Aria Thaker
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Articles by Aria Thaker
How internet lingo is changing the English language - and why it matters in the workplace
Paul Constant (left), co-founder of the Seattle Review of Books, moderates a panel discussion with linguist Gretchen McCulloch (center) and Textio CEO Kieran Snyder at Textio’s HQ in Seattle on Tuesday. (Aria Thaker Photo) Canadian linguist Gretchen McCulloch is interested in how people laugh on the internet. Take the abbreviation “lol.” While it started off quite literal, with people using it to signal actual laughter, it has now taken on more of an ironic double meaning.
How tech keeps Seattle’s transit system running - and why more innovation could be coming
Inside the Transit Control Center, where King County is using technology to improve how people get around the Seattle area. (Aria Thaker Photo) Amid a sea of green rectangles on a computer monitor, one had turned red. A RapidRide bus — the red rectangle — was travelling a bit too rapidly. It was almost 11 a.m. on Friday in the King County Metro Transit Control Center (TCC). Coordinators sat in front of large monitors, tracking the county’s GPS-enabled buses and communicating with drivers as needed.
How Indian media company Homegrown imploded in the wake of #MeToo
As a wave of protest against sexual harassment swept across India last October, a youth-culture website called Homegrown published an essay titled “Women Turning On Women Cripples Everything The #MeToo Movement Is Fighting For In India.” The piece criticized the opposition to #MeToo being voiced by a handful of women commentators. It was also, it turns out, a subtle jab at Varsha Patra, Homegrown’s CEO.
Narendra Modi follows his supporters, even trolls, on Twitter. This is why
10 minutes ago Aria Thaker, qz.com Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Share Tweet Email Reddit Print One of Narendra Modi’s most controversial strategies on Twitter – his generous use of the “follow” button – may also be the key to his success on the platform. Modi, who was sworn in on May 30 for a second term as prime minister after his Bharatiya Janata Party won a sweeping majority in India’s national election, is Twitter’s second most followed serving politician after US President Donald Trump.
How Modi’s Twitter strategy of following his supporters—even trolls—worked in his favour
One of Narendra Modi’s most controversial strategies on Twitter—his generous use of the “follow” button—may also be the key to his success on the platform. Modi, who was sworn in on May 30 for a second term as prime minister after his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a sweeping majority in India’s national election, is Twitter’s second most followed serving politician after US president Donald Trump.
The curious case of an Indian-run website taken down by Facebook along with 90 Iran-linked accounts
7 minutes ago Aria Thaker, qz.com Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Share Tweet Email Reddit Print On May 28, Facebook announced that it had taken down around 90 accounts and pages linked to Iran, as part of efforts to curb “coordinated inauthentic behaviour.” The social media platform carries out such purges about once a month, if not more often. What goes on behind such takedowns and what happens to the affected people? An example from India sheds light on this.
Facebook removed a page “tied to Iran.” The Indians who ran it are bewildered
On May 28, Facebook announced that it had taken down around 90 accounts and pages linked to Iran, as part of efforts to curb “coordinated inauthentic behaviour.” The social media platform carries out such purges about once a month, if not more often. What goes on behind such takedowns and what happens to the affected people? An example from India sheds light on this.
After 700 displaced, India’s northeast to see more severe thunderstorms
Tripura’s spell of extreme weather may not have ended yet. Since Friday (May 24), heavy rain and thunderstorms have caused over 700 people to be displaced into relief camps across the small northeastern state of India. Now, Skymet says, “pre-monsoon weather activities” there, as well as in nearby states of the region, are picking up pace after a brief lull. This will mean that over the next two or three days, the entire northeast may see an uptick in stormy weather.
Smriti Irani, from Modi critic to Rahul Gandhi's Amethi nemesis
For Smriti Irani and parliamentary elections, the third time really has been the charm. Yesterday (May 23) saw the union minister defeat Rahul Gandhi, president and dynast of the Indian National Congress party, in his family bastion of Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. It is her first Lok Sabha victory ever. Five years ago she lost to Gandhi in Amethi, and 10 years ago she was beaten by Congress heavyweight Kapil Sibal in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk.
Indian National Congress' Deora loses despite Ambani's support
India’s wealthiest man must have faced a rare disappointment today (May 23). Mumbai South candidate Milind Deora has lost. He is the only politician who Mukesh Ambani openly endorsed for the parliamentary election, a rare move by the prominent Indian businessman.
India is set to elect a terror accused candidate who’s a fan of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin
India is set to elect Pragya Thakur, a terror accused and a fan of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, to parliament. Today (May 23), the counting of votes in India’s mammoth general election showed prime minister Narendra Modi almost certainly returning for a second term.
