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Did you always long for an <keyword id="2073152" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="India-focused-Wikipedia">India-focused Wikipedia</keyword> that would provide all relevant information about the country? Well, you are there, almost. A couple of days ago, the <keyword id="44734" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-Government">Indian government</keyword> has launched <a href="http://vikaspedia.gov.in/index">Vikaspedia</a>, a multi-lingual portal that enables access to crucial information across six key areas – <keyword id="6355165" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Agriculture">agriculture</keyword>, <keyword id="6354750" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword>, <keyword id="6355445" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Education">education</keyword>, <keyword id="6356140" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="social-welfare">social welfare</keyword>, <keyword id="6357014" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="energy">energy</keyword> and <keyword id="6391682" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="e-governance">e-governance</keyword>. The site also features a handful of <keyword id="2073193" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="G2C">G2C</keyword> (<keyword id="2073195" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Government-to-citizen">government to citizen</keyword>) and <keyword id="2073194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="G2B">G2B</keyword> (<keyword id="2073196" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Government-to-business">government to business</keyword>) services besides discussion forums, impact stories/case studies, <keyword id="2073160" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Learning-resources">learning resources</keyword>, mobile app downloads, and news &amp; events. 
 <keyword id="2065138" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vikaspedia">Vikaspedia</keyword> is currently available in five languages including Hindi, English, Assamese, Marathi and Telugu. But going forward, there are plan to make it accessible in all 22 Indian languages. 
 The portal is a part of the <keyword id="2073165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="India-Development-Gateway">India Development Gateway</keyword> (<keyword id="209592" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="IDG">IDG</keyword>) initiative, aimed at offering information and ICT-based knowledge products and services in the <keyword id="2073167" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Social-development-domain">social development domain</keyword>. IDG is being run by the <keyword id="260126" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="department-of-electronics">Department of Electronics</keyword> and <keyword id="6363148" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="100" keywordseo="information-Technology">Information Technology</keyword> (<keyword id="382618" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="deity">DeitY</keyword>). Vikaspedia has been developed by the <keyword id="64489" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Centre-for-Development-of-Advanced-Computing">Centre for Development of Advanced Computing</keyword> (C-DAC), Hyderabad. 
 
So how does Vikaspedia bring value to our everyday life? Since it is a government-run information portal and not a crowd-sourced Indian Wiki, don’t expect to find interesting ‘Leaks’ here that will give you an insight into State documents and policy-making. But this one promises to be better than the run-of-the-mill government repositories. 
 For one, authorities say it is part of the initiative to <keyword id="2073175" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Democratise-information">democratise information</keyword>, leveraging the power of the Internet. And that claim is true to some extent. Earlier, fast, hassle-free access to real-time and crucial data was quite unthinkable and people had to pay for it as well. But from now on, most of it will be made available for free. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the paid <keyword id="6356198" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="RTI">RTI</keyword> (<keyword id="55120" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Right-To-Information">Right To Information</keyword>) services will be scrapped any time soon. But with Vikaspedia in place, one can access the essential information for free. 
 Moreover, the portal gives you a fair idea of what’s currently happening in the e-governance space. The section on ‘Mobile Governance’ is especially relevant, given the fact that India has around 110 million mobile Internet users, out of which 25 million are in <keyword id="6355185" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="rural-india">rural India</keyword>. In fact, 70% of rural India’s active Internet population access the Web via mobile phones while 42% of rural India’s users prefer using the Internet in local languages. 
 “As the rural landscape in India is set to take the advantage of the flourishing <keyword id="2073177" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ICT-initiatives">ICT initiatives</keyword> pioneered by various institutions, more specifically the <keyword id="775561" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Common-Service-Centres">Common Service Centres</keyword> (CSCs), Vikaspedia offers the much required content and services in local languages that makes the difference in the lives of the people,” the site says. That essentially underlines that Vikaspedia can enter the big league as the information portal supports regional languages and focuses on e-governance services/mobile seva available across the country. The site also features a number of utility apps for free download including <keyword id="1559456" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ask-an-expert">Ask An Expert</keyword>, <keyword id="2073179" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="SHELTOR">SHELTOR</keyword> (<keyword id="2073180" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Student-HostEL-locator">Student HostEL locator</keyword>) and <keyword id="21785" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="mother">MOTHER</keyword> (<keyword id="2073182" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MObile-based-maTernal-HEalth-awaReness">MObile based maTernal HEalth awaReness</keyword>), an app for monitoring maternal health. 
 
