Month: October 2021

Surveillance Software

Shabbir Chunawalla

Some apps hide on the devices as calculator or calendar. However, they could track all the typing, including web searches, text messages and emails. Such apps are called stalkerware. These are available on Google’s Play Store, and on App Store. They have innocuous names such as MobileTool, Agent, and Cerberus.

Increasingly large number of devices are being infected by stalkerware. An app called SpyFone gets access to a victim’s location, photos and messages.

These apps are invasive. Some surveillance apps have legitimate uses, e.g. parental control software for kids online to protect them from predators. However, when this software sneaks into the phone furtively, it becomes stalkerware. Thus this is a grey area.

Android phones are prone to having such apps since it is open source. Google has banned apps which violate its policies, e.g. the Flash Key logger app.

Previously, these apps were installed on PCs, but they are now focused on cell phones. Cell phones have more personal and intimate data.

Some apps record phone calls, some log key strokes, some spot the location and some upload photos to a remote server. These apps lurk in the background.

Always look for the unusual behaviour on the device, say a rapidly draining battery. It means a stalkerware is running in the background. There are some apps which detect stalkerware, e.g. Certo, Lookout, Norton LifeLock and MalwareBytes.

It is necessary to keep changing the passwords for important online accounts.

Management Education

Shabbir Chunawalla

Management education 1.0 started as teaching of the theories of management principles, organisation theories, essential subjects such as quantitative techniques and functional areas of management. Management education 2.0 became more learner-focused by introducing discussions and debates, case studies and participatory style. There was student to teacher, student to student and student to group interactions. Management education 3.0 used audio and e-books and internet. Management education 4.0 has been confined to class-rooms, and has access to remote resources online. There are video chats and dialing through voice calls. The material from which one learns has become dynamic, and keeps pace with the learner. Management education 4.0 has been developed in response to Industry 4.0 which uses internet-based technology. It makes personallised learning possible.

OTT Platforms

Shabbir Chunawalla

Economical data packages have made over-the-top (OTT) or video streaming platforms a magnet for the masses. These have become an attractive mass medium for advertisers. They are also encouraged by internet penetration which has risen from 13 per cent in 2016 to 24 per cent in 2018. Previously, only the traditional soap drew the masses to TV. The other content drivers were movies and sports. OTT era resembles cable TV universe at least in the near future. There are bundled and a-la-carte models.

People in metros spend around 9.8 hours a week while those in tier 1 and 2 markets spend 7.5 hours and 7.9 hours a week respectively.

The main reasons for subscriptions are freshness of content and uniqueness.

87 per cent respondents watch on mobile phones, and 5 per cent on smart TVs.

Approaches to Innovation

Shabbir Chunawalla

So far we have been focusing on two ways of innovation — to make the existing products better and to disrupt the process. While making the existing products better, it is likely that our competitors will catch up. In disruptive innovation, we opt for revolutionary changes, and pioneer these before someone else does it. The illustrations are Apple, Uber, Tesla and Airbnb.

David Robertson, MIT’s Sloan School of Management, works on a third way to innovation. Though there is a product, it is not enough. A product must be surrounded by complimentary innovations, say a paint company provides a colour consultant and painting contractor. It means that the existing product can offer much more value by innovating around the product. A company can offer financing programmers. Even without changing a product, there are many ways you can innovate around it.

Concept of the Blockchain

Shabbir Chunawalla

Let us understand how the blockchain works. Blockchain formalises a process which the common man understands intuitively. When one signs a promissory note (IOU), or takes advantage of the hawala system, one is actually working out a system like blockchain. An IOU acknowledges a debt of say 1 lac rupees. An IOU holder will present the note, and one who signed it will have to pay 1 lac. That protects the reputation of the signatory among the business associates. The signatory thus gets branded as trustworthy. In a hawala system, a similar process operates. Here the IOU is notional. It is converted into different currencies while passing hands. Each operator trusts that the other will deliver on the promise to pass on 1 lac till it reaches the final recipient.

The amount of Rs.1 lac or whatever has been initially specified is called a block. The hands it passes through is called chain. The hands in the chain recognise that the value of the block is Rs. 1 lac and not some other amount.

All transacting parties recognise the exact size of the block. The block is simultaneously updated on their individual data bases called distributed ledgers and has unique security features which are temper-proof. The movement of the block can be verified by all parties in the chain. Each block carries a digital imprint or signature of wherever it has been. It creates instant trust. In a hawala transaction the parties put a premium on their trust. Being trustworthy is more important than reneging on it.

Advertising in Space

Shabbir Chunawalla

There could be a billboard with a company logo floating into space. There is no clutter. SpaceX and a Canadian startup are collaborating to do this.