Indian election 2019: Why few Muslims make it to the Lok Sabha
India’s Muslim population is rising. In 2015, their number stood at 195 million, which, due to high birth rates, has almost doubled since 1991, according to the Pew Research Center. Their share has increased from 12% to 15% in this time period. By 2060, Pew estimates, there will be more Muslims in India than anywhere else in the world (Indonesia has more today), and they will constitute 19% of Indians.
The key players who could challenge Modi’s bid for India’s prime ministership
India’s parliamentary election, history’s largest ever, finished the last of its seven phases on Sunday (May 19). Exit polls announced later that night showed that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the right-wing coalition of parties that has governed India for the past five years, is likely to return to power. Polling agencies expect the alliance to win a significant mandate, estimated at anywhere between 287 and 365 parliamentary seats out of 543 total.
Wikipedia is being weaponised in the Indian election battle
May 17, 2019 · 01:30 pm Aria Thaker, qz.com Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Misinformation peddlers are weaponising Wikipedia amid the ongoing Indian election. Last week, TIME magazine released a cover story critical of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, penned by writer Aatish Taseer.
Introducing the India Political Watch Bot on Twitter
Want an inside look at Indian politics? Try our new Twitter bot. The India Political Watch Bot (@IndiaWatchBot), built by Quartz’s Bot Studio, provides a feed of the tweets liked by key Indian political figures, and updates on whom they’re following. The tracked accounts include prime minister Narendra Modi, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, the official accounts of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress, and more.
Aatish Taseer's Wikipedia page isn't the only target of Modi fans
Misinformation peddlers are weaponising Wikipedia amid the ongoing Indian election. Last week, TIME magazine released a cover story critical of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, penned by writer Aatish Taseer. Soon after, Taseer’s Wikipedia page was vandalised to falsely state that he is a public-relations manager for the Indian National Congress, the country’s leading opposition party, fact-checking website Alt News reported.
Educated Indians are more wary about technology’s role in spreading fake news, finds study
Indians with higher levels of education are likely to be both optimistic and pessimistic about technology, a Pew Research study shows. India was also among the countries to be most divided by education level when it came to perceptions of technology, showed the study, the results of which were published on Monday. For example, 39% of Indians with less education said access to technology has “made people more divided in their political opinions”.
Educated Indians are both more hopeful and more hopeless about technology
Indians with higher levels of education are likely to be both optimistic and pessimistic about technology, a Pew Research study shows. India was also among the countries to be most divided by education level when it came to perceptions of technology, showed the study, the results of which were published yesterday (May 13).
Gandhi's Congress spends five times of Modi's BJP on Twitter
As India’s mammoth election enters the final stages, the primary opposition party has for the first time paid for Twitter ads. The Indian National Congress (Congress) yesterday (May 09) spent over Rs6.8 lakh ($9,700) on two promoted tweets, one in Hindi and one in English. These were part of the party’s #DelhiWithCongress social media campaign.
Porn, tobacco, violent video games: A survey finds what Indians want banned the most
The Indian state, often quick to impose bans, has turned particularly trigger happy in recent months. And a large chunk of India’s middle-class seems likely to have no problem with that. Around 34% of respondents in a survey of middle-class Indians said they thought pornography should be completely banned, global market research firm Ipsos found. Some 40% also said violent video games should not be accessible to anyone. And still more – 42% – said e-cigarettes and vaping should see a total ban.
Many Indians want PUBG, Pornhub, vaping, cigarettes, beer banned
The Indian state, often quick to impose bans, has turned particularly trigger happy in recent months. And a large chunk of India’s middle-class seems likely to have no problem with that. Around 34% of respondents in a survey of middle-class Indians said they thought pornography should be completely banned, global market research firm Ipsos found. Some 40% also said violent video games should not be accessible to anyone. And still more—42%—said e-cigarettes and vaping should see a total ban.
After a brief ban, TikTok is back with a bang - with the help of a cash incentive for users
TikTok is back with a vengeance in India. The Chinese short-form video app has moved up sharply in a ranking of the most downloaded smartphone apps in India within just two days after it returned on Google and Apple stores in the country after a week-long ban. On April 30, the day TikTok was restored on the app stores, it was the 90th most downloaded app on the Google Play Store in India and the 13th among the category of “social” apps, reports the analytics platform App Annie.
India’s fake-news crisis has intensified during the 2019 elections, say fact-checkers
As India’s parliamentary election nears its end, fact-checkers report a spike in fake news circulation on social media. “We knew it was going to increase, and it has,” Pratik Sinha, co-founder of the fact-checking site Alt News, told Quartz. The volume, he said, is approximately 40% higher than normal levels. Fact-checkers at sites like Alt News spend their days manning WhatsApp tip lines, verifying claims, and writing articles that debunk misinformation and disinformation.