 
 While launching the portal, <keyword id="409418" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="J-Satyanarayana">J Satyanarayana</keyword>, Secretary of DeitY, noted that <keyword id="71187" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</keyword>, an <keyword id="2073183" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Information-repository">information repository</keyword> built on online crowdsourcing of content, is so popular that it is being used for official and legal purposes. Although Vikaspedia is not in the same space, it will be a single-point reference for the above six fields, featuring content specific to the Indian context. 
 
Those still pining for an Indian Wiki will be pleasantly surprised when you find a few similar features even on Vikaspedia. For instance, you can <a href="http://vikaspedia.in/register">register</a> here as a <keyword id="2073188" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Content-contributor">content contributor</keyword> that will allow you to add a new page of content, edit the existing content and create discussion topics. We are still not sure if the portal is open to <keyword id="2073184" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Content-crowdsourcing">content crowdsourcing</keyword> and editing just like Wikipedia does, but this option looks quite suggestive. Registering as a member is a breeze but last we tried registering as a content contributor, an error message came up persistently. Does it mean the feature is not currently available to the masses? 
 That’s not exactly democratising data but we feel that at the initial stage, only authorised institutions/organisations can deliver and edit content, instead of individual contributors. But even then, an interactive repository of developmental data (after all, members can still participate in discussions and provide <keyword id="154361" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="feedback">feedback</keyword>), along with easy access, could just be the first step towards more <keyword id="2073190" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Transparent-governance">transparent governance</keyword> and <keyword id="1857924" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="People-Empowerment">people empowerment</keyword>. Vikaspedia can bridge the <keyword id="2073191" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Knowledge-divide">knowledge divide</keyword> and therefore, the <keyword id="2073192" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Opportunity-divide">opportunity divide</keyword>, which may gradually ensure the economic and social well-being of India’s 1.3 billion-strong population. 
 
Main image: Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images

This Portal Is
Not An Indian Wikipedia, But Claims It Is Democratising Data For People
Empowerment

Gurugram, June 4 (IANS) Samsung on Thursday launched Galaxy A31 in 6GB-128 GB variant with 48MP quad-camera set up and 5000mAh battery for Rs 21,999 in India. A31, which is the third Galaxy A smartphone in India this year, with 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity U display will be available in Prism Crush blue, black and white colours across retail stores and leading online portals. "Galaxy A51 has gone on to become the global best-seller in a very short span of time. We are happy to announce the new Galaxy A31 which carries the DNA of A series - awesome screen, awesome camera and long-lasting battery life - at a more affordable price point," said Aditya Babbar, Director, Mobile Business, Samsung India. The real camera set up offers 48MP main camera, 8MP Ultra Wide sensor, 5MP macro camera and 5MP depth that helps 'Live Focus' shots to make the subject always stands out. It sports 20MP front camera to let you take high-resolution selfies. The front camera also supports the Live Focus feature. The device comes with 5000mAh battery that gives you a video playback time of up to 22 hours. It also comes with 15W fast charging. Galaxy A31 comes with 128GB internal memory along with the largest expandable storage capacity of up to 512GB via a dedicated Micro-SD card slot. Galaxy A31 sports an advanced Octa-core processor, 6GB RAM and also comes with AI-powered game booster technology. There are certain 'make for India' Alive Intelligence features in Galaxy A31. The 'Useful Cards' feature helps reduce clutter in the SMS inbox and lets consumers find useful information quickly and easily. With 'Multilingual Typing', consumers can converse effortlessly using intelligent and meaningful suggestions in local languages. Another 'Smart Crop' helps users save, share or edit the most relevant part of the screenshot with a single tap, said the company. --IANS na/