GEC is to put a satellite into space. Advertising will be beamed from the earth, and will be displayed on pixelated screen on the side of the space-craft. Though the billboard will not be visible from the earth, a live feed could be shown on YouTube or Twitch.

Can this excite the brands? Yes, for the bold brands irrespective of the reach, audience and ROI. To some creative brands too, this is an opportunity to provide a mind blowing experience. However, a practical marketer will be cautions.

BGP : Border Gateway Protocol

Shabbir Chunawalla

Facebook and its associated apps WhatsApp, Instagram and others were inaccessible Monday, October 4, 2021 for nearly six hours affecting billions of users. Facebook attributed it to a bad configuration change made to its backbone routers. Several other researchers attributed the downtime to a Border Gateway Protocol or BGP.

As we know, internet is a network of networks. BGP plays a role in routing information from the massive networks to the rest of the internet. Basically, it is the way to exchange routing information in these systems. BGP acts as a postal service of the internet. It does data routing on the internet.

In the present breakdown, Facebook could not announce the routes, leading to their servers going offline. Facebook thus broke off the internet.

Long and Short Videos

Shabbir Chunawalla

Indian spend almost an hour per day consuming videos on a smartphone. Still, there is much scope to grow further. India has about 640 million internet users, of which about 550 million are smartphone users.

There are two types of videos — short-form videos (SFVs) lasting between 15 seconds to 2 minutes in duration and long-form videos (LFVs) which are more than 2 minutes long. These videos are created by the users or professional creators. Either they are pre-recorded or live-streamed. Social media and local platforms both have entered into online video space.

TikTok triggered the SFV market, and it continues to expand even after TikTok made an exit.

Cryptos : The Party Goes On

Shabbir Chunawalla

Cryptos have not been the favourite investments for the banks. There is a pending bill for cryptos which hangs like a sword of Damocles. China has already banned cryptos. It has also banned crypto mining. Still, investors here in India have remained unperturbed. They continue to buy and sell cryptos. They use electronic wallets or smaller banks.

Crypto exchanges continue to promote cryptos. One exchange raised money abroad from equity investors. There is an apprehension of the trade being regulated. There is price volatility and accompanying risks. Still, cryptos go down to surge again, making investors sanguine about them. Investors love Powell of the US Federal spelling out his intent not to ban cryptos. They are encouraged by El Salvador making cryptos a legal tender. All are driven by the fear of missing out (FOMD).

In India, RBI is not clear what specific need is met by these private VCs or virtual currencies which legal tender cannot meet efficiently. However, they do not mind the adoption of VCs. As VCs receive acceptance, fiat currency with limited convertibility faces music. Authorities may think of cryptos a fool’s gold, though they fight shy of saying it in so many words. RBI itself plans to launch its digital currency — as good as currency in the electronic wallet.

Almost 1.5 crore investors have put money in cryptos, and the party goes on. They have invested a few billion dollars.

Cryptos essentially are a cocktail of technology and finance. A wrong signal can spoil the party.

Savvy traders can spot buyers overseas in case of a ban as they hold the cryptos in their wallets. Small investors cannot afford this.

To avoid money laundering, all the rules must be spelt out in the proposed bill regarding peer-to-peer transfers and there should be disclosure of crypto holding. There should information-sharing arrangement with foreign traders and bourses.

Amazon Prime Video : Marketplace Model

Shabbir Chunawalla

As we are aware, Amazon e-commerce site operates on marketplace model. It means it sources its products from a large number of vendors, and does not own the inventory. In a similar fashion, Prime Video, an OTT channel has recently tied-up with other OTT channels such as Lionsgate Play, Eros Now, Discovery+, Hoichoi, Docubay and Shorts TV. It is the first marketplace model subscription-based OTT channel. India is the 13th country, and second in Asia after Japan where this service has been launched. It has created two revenue streams — distribution revenue and advertising revenue through mini TV which shows short films supported by advertising on its e-commerce app.

Smaller OTT channels will get new subscribers for a commission. Prime Video is attracting OTT players by leveraging its paid subscriber base.

Amazon is Seattle-based. It has tie-ups with 350 OTT channels. Prime Video is seen in 99 per cent of the pin codes in the country in 4400 cities. OTT partners of Prime Video thus stand to benefit from this.

World premieres on Prime are released in over 240 countries on the same day. International revenues for the regional movies now account for 15-20 per cent of revenues.

There is focus on original content. Amazon Prime Video has also entered into film production. Ram Setu of Akshay is their debut production. It will be shown both on big screens and OTT. OTT channels are a viable option to big screens. The release decision will depend on what the consumers want.

Prime Video also is making entry into sports content. Disney+Hotstar and SonyLiv are major players here.