23-11-2020

22.11.2020 Views
MonDay, noveMbeR 23, 20204Saudi arabia has always delivered stability in turbulent timesActing Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alame-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.comMonday, November 23, 2020Make civil servantstruly accountableRecently, from the highest level of the governmentcame the statement that civil servants of Bangladeshare responsible in the main for money launderingactivities or sending their ill gotten monies abroad to buy realestate and other properties. This puts into focus the hard factthat members of the civil services in Bangladesh are amongthe most corrupt. Otherwise, how could they lay their handson such huge amounts of monies for sending abroad ?Not only the same give an idea as to their powers, influences,capacities for wheeling-dealing,etc., the other notableaspect from this is their relative sense of non accountabilitythat enable such corruptions at the expense of the State andits people. But incredibly they remain the undeserved beneficiariesof unceasing showering of monetary and materialgifts on them such as higher salaries and perks, cars, statepaid residences, loans on easiest terms to buy lands, telephones,drivers, etc.The question that cannot help but arise is : why these civilservants who are but a tiny fraction of the entire work forcein the country, why they are being allowed to perpetuate intheir unearned gains or wallow in their unfairly attainedwealth and status whereas the rest of the working populationremain so unfairly deprived or squeezed. Indeed, this state ofaffairs has been begging for an explanation for a very longtime.As it is, civil servants in Bangladesh or the bureaucracyform a too privileged group in the sense that they feelaccountable to none. Many of them look at their jobs as'sinecures' really from where none can dislodge them. Thismentality breeds both arrogance and indifference.The main cure for unsatisfactory governance in theBangladesh context can be no other than a system well laidin place to put the civil servants of any rank under compulsionto perform better. In other words, there must be institutedan 'accountability structure' to make the civil servantsaccountable for what they do or do badly and the penaltiesto be paid thereof. Simultaneously, there should be alsodevised a system to reward promptly and amply the civil servantsfor their good and exceptional performance.Such a framework of discipline and motivation respectivelycan work better than any amount of suggestions thrown atthe civil servants to go for auto improvements of their performance.Individuals in most cases do not or cannot takethe initiative to improve themselves. However, if an effectivesystem is in place to guard against their wrong doings andslothful mentality, then the same undoubtedly delivers betterresults in all situations.Apart from systems to improve , the civil services are inneed of deep and driving reforms in every department. Aseries of commissions and committees were set up by successivegovernment to study and recommend administrativereforms. But the study reports have been gathering dust andonly a few out of the many hundreds of recommendationsfor administrative reforms have been actually implementedso far.Vested interest groups in the civil services themselves continueto be very alert to defeat any move for substantialreforms of the government departments that they perceivewould undermine their prospects for bribery and privilege.Therefore, the imperative is for the bosses of the civil servants,the ruling political party and its leading lights, tomuster enough pluck and resolve to push through extensivereforms throughout the length and breadth of the civil services.If they really mean business, then they must attempt suchreforms at the fastest. There is no need for the presentadministrative reforms commission to engage afresh in adilatory procedure to complete its tasks. It would be enoughto implement the main proposals of the previous administrativereform commissions for they are essentially similarand their implementation at an early date can achieve qualitativeimprovements in the functioning of the civil services.Good governance will not come about from wishing for it orurging the civil servants to that end. It can be attained onlythrough purposeful actions to create a system and fromreform activities.Couple of years ago people came to know about questionpaper leaks in BCS examinations. Thus, some persons whobecome civil servants after taking and passing such examinationsin some cases cannot be relied upon to have any integrityto start with. Besides, it is no secret these days that manycivil servants look at their jobs rather as cash cows to squeezeout as much as possible in the form of graft. Thus, customsofficials or policemen whose monthly salaries were not evenforty thousand taka were found building palatial houses andsending their family members for treatment abroad to treatsometimes minor health problems. From where they get themoney to sustain such a lifestyle ? An