Binayak reports on information security, privacy and scientific research in health and environment with explanatory pieces. He also edits the news sections of the newspaper.
Articles by Binayak Dasgupta
Scientists detect new ‘variant-proof’ Sars-CoV-2 antibody
Scientists broadly consider Covid-19 to be endemic across the world, behaving much like the flu, but they have also raised caution over Long Covid.
Updated on Sep 09, 2024 07:48 PM IST
Binayak Dasgupta, New Delhi
Telegram under Indian security scanner in multiple cases
Telegram, the popular messaging application, is facing mounting scrutiny in India as it emerges as a hub for a wide array of criminal activities.
Updated on Aug 27, 2024 07:13 AM IST
Why OpenAI’s imitation of Scarlett Johansson drew actor’s ire
Scarlett Johansson expressed shock over OpenAI's chatbot voice resembling hers. Transparency and ethics in AI development are now under scrutiny.
Updated on May 22, 2024 01:02 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta, New Delhi
Hard Code | A gentle reminder: Nothing is unhackable
Researchers discovered a backdoor in a core piece of software utility last week. It is a reminder of how far malicious actors can go to hack their targets
Published on Apr 01, 2024 09:21 PM IST
Hard Code | Worrying clues from a Chinese firm’s leaked data
Leaked documents from a tech company there paint a new picture of the scale and resolve of Beijing’s cyber ops
Updated on Mar 02, 2024 09:37 PM IST
Hard Code | As Sora breaks cover, a reminder of all that’s at stake
Sure, AI video tools like Sora will upend media production, and there are more pressing concerns about today’s AI arms race
Published on Feb 19, 2024 03:13 PM IST
Hard Code | Cyber mercenaries and nations playing with fire
Companies that make hacking tools are a booming industry and have triggered sanctions from several liberal democracies. But they are here to stay
Published on Feb 10, 2024 04:47 PM IST
Hard Code | When AI wields the brush, do we call it the artist or the tool?
The boom in generative AI may change our relationship with art, but how we receive it is a question we cannot answer yet. Exposure will determine acceptability
Updated on Jan 28, 2024 12:36 PM IST
Hard code | Who has the most to lose with deepfakes?
A bottom-up approach enables us to think of those most likely to be impacted due to deepfakes — and those least likely to be able to defend themselves.
Updated on Jan 20, 2024 07:26 PM IST
Binayak Dasgupta | Edited by Anish Yande
The year ahead in tech: Keeping an eye on AI
It won’t be a robot war. The true dangers are less cinematic, but no less severe. It will be vital to legislate and monitor, without stifling innovation.
Updated on Jan 01, 2024 06:46 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta
Review: The Third Way by Rahul Matthan
Rahul Matthan contends that India’s approach to governing technology and using technologies in its governance can be a blueprint for nation states straddling Laissez-faire capitalism and socialism
Updated on Dec 16, 2023 05:54 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta
A whole-of-society approach needed to tackle deepfakes: OpenAI exec
OpenAI's head of global public policy talks regulation, risks and benefits of AI in exclusive interview
Updated on Dec 14, 2023 12:47 AM IST
Google to join industry mechanism to discern AI-generated content
Google is in the process of joining a cross-industry collaboration that can identify and watermark online content generated using AI or created synthetically
Updated on Dec 10, 2023 04:20 PM IST
Google flags off Make in India with latest Pixels in 2024
Union minister for electronics and technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said the decision was “good for Google and good for India”
Published on Oct 20, 2023 09:19 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta
Google plans new security steps to tackle online scams
Google said it will leverage its AI models, especially those around generative text, to help Indians access information and business opportunity better
Updated on Oct 19, 2023 09:28 PM IST
Legal framework for privacy as RS clears digital data bill
While it is unlikely to take long for the bill to receive presidential assent — at which point it becomes law — the next steps will likely pan out over at least a year’s window
Updated on Aug 10, 2023 12:19 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta, New Delhi
Data Protection Bill 2023 tabled in Lok Sabha, here's what govt, Oppn are saying
The data protection law started its life as the personal data protection bill as drawn up in August 2018 by a committee headed by former Supreme Court judge.
Updated on Aug 04, 2023 03:35 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta, New Delhi
Experts wary as data bill set to be tabled
The latest draft retains a clause that allows the government to “exempt any data fiduciary” from the obligations within five years of the law coming into force.
Updated on Aug 03, 2023 02:16 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta, New Delhi
Deep divides on social media, but algorithm tweaks may not help: Study on FB, Insta
The experiments showed there were no easy answers — ideological divides were deep, and just changing algorithms did not help address them
Updated on Jul 28, 2023 12:12 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta, New Delhi
Copycat websites surge 300%; India a hunting ground: Report
According to the Digital Risks Trend 2023 report, there was a 304% year-on-year increase in the number of scam websites that impersonated legitimate businesses.
Updated on Jul 13, 2023 02:08 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta, New Delhi
Google working on tech to discern AI-made content: Company executive
Google is developing systems to identify AI-generated synthetic media and combat political misinformation.
Updated on Jul 07, 2023 12:08 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta, New Delhi
An open letter: On wildfires and pollution
Canada is experiencing an unprecedented year of fires, with the smoke shrouding cities in the US and, over 2,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, in parts of western Europe
Updated on Jun 28, 2023 05:56 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta
CoWIN ‘data leak’: How a bot reignited privacy fears
The screenshots also carried details that purported to show where these people would have had their latest Covid-19 vaccine doses
Updated on Jun 13, 2023 10:21 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta
Centre plans to rope in private companies to help secure govt servers, websites
The government’s IT services are managed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), which hosts 3.3 million email accounts and maintains more than 10,000 websites and services
Updated on Mar 17, 2023 04:10 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta and Sunetra Choudhury, New Delhi
HT Interview | Paying up to ransomware attackers bad strategy…: Dmitry Volkov
Dmitry Volkov, the CEO of cyber threat intelligence firm Group-IB says, ransomware remains a threat number one for public and private companies around the world. They have a strong focus on big enterprises that can afford to pay ransom and cannot afford any downtime.
Updated on Mar 06, 2023 12:25 PM IST
Binayak Dasgupta, New Delhi
‘China’s Covid wave worse than estimated, peak of 36k deaths a day likely’
China re-opened its borders on January 8 after having abruptly ended its so-called Zero Covid policy of frequent testing, travel curbs and mass lockdowns the month before, prompted by unprecedented nationwide protests
Updated on Jan 17, 2023 10:06 PM IST
The year ahead: Glimpses into 2023
India, the world’s largest democracy and one of the world’s largest consumer markets, will likely begin working to pass new laws too, with lasting implications for companies such as Meta, Google and Twitter.
Published on Dec 31, 2022 06:14 PM IST
By Binayak Dasgupta and Vishal Mathur
The year ahead: Can it be tech to the rescue?
Breakthroughs in nuclear fusion and CO2 conversion could revolutionise the power sector, but this could take a few decades. New approaches to food production are welcome. As the climate crisis intensifies, now amid the Russian war in Ukraine, this will be a crucial year for talks
Updated on Dec 31, 2022 06:01 PM IST
The Covid-19 shadow still looms
With the virus now sparing no one, Long Covid was a serious problem to deal with, which easily was the most important implication of how the pandemic had changed in its third year.
Updated on Dec 31, 2022 12:12 AM IST
A million infections and 5,000 deaths a day from Covid in China: Study
The new estimates were provided by London-based Airfinity, which predicted cases to continue to rise in China with two likely peaks, one in mid-January and the second in early March.
Updated on Dec 23, 2022 05:17 AM IST