TikTok is regaining its position in India by paying Indians to download the app
TikTok is back with a vengeance in India. The Chinese short-form video app has moved up sharply in a ranking of the most downloaded smartphone apps in India within just two days after it returned on Google and Apple stores in the country after a week-long ban. On April 30, the day TikTok was restored on the app stores, it was the 90th most downloaded app on the Google Play Store in India and the 13th among the category of “social” apps, reports the analytics platform App Annie.
Italian monuments to porn stars: Indian fake news is now plain absurd
As India heads for the last three phases of its general election, social media misinformation is turning especially ridiculous. A vivid example of this is a video of a man pointing at grand buildings in Italy, claiming they are owned by Rahul Gandhi, president of the leading opposition party, the Indian National Congress.
Italian monuments to porn stars: Indian fake news is now plain absurd
As India heads for the last three phases of its general election, social media misinformation is turning especially ridiculous. A vivid example of this is a video of a man pointing at grand buildings in Italy, claiming they are owned by Rahul Gandhi, president of the leading opposition party, the Indian National Congress.
This YouTuber is helping Indian fans make sense of Game of Thrones—in Hindi
Millions of Indians love watching Game of Thrones (GoT)—and for some of them, that involves overcoming a hefty language barrier. English access is a complicated issue in India. While an estimated 30% of the country’s 1.3 billion people have some aptitude in the language, only a much smaller fraction is estimated to have full proficiency.
Is Twitter doing as much as Facebook on fake news in India?
India’s general election is almost half way through, but Twitter is set to combat a niche category of fake news only now.
TikTok download ban lifted by India's Madras high court
TikTok is likely to be available for download in India again soon. The Madras high court, which had earlier asked the central government to ban the short-form video app, vacated its interim order today (April 24), legal news portal Bar and Bench reported on Twitter. With over a billion downloads—nearly 300 million of whom are by Indian users—TikTok has quickly become a global phenomenon.
Facebook political ads show Modi is still king of social media in India
If India’s 2019 parliamentary polls were to be judged entirely by the political advertisements on Facebook, it is all about economics. These ads have predominantly focused on the economy and development. It’s even more clear who is grabbing the limelight: Prime minister Narendra Modi’s name features in far more of these ads than those of his rivals and allies.
Facing #MeToo allegation, Indian chief justice says judges are now wary of hiring female staffers
A recent allegation of sexual harassment against thechief justice of India is now reportedly being cited by other judges to keep women off their staff. At a supreme court meeting earlier this week, chief justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi claimed that many judges had requested that “only male staff” be posted at their residential offices, “to avoid a potential situation of the kind in which the CJI finds himself,” The Times of India newspaper reported on April 23.
An Indian court lifts the ban on downloading TikTok
TikTok is likely to be available for download in India again soon. The Madras high court, which had earlier asked the central government to ban the short-form video app, vacated its interim order today (April 24), legal news portal Bar and Bench reported on Twitter.
Reliance Jio has set a new global record for 4G availability
After giving its local rivals a run for their money, Reliance Jio has now set a global record. Recently, the telecom firm led by India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, registered a national 4G availability rate of 97.5%: the highest in the world that London-based mobile analytics firm OpenSignal had ever recorded.
Modi’s BJP is back to being the top Facebook advertiser amid Indian elections
India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is once again the top political advertiser on Facebook in the country for the week ended April 13, after a steep drop-off the previous week. Its latest ascent has come through spending on ads for its official party page, and not proxy pages, as has previously been the case.
A data theft case amid Indian elections sparks fears of voter manipulation
Some of the worst fears surrounding the Indian elections and the country’s biometrics-backed identity programme may be coming true. According to a complaint filed with the police in the southern Indian state of Telangana, sensitive data of over 78 million Indians may have been misused to influence voting in at least two states in the country.
‘Behave responsibly’: TikTok is asking Indians to guard against fake news this election season
In India, TikTok is mostly known for being home to videos of silly antics and movie lip-syncing. But the app now also has plenty of user-generated political content – a matter of which the company seems wary. TikTok, owned by Chinese tech unicorn Bytedance, recently began displaying a public service announcement, or PSA, to its users when they search for some politically relevant hashtags.
Even TikTok is warning Indians against election-related fake news
In India, TikTok is mostly known for being home to videos of silly antics and movie lip-syncing. But the app now also has plenty of user-generated political content—a matter of which the company seems wary. TikTok, owned by Chinese tech unicorn Bytedance, recently began displaying a public-service announcement (PSA) to its users when they search for some politically relevant hashtags.
Google celebrates the beginning of India’s parliamentary election 2019 with a doodle
The second “O” in the Google doodle today (April 11) has been replaced by the drawing of a hand with an outstretched, inked finger—a representation of someone who has voted in India. The doodle marks the beginning of India’s 2019 parliamentary elections, which will take place in seven phases starting today through late May.
Automated bots manipulated Twitter traffic before Narendra Modi’s visit to Tamil Nadu: US think-tank
In February, two duelling hashtags – one in support of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and one opposing him – used bots to boost their messaging. The overall traffic driving both hashtags was heavily automated, finds a report by the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, but the pro-Modi hashtag far more so. In fact, the pro-Modi traffic even showed a record-breaking level of automation, according to a method the US think-tank uses to quantify traffic manipulation.
Everything you need to know about India's parliamentary election
Starting this week, almost 900 million people will be eligible to vote in the world’s largest democratic contest ever—a record that’s set and broken with each consecutive Indian election. After five years of rule by an alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the key question at play here is whether Narendra Modi will be able to keep his job as prime minister for another five-year term.
Pro-Modi Twitter bots manipulated a hashtag at a record-breaking rate
In February, two duelling hashtags—one in support of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and one opposing him—used bots to boost their messaging. The overall traffic driving both hashtags was heavily automated, finds a report by the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFR Lab), but the pro-Modi hashtag far more so. In fact, the pro-Modi traffic even showed a record-breaking level of automation, according to a method the US think-tank uses to quantify traffic manipulation.
What is Facebook going to do about Modi’s secret fake-news factory?
India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to be many steps ahead of Facebook’s initiatives to stay transparent about the funding of political advertising. A secretive organisation reportedly managing its campaign appears to have successfully worked around the social media platform’s ad transparency measures for months.
Data leaks could wreak havoc in India, so why aren’t they an issue this election?
India’s government leaks data like a sieve, and it’s putting people at risk. The latest instance was reported on April 01, when technology website ZDNet reported that an Indian government agency had left sensitive medical records of 12.5 million pregnant women online, in a database that wasn’t even password protected. This is only the latest in a slew of dozens of data leaks and cybersecurity lapses that have plagued the Indian government over the past few years.
Most of the pages Facebook purged recently were pro-Congress—but the BJP took a much bigger hit
There is more to Facebook’s purge of Indian political pages than meets the eye. The social media site’s announcement yesterday (April 01) that it had taken down Indian accounts engaged in “coordinated inauthentic behaviour,” and the ensuing media coverage, suggested that the development had a lopsided effect on the Indian National Congress.
Indians looking for extramarital affairs are thanking the supreme court
The striking down of two colonial-era laws in India seems to have provided a boost to online dating in the country. Six months ago, India’s supreme court struck down section 377, which criminalised homosexuality. Soon after, it also scrapped section 497, which criminalised adultery.
Inadequate rights, poor conditions: A study reveals the plight of India’s gig economy workers
25 minutes ago Aria Thaker, qz.com Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Share Tweet Email Reddit Print The last decade has seen India’s technology startup industry have its moment in the sun, with ample funding from global investors and sky-rocketing valuations. However, there’s one group that’s getting the short end of the stick: The hundreds of thousands of gig economy workers who are contracted by these young companies – drivers, delivery personnel, and others.
‘It was a lapse in judgement. I lost my will to fight’: Rajat Gupta on not testifying in his trial
27 minutes ago Aria Thaker, qz.com Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Share Tweet Email Reddit Print After years of reticence, Rajat Gupta has a lot to say – and some regrets about what he wishes he’d said sooner. The former managing director of consulting firm McKinsey & Company, who was convicted in a high-profile insider trading case in 2012, wishes he had testified in court during his trial. He shares this regret, and more, in his memoir Mind Without Fear.
Should India worry about deepfakes affecting the upcoming election?
A new and rapidly evolving video technology could intensify the problem of fake news in India. Those who have peddled video disinformation in the country till now have generally used old footage as recent events. For instance, a 2017 air show clip was circulated as evidence of India’s airstrike on Pakistan last month. Also, parts of speeches have been mischievously edited to make certain politicians’ views unpalatable. Essentially, though, it has all been a low-tech affair. Deepfakes are different.
How Ola, Uber, Foodpanda treat their contract workers in India
The last decade has seen India’s technology startup industry have its moment in the sun, with ample funding from global investors and sky-rocketing valuations. However, there’s one group that’s getting the short end of the stick: The hundreds of thousands of gig economy workers who are contracted by these young companies—drivers, delivery personnel, and others. Some of the best-known Indian startups also have some of the worst working conditions for these workers, according to a recent study.
India-born former McKinsey chief says the jury that convicted him was “suspicious of immigrants”
After years of reticence, Rajat Gupta has a lot to say—and some regrets about what he wishes he’d said sooner. The former managing director of consulting firm McKinsey & Company, who was convicted in a high-profile insider trading case in 2012, wishes he had testified in court during his trial. He shares this regret, and more, in his memoir Mind Without Fear, published yesterday (March 24).
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