Hindi English Translation || Editorial || ​Messaging power: on a healthy digital marketplace

​Messaging power: on a healthy digital marketplace

The data sharing policies of WhatsApp must be scrutinised (जांचना, सूक्ष्म परीक्षण करना) thoroughly (पूरी तरह से, विस्तार से)

The Supreme Court of India, last week, sharply (strongly or harshly) questioned Meta Platforms LLC (the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other technology platforms) and its messaging platform (a social media platform refers to an online digital service or website that enables users to create, share, and interact with content and connect with others) WhatsApp, in an appeal (याचिका) rooted in updates it made in 2021 around user data sharing with other Meta services such as Instagram and Facebook. The Court underscored (रेखांकित करना, जोर देना) the power that WhatsApp holds (have, own, possess) in India’s messaging ecosystem (पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र): it is practically impossible to reach everyone with a smartphone, coordinate groups, and undertake (शुरू करना, जिम्मा लेना) business communications without being on WhatsApp. The app’s “network effect” has captured nearly every smartphone in the country. The precise background (पृष्ठभूमि, संदर्भ) of the litigation (legal action/trail, legal proceeding, lawsuit) that reached the Court is an appeal against a ₹213.14 crore penalty issued by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) (भारतीय प्रतिस्पर्धा आयोग) for abruptly (अचानक, एकाएक) amending its privacy policy, allowing the firm to share user data across its sister concerns (a company/firm which is nearly or completely dependent upon another company/firm to exist), Facebook and Instagram. Users were prompted (प्रेरित करना, उकसाना) at that time to accept the terms or cease (रोकना, बंद करना) using the service. This ultimatum ((final) warning, demand, notice, conditions/terms) was problematic, and understandably (sensibly, justifiably, reasonably) drew pushback (विरोध, प्रतिरोध) from civil society (नागरिक समाज), the government, and the CCI.

Nobody argues that WhatsApp must not earn money for a service that has been transformative (परिवर्तनकारी) for communications in India. Owing to (के कारण, की वजह से) its parent’s massive scale of operations, WhatsApp has been able to offer messaging, multimedia sharing, telephony (the operation/use of telephones) — services that were until 2016 prohibitively (excessively, unreasonably, exorbitantly, inordinately, immoderately, disproportionately) priced by telecom operators — for free, with only an Internet connection and a phone number as a pre-requisite (precondition, necessary condition, essential, requirement). WhatsApp’s enthusiastic (committed, passionate, energized, dynamic) adoption (endorsement, approval, acceptance, support) of end-to-end encryption (a method of secure communication that prevents third parties from accessing data while it’s transferred from the sender’s system or device to the recipient’s system or device) also furthered a societal (relating to society) expectation for secure communications as a norm (standard, convention, criterion), in a country where telecommunications has always been subjected to excessive executive-led surveillance (monitoring, observation, scrutiny, inspection). What is equally true is that WhatsApp is so deeply embedded (fix deeply; root) in Indian society that its transition (change, shift, transformation) to an advertising model, where it would start making money here, deserves (be worthy of, justify, merit) the highest scrutiny (examination, inspection, investigation). Competition regulators (an association/statutory body that supervises a particular business activity), including in India, have frowned upon ubiquitous (present everywhere, everywhere, all-over, omnipresent, all-pervasive, prevalent, very common) platforms that present users with ultimatums that they can scarcely (slightly, rarely, hardly, barely, almost not, only just) refuse. There are free alternatives to WhatsApp that work just as well — Signal, Telegram and even Arattai from Zoho are serviceable — but they lack (be without, be short of, be deficient in, not have enough of) what makes the Meta product so valuable: the guarantee that virtually (practically, effectively, in effect, actually, in reality) everyone one knows is on it. Allowing users to “opt out” of data sharing is an inappropriate (ill-advised, ill-considered, misguided, improper) remedy for services at WhatsApp’s scale, because the power of the default option at that scale leaves far too many (an excessively large number; significantly more than needed) with no real, informed choice in the matter. The Court’s thoughts on this matter are correct, but they need to be supported by a digital competition law, a draft of which was released in 2024, but has seen little progress since. As India approaches a billion Internet users, that law is needed to protect and foster (encourage, promote, develop) a healthy digital marketplace.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.scrutinise (verb)

Hindi Meaning - जांचना, सूक्ष्म परीक्षण करना
English Meaning - examine carefully, inspect; investigate, assess.

2.thoroughly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - पूरी तरह से, विस्तार से
English Meaning - in detail in depth, minutely, rigorously, exhaustively, completely, intensively, carefully.

3.owing to (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के कारण, की वजह से
English Meaning - because of, as a result of, due to, on account of, in view of.

4.appeal (noun)

Hindi Meaning - याचिका
English Meaning - plea, petition, entreaty, supplication, application.

5.underscore (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रेखांकित करना, जोर देना
English Meaning - emphasize, highlight, underline, stress, call/draw attention to.

6.ecosystem (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र
English Meaning - complex situation/environment; system where different parts interact and depend on each other.

7.undertake (verb)

Hindi Meaning - शुरू करना, जिम्मा लेना
English Meaning - start/begin, commence, embark on, handle, take up.

