Four Big Drifts That Will Play Pivotal Role In Lives Of Kashmiris
Prof Faheem Masoodi
From economy, investment and development to choices and challenges faced by the Kashmiri youth, from challenges of being a woman to social media responsibilities of big tech companies, the first edition of The Kashmir Central Conclave-2022 discussed the four big drifts that will play a pivotal role in lives of Kashmiris in coming times. The first of its kind event, organised by The Kashmir Central was held at Taj Vivanta, Kralsangri, Srinagar on October 1.
The panel discussion of the theme ‘The Era of Social Media: Responsibilities of Big Tech’ was moderated by Prof Mohammad Afzal Zargar, Registrar, Central University Kashmir. The panel comprised Jenab Muzaffar Hussain Beigh (Padma Bhushan, MP and former Deputy Chief minister of J&K state), Mr Ashok Kumar Pathak, Author and Fellow VIF; Dr. Faheem Masoodi, Cyber Security specialist and Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Sciences, Kashmir University and Dr J. Jeganaathan, Department of National Security Studies, Central University Jammu.
Setting the tone for the last session of the day, Mr Pathak talked about role of tech giants in influencing social media users and their obligation to the society and to their end-users, who help them built their businesses. Mr Pathak also echoed his views on how different countries around the globe need to keep in check the big tech companies amid the growing chorus of the influence and dominance of social media.
Constant Presence Of Tech Giants In Daily Life
Dr Masoodi talked about the constant presence of tech giants in our daily lives and how they know everything about where we have been, what we have purchased and our habits, likes and dislikes. He focussed on how the security issues related to social media are overlooked. Dr Masoodi spoke about the need to develop the understanding of the vulnerabilities of social media users and spreading awareness. He talked about how to keep abreast with security measures, considering the continuous technological upgrades in cyber-attacks. Dr Masoodi pointed out various security practices including parental control, security settings and curating social media connections.
ABCDs Of Innovation
Dr J. Jegannaathan talked about the ABCDs of innovation and outlined multiple reasons how these technologies (Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain/Big-data, Cryptocurrency/Cloud and Digital) can significantly boost the profitability within the financial sector. He also talked about the lack of awareness among the social media users, particularly among females and children, and cited multiple incidents that occurred recently in some universities in northern India.