The Quantum Hub

Earlier this week, Arun Sudarsan, Public Policy Manager at The Quantum Hub (TQH), led an interactive session on "Following the Money: A Hands-on Guide to India's Budget" for the Ashoka Economics Society at Ashoka University. The session covered the fundamentals of public finance in India, with a particular focus on the Union Budget. Arun provided an overview of how to navigate key budget documents, understand the budget-making process, and analyze fiscal data. By blending conceptual insights with practical data analysis, the session was widely attended by students of economics, political science, and those interested in public policy.

The Quantum Hub (TQH) and Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) teams gathered yesterday for our bimonthly all-team check-in. We kicked things off with a quiz that covered everything from scientific inventions to Koffee with Karan one-liners. With team members scattered across hybrid and remote setups, these in-person meetings are always a refreshing break (and a reminder of who really knows their Bollywood trivia). We were also privileged to host Bertrand de LA CHAPELLE, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network, for a thought-provoking discussion on transnational cooperation on issues such as data privacy, content regulation, and domain management. His emphasis on the importance of nuance in regulatory conversations, the need for frameworks and data privacy agreements to be user-friendly, and the challenge of preserving the joy of innovation while mitigating real-world risks resonated deeply. His insights into multi-stakeholder governance processes and fostering dialogue among civil society, the private sector, and governments were especially valuable for our teams working on both tech policy and digital empowerment programs for young people in non-urban areas. Thank you, Bertrand, for your time!

The YLAC team is all over today’s opinion pages discussing two important issues! 🗞️ In their op-ed in The Economic Times, Arushi Chopra and Venika Menon talk about the persistent issue of urban voter apathy witnessed again in the recent state elections. Cities like Mumbai lagged behind the state average in Maharashtra. The authors explore the causes of this disengagement and propose solutions to reignite urban voter participation, such as setting up mock polling booths in schools and leveraging tech for streamlined voter registration. Meanwhile, Himani Chouhan and Ishita Bagchi in Mint today highlight the less explored dimensions of India’s gender digital divide. The piece underscores the critical role of digital access in enhancing women’s economic participation. Informed by their visits to rural districts in Rajasthan and Uttarakhand for the YLAC Digital Champions Program, they emphasize that access to the digital economy goes beyond device ownership and that we also need to address social norms around the usage of technology. Read the full articles through the 🔗 link in the comments! Janaagraha | Praja Foundation | Digital Empowerment Foundation | Donald Lobo | Veddis Foundation | Osama Manzar | Shilpa Kumar | Pavan Bhat Kundapura |

#TQHReplug Today, November 25, marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women—a global reminder of the urgent need to address gender-based violence (GBV), which affects 1 in 3 women worldwide. In India, GBV remains a systemic issue, deeply rooted in patriarchal norms and exacerbated by gaps in state capacity. India has made strides in combating GBV through robust legislative frameworks, such as the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act. Complementary programs like one-stop crisis centres (OSCs), the Nirbhaya Fund, and Swadhar Greh aim to enhance safety and support for survivors. While these initiatives have improved awareness and encouraged reporting, the widespread nature of GBV and systemic barriers demand a stronger response. In their 2023 article for Mint, Ujval Mohan and Devika Oberai highlight key areas where India can improve. They argue for enhanced and efficient resource allocation through dedicated agencies focused exclusively on GBV response, which would ensure better monitoring, prioritization, and training for officials. Addressing the trust deficit survivors face is also critical, requiring investment in gender-sensitization training for first responders and stronger accountability measures to foster survivor-centric governance. Finally, transforming social norms is essential to dismantle the patriarchal structures that perpetuate GBV. Embedding gender-sensitive curricula in schools, for example, offers a promising model for early intervention and lasting change. As we observe this day and the ensuing 16 Days of Activism, let us renew our commitment to eradicating GBV and advancing a society where women are not only safe but empowered to lead and thrive—a cornerstone of India’s path to progress. 🔗 Link to the article in comments. #InternationalDayfortheEliminationofViolenceAgainstWomen #16days

