Ravi S. Iyer: Worldly

Last updated on 24th March 2018 The Guardian article: Facebook gave data about 57bn friendships to academic, https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/22/facebook-gave-data-about-57bn-friendships-to-academic-aleksandr-kogan , 22nd March 2018, states: On Friday 16 March, in anticipation of the Observer’s reporting that Kogan had improperly harvested and shared the data of more than 50 million Americans, Facebook suspended Kogan from the platform, issued a statement saying that he “lied” to the company, and characterised his activities as “a scam – and a fraud”. --- end small extract from Guardian article --- This is the referenced Facebook company statement: https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/03/suspending-cambridge-analytica/ , dated 16th March 2018 and updated on 17th March 2018. Some extracts from it are given below: In 2015, we learned that a psychology professor at the University of Cambridge named Dr. Aleksandr Kogan lied to us and violated our Platform Policies by pass...

Note that the post contents below are from my recent Facebook post:  https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2114619228754643 The past few days we have seen world mainstream media doing a great service to society by exposing the horrific abuse of Facebook user data of around 50 million Facebook users/profiles by Cambridge University academic Aleksandr Kogan and Cambridge Analytica (CA) company which was enabled by poor user data protection policies of Facebook (in 2013, if I recall correctly), and subsequent poor follow-up of complaints by Facebook on CA and Kogan misusing Facebook user data. The key whistle-blower in this matter, Christopher (Chris) Wylie, a former data scientist and key tech. leader employee of Cambridge Analytica, has also done a great service to society by him coming forward with these revelations. Wylie has also acknowledged and expressed regret for his role in contributing to this horrific abuse of around 50 million Facebook users/profiles data to l...

Work-In-Progress Post : I had been planning to put this post with a transcript of Paul Krugman's speech and Q&A. But I have got caught up in other things. So I decided to put up a work-in-progress post where I hope to keep updating and finish the transcripts over the next few days. What a privilege it was for me to listen to Paul Krugman's speech about Indian economy and the later Q&A session!! This man is a great gift for humanity, in my considered opinion. As I have come to expect of Paul Krugman from the many New York Times articles I have read of his, he spoke the truth as he saw it and in a way that could be understood by non-economists like me. Now I am not saying that he could not be mistaken in some of his assessments and views. But those would be honest mistakes. This man has an awesome capacity to understand economy related truths, analyze it and convey it to non-economist laymen. His speech touched upon world economy over a large period of time from the ...

A little while back today I made the following Facebook Settings changes to reduce possibility of Facebook apps getting access to my data and my friends list. I thought some readers may be interested to know how I did that. Chose Settings -> Apps Removed all apps that I had logged into using Facebook Id [I had done that for only five of such apps]. Disabled Apps, Websites and Plug-ins (Disabled Facebook Platform). [Earlier it was enabled (by default, I guess).] Now I think I will not be able to login to any site using my Facebook login. Neither will I be able to use Facebook apps and games. But that's OK with me, I think. I have never used Facebook games. And I don't think I really used Facebook apps feature except that for logins to some websites I chose to use Facebook login option (which then got listed as an App that I had allowed to use some of my Facebook data).

I was debating whether I should put up a public post on this super-sensitive matter. Initially my reaction was that I should avoid getting into the political zone on this super-sensitive matter. After a good night's sleep and after seeing so many mainstream media and social media reports on it, I changed my mind and decided to say my two bits in the interests of protecting and preserving democracy. Note that I am a beneficiary (somebody who benefited), lover and open supporter of democracy. I have lived all of these 55 years of my life in democratic countries ONLY which are India primarily, Belgium, USA, Netherlands and South Korea. Even my short visits to other countries were to democratic countries ONLY which are: UK, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Singapore, Hong Kong (when it was governed by UK) and Japan (I may have missed out a country or two from not recalling those visits now). So, as a social media writer, I feel obliged to do my two bits for protecting and preserving democ...

Facebook boss, Mark Zuckerberg put up a post which was an "update on the Cambridge Analytica situation" around an hour back (22nd Mar. 2018, around 1 AM Indian Standard Time),  https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10104712037900071 . I put up the following comment (link:  https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10104712037900071?comment_id=2047583518604895 ) on his post (with my name appearing as Ravi S. Iyer): Thanks for this direct message to us Facebook users as some of us, including me, are a pretty worried lot, about what sort of data about us is available to whom. I have personally been targeted for vicious attacks with false allegations on Facebook by Facebook fake ID persons some of whom I believe are based in Melbourne, Australia. Complaining to Facebook with all details got me nowhere. I hope such bad actors as those that targeted me do not have access to my private Facebook data including private messages. That would give them a way to harass me even beyond w...

How China Is Challenging American Dominance in Asia, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/03/09/world/asia/china-us-asia-rivalry.html , 9th March 2018. A thought-provoking, informative and easy to read article with good map-pics.

The French connections by Rakesh Sood, http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-french-connections/article23229921.ece , 14th March 2018. [Author Rakesh Sood's wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakesh_Sood .] This is a very interesting article giving vital background of Indo-French ties. Many thanks to former Ambassador Sood for this useful article. Some key points from the article: *) India-France strategic partnership launched in 1998 seems to have come of age with recent visit of French President Macron to India. *) France prides itself on its own 'exceptionalism' and so has been sympathetic to India having a similar view based on its ancient history. So in the 1990s (after the dissolution of the Soviet Union) with USA being viewed as a hyperpower or only superpower in what was being viewed as a Unipolar world, France and India both voiced support for a multi-polar world. *) The article covers defence and space co-operation between France and India in s...

I debated in my mind whether I should put up a public post on this or not, as it deals with some super-super-sensitive topics. I decided to put up this post as I think that in a world that has got very, very inter-dependent like never before in world history, thanks to mind-blowing advances in science & technology, the world will be a safer and better place when USA and Russia, two of the topmost military powers of the world today, have some decent relations and interactions even if they strongly differ on some matters. Today's USA Russia relations are at a very low point. This really extraordinary interview by USA mainstream TV channel NBC's Megyn Kelly of Russian President Vladimir Putin gives us President Putin's views on a variety of topics including some super-super-sensitive topics which were raised very courageously and quite aggressively by Megyn Kelly. I saw the entire video over the past two days. I was shocked by some of Kelly's very aggressive que...

Facebook video post of French President Emmanuel Macron, https://www.facebook.com/EmmanuelMacron/videos/2124966047735970/ , 1 min. 40 secs, 12th March 2018. Accompanying text: Thank you India, #ChooseFrance! Above pic is a screenshot from the above Facebook video. [To open pic in higher resolution, right-click on pic followed by open in new tab/window. In new tab/window you may have to click on pic to zoom in.] I have given below a transcript of his video: [President of France, Emmanuel Macron:] I am finishing my trip in India. We are now in Benaras before leaving and flying back to Paris. I just wanted to thank you. Thank you India. Thanks for the three days in Delhi, in Taj Mahal and today in Benaras. We spent, with my wife, three marvellous days and I wanted to thank the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Modi for the very warm welcome. We worked very hard. We decided strategy partnership. New decisions from security, economic, energy and environment point of view. We laun...

Dentists keep dying of this lung disease. The CDC can’t figure out why., https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/03/10/dentists-keep-dying-of-this-deadly-lung-disease-the-cdc-cant-figure-out-why/ . Hmm. Occupational hazards! The key lies in knowing what materials cause the problem and how to protect oneself with protective breathing gear (more than simple surgical face-mask) when having to use such materials. Some info. about my own breathing related health issues which perhaps may be of some use to others who face similar issues. One of the health issues I have is shortness of breath at times which one doctor a decade ago, had diagnosed as Early COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) but which diagnosis was contested by other doctors. However, I have a history of smoking for about ten years (and have been assessed as my lungs being indicative of smokers' lungs), and have suffered from bronchial asthma in my childhood. I also suffer from allergic rhini...

[PM Narendra Modi:] At the ceremonial welcome for President Emmanuel Macron in New Delhi. Above pic and caption courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/narendramodi/photos/a.10150164299700165.421791.177526890164/10160183160445165/ , 10th March 2018 [To open pic in higher resolution, right-click on pic followed by open in new tab/window. In new tab/window you may have to click on pic to zoom in.] ----------------------------- [PM] Shri Narendra Modi meets Prez Emmanuel Macron at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi ahead of the bilateral talks. Above pics and caption courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/FranceinIndia/posts/1226146074183780 , 10th March 2018 ----------------------------- President Kovind hosted a banquet in honour of the French President Emmanuel Macron and Heads of State/Government attending the founding conference of the International Solar Alliance at Rashtrapati Bhavan Welcoming Presidents, Vice Presidents, Prime Ministers, Deputy Prime Ministers a...