answer is not necessaryand should be obvious to the readers.Thus, civil service reforms can no more pend because theseservices are the sources of some of the greatest corruption inBangladesh today. The deep cleansing of the civil services isabsolutely necessary to clean them from corruption and tothis end sweeping reforms are indispensable.The G20 is the world's largesteconomic bloc, which not onlydraws on the strategic features ofthe global economy but also sets futureplans.Saudi Arabia holds the presidency ofthe organization this year. Though thepandemic has forced its annual summitto become a virtual event, this has notstopped the Kingdom from leveraging itspotential as the most exceptional summitin many years, despite circumstancesthat are among the most dangerous inhistory.As a result, Saudi Arabia has ensuredthe summit will be of great influence andimportance both for the Kingdom andthe world.The Saudi leadership of the G20 thisyear follows a long history of the nationhelping to deliver stability in turbulenttimes, never more so than in recent years.The Kingdom has helped to steer thedirection of OPEC+ oil producers, and isabout to enter the fifth year of a uniquepact among producers with a greathistorical consensus and highcompliance rates.When Saudi Arabia hosts the summitof the 20 largest economies thisweekend, it will be presiding over themost important gathering in the historyof the G20, an organization whosemembers represent 66 percent of theworld's population, 85 percent of theSome such adventure is unfolding in slowmotion right before our eyes as the flashand-bangof politics swallows thewholesome need for rational and timelydecision-making. The business of the statewaits for no one - not even the government.Crucial and pressing issues of nationalsecurity are starved for political attention. Onthe table they sit, piling high by the day, whiledecision-makers, legislators andimplementers wrestle each other to theground. Thus is birthed the true legend ofpolitical irrelevance.The dossier tells its story even when itnarrates another one. Last week, ForeignMinister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and DGISPR Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar addressed apress conference in which they unveiledsubstantive proofs of India's state-sponsoredterrorism in Pakistan. The dossier detailedinformation whose exactitude surpassesprevious such official reports. This documentis a major step within a larger attempt byPakistan to reframe the narrative that Indiahas peddled at our expense.This reframing is an evolving process thatrequires a whole-of-the-nation approach. Italso requires a buy-in from key politicalstakeholders. For such a buy-in to happen, allhave to be in the loop. The loop runs througha common understanding that nationalsecurity matters should override partisanpoliticking. In the absence of such anunderstanding, there is no consensus, noconsultation, no process and no outcome.Toxic politics, swirling around ourlandscape like a ferocious dust storm, is takinga heavy toll on the running of the state.Yet there cannot not be an outcome becausethe business of the state must go on. When itdoes go on, it surpasses, or bypasses, all thoseglobal economy, and 75 percent of worldtrade.During its presidency, Saudi Arabia hasinsisted on translating commitments andpledges by the leaders of member nationsinto real-world actions. This has resultedin decisive solutions and bold actionplans that will enhance the globalrecovery from the pandemic.Through its presidency of the G20, theKingdom has helped to overcome thehealth and economic challenges theworld is facing. These cannot bemanaged by countries working inisolation - there is a need to worktogether while respecting different pointsof view, customs and traditions.During the pandemic, Saudi Arabia hasprovided its citizens and residents withthings that no other member of the G20has provided. It has exemplified theSilky cloak of irrelevancewho are too busy wrestling in the political ring.The policy that emerges on the other side ofthis bypass, and the outcome it generates as aresult of its implementation, can never havethe efficacy it could have had - should have had- had it been enriched by bipartisan politicalnourishment.In the case of the dossier on Indian statesponsoredterrorism, political parties,including the ruling one, have a key role to playin terms of packaging it into a politicallydigestible narrative for domestic and externalaudiences. This narrative cannot be blanketedacross this vast audience; rather it has to beinjected into the veins of public opinion so thatit seeps deep into the global bloodstream. Thisrequires political finesse, and policy nuance,and a level of strategic communication thatcan command the kind of credibility that aninformed international audience requires inthis day and age.Try crafting all this inside a wrestling ring.Then there's the delicate issue of accordingGilgit-Baltistan (GB) a provisional provincialstatus. The matter is as complicated as it iscritical within the