Samsung Galaxy A31 launched in India for Rs 21,999

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="71187" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</keyword> is a free <keyword id="433581" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="online-encyclopedia">online encyclopedia</keyword> featuring openly editable content created and sourced by users from around the world. </li><li>Wikipedia is a volunteer service, powered and maintained by a full-time staff and thousands of contributors who work for free. </li><li>Many facts on Wikipedia are supported by cited sources; however, Wikipedia is not considered reliable for research or other academic use. </li><li>Wikipedia offers a community hub where users can communicate and collaborate about shared interests, projects, and pages. </li></ul>If you've spent any time online, chances are you've read a few (or a few hundred) articles on Wikipedia. Launched in 2001, the free <keyword id="9645" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Encyclopedia">encyclopedia</keyword> reportedly played host to <a href="https://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/TablesWikipediaZZ.htm">upwards of 50 million articles</a> in more than 300 languages in 2018, which are currently visited by <a href="https://stats.wikimedia.org/#/all-wikipedia-projects">more than 1.5 billion devices</a> a month in 2020. While Wikipedia isn't the only site of its kind, it's undoubtedly the most prominent — a powerhouse of information on everything from celebrities to science. Anyone can sign up for a Wikipedia account and create a page about anything, even themselves. Here's everything else you should know before you start using the online encyclopedia. <h2>What you should know about Wikipedia</h2>In short, Wikipedia is a multilingual, openly collaborative online information platform. Like the "wikis" that came before it, the online encyclopedia's content is editable by volunteers from across the globe. Wikipedia has tens of thousands of editors, from issue experts to the casual fans, who can expand, delete, or change information at will. This allows for a wide array of information to be supplied and verified about a particular person, place, or thing. As a result, Wikipedia can function as a great starting point for research, providing users with general information that can be followed up with more legitimate and reliable sources outside of the site. For instance, a Wikipedia article may introduce a reader to a particular concept or idea, leading to further exploration of the finer details and the veracity of the claims made. <div type="image" title="What is wikipedia 1" height="862" width="1890" msid="79454763" hostid="261"></div>Like its information, funding for the platform is crowd-sourced. Being a user-funded effort means Wikipedia operates entirely on user donations and grants with the ultimate aim of bringing free knowledge to everyone.<h2>Wikipedia's reliability </h2>While it's somewhat reassuring to know that there are seemingly no corporate interests funding Wikipedia and its articles, it doesn't mean that all pages escape personal bias and misinformation. Anyone with internet access can change a Wikipedia page, which means that the information on pages isn't always reliable. On some occasions, it may even be entirely false, as the company itself <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About#:~:text=Wikipedia%20is%20written%20collaboratively%20by,to%20prevent%20disruption%20or%20vandalism.">has said</a>. While administrators try to ensure facts are appropriately cited and sourced, it's impossible to catch all inaccuracies, which is why using Wikipedia as a legitimate source of information is frowned upon in academia and other professional settings. <div type="image" title="What is wikipedia 2" height="291" width="1602" msid="79454767" hostid="261"></div><h2>Wikipedia features and tools </h2>When users go to <a href="http://wikipedia.org">Wikipedia.org</a>, they'll get access to the millions of pages of information it has to offer. You can then view it through a table of contents or a current events filter. You can even try its <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Random Article" tool</a> if you're feeling adventurous. The site also has <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Community_portal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a community portal</a> where you can find FAQs about editing Wikipedia, meet new editors, ask research questions, and get help solving disputes. <div type="image" title="What is wikipedia 3" height="1266" width="2800" msid="79454769" hostid="261"></div><h2>Related coverage from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-reference" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tech Reference</a>:</h2><ul><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-add-words-to-android-dictionary">How to add words to the internal dictionary on your Android device, and add shortcuts for longer words</a></h3></li><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-add-words-to-iphone-dictionary">How to add words to your iPhone dictionary with Text Replacement, so your iPhone automatically recognizes them when you type</a></h3></li><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-chromium">What is Chromium? A guide to Google's open-source software project, which runs some of the world's most popular internet browsers</a></h3></li><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-flipboard-app">'What is Flipboard?': How the social news app and its digital features keep you informed</a></h3></li><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-google-scholar">'What is Google Scholar?': What you need to know about Google's database for students, researchers, and other curious minds</a></h3></li></ul>

What is Wikipedia? Here's what you should know about the crowd-sourced and openly edited online encyclopedia

