Google parent Alphabet will no longer use an intellectual property licensing scheme, known as the “Double Irish, Dutch sandwich“, which allowed it to delay paying U.S. taxes, 2018 tax filings show. A Google spokesman on Tuesday confirmed it would scrap the licensing structure, saying this was in line with international rules and followed changes to […]
Route Mobile gets Sebi nod for IPO
Cloud communication platform provider Route Mobile has received market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (Sebi) nod to raise an estimated Rs 600 crore through the Initial Public Offering (IPO) route, markets sources said. The company had earlier received Sebi nod for the IPO in 2018 as well, which had expired. The offer comprises […]
Beware of the smart device: Ways to stay private and safe
Did someone invite a spy into your home over the holidays? Maybe so, if a friend or family member gave you a voice-controlled speaker or some other smart device. It’s easy to forget, but everything from internet-connected speakers with voice assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa to television sets with built-in Netflix can be always listening […]
From Feb 1, Rs 5,000 fine if firms don’t offer digital payment facilities
Businesses with turnover of Rs 50 crore and above that do not provide digital payment facilities to their customers will be fined Rs 5,000 per day from February 2019, according to a government notification. In a circular issued on Tuesday, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said that with effect from January 1, 2020, […]
Reliance sets up Jiomart to sell grocery online soon
Reliance Industries, India’s biggest company by market value, has started its web portal Jiomart, harnessing the might of its two largest consumer-facing businesses to announce its entry into online food and grocery shopping by early next year. The app will connect both lastmile neighbourhood stores and consumers, leveraging data and technology capabilities of Reliance’s telecom […]
Activists rally against ‘illegal’ surveillance of CAA protests
image for representation only Digital rights activists are up in arms over what they term as illegal acts of mass surveillance by law enforcement authorities in Delhi during the recent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and proposed National Register of Citizens. In letters to the home ministry and Delhi Police commissioner on Sunday, […]
Facebook fined $1.6M by Brazil govt for improper sharing of user data
Brazil’s Ministry of Justice said on Monday it fined U.S. tech giant Facebook Inc 6.6 million reais ($1.6 million) for improperly sharing user data. The ministry’s department of consumer protection said it had found that data from 443,000 Facebook users was improperly made available to developers of an App called “thisisyourdigitallife.” The data was being […]
10 themes that defined India’s startup and tech ecosystem in 2019
Layoffs across startups & IT companies A common theme across Indian startups and IT giants in 2019 was job cuts, primarily to reduce costs as companies grappled with slower growth along with an economic downturn in the country. India’s most-valued startups, including hospitality player Oyo, ride-hailing giant Ola, restaurant discovery platform Zomato and online classifieds […]
E-commerce, new industrial policies likely to be released this fiscal: DPIIT Secretary
The DPIIT is working actively on the e-commerce as well as new industrial policies, and both are expected to be released by the end of this fiscal, a top official has said. “I personally feel that both these policies will be ready by this financial year end,” Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade […]
Data-crunching investments by insurers rise 20% in 2019
Insurers are increasing investments in systems to improve data crunching by at least 20% over last year. Most of this is toward subscription of data, build stronger data architecture and for updated technology towards better systems to crunch data. The driving force is the challenges that are emerging due to substandard and unstructured data. “For […]