existing national securitymatrix. At least one meeting with all politicalFaISal FaeqFahD huSaInconcept of humanity to the world and setan example for others to follow, despite ahealth crisis that has caused economicshock waves affecting the whole world.Riyadh's presidency of the G20 thisyear was a recognition of its economicand political strength at the global level.Riyadh's presidency of the G20 thisyear was a recognition of its economicDuring the pandemic, Saudi arabia has providedits citizens and residents with things that noother member of the G20 has provided. It hasexemplified the concept of humanity to the worldand set an example for others to follow, despite ahealth crisis that has caused economic shockwaves affecting the whole world.Ruqayya alblooShIand political strength at the global level.The Kingdom has also proven its abilityto provide support and assistance to theworld in a number of situations related tointernational peace and security.Its presidency and participation in thework of the G20 has not only been inaccordance with established protocols,but Saudi Arabia has also left a lastingimpression of its leadership, especiallywith how it reacted to the emergence ofthe COVID-19 pandemic.leaders present - except one - has been held todiscuss the issue and forge a consensus. Theabsence of Prime Minister Imran Khan andthe presence of the army chief Gen QamarJaved Bajwa, who played host, paints thepredicament of this event for what it is.A second attempt was made by the Speakerof the National Assembly Asad Qaiser to get allparty leaders into the same room for a briefingon ostensibly the same issue. It was an illconsideredplan since the GB electioncampaign was underway at that time. It wasalso presented as a fait accompli to theopposition instead of bringing them on boardearlier in terms of the agenda and expectedoutcomes. Had the prime minister - in hiscapacity as the leader of the house - agreed toattend the meeting? No one knew. Theopposition rejected the invite. That was theend of the matter.Try crafting a consensus, with all itsconstitutional complexities attached, on theGB issue inside the wrestling ring. The list islong. Issue after issue desperate for attentionand input; desperate for debate and decision;and desperate for options and solutions. OnCovid-19 the role of political parties andAt home, the signs are positive that theKingdom's strategy of diversifying itssources of income is proceedingaccording to plan. Its ambitious vision forthe future has been able to creatediversity, and many targeted sectors -including tourism, telecommunications,retail, manufacturing and construction -are experiencing growth and offeringother encouraging future indicators.Meanwhile, the programs andinitiatives contained within Saudi Vision2030 continue to make vitalcontributions to strengtheninggovernance and transparency within thecountry, while developing policies andprocedures. It has also filled some gaps,as a result of which corruption can beeliminated, performance can bemeasured and government agencies canbe restructured. These are greatachievements for the ongoing economicreforms.The Kingdom has shown an ability toimplement its strategy, and if it were notfor the pandemic we would have seenrecord numbers achieved in those sectorswell within the strategy's timeline.This indicates that such positiveresults, based on the reality of theKingdom's economy, are in line with thefindings of international research centersand already exceed many expectations.Source: arab newsparliament has been negligible. The NationalCommand and Operation Centre became thenerve centre for the fightback against the virusbecause the government and the civilianapparatus appeared capacity-challenged inthe face of the initial threat. That was nearlynine months ago.Throughout this period, key institutions thatconstitute our democratic governancestructure - cabinets, parliaments, politicalparties - had no valuable input to give in thestruggle against the pandemic. With thesecond wave rising ominously, all signs arethat these institutions will keep themselveswrapped up in their silky cloak of irrelevance.Make no mistake: the vicious, hate-filled,and toxic politics, swirling around ourlandscape like a ferocious dust storm, is takinga heavy toll on the running of the state. Thisdegradation of governance - for what else canone call this travesty - is pushing an alreadyunstable polity into quasi-chaos. Weightymatters are being made light of; urgent issuesare being left on the back-burner; and crucialdecisions are being deferred for an indefinitetime, all this because - and this is where itborders on criminal apathy - yes, all thisbecause the fight against the opponent takesprecedence over everything. Everything.We as a republic might as well go into thebusiness of selling bananas. No nation-stateworth its name would ridicule the art ofstatecraft as we are doing; and none would beoblivious of it as we are. The sheer juvenility ofapproach towards governance is distressing.And yet here we are, a nuclear armed state of220 