<ul><li>With a lot of uncertainty around, people are turning to TV channels and websites to constantly check the news updates. With this, Twitter has seen an increase in its mDAUs. </li><li>It is now organising workshops and rolling out new features to help journalists package news developments in easily accessible formats for their audiences. </li><li>Amrita Tripathi, Head News Partnerships, <keyword id="749437" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Twitter-India">Twitter India</keyword> shares with us a few reasons why the mDAUs have seen a spike in the last quarter and how the platform is helping journalists communicate with readers swiftly and at scale.</li></ul>As the entire world navigates the challenges of these volatile times, citizens are relying on newspapers and media organisations to bring to them authentic, verified and quick updates. However, as people hungry for information have been scouting for and sharing any bit of information related to the pandemic they are coming across, it has also given rise to another problem - that of <keyword id="2479020" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fake-news">fake news</keyword>. Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed an onslaught of unverified, unreliable pieces of news articles doing rounds on various social media and messaging platforms. There’s been such a massive spread of false information, not just in India but across the globe that commentators started referring to this as a ‘disinfodemic’, stated the United Nations. And it is to combat this pandemic of a different kind that Twitter has rolled out a few features to help media organisations keep a check and package the news developments in easily accessible formats. Before they start their day, journalists can quickly get a read on what questions are on the public's minds, understand which and how many hashtags to use, where to put images and videos, etc via Twitter’s real-time training. Explaining what role Twitter plays as a platform for media houses, Amrita Tripathi, Head News Partnerships, Twitter India said, “Newspapers and media organizations have a significant role in fighting today’s challenge and spreading correct information at a regional, city-wide and national scale. They also have the additional responsibility of ensuring that people get the information they need, news they can use, in an easily accessible format. This is really where Twitter’s role as a platform that exists to serve the public conversation becomes even more critical. Media professionals such as journalists, health editors and news stations can quickly get a read on which questions are top of mind (like queries around<a href="https://twitter.com/i/events/1240504706855628800"> Hand Sanitiser vs Soap </a>as The Hindu did) and in turn provide their audiences accurate and trustworthy sources of information. This is all done in real-time, in a conversational and engaging way.” Twitter’s training workshops for journalists includes lessons such as: <ul><li>How to join and drive: The real-time conversation around breaking news</li><li>How to <a href="https://business.twitter.com/en/blog/How-Tweet-threads.html">Thread Tweets</a> so audiences can get the full context of a story</li><li>Why it’s important to use Images and Videos where you can</li><li>How to create Twitter lists to showcase team members that audiences can follow for credible updates on a particular topic </li><li>How to make Tweets relevant by using the most relevant hashtags (and not more than 2!) to be able to join in the larger conversations. For example, to follow Tweets on India’s efforts and actions to combat the virus, <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23IndiaFightsCorona&amp;src=typed_query">#IndiaFightsCorona</a> might be the hashtag of choice</li><li>How to ensure that Tweet, Retweet and engage with content responsibly. Ensure the source of your information is credible. Do not misinform or be misinformed by sharing unverified messages or screenshots unless they have originated or been verified from an authoritative source. #ThinkBeforeYouShare</li><li>How to report abuse on Twitter and keep teams safe</li></ul>This isn’t the first time Twitter is attempting to position itself as a news-centric social media platform. It rolled out its ‘Moments’ feature to help organisations curate news in a visually appealing manner that allowed users to find all information in place -- outside of their timelines. It also started sending live news alerts to get users hooked onto its platform. As a result, in the past few months, Twitter has seen more people turning onto its platform to participate in the public conversation and follow what’s happening in real-time. Its average monetizable DAU (mDAU) grew 24% year over year to 166 million. Sharing with us the reasons behind this uptick, Tripathi said, “This growth was driven by typical seasonal strength, ongoing product improvements, and global conversation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is our highest reported year-over-year growth rate till date. The service has also added 14 million average mDAUs since the previous quarter.” Twitter India has multiple news partnerships in place -- both from an editorial and revenue point. Right now, they are focusing on localisation and reaching out to different kinds of news portals, irrespective of their size. The news partners can also explore their tools and features to optimise their engagement, reaching a wider audience, which includes Lives, Twitter Threads, Twitter Moments. “We are actively working with news publishers and journalists to familiarise them with the best ways to use the platform and optimise their content for engagement. This is across languages, as the audience base in India is diverse and multi-lingual. The aim is to make real-time updates accessible to everyone across India, so we are also working with media organisations to share content in various Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil and Marathi. We also want to ensure that we can work with and train partners across the spectrum, and independent mid-size publishers as well as massive news networks! People can see some of our partnerships showcased via the Explore tab when you scroll through the latest news stories, and some even on the Twitter India handle,” said Tripathi. Today, every journalist is a COVID-19 journalist. However, Tripathi recently learned that media houses are now focusing on doing lighter stories instead. “It’s been interesting to hear from editors that there is some fatigue with COVID-19-related coverage, and many newsrooms are expanding their focus into positive and uplifting content, as much as keeping a close watch on the developments in real-time. A key learning during this crisis has been precisely how closely the mission of Twitter to serve the public conversation ties in with the mission and purpose of journalism to provide people with the best possible information they need,” shared Tripathi. Twitter has also incorporated a dedicated COVID-19 search prompt - when <keyword id="68160" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="twitter-users">Twitter users</keyword> search for related COVID-19 information, the search prompt highlights content from credible sources such as national health agencies and the World Health Organisation. To make the search prompt relevant for local communities, Twitter has partnered with local agencies in countries across the world. In India, the search prompt directs people to the official Ministry of Health and Family Welfare websites. And to help small news organisations continue their work in the face of new economic strains and to directly support journalists, Twitter also contributed $1 million to the Committee, Protect Journalists and the International Women’s Media Foundation. Twitter India will be soon rolling out more features to help its news partners reach out to a wider audience.

