A comprehensive chronicle of India's remarkable digital transformation from the early 1990s to the present day .As India emerges as a global digital powerhouse, this book captures the extraordinary story of how the world's largest democracy has evolved with the technology and harnessed internet technology to revolutionize governance, empower citizens, and accelerate national development. Through 19 meticulously researched chapters and a forward-looking conclusion, ...

In the spirit of Nickel and Dimed, a necessary and revelatory expose of the invisible human workforce that powers the web—and that foreshadows the true future of work.Hidden beneath the surface of the web, lost in our wrong-headed debates about AI, a new menace is looming. Anthropologist Mary L. Gray and computer scientist Siddharth Suri team up to unveil how services delivered by companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Uber can only function smoothl...

" System Error is a triumph: an analysis of the critical challenges facing our digital society that is as accessible as it is sophisticated." — Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New AmericaA forward-thinking manifesto from three Stanford professors—experts who have worked at ground zero of the tech revolution for decades—which reveals how big tech's obsession with optimization and efficiency has sacrificed fundamental human values and outlines steps we ...

Individuals all over the world can use Airbnb to rent an apartment in a foreign city, check Coursera to find a course on statistics, join PatientsLikeMe to exchange information about one's disease, hail a cab using Uber, or read the news through Facebook's Instant Articles. The promise of connective platforms is that they offer personalized services and contribute to innovation and economic growth, while bypassing cumbersome institutional or industrial overhead. In The Platform Societ

In the beginning, the World Wide Web was exciting and open to the point of anarchy, a vast and intimidating repository of unindexed confusion. Into this creative chaos came Google with its dazzling mission—"To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible"—and its much-quoted motto, "Don’t be evil." In this provocative book, Siva Vaidhyanathan examines the ways we have used and embraced Google—and the growing resistance to its expansion across the globe. He exposes th...

A tech insider who has been hailed by The New Yorker for her “forceful critique” of Big Tech describes what must be done to stop its erosion of democracyOver the past decades, under the cover of “innovation,” technology companies have successfully resisted regulation and have even begun to seize power from governments themselves. Facial recognition firms track citizens for police surveillance. Cryptocurrency has wiped out the personal savings of millions a...

Much of what constitutes Big Data is information about us. Through our online activities, we leave an easy-to-follow trail of digital footprints that reveal who we are, what we buy, where we go, and much more. This eye-opening book explores the raging privacy debate over the use of personal data, with one undeniable conclusion: once data's been collected, we have absolutely no control over who uses it or how it is used.Personal data is the hottest commodity on the market today—trul...

A history of how India became a major player in the global technology industry, mapping technological, economic, and political transformations.The rise of the Indian information technology industry is a remarkable economic success story. Software and services exports from India amounted to less than $100 million in 1990, and today come close to $100 billion. But, as Dinesh Sharma explains in The Outsourcer, Indian IT's success has a long prehistor...

The Internet has given rise to new opportunities for the public sector to improve efficiency and better serve constituents. But with an increasing reliance on the Internet, digital tools are also exposing the public sector to new risks. This accessible primer focuses on the convergence of globalization, connectivity, and the migration of public sector functions online. It examines emerging trends and strategies from around the world and offers practical guidance for addressing contemporary...

Ubiquitous news, global information access, instantaneous reporting, interactivity, multimedia content, extreme customization: Journalism is undergoing the most fundamental transformation since the rise of the penny press in the nineteenth century. Here is a report from the front lines on the impact and implications for journalists and the public alike.John Pavlik, executive director of the Center for New Media at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, argues that the...

Why "free" comes at a price: the costs of free internet services in terms of privacy, cybersecurity, and the growing market power of technology giants.The upside of the internet is free Wi-Fi at Starbucks, Facetime over long distances, and nearly unlimited data for downloading or streaming. The downside is that our data goes to companies that use it to make money, our financial information is exposed to hackers, and the market power of technology companies continue...

UPDATED EDITION‘A holistic take on AI from an African perspective, Closing the Gap joins the dots on deploying AI efficiently into everyday business and life.’ – RENUKA METHIL, editor of Forbes Africa‘This book simplifies complex concepts through relatable stories and awakens fellow Africans to the opportunities ushered in by the 4IR. Closing t...