million citizens, stuck in a political trafficjam, honking away in fury. What do you dowhen there's no cop in sight and no one wantsto reverse first?Source: DawnWomen are equal partners in peace and securityWhen we think about armedconflicts, what comes to mindare military men, defenceweapons, and destruction. Similarly,when we think of conflict andpeacekeeping missions, we envision menshaking hands and men in blue helmets,ceasefire, and the protection of civilians.Despite comprising half the world'spopulation, women, as well as theircontributions, have historically been leftout of the peace and security process.Looking at the period between 1992-2011,the World Economic Forum documentsthat women represented only 4% ofsignatories to peace agreements and only9% of negotiators.When peacekeeping missions take placein post-conflict-torn countries, womenand girls suffer the most fromdisplacement, a lack of medicine andfood, and life-threatening situations.Therefore, the inclusion of women inpeacekeeping missions is vital to establishcommunication with the local communityof women and girls, especially inenvironments where women cannotspeak to men due to conservatism or afear of foreign troops.Therefore, women's roles are a crucialpart of trust-building and starting thedialogues necessary to connect and assistThis reframing is an evolving process that requires awhole-of-the-nation approach. It also requires a buy-infrom key political stakeholders. For such a buy-in tohappen, all have to be in the loop. The loop runsthrough a common understanding that national securitymatters should override partisan politicking. In theabsence of such an understanding, there is no consensus,no consultation, no process and no outcome.communities in need. One of the men in adisplaced area once said, "We speak towomen as we know that they are here tomake peace, not war."Women are vital actors andcontributors in the decision-makingprocess across all levels of conflictprevention, resolution, andpeacebuilding. Further, they areinstrumental to the completion of war andthe attainment of lasting peace andsecurity This year, the United NationsSecurity Council celebrates 20 years sincethe historic Resolution 1325 adaptation,which advocated for a cohesive approachtoward the gender perspective in Peaceand Security. Resolution 1325 isconsidered an "inspirational milestone"for the Security Council and themanifestation of the United Nations'priorities.The resolution is also considered one ofthe most celebrated achievementsarchitectured by civil society,policymakers, and diplomats. Former UNSecretary General Kofi Annan was one ofthe primary advocates for women'sinclusion in peace and security. Hefamously noted, "Resolution 1325 holdsout a promise to women across the globethat their rights will be protected and thatbarriers to their equal participation andfull involvement in the maintenance andpromotion of sustainable peace will beremoved. We must uphold this promise."Resolution 1325 urges the memberstates to increase women's participationacross the Security Council, focusing onthree main pillars: prevention, protection,and participation of conflicts. It also urgedparties in armed conflicts to protectwomen and girls from violence duringwar and also engage them in negotiationsto ensure a lasting peace.As per the United Nations, it is 20%more likely to achieve peace post-conflictfor over two years when womenparticipate in peace negotiations. Thus,engaging women in the process isstrategic to the construction of longlastingpeace. This resolution resultedfrom high-level advocacy, driven byNGOs and civil society, and resulted in atwo-day debate at the security councilwhich was for the first time dedicated towomen.Since October 2000, when the UnitedNations Security Council adoptedResolution 1325, countries haveincreasingly incorporated Women, Peace,and Security agendas. From 1998 to2000, less than 5% of resolutionsmentioned women, girls, or gender.However, from 2000 to 2010, over 45% ofmonitored resolutions referenced womenand gender.In light of Resolution 1325, in 2019, theUnited Arab Emirates government tookthe lead in supporting its progress bylaunching a training program sponsoredby Khawla bint Al Azwar Military Schoolin Abu Dhabi to build women's capacity inthe military and peacekeeping sectors.Starting with 134 Arab women in 2019,the program expanded to include 223women from Africa, Asia and Arabcountries in January 2020. The effortsdemonstrated strong commitment andsupport by the UAE government, whichresulted in renaming the Women Peaceand Security Training Programme the"Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak WomenPeace and Security Initiative".Countries and regional actors mustreduce the gap between the ambitions ofthe resolution and on groundimplementation. Women are vital actorsand contributors in the decision-makingprocess across all levels of conflictprevention, resolution, andpeacebuilding. Further, they areinstrumental to the completion of war andthe attainment of lasting peace andsecurity.Source: Gulf news