As Twitter introduces steps to combat fake news, it has added 14 million monetizable Daily Active Users since the last quarter

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=%E2%80%8BSnapdeal">Snapdeal</a> would be available in 11 new regional languages by 26th January 2016. Apart from English, the e-commerce portal can be accessed in Hindi, Telugu, Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Assamese and Punjabi. 
 
The company plans to reach an additional 130 million smartphone users in India, thus making digital commerce accessible to all. 
 
Commenting on the launch, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Rohit+Bansal">Rohit Bansal</a>, Co-Founder, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=%E2%80%8BSnapdeal">Snapdeal</a> said , “Less than 2% of the Internet’s content is available in Indian languages. It’s such an acute dilemma. Our decision to go multi-lingual is driven by the feedback that we have received from our users.” 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=%E2%80%8BSnapdeal">Snapdeal</a>’s Customer Care however would continue to offer language support in 5 languages only. Seller experience and subsidiaries like FreeCharge and Shopo will have to wait too. 
 
“We’ll prioritize based on the data that we collect from consumer experience and feedback. As new consumers join our portal, we’ll roll out 12, and then 22 languages. Right now we’re focused on the Jan 26th deadline”, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Anand+Chandrasekaran">Anand Chandrasekaran</a>, Chief Product Officer, Snapdeal said. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=%E2%80%8BSnapdeal">Snapdeal</a>’s Grammar Engine that made this possible is based on algorithm and human curation, Vikas Banga, VP Engineering, User Growth explained. “We started with a team of around 8. Currently we have about 20 people working on Project Bharat. We have one language expert for each language, and we feed in corrections based on observation.” 
 
The new experience would be available across all platforms on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=%E2%80%8BSnapdeal">Snapdeal</a>. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Snapdeal
to be available in 11 new regional languages

<div type="image" msid="54427818" hostid="261"></div> <keyword id="176127" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Intel-India">Intel India</keyword> claims to have made the experience of personal computing real for more than 250,000 local citizens till now, thanks to their Unnati Kendras. The technology giant <keyword id="28115" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Intel">Intel</keyword> is also investing ₹1,100 crore in its upcoming R&amp;D centre, which can create 3,000 jobs. Unnati Kendras were inaugurated last year and are on-ground facilities serving as common access digital learning centers for local citizens, focusing on education, entrepreneurship and innovation. Each centre is equipped with Intel powered devices, vernacular language content, and relevant training programs for local citizens in the state, to create opportunities for skill development and digital empowerment. 
 Since the launch of the first centre in April 2016, Intel India has seen an average of 47 citizens entering each <keyword id="3331525" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Unnati-Kendra">Unnati Kendra</keyword> per day, and of these, 18 requested demos in basic PC skills. 
 
According to Intel data, 44% of the walk-ins wanted to use computers to access e-learning and educational content, with 28% aspiring to use computers for creative self-expression, and 28% for entrepreneurial activities. 33% of this universe were students and youth between 18 and 25 years old and 22% were women, who are the early adopters and change agents in these new markets. 
 
Debjani Ghosh, Vice President, Sales &amp; Marketing Group, and Managing Director, South Asia, Intel said, “Technology relevance and access are crucial for a knowledge economy, and given that majority of the Indian population resides in non-urban areas, the vision behind Ek Kadam Unnati Ki Aur has been to make digital skills mainstream in those towns. This milestone is a moment of pride for all of us, and just the start of something bigger. Through continued work with the government and the ecosystem, we strive to make a tangible difference to individual lives and communities through the power of the computing.” 
 
