर आधारित छोटे-मोठे व्यवसाय सुरू झाले ज्यामुळे रोजगारासाठी

तयार असलेल्यांना शहराचे तोंड बघण्याची गरज उरली नाही,  ग्रामीण युवकांचे शहराकडील पलायन थांबले गेले.

या उदाहरणातून अस दिसून  येत की ओएफसी चे इन्फ्रास्ट्रक्चर ग्रामीण भागाकडे घेऊन जाण्यामुळे किती मोठी समृद्धि येउ शकते.  आज देशामधे रेल आणि तेल कंपन्यांच्या माध्यमातून मोठ्या प्रमाणात  दूरवर पर्यंत जाड  ओएफसी चे जाळं टाकून तयार आहे   कारण त्यांच्या सुरक्षेसाठी हे आवश्यक आहे. मात्र तेवढी मोठी क्षमता त्या कंपन्यांना सतत लागत नसते. थोडक्यांत इन्फ्रास्ट्रक्चर आहे  पण वापरांत नाही. सरकारच्या विभिन्न विभागांमधे समन्वय नसल्यामुळे या अत्यधिक खर्चिक पण तितक्याच उपयोगी इन्फ्रास्ट्रक्चरचा  वापर आपण इतर कामांसाठी करून घेत नाही.  जिथून त्यांची ही  जाड ओएफसी लाइन जाते, त्याच्या आजू-बाजूला कित्येक गाव आहेत  जिथे कदाचित टेलिफोन लाइनही नसेल. प्रश्न आहे केवळ ओएफसीच्या ब्रांच लाइन्स  टाकण्याचा ज्याचा खर्च नवीन लाइन घालण्याच्या तुलनेत फार कमी आहे.

आज देशासाठी  विचार करण्याची , देशाच्या विकासासाठी समन्वय पूर्वक स्कीम्स बनवायची गरज आहे. ओएफसीची क्षमता आणि पडून असलेले इन्फ्ररास्ट्रक्चर जर लगेच वापरांत आणले तर विकासाचा वेग वाढवता येईल यांत शंका नाही.
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On the question of google providing free wi-fi to major Indian Rly stns in RM group

LM wrote --

We are forgetting the role played by Indian Railways -- and their HUGE investment -- It is their OFC (Optic Fibre Cables) Facility that Google is using to make these wi-fi possible. Now Google was capable and willing undertaker to provide the wi-fi ( with no need to invest in OFC but to take all the credit) -- and in return get a huge data in their lap. Why could GOI or any other Indian Entreprenuer not come forward ? Because any service provider who offers to give free wi-fi can , in return, only get access to a huge data and no imm financial returns. Unless such enterprise knows how to usefully handle such data ( and make money out of it ) they will not come forward.

Now, when have Indians trained themselves in such gigantic data- mining ?

Rahul Sawarkar srahul.in@gmail.com  Namaste  Everyone

I believe contacting Google regarding this is going to be seriously counter-productive. Let me first digress to set the background, I will then briefly list how it might actually damage our cause:

The threat of mass surveillance and  Big Data Analytics  is everywhere - not just for our specific cause  now with the insertion of Google into the last-mile at strategic locations. Even American citizens are fighting the big corporate entities  like Google to protect themselves ever since the threat was anticipated more than a decade back. Just Google  (sorry for the pun) for "mass surveillance and big data" and you will see many enlightening articles like here:

http://www.salon.com/2014/03/26/big_brother_is_here_google_mass_surveillance_and_the_rise_of_the_internet_of_things_partner/

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/how-china-uses-mass-surveillance-big-data-snooping-curb-social-unrest-1555880

http://nils.carqueville.net/MassSurveillanceEssay.pdf

Let me copy an extract from the pdf essay above to define the problem:

>>>
 In  our  view  the  real  danger  is
the emergence of a radical new kind of power, and
its potential for abuse.  This power arises from the
combination of two profound trends:  the explosion
of data generated by our digitally connected lives,
and  the  growing  understanding  of  how  to  extract
knowledge from this data via clever software.  The
combination goes under the name of "Big Data".
Unwarranted and untargeted programmes of bulk data collection of
this kind are what we mean by mass surveillance".
This data, combined with software which can mine
it for knowledge, represents a new "Big Data Power"
in the hands of our governments, and everybody else
with access to it.

To be fair, we do not know that this new power is
being seriously abused.  But to wait until after such
abuse is found before debating its legitimacy is an
absurd standard that we do not apply to any other
kind of state power. 
<<<

Thus the debate is much broader in scope than just the cause of our Dharma as IKs.

A lot  about this is being studied, debated and discussed in an enlightened way, by reputable people in the industry internationally and even think-tanks like Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and other quasi-government institutions and western governments, covering  the domains of Information and National Security, Government policies and laws and  legislation about citizen rights to privacy - In fact  much more - both quantitatively and qualitatively, than what we are doing specifically with respect to protecting Dharma as IKs. And believe me, the large powerful corporate entities and governments bent on implementing mass surveillance are winning on their self-interest everywhere in the world, not just with the case of Google or FB  in India.

