Sep 2019 06 – 07

Policy Lab: Rise of Big Tech in India

Tandem Research, Goa

Tandem Research is organising a two-day lab on the rise of big tech in India. Nayantara from the Internet Democracy Project will participate in the lab.

The workshop will be structured around the following four lines of enquiry:

1 — Conceptualizing the power and influence of Big Tech 
What defines Big Tech? What are various ways in which Big Tech exercises power and influence? What conceptual framings are the most useful? Is Big Tech a thing at all?

2 — Mapping the Indian Ecosystem: Actors, Interests, and Influence 

What does Big-Tech mean in the Indian context? Who are the relevant players? How do they wield influence? What is driving dominant narratives around Big Tech?

3 — Current Policy/​Regulatory interventions and their likely consequences 

What are the relevant policy narratives and interventions in India? Who are the likely winners and losers? What are the underlying assumptions, interests, and expected consequences?

4 — Re-Imagining Digital Economies 
What are alternative imaginations and models for digital economies? How can greater power and ownership be restored to individuals and communities?