Meanwhile, Sandeep Aurora, Director, Marketing at Intel South Asia said, “As the next wave of technology adoption comes from non-urban India, Ek Kadam Unnati Ki Aur has been oriented specifically for these markets. We have worked with nearly 20 eco-system vendors to ensure that the Unnati Kendra experience has enabled first-time users in regional areas to better understand how computing technology can be integrated to improve their daily lives.” 
 
User rights: 
 
According to the user insights from the centres, the top PC-based activities have been video-based computer training, understanding e-commerce, browsing detailed information on government policies, e-mail and applying for jobs on job portals. 
 Village Level Entrepreneurs in charge of the centers are taking on the mantle of Unnati Gurus or local knowledge bearers of technology, who are responsible for demonstrating the basics of PC usage to walk-ins on Darpan, a multilingual user interface which comes in six regional languages. These trained personnel are conducting daily in-depth sessions on <keyword id="6372493" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-literacy">digital literacy</keyword>, computer skills and internet facilities, along with dedicated guidance sessions in entrepreneurship, language and vocational training to improve the educational and employment prospects for local citizens. 
 The 100 centers in Tier II, III, IV and V towns are in operation across 11 states pan-India; <keyword id="68884" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telangana">Telangana</keyword> (14 centers), Uttar Pradesh (14), Andhra Pradesh (13), Haryana (11), Maharashtra (11), Tamil Nadu (10), Karnataka (7), Gujarat (6), Assam (5), Chhattisgarh (5), and Kerala (4). The centers are also being used as platforms for the delivery of last mile digital services and government related information about Digital Literacy, Financial Inclusion, and Healthcare, for the benefit of local citizens. 
 
Of the 11 states, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh witnessed the highest footfall and interest in PC literacy. Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, which have the highest number of Unnati Kendras in any state, with 14 centres each, together account for 115,000 individuals experiencing the power of the PC, almost half the national total, while Maharashtra has outperformed the national average, with a weekly footfall of 1000 citizens across 11 centres.

How Intel is digitizing rural India

<ul><li>The technology major reported a 0.3% growth in dollar revenue in constant currency terms.</li><li>Operating margin of 25% was better than most estimates.</li><li>The company declared a dividend of ₹5 a share along with its earnings.</li><li>These are some of the big deal wins as declared by the management.</li></ul>Technology major <keyword id="385529" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="TCS-revenue">TCS revenue</keyword> barely grew in the three months between October and December 2019. However, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rajesh Gopinathan highlighted a slew of large deals that the company bagged in the last quarter. The aggregate TCV for this quarter is $6 billion, adds up to $18 billion for the first three quarters of the fiscal year. It shows the level of activity in the market, the CEO added. These are the new deals and extensions listed by the company in its statement <ul><li>Walgreens Boots Alliance, a leading North American pharmacy retailer, selected <keyword id="6357150" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tcs">TCS</keyword> as trusted partner to accelerate the work on transforming its critical pharmacy operating system leveraging TCS contextual knowledge. The solution will be cloud native with modern architecture enabling <keyword id="6355515" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="business">business</keyword> agility and improved customer's experience. </li><li>Petco, America's leading pet specialty retailer, selected TCS Optumera™, the award-winning AI-powered merchandize optimization suite, to hyper-localize and optimize its store products and space strategies in an integrated way, with greater speed and precision in decision-making, and deliver an improved end-to-end customer experience. </li><li>IAG Tech, part of International Airlines Group, has extended its strategic technology partnership by selecting TCS to support existing datacenter infrastructure and services. This multi-year managed services contract will optimize and support datacenter operations, standardize processes and technologies, and reduce the legacy IT footprint to enable IAG's datacenter transformations across all operating companies. </li><li>Chosen by Bayer, a leading life sciences company, as a strategic partner to provide IT transformation services across the pharmaceuticals and consumer health business, as well as in the area of corporate functions and HR across the enterprise. TCS was selected for its capabilities in research and development, as well as track record in delivering large and complex engagements. </li><li>Selected by a France-based global pharmaceutical company, for end to end transformation of the user experience, enabled by Digital Workplace Services, leveraging the combined strengths of next gen analytics and cognitive automation with robust global service delivery capability. </li><li>Selected by one of the largest pan-Asian life insurance groups to deliver a major cloud transformation and modernization program, leveraging Agile techniques, to enable hyper personalized customer experience and to support future growth. </li><li>Engaged by a UK-based multinational pharmaceutical company to deliver an Agile/Dev-Ops transformation of its IT Research and Development operating model. This value-driven Agile culture will enable the company to deliver "medicines that matter" and change patient’s lives by focusing on a unique equation combining Science x Technology x Culture. </li><li>Chosen by a global banking and financial services holding company as its partner for transforming its FDIC compliance regulatory reporting. </li><li>Selected by CSL Behring, a leading rare diseases biotech company, as a strategic business technology partner to help consolidate and transform its operations and business enablement model and support its accelerated growth plans. </li><li>Chosen by a major UK-based financial services company, to re-imagine and transform the employee experience by implementing a persona-centric, modern and collaborative Digital Workplace to dramatically improve workplace productivity, co-ordination, agility and innovation. TCS will also transform the security ecosystem to provide superior protection against major cyber threats. </li><li>Selected by a leading UK-based multinational energy and utilities company as their strategic innovation-ecosystem partner for transforming their product portfolio and innovating at scale. The engagement includes building capabilities for legacy modernization, cloud transformation, integration of acquisitions, and AI-based data security compliance with GDPR/CCPA regulations. </li><li>One of Australia’s leading banks is expanding its strategic partnership with TCS to drive service management transformation in its Consumer Banking, Business Banking, Institutional Banking businesses and corporate functions. As the single partner of choice, TCS will enable this transformation leveraging TCS’ Run-the-Bank framework and assets, Machine First™ Delivery Model and its cognitive automation product, ignio™. </li><li>Chosen by a pioneering high-end luxury fashion group based in France, to transform their global finance and supply chain functions for better customer experience and efficient operations. TCS will lead the design and deployment of the enterprise resource planning template to rationalize applications for their North America operations to ensure faster time to market, streamlined fashion management supply chain cycle and greater efficiency. </li><li>Selected by a US-based multinational pharmaceutical company for enabling real-time analytics to optimize their business functions including manufacturing, sales, transportation, scrap &amp; raw materials inventory, and quality metrics analysis. TCS will develop a solution on a leading public cloud platform using state-of-the-art data analytics and visualization technologies. </li><li>Selected by a global leader in the transportation and storage of specialty chemicals, to stay ahead of changing markets by modernizing its big data platform on the cloud. This will help unlock the power of data, accelerate the growth and transformation journey for organizational agility, and deliver enhanced business ROI. </li><li>Engaged by an American Fortune 100 energy company, for enhancement and managed services for their IoT-based mobile field management suite of applications. This application is used to track their real time field problems, relevant maintenance service, resource planning, outage management and periodic inspections. </li><li>Engaged by one of the largest telecom service provider in USA, to implement an online device registration portal leveraging a leading IoT platform to enhance their connectivity management API with real time inputs, provisioning, monitoring, usage management, reporting &amp; analytics integrated with messaging, location services and firmware management features. </li><li>Engaged by a leading US-based automated pool accessories manufacturer as partner in their connected pool IoT solution for its line of residential pool equipment to generate additional revenue streams and increased market share from hi-tech value-added services. </li><li>Engaged by one of the largest American multinational technology companies, to transform their current legacy and home-grown HR systems and processes, and