MondAY, noveMber 9, 20205The un-tech touch in the US electionSHIra oVIDeIt's November, and I'm goingto call it: 2020 was the yearwhen technology proved bothmore essential in our livesthan ever and largelyirrelevant in the mostimportant parts of it. as theUnited States is nearing theconclusion to a tightpresidential election, thenation's spotlight is on theleast technological sceneimaginable: bureaucratsmethodically checking anddouble-checking pen-andpaperballots. Those ballotswere in some cases deliveredby the postal Service, whoseorigins date back more than200 years.The american votingsystem is fragmented, overlycomplicated, underfundedand prone to incompetence orcomical accidents. and inspite of that, it worked prettywell in an election that wasprofoundly altered by thepandemic. Sometimes boringis better. But in america,because boring is boring, wetend to undervalue it.But blockchain did not tallythe votes. artificialintelligence didn't rejiggerpolling places for coronavirussafety measures. robotsdidn't wait in long lines to vote(I don't think). That time 40years ago - it was February -when the Iowa Democraticparty tried to improve thecomplicated caucus tallyingsystem with an app … yeah, itdidn't go very well. our votingsystem might be ananachronism, but technologyis probably not the answer.We know about thetechnology that mattered in2020, too, to keep us working,schooling, communicating,playing and understandingthe world at a time when noneof that was normal. even thiselection season, candidatescampaigned through screensand people organized,donated and spread bothgood and bad informationthrough screens.But I also know that whenThis year has shown that technology can be bothessential and irrelevant. Collectedwe're facing a challenge it'stempting to believe thattechnology is the answer. Thatdriverless cars wouldeliminate road accidents. Thatfacial recognition softwarewould protect children, andbody cameras would fight biasin policing. That new forms oftechnology would help usachieve better health care,better education and ahealthier planet. That socialmedia would give voice to thevoiceless. That tech wouldsolve the problems caused bytech.There is truth in all of this,of course. Technology can bean incredibly useful tool. Buttechnology is not magic.Most of the important stuffthat happened this yearpointed to the essential natureof boring stuff: Smart publicpolicy or the lack of it. Goodleadership making gooddecisions, or the lack of it.Medicine and science thatiterates and learns. Humaningenuity and kindness tofeed hungry people and lookout for our family andneighbors. people making do.people planting their feet onthe streets in rage and sadnessat the mistreatment of theirfellow americans.The things that matteredwere the roughly 160 millionamericans who squeezed intime after a late shift orignored the shrieking of theirkids at home to vote. and thepeople and institutions thatdelivered or tallied votes inthe most boring way possible.people dressed as postalService mailboxes shimmiedat a protest in philadelphia onThursday. If you needed asymbol of our utterly un-techmailbox election, there it was.That is what I will rememberfrom this year in technology.That technology didn't matterso much for the mostimportant stuff. Technology isnot the answer. We are.When upstarts that startedonline buy stodgy but famousold names, people like me getto wax poetic about how theupstarts are swallowing theold-timers. amazon'stakeover of Whole Foods wasa moment for a new economyking to assert its dominance.an iconic department storechain, lord & Taylor, solditself last year to a clothingrental start-up called le Tote.Gopuff, an app that drunkcollege students use to orderCheetos and otherconvenience store items andhas expanded its reach, thisweek agreed to acquire amuch-loved chain of liquorstores. (oK, a liquor store isnot lord & Taylor. But peopledo love BevMo.)These milestones tend tolead to reflections on howtime marches on. In with thenew, out with the old. How themighty have fallen. etc.Sometimes yes. Butsometimes when David takesover a Goliath, it also provesthe enduring value of thestodgy old guard. or it's a signthat the young upstart doesn'tknow what it's doing.When amazon boughtWhole Foods three years ago,it showed amazon'sconfidence and boundlessambition. But it was alsoamazon - a company thatdefined store-less shoppingfor a quarter-century - sayingthat stores still matter, andamazon didn't quite knowhow to do them on its own.Tesla Model 3s at a factory in Shanghai, China.JaSper Jollyone of the biggest investors in Tesla hasdefended the explosive growth in the USelectric carmaker's share price, arguingthat it is "far from an aberration". BaillieGifford, the edinburgh-basedinvestment manager that runs theScottish Mortgage Investment Trust(SMIT), has been the second-biggestwinner from Tesla's rocketing shareprice, beaten only by Tesla's outspokenchief executive, elon Musk.Tesla has rapidly risen to become theworld's most valuable carmaker,outstripping the likes of Volkswagen andToyota despite producing only a fractionof the cars. Its shares have risen from theequivalent of about $7 in 2013, whenBaillie Gifford first invested, to morethan $438 after trading closed onThursday. Its market value hasquintupled