Yasser Arafat is arrested in India for pro-Palestinian FB post. Go figure
by Rashmee
Posted on June 4, 2021
/ LANGUAGE Here’s a quite remarkable story. In India, a 32-year-old man posted a pro-Palestine image and a comment on his Facebook page. It resulted in his arrest by the police. Oh, and the man’s name: Yasser Arafat. I kid you not. This is not a cheesy story but a true, and truly tragic tale … Continue reading “Yasser Arafat is arrested in India for pro-Palestinian FB post. Go figure”
Read MoreMuseveni‘s Uganda: A template for presidents who don’t want to leave office
by Rashmee
Posted on January 12, 2021
Does any of this sound familiar? A president who refuses to leave office and will do just about anything to make it happen. Compliant legislators who coddle the man. A quarrel with big tech, which is trying to rein the administration in. That’s the situation in Uganda as it moves with some difficulty towards a … Continue reading “Museveni‘s Uganda: A template for presidents who don’t want to leave office”
Read MoreIt’s not clear Europe can really take on ‘Gafa’ and ‘Bat’
by Rashmee
Posted on August 29, 2019
Brussels is finally trying to become something more than a lifestyle and values superpower. According to the Financial Times, the European Union is considering plans to launch a €100bn sovereign wealth fund to finance European industrial champions. The idea is that they compete with the four US tech giants known as the “Gafa” (Google, … Continue reading “It’s not clear Europe can really take on ‘Gafa’ and ‘Bat’”
Read MoreNations need to take a bespoke and multi-faceted approach to online regulation
by Rashmee
Posted on May 14, 2019 / The National
Social media possesses immense power to influence our societies. Now, a number of countries are searching for ways to rein it in In the name of fighting “fake news”, Singapore recently passed a law that requires websites and social media apps to remove content the government deems false or “against the public interest”, and to … Continue reading “Nations need to take a bespoke and multi-faceted approach to online regulation”
Read MoreSo, now we know. #Facebook friends aren’t real friends
by Rashmee
Posted on November 20, 2018
Enormously impressed by Florida highest court. It’s ruled on something people should know, except that sometimes they don’t. Facebook friends aren’t real friends. Unless they already are, in real life. The common sense ruling, issued on November 15, was in the context of judge-lawyer relationships. Could a judge hear a case if the lawyer arguing … Continue reading “So, now we know. #Facebook friends aren’t real friends”
Read MoreNick Clegg is right. Even Bhutan’s fledgling politics feels baleful effects of tech
by Rashmee
Posted on October 22, 2018
After he took a job with Facebook, former UK deputy prime minister Nick Clegg explained his decision as prompted by a desire to “build bridges between politics and tech” because the two worlds “too often speak past each other”. He’s right on that count. Politics is increasingly affected by the data-driven technological revolution, sometimes for … Continue reading “Nick Clegg is right. Even Bhutan’s fledgling politics feels baleful effects of tech”
Read MoreCensorship of the web is already a worldwide norm, not the exception
by Rashmee
Posted on September 5, 2018 / The National
When Facebook and Twitter face US congressmen’s questions today (September 5) about policing online content, the tech giants won’t be able to prove they work to the Goldilocks principle. Is what they serve up like our heroine’s porridge — not too hot, not too cold, but just right? Are the tech titans doing too little to police … Continue reading “Censorship of the web is already a worldwide norm, not the exception”
Read MoreHas the ‘delete Facebook’ campaign had effect? Not so you would notice
by Rashmee
Posted on April 25, 2018
Facebook reports quarterly earnings today, the first reckoning-up since an enormous crisis of trust engulfed it. The main thing to watch is usage. Does Facebook in April have fewer users than in January? A change had already come upon Facebook users at the start of the year. Users were starting to spend less time on … Continue reading “Has the ‘delete Facebook’ campaign had effect? Not so you would notice”
Read MoreWhat did Mark Zuckerberg know about Turkey’s elections and when did he know it?
by Rashmee
Posted on April 19, 2018
On Thursday, April 19 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey suddenly announced that presidential and parliamentary elections would be held on June 24. That’s more than a year early. The elections had been expected in November 2019. Almost no one would have predicted elections in Turkey this year. Except for Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg. In … Continue reading “What did Mark Zuckerberg know about Turkey’s elections and when did he know it?”
Read MoreAs scandal-hit Zuckerberg prepares to face a grilling in the US Senate, what counts as fact in a world of fake news?
by Rashmee
Posted on April 10, 2018 / The National
Facebook’s founder is testifying before US legislators but it is doubtful the real questions will be asked or answered: do most people have an inherent problem with facts? Should Facebook, the world’s largest social network, be obligated to actively promote “factfulness” along with conversation? These are timely questions. Factfulness is the title of the late … Continue reading “As scandal-hit Zuckerberg prepares to face a grilling in the US Senate, what counts as fact in a world of fake news?”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK