Category: Science & Tech

Our journey towards making visa processing more agile and efficient is very much about the ongoing digital transformation that is impacting all industries. This positive development, among other things, cannot be realistically achieved without relying on the collection and processing of data to create knowledge, competencies and capabilities. This collection and processing requires a governance oversight to ensure that it’s not used to the detriment of the individual. To this end we have seen an upsurge in data protection legislation in the last few years.

In fact, properly regulated and controlled data protection practices do not have to jeopardise the digitisation of our industry; on the contrary they enhance it by maintaining trust and credibility with customers, partners, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders. In short, good data protection practices have a positive effect on the bottom line.

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation designed to harmonise personal data protection laws across the EU member countries, and it entered into force on May 25, 2018. It addresses issues of transparency around personal data usage by companies and gives more control to the individual over their personal data. This far-reaching regulation marks a new stage in the development of data privacy practices in Europe.

Eighteen months on, I have narrowed on three selected takeaways from GDPR that I deem most relevant to our practices in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Automate: Automation via dedicated privacy software is the key to GDPR compliance in large organisations like VFS Global as it enables an organisation to easily know where personal data is located in complex systems. It also helps to fulfil the requirement to keep a record of processing activities. This enhances data security by knowing where all your important personal data is located, and this ensures a rapid response in the event of a data privacy incident or a data access request.

Properly handle personal data: The GDPR obligations for protecting personal data are directly applicable to services like ours. GDPR requires that companies explain how they handle personal data via their privacy notice using ‘clear and plain language’. It is important to see if a company has posted a privacy notice or policy, which should include a simple explanation of how they collect and use data in compliance with applicable laws. We have to make sure that our 1,400 websites are compliant – taking care of simple things like cookies, the small files placed on the computer from the browser session. In certain countries, we have to seek permission to put those files on an individual’s device. Also, if we are using any analytics, like Google Analytics, we have to make the individual aware that we are doing so, and allow them to not accept it.

Be proactive: Services must analyse how GDPR affects their business processes and take proactive steps in achieving compliance. To this end, VFS Global adopts the concept of privacy by design and default. What that means is wherever we have a business or technical process, we look at the outcomes of that process and make the default one – the one that preserves the privacy of the individual.

With high penalties in place, there is a huge financial risk for companies in case of non-compliance. There are also real risks to reputation or brand image. Therefore, we must take GDPR obligations very seriously, and external validation through standardisation bodies helps organisations ensure that they are on the right track to comply with GDPR.

Equally important is the fact that customers are concerned about where and how their personal data is being captured when using services. Most regulations, including GDPR, are designed to ensure that personal data that can be linked to an individual are not shared without the permission or knowledge of the individual. We also know that most consumer concerns centre around their private information, such as personal pictures and other details.

New regulations like GDPR are a big step towards better-protected data. However, this is still the beginning of the journey.

As a company that handles large volumes of applicant information (for visas and citizen services), one of VFS Global’s biggest focus areas is to have an uncompromising approach to maintaining information security at every level of the process. In fact, VFS Global is one of the few companies globally that was already able to comply with the requirements of GDPR when it came into effect in May 2018.

To enable use to be GDPR-compliant, we have a 13-point data privacy and protection framework that has over 130 measurable metrics that enables us to monitor data protection across the organisation. This level of monitoring naturally requires an investment in skills and technology to implement and manage such a framework.

Barry Cook is privacy and group data protection officer at VFS Global. Views expressed are his own and do not reflect the newspaper’s policy.

The coronavirus outbreak, which has hampered global tech giants’ 2020 plans leading to cancellation or postponement of global flagship conferences, is set to hit supplies of smartphone components from China to India at least till the second quarter of this year.

While smartphone manufacturing has picked up in India over the past few years, the country is still dependent on China to a large extent for supplies of components.

According to Tarun Pathak, associate director, Counterpoint Research, India’s smartphone market will see at least 15 per cent shortfall in shipments in the first quarter (January-March period).

“Whatsoever shipments were to arrive in India have come by February end but the problem will get bigger this month as Chinese manufacturing plants were almost shut last month. We are keeping a close vigil and are updating the industry situation very week,” Pathak told IANS.

