Daily Analysis of 'The Hindu' - 17th February, 2020 | Additional Study Material for UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


In political micro-targeting, the vulnerable Indian voter 
?Cambridge Analytica a data mining and analytics 
firm 
? The episode highlighted the need for regulating 
social media platforms by way of a comprehensive 
data protection law which takes issues such as 
political micro-targeting seriously. 
?With the recently introduced draft of the data 
protection law, the Personal Data Protection Bill, 
2019, the debate has again resurfaced.  
?In the Internet age, any data protection law must be 
alive to the potential impact of social media 
companies in shaping public opinion. 
Page 2


In political micro-targeting, the vulnerable Indian voter 
?Cambridge Analytica a data mining and analytics 
firm 
? The episode highlighted the need for regulating 
social media platforms by way of a comprehensive 
data protection law which takes issues such as 
political micro-targeting seriously. 
?With the recently introduced draft of the data 
protection law, the Personal Data Protection Bill, 
2019, the debate has again resurfaced.  
?In the Internet age, any data protection law must be 
alive to the potential impact of social media 
companies in shaping public opinion. 
?The current draft empowers the Central 
government to notify social media intermediaries 
as significant data fiduciaries if their user base 
crosses a certain threshold and whose actions are 
likely to have an impact on electoral democracy. 
?This provision merits serious discussion to ensure 
that digital tools are used for enhancing 
democracy through citizen engagement, and not 
for harvesting personal data for voter targeting.  
World of political advertising  
?Earlier, the idea was to capture mass issues. 
?But in the present day and age, the focus of the 
campaign is the individual.  
 
MICRO-TARGETING 
Page 3


In political micro-targeting, the vulnerable Indian voter 
?Cambridge Analytica a data mining and analytics 
firm 
? The episode highlighted the need for regulating 
social media platforms by way of a comprehensive 
data protection law which takes issues such as 
political micro-targeting seriously. 
?With the recently introduced draft of the data 
protection law, the Personal Data Protection Bill, 
2019, the debate has again resurfaced.  
?In the Internet age, any data protection law must be 
alive to the potential impact of social media 
companies in shaping public opinion. 
?The current draft empowers the Central 
government to notify social media intermediaries 
as significant data fiduciaries if their user base 
crosses a certain threshold and whose actions are 
likely to have an impact on electoral democracy. 
?This provision merits serious discussion to ensure 
that digital tools are used for enhancing 
democracy through citizen engagement, and not 
for harvesting personal data for voter targeting.  
World of political advertising  
?Earlier, the idea was to capture mass issues. 
?But in the present day and age, the focus of the 
campaign is the individual.  
 
MICRO-TARGETING 
?Such profiling has raised huge concerns of data 
privacy for individuals and has become a burning 
issue for political debate. 
?Forward-thinking regulatory framework  
1. Supervisory mechanisms  
2. Effective law enforcement tools 
?Some serious concerns  
• kind of data that is being collected, the manner in which voters are being 
profiled 
• how transparent the process of profiling and targeting is 
• what the nature of functioning of organisations engaged in this business is 
• how neutral globally present intermediaries such as Google and Facebook are 
Page 4


In political micro-targeting, the vulnerable Indian voter 
?Cambridge Analytica a data mining and analytics 
firm 
? The episode highlighted the need for regulating 
social media platforms by way of a comprehensive 
data protection law which takes issues such as 
political micro-targeting seriously. 
?With the recently introduced draft of the data 
protection law, the Personal Data Protection Bill, 
2019, the debate has again resurfaced.  
?In the Internet age, any data protection law must be 
alive to the potential impact of social media 
companies in shaping public opinion. 
?The current draft empowers the Central 
government to notify social media intermediaries 
as significant data fiduciaries if their user base 
crosses a certain threshold and whose actions are 
likely to have an impact on electoral democracy. 
?This provision merits serious discussion to ensure 
that digital tools are used for enhancing 
democracy through citizen engagement, and not 
for harvesting personal data for voter targeting.  
World of political advertising  
?Earlier, the idea was to capture mass issues. 
?But in the present day and age, the focus of the 
campaign is the individual.  
 
MICRO-TARGETING 
?Such profiling has raised huge concerns of data 
privacy for individuals and has become a burning 
issue for political debate. 
?Forward-thinking regulatory framework  
1. Supervisory mechanisms  
2. Effective law enforcement tools 
?Some serious concerns  
• kind of data that is being collected, the manner in which voters are being 
profiled 
• how transparent the process of profiling and targeting is 
• what the nature of functioning of organisations engaged in this business is 
• how neutral globally present intermediaries such as Google and Facebook are 
?Over the years, political advisory and advertising 
firms have devised sophisticated tools to gather 
voter data and made proper campaign products 
out of it. 
?The informational autonomy of the voter is under 
serious threat because the entire business of 
collecting personal data continues to remain 
unregulated and is also proprietary in nature. 
?Profiling the potential voter has become a 
thriving industry. 
?The electoral process in India is becoming 
increasingly advanced in terms of use of data. 
Page 5


In political micro-targeting, the vulnerable Indian voter 
?Cambridge Analytica a data mining and analytics 
firm 
? The episode highlighted the need for regulating 
social media platforms by way of a comprehensive 
data protection law which takes issues such as 
political micro-targeting seriously. 
?With the recently introduced draft of the data 
protection law, the Personal Data Protection Bill, 
2019, the debate has again resurfaced.  
?In the Internet age, any data protection law must be 
alive to the potential impact of social media 
companies in shaping public opinion. 
?The current draft empowers the Central 
government to notify social media intermediaries 
as significant data fiduciaries if their user base 
crosses a certain threshold and whose actions are 
likely to have an impact on electoral democracy. 
?This provision merits serious discussion to ensure 
that digital tools are used for enhancing 
democracy through citizen engagement, and not 
for harvesting personal data for voter targeting.  
World of political advertising  
?Earlier, the idea was to capture mass issues. 
?But in the present day and age, the focus of the 
campaign is the individual.  
 
MICRO-TARGETING 
?Such profiling has raised huge concerns of data 
privacy for individuals and has become a burning 
issue for political debate. 
?Forward-thinking regulatory framework  
1. Supervisory mechanisms  
2. Effective law enforcement tools 
?Some serious concerns  
• kind of data that is being collected, the manner in which voters are being 
profiled 
• how transparent the process of profiling and targeting is 
• what the nature of functioning of organisations engaged in this business is 
• how neutral globally present intermediaries such as Google and Facebook are 
?Over the years, political advisory and advertising 
firms have devised sophisticated tools to gather 
voter data and made proper campaign products 
out of it. 
?The informational autonomy of the voter is under 
serious threat because the entire business of 
collecting personal data continues to remain 
unregulated and is also proprietary in nature. 
?Profiling the potential voter has become a 
thriving industry. 
?The electoral process in India is becoming 
increasingly advanced in terms of use of data. 
Perverse zeal 
?The detention of Dr. Kafeel Khan under the National 
Security Act (NSA), within days of his being granted 
bail. 
?Although he was granted bail, he was not 
immediately released. 
?His arrest, at Mumbai airport, was in connection with 
an allegedly inflammatory speech he had made on the 
contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act at Aligarh 
Muslim University in December 2019.  
?The Special Task Force of the U.P . police accused him 
of promoting enmity through his speech.