‘Techno-colonialism’ is the phrase Ola founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal created to characterize the way multinational internet companies take advantage of India’s data. He compared the situation to that of the British East India Company, stating that although India produces 20% of the world’s data, the advantages are mostly enjoyed by huge international IT companies.
According to ANI, Ola founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal used the phrase “techno-colonialism” to characterize the process by which India’s data is exported, processed overseas, and then resold domestically. He also compared the actions of tech companies to the historical exploitation of the British East India Company.
Aggarwal’s concerns about the misuse of data
Aggarwal compared the contemporary data practices of global internet businesses with the British East India Company’s exploitation of Indian resources. He emphasized that although twenty percent of the world’s data is produced in India, most of the benefits are received by international companies. “India only stores a tenth of that data.” 90% is shipped to international data centers, most of which are controlled by multinational corporations, he said. Aggarwal was quoted by ANI as saying, “It is processed into AI, brought back into India, and sold to us in dollars.”
Aggarwal made historical comparisons between this and the East India Company’s exploitation of India’s riches. This is precisely what transpired with the East India Company two centuries ago. In the past, they imported clothing from overseas and exported cotton. We are now pulling in intelligence from overseas and exporting data. Techno-colonialism,” according to ANI, a news agency.
Encourage self-reliance in technology
In support of his argument that India must create its own technical solutions grounded in its own value systems, Aggarwal gave instances such as digital public infrastructure. “Digital public infrastructure is a uniquely Indian idea that I see for the future of AI,” he stated. One illustration of that is API. “ONEDC serves as an illustration of that,” the news outlet ANI said.
Aggarwal emphasized that data ownership in the AI space should belong to the inventors. According to the ANI report, he also emphasized the significance of recognizing the original creators of information and data.