“There will be impact to new devices to be launched in the first half which have facilities in China, as factories will not function properly. Components sourced from China will also be impacted as all factories will resume operation slowly and cautiously,” according to Peter Richardson, Research Director, Counterpoint Research.

Smartphone sales in China may also see a 30 per cent drop during the lockdown period which is likely to last through the end of March.

“The negative impact from the supply chain side will last until the end of Q2 minimum,” said Richardson.

The tech industry saw this coming albeit slowly.

With new coronavirus or COVID-19 now spreading its tentacles across the world – 57 countries affected so far – tech giants have scrambled to cancel or postponed their flagship conferences one by one as large gatherings have been put on hold in some countries with several cities declaring state of emergencies.

The bigger worry, however, is the disruption of the global supply-chain that is set to impact the manufacturing – from smartphones to consumer electronics – by the middle of this month if the coronavirus cases keep swelling in numbers.

The worst is yet to come.

According to Harvard Business Review (HBR), the peak of the impact of Covid-19 on global supply chains will occur in mid-March, forcing thousands of companies to throttle down or temporarily shut assembly and manufacturing plants in the US and Europe.

“The most vulnerable companies are those which rely heavily or solely on factories in China for parts and materials. The activity of Chinese manufacturing plants has fallen in the past month and is expected to remain depressed for months,” said HBR in its report on Friday.

The SARS epidemic started in the Guangdong province in 2002 and led to 8,000 cases in 2003. During that year, the GDP of China represented 4.31 per cent of the world GDP.

By contrast, the number of detected cases of Covid-19 has already passed 80,000 with close to 3,000 deaths – and China represents about 16 per cent of the world GDP – an almost four-fold increase, said the report.

Supply lead times will also have an impact.

“Shipping by sea to either the US or Europe takes, on average, 30 days. This implies that if Chinese plants stopped manufacturing prior to the beginning of the Chinese holiday on January 25, the last of their shipments will be arriving the last week of February.

“All this suggests that there will be a spike in the temporary closures of assembly and manufacturing facilities in mid-March,” said Pierre Haren and David Simchi-Levi in the report

Data is a key pillar in the strategy to realise the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into one of the world’s smartest cities, said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council.

Dubai’s ability to enhance the efficiency of its services and facilities through smart solutions is a key indicator of its readiness in executing Sheikh Mohammed’s vision for preparing the country for greater successes over the next 50 years.

“With the technology and digital revolution transforming the world, data management has become a key driver of the new economy. Being a pioneer in implementing advanced data management is a key element in our strategy of leading the new economy taking shape across the world,” said Sheikh Hamdan.

“Investing in data management is critical for Dubai to achieve its vision of becoming the happiest city in the world and enhancing the UAE’s global competitiveness. It also has a big role in increasing the decision making capabilities of government entities and developing policy and strategic initiatives to achieve the highest levels of efficiency.”

Data First, the city’s data challenge is a strategic step in Dubai’s journey towards the future, which requires the city to implement new ‘fourth industrial revolution’ tools and solutions. Sheikh Hamdan said the initiative gauges the real contribution of each entity in Dubai’s digital transformation and called on the Smart Dubai team to further enhance the Dubai Pulse platform to meet the requirements of the next 50 years.

Sheikh Hamdan’s remarks came on the occasion of the announcement of the winners of Data First, The City’s Data Challenge. The challenge recognised entities that have made the most significant contributions to fostering a data ecosystem in Dubai. Participating entities were evaluated against five key criteria: Compliance with the Dubai Data Law (from July 2019 – Jan 2020); participation in Smart Dubai Data workshops (which enhances ecosystem engagement); collaboration in response to data requests from other government and semi-government entities; increase in the availability of data sets on Dubai Pulse by participating in ingestion cycles; and support for a data-driven culture through internal and external workshops and awareness programmes.

Sheikh Hamdan announced the highest scoring teams and entities in Data First, The City’s Data Challenge. Roads & Transport Authority won the Leading Entity in Data Award – Large Entity, while Knowledge and Human Development Authority won the Leading Entity in Data Award – Medium and Central Entity

Dr. Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr, Director General, Smart Dubai, said: “Today, we reap the fruits of our close cooperation with leading government entities across Dubai, who have worked diligently with us to ensure they are in full compliance with the Dubai Data Policies. Our wise leadership has placed high priority on the sector, calling for the establishment and administration of data platforms, populated with data from government and private entities to support the city’s smart-city transformation.”

Smart Dubai launched the six-month-long Data First, The City’s Data Challenge in July 2019, to encourage its data partners to expedite their efforts to collect and share data. The Challenge enabled the Emirate of Dubai to provide more innovative use cases and support smart decision-making at the leadership level, as well as across government agencies. The Data First, The City’s Data Challenge initiative was launched to incentivise government and private entities to multiply their efforts to administer, collect, and share data on the Dubai Pulse platform as part of the larger goal of supporting decision makers and building a strong data-driven society.The Challenge was held over a period of six months, during which the Smart Dubai Department held four workshops to help participating entities accelerate their progress towards realising the award’s criteria. In the first workshop held in August 2019, 52 representatives from 35 entities that accepted the Challenge, were introduced to the criteria of the competition.

Younus Al Nasser, Assistant Director-General of Smart Dubai and CEO of Smart Dubai Data (SDD), said: “Data First, The City’s Data Challenge highlighted the deep understanding government and semi-government entities in Dubai have about the importance of data and its potential to expedite Dubai’s plans to transform into the smartest and happiest city on earth. The winners of the Challenge have exhibited commendable levels of compliance with the Dubai Data Framework and Policies, populating the Dubai Pulse platform with pertinent data – and our journey is just the beginning.”

The UAE is early in the game and has the early mover advantage. Envisioning Smart Dubai and creating platforms like Data Challenge only reiterates UAE’s commitment and long term vision to make better use of data!

Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, product manager at ManageEngine Labs, said: “Data is being rapidly commoditised and marketplaces built around data have been evolving at a rapid pace. Today, data is the key to an entity’s (company/country) success. It doesn’t stop at data collection, but the way you build processes around it, stick to compliance practices and above all, the way you infer decisions over the data and make it actionable matters a lot! A wealth of good data practices can elevate the quality of life and can touch across fields from sanitation to banking and greatly improve global competitiveness!”

Data is the silver bullet to faster growth and will be a competitive advantage in the global arena. More localisation laws will prevail and the west will no longer host the world’s major data centers. Huge investment in UAE data centers means better opportunities and faster growth. It also shows the region’s commitment to emerging tech and how it’s becoming globally competitive.

Technology giant companies recently announced opening data centers in the UAE and they are responding to a huge demand for these services. As more companies move through digital transformation, they need a reliable local data center to host their cloud workload securely. New legislations and governances have helped spread the need for data centers.

Zaid Al Mashari, CEO of Proven Arabia, said: “Data is an essential part of the ecosystem of any smart transformation and this is approach has enabled Dubai to have an advanced rank amongst the global cities. Also, Dubai has implemented the utilisation of data to enhance the offering of smart and efficient services across all sectors in the country. We have had access to data for a very long time, but we were not able to take the insights that data give and turn it into something strategic. Now with artificial intelligence, intelligent automation, and IoT, it is much easier for the public and private sector to utilise data strategically.”

The first UAE-made high-performance drone has taken flight.

ADASI, the regional leader in autonomous systems and services, officially launched the Garmousha vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone in a deal with the General Headquarters of the UAE Armed Forces.

The drone is a light military unmanned aircraft designed to carry 100kg over a six-hour period and 150km with a high-definition camera.

It saves manned helicopters for critical missions and can also be used to detect gas pipeline leaks, to survey infrastructure and for search and rescue operations.

Faisal Al Bannai, chief executive officer and managing director, EDGE, said: “Drone technology is revolutionising our world, creating safer and cheaper alternative to manned aircraft.

“As an unmanned system, the launch of the sophisticated Garmousha drone helps advance ADASI’s vision for the future of defence, while strengthening the company’s position as the regional leader in autonomous systems and services.”

The drone can simultaneously carry a wide variety of payloads, including a stabilised electro-optical sensor for day and night ISR collection.

With a low-consumption diesel engine, its unmanned navigation and concurrent sensor capabilities make it a versatile system capable of solving some of the most difficult challenges in rugged environments.

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has started to run real-time updates of bus timetables on Google Maps in collaboration with Google.

The transport authority said Dubai has become the first city in the Middle East to use open data in public transport, adding the launch will result in better services for passengers.

“Linking and providing instant updates of bus schedules on Google Platform will help public transport riders and keep them

informed of bus timetables, especially in the event of an anticipated early departure or late arrival,” said Khaled Al Awadi, director of Transportation Systems at RTA’s Public Transport Agency.

“Such updates will enable them to better plan their journeys and minimise potential complaints from changes in timetables for unavoidable reasons,” he added.

Previously, Google Maps used to display fixed RTA bus timetables without any updates.

The new initiative aims to overcome delays or early arrival of buses for emergency factors.

“Google Maps are commonly used and are extremely popular worldwide. The initiative is in line with our leaders’ efforts to cater to the needs of Dubai residents, especially riders of public transport; the backbone of people mobility in Dubai,” Al Awadi said.

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The four-day festival, taking place from March 25 to 28 at ADNEC, will bring together fans and creators for a range of attractions, activities, workshops and more.

Fans of online videos can attend Q&As with online stars, attend discussions, performances and interviews.

A host of online stars have signed up to attend, including actor Alex Wassabi, Rawan and Rayan, Brent Riviera, Matt Steffanina, Ranz Kyle and Niana Guerrero, Naz, Lexi Rivera.

Now YouTube star Noor Stars has also been added. Known for her beauty videos, Noor has more than 14 million subscribers on YouTube.

“I am so excited to be part of the first ever VidCon taking place in Abu Dhabi,” said Noor Stars. “It is fantastic to see VidCon coming to the Middle East for the first time, since it’s an incredibly exciting time for online video and social media platforms here.

“It’s going to be great, and I can’t wait to meet you all in Abu Dhabi.”

Twin sisters the Merrell Twins, known for their appearances on TV shows Faking It and Like A Boss, have also been added to the line-up for the event.

Video makers can also benefit from attending by learning to create better content, grow their channel, break into the industry, learn the ins-and-outs of online video and meet fellow creators

Huawei unveiled an upgrade to its folding smartphone on Monday, hoping that a faster phone with higher-quality display will encourage consumers to spend as much as $2,700 for the top-of-the-range version.

Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala have successfully exited from their joint investment in a project to eliminate “digital inequality in Russia, it has been announced.

The project is being implemented in partnership with Russia’s Rostelecom since the end of 2014. RDIF and Mubadala are now exiting from the project as it reaches the end of its investment period.

By the end of 2019, more than 11,100 access points providing free broadband internet were commissioned in 83 regions across Russia, for which over 85,000 km of fiber-optic communications lines were successfully laid.

The project forms part of a Russian government effort to provide rural settlements – of between 250 and 500 residents – with modern communication services.

Over the last three years, total internet traffic under the project has more than doubled every year. By the end of last year, over 66.7 million Internet sessions were recorded, with traffic amounting to 11 TB.

“The project to eliminate ‘digital inequality’ is an example of successfully focusing infrastructure investments in order to digitize the whole country, in line with the national goals and strategic objectives approved by the Russian president,” said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

“Funds, attracted from foreign investors and the National Wealth Fund (NWF) to finance the project, made it possible to accelerate the process of connecting small towns to the internet,” he added.

According to the RDIF, NWF funds have a yield that is 30 percent higher than that of US treasuries.

“The success of the project to eliminate ‘digital inequality’ demonstrates the efficiency of the mechanism developed by RDIF in attracting private investments into infrastructure,” Dmitriev said.

“We will continue to use our accumulated experience to improve existing mechanisms and develop new ones to improve existing mechanisms and develop new ones for attracting private investments,” he added.

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