during 2020 to $415bn.The rise has astonished many ofTesla's army of admirers, as well ascritics who argue it is a massiveinvestment bubble. However, SMIT, aninvestment fund listed on the FTSe 100,argued that Tesla, which has beenprofitable for five consecutive quarters,could be one of the firms that mostbenefits from the transition away fromfossil fuels.In its half-year report, published onFriday, its managers said: "Whilst thecompany and its colourful founderattract an unusually high degree ofattention, emotion and noise, theunderlying return picture is far from anaberration. returns are concentrated ina handful of big winners."Tesla has made significantoperational progress. It has successfullyadded capacity and the production rampof its latest model has progressed farmore smoothly than for any of itsprevious vehicles. Demand for itsproducts is strong and the response fromits traditional competitors remainsmuted."Tesla shares accounted for 12% of thevalue of SMIT's investment portfolio.Photo: Aly SongTesla investor backs soaring share priceThe carmaker was responsible for aquarter of SMIT's entire performanceduring the six months to the end ofSeptember.Baillie Gifford manages assets worth£296bn. all of the Tesla sharescontrolled by Baillie Gifford, including inSMIT, are worth about £16.7bn. Thefund has made repeated large bets onfast-growing tech companies includingamazon and the Chinese tech duoTencent and alibaba.SMIT was forced to sell some of itsshares in Tesla during the six months toSeptember because its size was pushingagainst self-imposed limits on theconcentration of its portfolio.However, the trust also has other bigbets on companies that hope to take acentral place in the electric carrevolution, including Nio, a Chineseelectric carmaker hoping to rival Tesladespite struggling in the last year, andNorthvolt, a european batterymanufacturer that has received heavyfinancial backing from the eU.Facebook removes rapidly built conspiracy groupJUlIa CarrIe WoNGFacebook removed a viralgroup falsely claiming that"Democrats are scheming todisenfranchise and nullifyrepublican votes" after itgained more than 350,000members in a single day.The hasty enforcementaction against a politicalgroup was unusual forFacebook and raisedquestions about theconsistencyandtransparency of thecompany's contentmoderation.The group, "Stop theSteal", was established by arightwing not-for-profitgroup, Women for americaFirst, and run by a team ofmoderatorsandadministrators that includedthe longtime Tea partyactivist amy Kremer.Members were encouragedto provide their emailaddresses to a websitecalling for "boots on theground to protect theintegrity of the vote", as wellas to donate money.The group exploded inpopularity on Wednesdayand Thursday, racking upmore than 730,000interactions, according todata from CrowdTangle, aFacebook-owned socialmedia analytics platform.Many of the most popularposts in the group were callsfor prayer for DonaldTrump, but the group wasalso rife withmisinformation about theelection and processes forcounting ballots. Two of thegroup's moderators,Jennifer lawrence andDustin Stockton, areconnected to the "We Buildthe Wall" campaign, forwhich former Trump adviserSteve Bannon was indictedfor fraud, the Daily Beastreported."In line with theexceptional measures thatwe are taking during thisperiod of heightenedtension, we have removedthe Group 'Stop the Steal,'which was creating realworldevents," a Facebookspokesperson said in astatement. "The group wasorganized around thedelegitimization of theelection process, and we sawworrying calls for violencefrom some members of thegroup." The group waspromoting about a dozen"Stop the Steal" Facebookevents in cities around theUS; some but not all of thoseevent pages have been takendown.Sites where ballotcounting continues havebecome targets for a handfulof protests as the processdrags on - and the presidentencourages conspiracytheories about the normalprocess of counting votes.Trump supporters chanting"stop the count" convergedat an election center inDetroit on Wednesdayafternoon, while Trumpbackers in phoenix, somereportedly armed, gatheredat an election site to urgemore counting.one protester in Detroittold the Guardian he wasresponding to a call to actionposted by a Facebook page"Stand Up Michigan" thatformed to protest againstCovid lockdowns. Facebooksubsequently removed thepage, and a related group,"based on the potential riskfor offline harm", aspokesperson said.Soon after the Stop theSteal group was removed byFacebook, new groups withsimilar names began rapidlyattracting members. Manystated their intention to go"private" to evadeFacebook's censors or urgedfollowers to migrate to otherHasty ban of political group raised questions about consistency and transparency of Facebook's contentmoderation.Photo: Collectedsocial media platforms,including the rightwingparler or MeWe.Facebook's hasty action onthe Stop the Steal groupstands in marked contrast toits handling of otherdomestic groups that haveorganized on its platform.The company dragged itsheels for months beforetaking action against theanti-government "boogaloo"movement, which has beenlinked to multiple murders,and against the antisemiticconspiracy theory Qanon,which has also been linkedto violence and