GS Analyst: Daily Current Affairs

Context:

China and India must navigate global structural changes, aiming for increased influence in the Global South. Simultaneously, other major Global South nations can leverage the renewed great power competition for their own advantage.

Davos Dilemmas

• End of Globalist Era: The Davos Man's globalist elite, shaping post-Cold War order, faces challenges as great power conflicts and nationalism disrupt globalisation.
• Rising Geopolitical Tensions: War in Ukraine, Sino-Russian alliance, and regional conflicts unsettle the international system.
• Nationalist Backlash: Trump's presidency marked a shift from globalism to nationalism, impacting the traditional Davos agenda.

NAM and G77 Challenges

• Global South Enthusiasm: Political support for the Global South doesn't translate into practical gains for NAM and G77.
• Undermined Collective Weight: Regionalism rises, weakening the influence of NAM and G77, with BRICS and other regional bodies taking precedence.
• China's Global South Champion: China, not part of NAM or G77, actively engages, presenting itself as a Global South champion, challenging the US-led order.

India's Adaptation Dilemma

• Structural Shifts: India and China grapple with adapting to global order shifts while seeking influence in the Global South.
• New Leverage Possibilities: Major Global South nations can exploit renewed great power contest for elite or national benefit.
• Divergent Objectives: China aims to revise the global economic order, while India focuses on integration and reform, acting as a bridge between North and South.

Context:

Dark patterns are the manipulative architects of the online journey, guiding users through misleading prompts, subtle traps, and, at times, even forcing them into unintended actions.

Dark Patterns in Online User Experience

• Introduction to Dark Patterns: Dark patterns manipulate users into unintended actions, exploiting the vast internet landscape with misleading prompts and traps.
• Coined Term and Evolution: The term 'dark patterns' by Harry Brignull in 2010 refers to methods misleading users into giving money, time, or personal information.
• Digital Privacy Concerns: Dark patterns exploit users' lack of awareness, fraudulently retrieving personal information, emphasizing the need for regulatory guidelines.

Legal Responses and Regulatory Measures

• Global Legal Framework: California, EU, and Australia have laws addressing consent issues and preventing misuse of data privacy by online services.
• FTC's Actions and Consumer Protection in India: FTC's actions against Amazon highlight privacy violations, while India's Consumer Protection Act 2019 and guidelines combat dark patterns.
• Impact of Indian Regulations: India's guidelines ban 13 dark patterns, leading to potential lawsuits against e-commerce platforms for misleading practices.

Ethical User Interface Practices: Building Trust and Transparency

• Transparency and Trust: Transparent disclosure of promotional content, costs, and fees fosters trust in the online world.
• User Autonomy and Respectful Communication: Businesses should respect user autonomy, avoiding pre-selection of options and using respectful communication to enhance customer satisfaction.
• Credibility and Substantiation: Upholding ethical standards involves substantiating claims with evidence, contributing to a trustworthy brand image in the online business landscape.

Context:

Planners and urban planning need to start making our urban futures with the urban social and ecological context of the 21st century and not with the dated plans of the past.

Mumbai's Infrastructure Development

• Prime Minister's Inauguration: Narendra Modi inaugurates Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Atal Setu, projecting it as a symbol of world-class development.
• Outdated City-Making Approach: Urban planners worldwide have moved to eco-friendly city-making, but Mumbai's recent infrastructural projects reflect a dated and problematic mode.
• Environmental Impact: Rapid concretization and infrastructuring contribute to environmental issues, including air quality deterioration and increased rainwater runoff.

Unintended Benefits for Climate Mitigation

• Slow City Plans: Planners complain about the sluggish realization of development plans in Mumbai during an event hosted by Mumbai City Labs.
• Promise in Failure: The slow implementation of city plans preserves open spaces, wetlands, and playgrounds, offering vital climate mitigation and adaptation services.
• Current Environmental Consequences: Recent infrastructure projects lead to air quality issues and rainwater runoff, showcasing failures to account for the city's ecological dependency.

Infrastructure Planning for a Climate-Changed City

• Failures Rooted in Past Vision: Failures in planning are attributed to the persistence of outdated planning ideas from the 1960s, influencing Mumbai's current planners.
• Addressing Air Quality Crisis: Infrastructure planning needs a re-imagination that addresses and mitigates the air quality crisis caused by current infrastructural endeavors.
• Preserving Critical Ecosystem Services: Open spaces, intertidal regions, and mangroves provide essential services, emphasizing the need to incorporate them into future urban planning.