As part of our #TechPolicyDialogue Series, The Quantum Hub (TQH) hosted an engaging event yesterday on “Information Integrity in the Age of Generative AI” in partnership with Logically. The event aimed to shed light on the emerging challenges to information integrity posed by Generative AI technologies and explore potential solutions. During the event, Logically also launched their whitepaper, “Combating Deepfakes and Generative AI Risk: Proposing Strategies for the Future of Digital India.” We were privileged to host Hon’ble Member of Parliament Shri Shashank Mani, who shared valuable insights into the growing threat of disinformation campaigns and actionable strategies to counter them. We were also honored to have Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar (IAS), Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, provide an overview of the Ministry’s approach to addressing these critical challenges. The event featured a panel discussion moderated by TQH Founding Partner Rohit Kumar. Panelists included Mr. Ashish Aggarwal, Vice President and Head of Public Policy, nasscom; Mr. Henry Parker, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Logically; Ms. Uthara Ganesh, Head of Public Policy, India and South Asia, Snap Inc.; Ms. Pamposh Raina, Head of Deepfakes Analysis Unit - Misinformation Combat Alliance; and Mr. Kamesh Shekar, Senior Programme Manager - Privacy, Data Governance and Co-lead - AI, The Dialogue. The panel explored diverse perspectives on threats to information integrity and identified opportunities for cross-sector collaboration to address these pressing issues. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all our esteemed speakers, panellists, and attendees for their active participation in this vital conversation. A special thanks to Henry Parker and Vakasha Sachdev from Logically for their collaboration. Stay tuned for more insightful engagements and opportunities as part of our #TechPolicyDialogue Series! Jaskirat Singh Bawa | Kriti Trehan | Meghnad S | Anshul Tewari | Sagar Deoskar | pallavi bedi | Aman Taneja | Aparna Joshi | Ujval Mohan | Salil Ahuja |

Last week, The Quantum Hub (TQH) hosted a roundtable on children’s data protection under Section 9 of India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act). Held on the sidelines of Meta’s Digital Suraksha Summit 2024, the discussion brought together experts from the data governance and children’s rights ecosystem, including key tech policy figures, civil society members, industry representatives, lawyers, and academics. Participants discussed the practical challenges of implementing verifiable parental consent, particularly in rural and underserved areas, and evaluated the readiness of verification tools to enable seamless age verification. Discussions also addressed provisions related to the ban on behavioural monitoring and tracking of children and its unintended consequences. Thanks to everyone who attended. We hope to have a follow up discussion once the DPDPA rules open up for discussion. Rakesh Maheshwari | Supratim Chakraborty | Kriti Trehan | SONALI PATANKAR | Siddharth Pillai | Shireen Vakil | Anshul Tewari | Trishee Goyal | Shashank Mishra | Sagar Deoskar | Kamesh Shekar | Suhaan Mukerji | Aparajita Bharti | Sidharth Deb | Akanksha Ghosh | Rhydhi Gupta 

📢 Final call to register! Join The Quantum Hub and Logically for a panel discussion on India’s role in shaping the dialogue on information integrity in the digital age, happening this Wednesday. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in an essential conversation on balancing the opportunities and challenges of AI. 🔗 RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gryr2mtM #AI #DigitalIndia #ResponsibleAI #InformationIntegrity #GenerativeAI

The Australian PM has announced his government's intention to "ban" social media for teens below the age of 16. This has led to a heated debate on Indian twitter too. But can you really "ban" social media? Along with Sachin Taparia, I was on the Breakfast Club on News18 with the super duo Sonal Mehrotra Kapoor and toya singh to talk about what the unintended consequences of this ban might be. PS: I sound much better now, bad post-viral sore voice in this one.

We are thrilled to announce the speakers for our panel discussion on "Information Integrity in the Age of AI: Can India Lead the Way in Balancing AI’s Double-Edged Sword?" We will be joined by distinguished panelists who bring a wealth of expertise across AI policy and information integrity: 👉 Ashish Aggarwal, Vice President and Head of Public Policy, nasscom 👉 Henry Parker, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Logically 👉 Kamesh Shekar, Senior Programme Manager - Privacy, Data Governance and Co-lead - AI, The Dialogue 👉 niranjan sahoo, Senior Fellow - Governance and Politics Initiative, Observer Research Foundation 👉 Uthara Ganesh, Head of Public Policy, Snap Inc. 👉 Rohit Kumar, Founding Partner at The Quantum Hub, will moderate this discussion. We invite you to join us for this essential conversation on India’s role in shaping the dialogue on information integrity in the digital age. Please RSVP here:  https://lnkd.in/gYAYUdvu 🗓 Event Date: November 20, 2024 ⏰ Time: 2:30 PM - 6:00 PM 📍 Venue: Central Delhi (Details will be shared with confirmed attendees) #AI #DigitalIndia #IndiaAI #ResponsibleAI #InformationIntegrity #GenerativeAI #Deepfakes Logically | Vakasha Sachdev

Elon Musk-owned international telecom services provider Starlink is in the process of acquiring a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license to operate in India. Sumeysh Srivastava, Senior Manager, Public Policy at The Quantum Hub (TQH) spoke with Rica Roy from NDTV to discuss Starlink’s potential fit in India’s internet landscape while navigating economic and regulatory challenges. Highlighting that Starlink may not directly compete with traditional providers like Jio and Airtel—which dominate urban markets with low-cost fiber-optic and cellular networks—Sumeysh emphasised that Starlink’s satellite-based model has huge potential to address connectivity gaps in remote and underserved areas. Link to the full discussion in comments.