The specific challenge here is about our national security - will the Big Data collected by Google over a decade be used to decipher and  track patterns that can be used by Breaking India forces?  Some examples I can imagine  which are :

• Which  castes are frequenting the Kumb Mela? Giving Breaking India forces the data about which communities to target?  
• Or which railway stations to hold a human rights protest or foment trouble for maximum (negative) impact to incite a large community into an uprising against the state over  their "oppression" to steer and shape  the national debate and narrative in the national and  International community? To project India as a routine "gross violator of human rights" with respect to its minority communities and steer or sabotage diplomatic negotiations with International bodies?
• Generally provide enough analytical data about mass people movement and migration combined with an  event like the one listed above to trigger and create social unrest de-stabilising the ruling  government at a specific time when it is inconvenient for American interests to be dealing with that Government at crucial juncture of negotiations or a specific moment in history/time
• The western Governments already have our crop and soil data, agricultural and weather patterns, quantification of  yearly agricultural output from each district in India going back decades, caste  and community census nationwide, and now they can correlate with people movement and migrations in time of agricultural or financial crises, predict de-stabilising events and outcomes or create them in times of conflict to overthrow governments not of their disposition. For example, senators and congressmen in the USA hostile to India's interests can convince the American government  to sanction a  large CIA budget (citing American national interest)  to launch an internal secretive project to use the Big Data to create internal conflict and unrest  to overthrow a BJP government over the issue of human rights and religious freedom some 30 years later, just when a BJP government  is making progress towards implementing some specific  legislation that will undermine the power of the Church in India ... the possibilities are endless.

With regards to contacting Google, it wont take long for Google to infer that the people having concerns and emailing them about having a "Muslim" overseeing an Internet connectivity  project intended to benefit the whole of India have to do with the same group posting "noises" about protecting the Kumbh Mela in social media. Soon the media will latch on and conflate the issue about  how a particular right wing group backed by RM want to remove a Google employee from his post "just because he is a Muslim" !! "What Next for God's sake" will be the refrain, citing the rising intolerance in India to a level that right wing groups and conspiracy theorists among them now want to dictate the religious background of people hired by International corporations!! 

Moreover - In expressing our concerns about a specific  individual in the organization, we are forgetting that it is not He but Google that is the Data Custodian. All the legal rights and responsibility for the data and its usage lie with Google as its Data Custodian not the Muslim individual. There are specific rules, legislation and  and laws regarding Information Security that deal with ownership of data in a corporation and targeting an individual in that organization is going to backfire immensely in terms of our image internationally and the quality of debate we are capable of. 

I urge everyone especially those not from an Information Technology background to read the few sample links above to understand the background and sophistication of the Big Data Mass Surveillance debate. It requires expertise in both International and National Cyber  laws and legislation, besides the topic of policy making in Governments and Citizen rights to Privacy, Cryptography and Information Security. A religion-political angle is only a very small angle to this entire debate and will not gain much traction and foothold in the International community exclusively by itself, by those in power - The large corporates like Google and FB or Twitter that become the custodians of data, think-tanks, institutions  and Government bodies that are the stake-holders in the existing debate. As individuals without respect to our religious identities, we are as much stake-holders in this debate as we are as a Hindu Group, and the concerns regarding privacy and abuse of power do not become more amplified just because we are Hindus. But in the interest of National Security as tied to our Civilizational ethos and Dharmic legacy - Yes definitely more so. But our point has to be seen in the context of Strategic National Security and acted upon thus by our Government in power in terms of far reaching and long term policy making and legislation - Google is not going to care two hoots about it. And the only person In Government I know who will understand is the NSA right now if thats any consolation. Moreover any policy or legislation against Big Data is going to be directly in conflict with powerful International  business interests (This is true for any government in any part of the world including US and Europe) and this is only going to raise a propaganda spin about how the climate in India is so Business unfriendly... you get the whiff.

If we have to take this up with our own Government it has to be on the parameters that include the wider debate about how Big Data and Mass Surveillance threatens Citizens right to Privacy and National Security, and not just based upon one single scenario and application of potentially mis-using  the data against the Hindu community -  We cannot be seen as just a narrow self-interest group with a "religious fundamentalist" angle internationally.   And do remember that even if the government  decides to act - that among the  institutions that will be  tasked with overseeing and formulating  India's Big Data Mass Surveillance legislation and policies are going to be Christians and Muslims individuals with the merit of  decades in Information Technology behind them, and working at institutions like NASSCOM or Computer Society of India. Together with NGOs breathing down their necks, and reviewing every draft legislation - those with a "keen interest" in shaping India's policies to ensure the nation is steering itself  in the "right direction" according to western universal parameters of Human Rights and religious freedoms, a proposal based upon suspicions of  threats to "Hindus" is not going to draw any sympathies, only ridicule. 

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shashi@practicalsanskrit.com [RajivMalhotraDiscussion]

A few points to keep in mind in this discussion.

• A wi-fi provider doesn't automatically get access to your data. If data is encrypted (https:// or a secure app like WhatsApp or telegram) then no intermediary can see the data. Else, when you use your data plan in cell phone, your cell phone service provider will be seeing everything, including your bank transactions, and that would be a big worry already!
• Google already knows everything about every Android phone user in the world. Every Chrome user in the world. Every Google maps user in the world. Their intelligence is scary but you can do nothing, as long as you use internet and smartphones. There are many examples of this if anyone is interested.
• At a macro level, who is moving where, is now not even a secret! Flashlight apps can do more damage than you would expect.
• Data mining is a real thing, already happening at amazing rate. Its current use is to target advertisements, show relevant products or make your user experience more relevant. Saying this from first hand experience. Any reasonably large company has to get in the Big Data market or else  die pretty soon to competition.

Companies like Google and Facebook are not going to be influenced by religious groups, they are much bigger than that. BUT, what a religious group can do, any religious group, is to buy data and intelligence in targeting certain audience. That kind of service these giants will provide to any buyer (advertiser, business), including Hindu groups!

Where these guys really make a difference in power games is to influence people's perceptions by tweaking search results. (http://www.politico.com/ magazine/story/2015/08/how- google-could-rig-the-2016- election-121548)

But, I think on the Google wi-fi in railways, there is nothing much to do or worry. It is not any further damaging (if) than Android smartphones, Google search and Chrome browser.

On the other hand it is interesting how China handles the giant companies - The Humbling of American Tech Giants in China