identified asa potential domesticterrorism threat.The inconsistency and lackof transparency aroundFacebook's approach tocontent moderation drewquick criticism from expertsin the field and digital rightsadvocates. "It really mattersthat platforms should be asclear in advance about theirpolicies and consistent intheir application," saidevelyn Douek, a lecturer atHarvard law school whostudies online speechregulation. "That helps fendoff charges that anydecisions are politicallymotivated or biased, andgives us a lever to pull foraccountability that isn'tpurely about who can get themost public attention orgenerate public outrage."evan Green, the deputydirector of Fight for theFuture, raised concernsabout Facebook setting "anextremely dangerousprecedent". "are people notallowed to form a group onFacebook to discuss if theytruly believe theirgovernment is engaged inelectoral misconduct?" shetweeted. "How does this playout globally?"Facebook did notimmediately respond toqueries from the Guardian,including whether the groupwould have met thethreshold for a takedownundernormalcircumstances, apart from"this period of heightenedtension", and the nature orvolume of calls for violence.The company also declinedto provide data or statisticsabout the scale of contenttakedowns since Tuesday."We don't know whataccounts have been deleted;we don't know whathashtags or videos havebeen taken down," said JoanDonovan, the researchdirector at Harvard'sShorenstein Center onMedia, politics and publicpolicy. "all we knowcollectively as researchers,journalists and civil societyis what we've caughtourselves. labeling thepresident's tweets - that'ssomething everyone can see.But if we're talking aboutparamilitary organizingaround claims of electionfraud, we need to know ifFacebook is seeing that."She added: "There shouldbe an hour-by-hour updatefrom every one of theseplatforms about every actiontaken related to electionmisinformation."Whatsapp's new feature lets userssend disappearing messagesalex HerNWhatsapp will soon have a disappearingmessage feature, designed to enable users ofthe chat app to cut down on their digitalfootprint. once the update, which is rollingout from Thursday, hits phones, users will beable to set an option for each individual chatthey are in - whether one-on-one or a group- to delete messages automatically sevendays after they have been sent.Unlike some competitors, such as thesecure messaging app Signal, Whatsapp,which is owned by Facebook, decidedagainst offering flexibility to users. There isno option to change the length of timemessages are stored, for instance; and theservice also removes images and videos sent."We're starting with seven days because wethink it offers peace of mind thatconversations aren't permanent, whileremaining practical so you don't forget whatyou were chatting about," the company saysin a blogpost. "The shopping list or storeaddress you received a few days ago will bethere while you need it, and then disappearafter you don't."While it's great to hold on to memoriesfrom friends and family, most of what wesend doesn't need to be everlasting. our goalis to make conversations on Whatsapp feelas close to in-person as possible, whichmeans they shouldn't have to stick aroundforever."Disappearing messages can be enabled bytapping the chat name at the top of thescreen and scrolling down to a new optionfor "disappearing messages" to turn it on.Doing so does not delete older messages, andeither member of a chat can turn the settingon or off, though in a group chat onlyadministrators have control.as with other disappearing messageoptions, users need to trust their friends.There is nothing to prevent the other party ina chat taking screenshots, or forwarding,messages they want to save for later.The new feature comes a month afterWhatsapp launched a shopping service,integrating itself with Facebook more tightlythan ever before. Users will now be able tomessage a company on the app, browse acatalogue of items for sale, and complete apurchase, all without needing to leaveWhatsapp. The feature will also bring muchneededrevenue to the company, sinceWhatsapp will, finally, start to chargecompanies for using its business tools.Shops that already have a Facebookpresence will be able to operate directly onWhatsapp too, without needing to set up asecond storefront. But that means that, forthe first time, Whatsapp users could findthat their activities on the chat app feed theiradvertising profile on Facebook itself. "Whena person is interacting with a Facebook shop,those interactions, and the data about themwill be used by Facebook," Matt Idema,Whatsapp's chief operating officer, told theGuardian. "So that includes things like whatproducts you're browsing, and items youmay select or add for purchase."Whatsapp users will be able to set an option for each chat they arein.Photo: Collected

Page 1 and 2: MondayDhAKA : November 23, 2020; Ag

Page 3: METROmondAY, november 23, 20203884/

Page 7 and 8: MONdAY, NOVEMBER 23, 20207The Group

Page 9 and 10: MonDAY, noveMbeR 23, 20209Hamstring

Page 11 and 12: MoNDAY, NovEMBER 23, 202011Dhaka So

bangladesh

dhaka

coronavirus

saudi

november

various

pandemic

economic

economy

chattogram

www.tbtbangla.com

23-11-2020

Delete template?

Save as template ?