In the span of just a few weeks, our lives moved from the physical world to digital spaces.
The technology companies that have driven Wall Street for years - Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon - are more important to our daily lives than ever and are reaping the financial rewards. This week, with first-quarter earnings being reported, traditional industries are running out of cash while meanwhile, these giants are rebounding from the initial shock to markets and coming back stronger than ever.
The question now is, what will the lasting effect be of this tech boom on our shared digital culture?
This crisis has accelerated trends that were already present.
We have debated the possibility of remote work and increased automation for years. Covid-19 pushed us into action. But in the rush to adapt to our new digital existence, compromises are being made in terms of users’ privacy, the value of content and how we communicate with one another.
With massive and nearly immediate uptake in turning almost exclusively to the web to run our work and social lives, this new type of digital connection surfaces some thorny issues. In a highly unusual partnership, Apple and Google announced in April that they would work together to create a global contact tracing application for Covid-19.
The companies will add features to the popular Android and iOS operating systems that will allow certain applications to track the physical proximity between phones using Bluetooth radios. If a person with Covid-19 is registered in an application, a user would receive an alert if their phone came in close contact. Varying forms of contact tracing have been used in China and South Korea with great success but the potential for negative consequences is high with regard to negligent oversharing and reckless surveillance.
Experts are in unison that contact tracing can help fight the virus, but users will need to make a leap of faith in order for the apps to make a difference.
For these applications to work, they need buy-in from users. In China, that wasn’t a challenge because users were given no choice but to use the applications. In Western countries, however, privacy experts are already raising alarm bells over potential issues with the system. If there was ever a time for the leading technology companies to demonstrate their commitment to the public good and data privacy it is now.
These types of privacy issues serve as a reminder of just how far we have to go in building a robust digital infrastructure that encourages innovation while protecting consumers. Given the surge in technology use during the crisis, we appear to be going backward when it comes to some basic issues of data privacy.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. We can use this crisis as an opportunity to draft the type of regulations and consumer awareness that are needed to reverse these trends. The first step is addressing the tradeoff between sensible regulations and a marketplace that encourages innovation.
In the US, the world’s most powerful technology companies have been able to grow free from meaningful regulations that specifically safeguard user privacy. By extension, users are more likely to sign up for new services without reading the fine print detailing how their data is used. Just ask yourself: Did you read Zoom’s terms and conditions before you signed up to use the service during Covid-19?
This approach needs to change and, thankfully, there are some precedents that can guide better policy. The EU, for example, has been working to establish new approaches to data that seek to safeguard users’ rights under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
In 2018, the GDPR came into effect across the EU. The legislation is designed to modernise the laws that protect personal information on the internet. The GDPR forces companies to disclose how they collected certain pieces of user data and what they used the data for. Instead of creating different platforms for different countries, many companies simply updated their entire approach to data collection based on the GDPR for all users. While there have been some hiccups in implementation, the GDPR is widely regarded as a success for users since it gives people more control over their data and knowledge of how it is used on the internet.
We have all experienced the awesome power of technology during the Covid-19 crisis. We have also experienced some of the challenges that such impressive technology brings to the market. The Covid-19 crisis might be the perfect catalyst for a new approach to sensible technology regulations. Such change is critical as Big Tech is poised to emerge from Covid-19 even more dominant. This is a watershed moment for our digital culture. We can’t afford to miss this opportunity to change it for the better.
Mary Ames is the director of strategy at Xische, a venture consulting and communications agency and publishing house in Dubai
Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
The%20specs
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PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Rating: 1.5/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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more from Janine di Giovanni
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier
Event info: The tournament in Kuwait is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.
Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar
Friday fixtures: 9.30am (UAE time) - Kuwait v Maldives, Qatar v UAE; 3pm - Saudi Arabia v Bahrain
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