8.background (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पृष्ठभूमि, संदर्भ
English Meaning - backdrop, scenario, context, situation, circumstances, conditions.

9.civil society (noun)

Hindi Meaning - नागरिक समाज
English Meaning - civil society refers to space for collective action around shared interests, purposes, and values, generally distinct from government and commercial for-profit actors. It refers to a wide array of organizations: community groups, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations. Civil society - sometimes called the “third sector” (after government and commerce) - has the power to influence the actions of elected policy-makers and businesses.

10.Competition Commission of India (CCI) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भारतीय प्रतिस्पर्धा आयोग
English Meaning - It is a statutory body of the Government of India (under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs) established on 14 October 2003 (operational 2009) under the Competition Act 2002. Competition Commission of India is a body responsible for enforcing The Competition Act, 2002 throughout India and to prevent activities that have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India.

11.abruptly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - अचानक, एकाएक
English Meaning - suddenly, unexpectedly.

12.prompt (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रेरित करना, उकसाना
English Meaning - cause/instruct (to take an action).

13.cease (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रोकना, बंद करना
English Meaning - end, halt, stop, terminate, quit, suspend.

14.pushback (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विरोध, प्रतिरोध
English Meaning - resistance, opposition, force back, repulse drive.

15.transformative (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - परिवर्तनकारी
English Meaning - life-changing, ground-breaking, disruptive, impactful, progressive.

16.ultimatum (noun)

English Meaning - (final) warning, demand, notice, conditions/terms.

17.sharply (adverb)

English Meaning - strongly or harshly.

18.litigation (noun)

English Meaning - legal action/trail, legal proceeding, lawsuit.

19.hold (verb)

English Meaning - have, own, possess.

20.sister concern (noun)

English Meaning - a company/firm which is nearly or completely dependent upon another company/firm to exist.

21.understandably (verb)

English Meaning - sensibly, justifiably, reasonably.

22.Meta Platforms LLC (noun)

English Meaning - the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other technology platforms.

23.platform (noun)

English Meaning - a social media platform refers to an online digital service or website that enables users to create, share, and interact with content and connect with others.

24.root in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - arise out of, come from, have its cause in; originate in, derive from, have its basis in.

25.concern (noun)

English Meaning - company, firm, organization.

26.telephony (noun)

English Meaning - the operation/use of telephones.

27.prohibitively (adverb)

English Meaning - excessively, unreasonably, exorbitantly, inordinately, immoderately, disproportionately.

28.pre-requisite (noun)

English Meaning - precondition, necessary condition, essential, requirement.

29.enthusiastic (adjective)

English Meaning - committed, passionate, energized, dynamic.

30.adoption (noun)

English Meaning - endorsement, approval, acceptance, support.

31.end-to-end encryption (noun)

English Meaning - a method of secure communication that prevents third parties from accessing data while it’s transferred from the sender’s system or device to the recipient’s system or device.

32.encryption (noun)

English Meaning - the process of encoding a message or information to protect from unauthorized person. (Encode means converting data into a code).

33.further (verb)

English Meaning - promote, advance, facilitate, help forward

34.societal (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to society.

35.norm (noun)

English Meaning - standard, convention, criterion.

36.subject to (adjective)

English Meaning - conditional on, contingent on, dependent on, controlled by.

37.the executive (noun)

English Meaning - the executive is a branch of government which enforces the law as written by the legislature and interpreted by the judiciary.

38.surveillance (noun)

English Meaning - monitoring, observation, scrutiny, inspection.

39.embed (verb)

English Meaning - fix deeply; root.

40.transition (noun)

English Meaning - change, shift, transformation.

41.deserve (verb)

English Meaning - be worthy of, justify, merit.

42.scrutiny (noun)

English Meaning - examination, inspection, investigation.

43.regulator (noun)

English Meaning - an association/statutory body that supervises a particular business activity.

44.frown upon (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - disapprove of something; not approve of something; be against, reject, dislike, disfavour, condemn, criticize, denounce, censure, reprove.

45.ubiquitous (adjective)

English Meaning - present everywhere, everywhere, all-over, omnipresent, all-pervasive, prevalent, very common.

46.scarcely (adverb)

English Meaning - slightly, rarely, hardly, barely, almost not, only just.

47.lack (verb)

English Meaning - be without, be short of, be deficient in, not have enough of.

48.virtually (adverb)

English Meaning - practically, effectively, in effect, actually, in reality.

49.inappropriate (adjective)

English Meaning - ill-advised, ill-considered, misguided, improper.

50.remedy (noun)

English Meaning - solution, answer, antidote/panacea.

51.far too many (phrase)

English Meaning - an excessively large number; significantly more than needed.

52.Draft digital competition Bill, 2024 (noun)

English Meaning - it seeks to evaluate the need for an ex-ante competition framework for digital markets in India. it is an ex-ante framework in the form of the Draft Digital Competition Bill 2024 (“DCB”) aimed at preventing anti-competitive practices by large digital enterprises, rather than relying solely on ex-post enforcement.

53.foster (verb)

English Meaning - encourage, promote, develop.