Over the past few years, much of the world has experienced a collective loss of technological innocence that is as jarring as its initial embrace of platforms such as Facebook, Google and Twitter was enthusiastic.
We have been through too much now to remain naive about what Big Tech knows about us, how these companies allow the data they collect about us to be used, and their ability to target us with content.
While many once imagined that the advent of the internet would bring about a kinder, more collaborative and connected world, the reality could not be more different. Large numbers of people see these organisations as far too powerful, lacking accountability and insufficiently regulated. There is plenty of justification for such opinions, too.
For instance, Russian-backed "fake news" has been read by an estimated 126 million people. The world is still reeling from the effects of Facebook's mechanisms allowing the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica to harvest user data without consent. Meanwhile, the ride-hailing app Uber has battled legal action by drivers who say they are entitled to employee benefits, despite the company's insistence that they are independent contractors.
After a spate of deadly attacks, motivated by racism and religious prejudice, it has become increasingly clear that the internet has become, as the New York Times put it, "a theatre for unspeakable acts — and an amplification system for an ideology of white supremacy that only recently was relegated to the shadows".
In a broader sense, automation, artificial intelligence and blockchain have become associated with an impending digital shift that many people believe will cost them their jobs, push down wages and force them into lives of poverty.
In light of all this, it is hardly surprising that we are becoming more suspicious of various aspects of our increasingly digital lives. Now, instead of waiting with breathless excitement for the latest iPhone launch, we are worrying about the privacy implications of its latest software updates.
Now, instead of waiting with breathless excitement for the latest iPhone, we are worrying about the privacy implications of its software updates
It is also possible that we are reaching the limits of our understanding of what technology can do for us. The past decade or so has been a period of colossal social, cultural and economic change. Maybe we just need a little while to work out how to best manage the innovations we have already made, before rushing headlong into the next great disruption. As many people now feel threatened by technology they believe to have run out of control, that could take a while.
Still, it is worth remembering that we have had a good run. For a while, it seemed as if technology would always be for us, not against us. There was good reason for that optimism, too. From the early days of the internet to the introduction of the smartphone and the still-rocketing speed of connectivity, technology has provided an incredible level of social and economic liberation for many people across the globe.
Now that the backlash is in full effect, Silicon Valley is listening. Facebook, for example, is working hard to be more transparent about how it manages content, and Uber has shown a more compromising side since the replacement of Travis Kalanick as its CEO.
They are also dealing with questions that are arguably bigger and more complex than businesses have ever faced before. After all, if Facebook were a country, its 2.3 billion “citizens” would make it the largest in the world. Brent C Harris, its director for global affairs and governance told me in Dubai recently: “We are a company that wrestles with and talks about the deep societal questions and thinks about the ethical issues, the philosophical questions.”
There will be no one-size-fits-all solution to those problems, either. China’s approach to technology, for instance, is vastly different to that of many other places in the world. This means that an enormous part of the world’s population is having an experience that is significantly different even to that of their nearest national neighbours.
In the Middle East, the effect of technology is – fortunately – still overwhelmingly positive. For example, the introduction of ride-hailing services to Baghdad, by the Dubai-based company Careem, has had a significant impact. The service has given people a new way to earn money, and more freedom to move around safely, affordably and efficiently – these latter benefits have proved especially relevant to women living in the city.
In an interesting reversal of the usual form, emerging economies may also offer a chance for tech companies to put into practice the lessons they have learned from earlier mistakes made in developed nations. They have a customer base that is far from naive – after all, people everywhere have access information from the rest of the world – but that is still eager for and open to the many benefits that technology can bring.
Mustafa Alrawi is an assistant editor-in-chief at The National
Company%20profile
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
UAE%20SQUAD
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