“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” – Beverly Sills
Page Contents:
10th Nov Current Affairs News Analysis | Prelims & Mains 2021
CCI to probe Google’s ‘abuse’
HEADLINES:
CCI to probe Google’s ‘abuse’ of position
WHY IN NEWS:
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered a detailed probe against Google for ‘abuse’ of its dominant position, primarily with regard to its digital payments application GPay.
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2 : CCI
ISSUE:
- The order follows a complaint by an ‘informant’ alleging multiple instances of abuse of dominant position by Google.
WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS?
- Pre-installation of GPay on Android OS smartphones .
- Use of Google Play’s in-app billing as the method of payment by developers.
ACTIONS TAKEN BY CCI
- The Commission is of the prima facie view that the opposite parties have contravened various provisions of Section 4 of the Act.
- The Commission has directed the Director General to finish the probe and submit the report in 60 days.
ANTI- TRUST SUITE
- It is also referred to as competition laws.
- They are developed to protect consumers from predatory business practices.
- They guard againstwould-be monopolies and disruptionsto the productive ebb and flow of competition.
INDIA’S ANTI-TRUST REGULATIONS
- The Competition Act, 2002 is India’s antitrust law.
- It has replaced the Monopolistic and Restrictive Trade Practices Act of 1969.
THE ACT PROHIBITS
- Anti-competitive agreements
- Abuse of dominant position by enterprises
IASbhai WINDUP:
- Under the provisions of this act, the central government has established Competition Commission of India in 2003 which acts as a watchdog of free market economy.
SOURCES: THE HINDU | 10th Nov Current Affairs News Analysis
India, Maldives sign four MoUs
HEADLINES:
India, Maldives sign four MoUs to boost ties
WHY IN NEWS:
New Delhi will support Maldives Foreign Minister’s candidature for UNGA president
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2 : IR
ISSUE:
- In addition to two MoUs for “high impact” community development projects, the countries signed an MoU on cooperation in sports and youth affairs.
- Another for the $100 million grant, which is part of India’s “$500 million package” for the Greater Male Connectivity Project(GMCP).
- Last month, the two governments inked a deal for a $400 million line of credit from the Exim Bank of India.
- “The MoUs, which we have signed today, are emblematic of our strong development partnership which is multi-faceted
- It is designed to meet the specific requirements of the government and people of Maldives.
‘INDIA FIRST’ POLICY
- This is reciprocated in full measure by our ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy in which the Maldives enjoys a very special and central place.
- Former President Abdulla Yameen, who was dislodged from office in 2018, was widely perceived as a close ally of China.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- The increasing amounts of Indian tourists have visited the Maldives since the country reopened its international borders.
- India reiterated its support for Maldivian Foreign Minister Shahid’s candidature for the Presidency of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in 2021.
SOURCES: THE HINDU | 10th Nov Current Affairs News Analysis
National Agricultural Education Policy
HEADLINES:
Academic credit banks, degree with entry and exit option soon
WHY IN NEWS:
Agricultural education policy for changes in 74 varsities
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:Education
ISSUE:
NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION POLICY
- This will be implemented in 74 universities focussed on crop sciences, fisheries, veterinary and dairy training and research.
- A six-member committee of Vice-Chancellors has been asked to submit a draft policy document to the Agriculture Ministry.
- More than 45,000 students are admitted into agricultural universities every year, and the new policy is set to usher in some changes to their academic life.
READY YOJANA
- The Student READY (Rural Entrepreneurship Awareness Development Yojana) programme requires all students to undertake a six-month internship.
CHALLENGES
- One major challenge is how to ensure that this experiential learning is made available to all students if we implement the multiple entry-exit system.
- The universities have been modelled on the land grant pattern, with a focus on research and extension, and deep community connections.
- These are driven by the philosophy that farmers need holistic solutions to their problems.
- However, in recent years, several domain specific universities in horticulture, veterinary science and fisheries sciences have come up.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- The process started about two months ago, after the release of the National Education Policy.
- The NEP wants a shift to four-year undergraduate degrees, and all our agricultural degrees are already four-year programmes.
SOURCES: THE HINDU | 10th Nov Current Affairs News Analysis
Bigbasket : Data Breach
HEADLINES:
How big is the Bigbasket data breach?
WHY IN NEWS:
In a statement, BigBasket said it was evaluating the extent of the breach and authenticity of the claim in consultation with cybersecurity experts and was finding “immediate ways to contain it”.
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Cyber Security
ISSUE:
- Cyble has claimed that personal information of as many as 20 million users such as full names, email IDs, password hashes, etc are on dark web.
- This incident follows a series of data breaches that have impacted Indian companies.
WHEN DID THE BIGBASKET BREACH HAPPEN?
- According to cybersecurity firm Cyble, the alleged breach occurred on October 14.
- The firm said that it first detected the breach on October 30 and after validating the breach.
- It disclosed the breach to the Bigbasket management on November 1.
- The cybersecurity firm made the details of the breach public on November 7.
WHAT BIGBASKET INFORMATION HAS BEEN LEAKED?
- Also pin, contact numbers (mobile and phone), full addresses, date of birth, location, and IP addresses of where users have logged in from have been put up for sale on the dark web for $40,000.
HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR DATA HAS BEEN LEAKED ON THE DARK WEB?
HOW HAS BIGBASKET RESPONDED?
- The Bengaluru-based firm is evaluating the extent of the breach and authenticity of the claim in consultation with cybersecurity experts and was finding “immediate ways to contain it”.
- The company has also filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Cell in Bengaluru.
WHAT IS A DATA BREACH
- A data breach (also known as data spill or data leak) is an unauthorized access and retrieval of sensitive information by an individual, group, or software system.
KEY POINTS
- Data breaches are partly the result of the rising availability of data due to the increase of digital products.
- It has put an overwhelming amount of information in the hands of businesses.
- While some of the information is non-sensitive, a lot of it is proprietary and sensitive information about individuals and companies.
- Companies share and use this data to improve their processes and meet the demands of an increasing tech-savvy population.
- The increase in the incidents of data breaches recorded within companies across the world has brought to the spotlight the issue of cybersecurity and data privacy.
BIGGEST BREACH
- Owners and users of a breached system or network don’t always know immediately when the breach occurred.
- Further investigation revealed that the data breach had actually occurred two years prior in 2014.
- While some cybercriminals use stolen information to harass or extort money from companies and individuals.
- Others sell the breached information in underground web marketplaces that trade in illegal assets.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- Hackers with data sets of quasi-identifiers can piece together bits of information to reveal the identity of an entity.
- Quasi-identifiers like sex, age, marital status, race, and address can be obtained from different sources and pieced together for an identity.
SOURCES: THE IE | 10th Nov Current Affairs News Analysis
DISCOVER MORE : Important Daily Current Affairs for UPSC PRELIMS 2021
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis & Answer writing video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.