enable their transition to a unified cloud platform for seamless employee onboarding, superior engagement and experience. </li><li>Selected by a leading American health insurer to improve engagement of customers and partners, while creating new efficiencies in related business functions. A leading cloud-based health insurance CRM platform will replace the legacy front and back-office systems, reimagining how business is done and provide a unified experience across business functions. </li><li>Engaged by a US-based bank to streamline its customer engagement channels and operations, migrating its legacy technology applications to a leading cloud-based financial services CRM solution. This move will consolidate business processes and systems across its retail, wealth, and commercial lines of business, to increase customer wallet-share. </li><li>Selected by a leading networking company based in the US to manage onboarding, migration, and integration of its most recently acquired company to its operations and enterprise platforms on the cloud. This integration will ensure that the investment made in the acquisition is maximized through cross-selling solutions across the respective customer segments. </li><li>Chosen by a British semiconductor and software design company for its employee experience transformation program designed to consolidate its diverse HR portfolio into a harmonized platform which will help improve employee experience. </li><li>Engaged by a global pharmaceutical giant based in Germany to deliver digital content production services for its global marketing needs as part of its renewed go to market strategy. </li><li>Selected by a global medical devices company, to prepare for scaling blockchain solution for tracking movement of surgical supplies. The pilot solution that has been deployed to improve visibility from manufacturing through distribution would be evolved to scale up transaction volumes in 2020. </li><li>Selected by a global leader in airline catering, retail-on-board and hospitality products and services, to host their ERP and Analytics applications on the TCS Enterprise Cloud Platform, and provide ongoing support for ERP administration. </li><li>Selected by a major UK insurer for transforming its IT infrastructure to meet dynamically growing business requirements, leveraging the TCS Enterprise Cloud Platform. </li><li>Engaged by a leading global financial services firm, as the strategic partner to modernize their application portfolio, currently on legacy mainframe systems, to a leading public enterprise cloud platform by leveraging TCS' Cloud Migration &amp; API factory model. </li><li>Chosen by a leading multinational bank based in Europe to govern and manage their risk and assurance process for security infrastructure. TCS will enable it to transform to a new operating model leveraging its Machine First approach, and migrate their SOC to a cloud to optimally support increased demand with real-time analysis and visualization of machine data. </li><li>Engaged by a Netherlands-based global semiconductor manufacturer as a delivery and innovation partner to transform their overall security posture, by setting up a robust security operations center with contextualized threat intelligence and orchestration, leveraging intelligent automation technologies. </li><li>Engaged by a leading American coffee company and coffeehouse chain to support their security operations including Public Key Infrastructure, privileged identity management, web single sign on and federation, virtual directory, external identity management and automated provisioning. </li><li>Selected by Aptiv PLC, a global technology company, as a strategic partner to continue to advance their IT Infrastructure Operations by bringing in business aligned, scalable, secure, digitally automated operations using cognitive tools powered by the MFDM™ framework. </li><li>Selected by one of the largest agricultural products firms, to provide end to end infrastructure services with a new engagement model leveraging service reliability engineering &amp; digital technologies. The scope includes cognitive technology powered service desk, field services, digital workplace services, client experience and unified collaboration services, cloud and on-premise hosting services, security and global network services. The proposed solution and operating model will prime their Global IT Infrastructure for the future, ensuring business continuity and transformation. </li><li>Selected by a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in USA, to enhance and transform their end user experience through TCS’ futuristic Digital Workplace Services Solution that is based on zero touch, nextgen technology and experience-focused services. TCS’ intuitive, immersive and intelligent UX solution, leveraging MFDM™-based service delivery, cognitive automation capabilities, and persona-based analytics, will deliver a hyper-personalized, reimagined experience to their customer-facing workforce. </li><li>Selected by a financial software and risk solutions to render digital workplace services on a hybrid cloud solution leveraging a leading public cloud platform and TCS Enterprise Cloud Platform. TCS’ Machine First design, leveraging automation and chatbots, security and support services, will result in improved customer experience, reduced onboarding timelines and higher user productivity. </li><li>Chosen by a US-based global fashion retailer to improve the customer experience and drive online business growth by implementing a leading enterprise CRM platform with a Machine First approach leveraging chat bots for enhanced response times and enriched contextual customer conversations. TCS will also drive the consolidation of multiple contact centres into a single digitally enabled multi-lingual center to enable better call handling, customer up-sell and cross-sell. </li><li>Selected by a leading US-based multinational technology company, to transform its procurement operations, deployment engineering, network deployment services. TCS will leverage its Machine First approach to automate and expedite hardware deployment and procurement functions to bring in agility and efficiencies to one of the largest and widely spread global cloud operations.</li></ul>See Also: T<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-third-quarter-earnings-1-2-dollar-revenue-growth-ceo-commentary-and-other-highlights/articleshow/73327973.cms?src=hp_ts">CS third-quarter earnings ⁠— 0.3% dollar revenue growth, CEO commentary and other highlights</a>

These are the big deals bagged by TCS in the the last three months

The conventional financial world is now in for a swanky over-haul. Our outmoded and almost obsolete systems will be revamped, while we expand our reach to ensure financial inclusion for all. There is an insane amount of cash influx and a revolution called FinTech that is steering these financial institutions through new, unchartered waters. Partnerships are formed and stakeholders collaborate forming new businesses, giving birth to technological trends that astonish us every day. 
 
In such a bustling environment, entrepreneurs find it difficult to keep pace with changing times. For some the journey is cut short, while some catch wind and sky rocket to success. In such trying times, several platforms are proving to be extremely effective for entrepreneurs. Fintegrate Zone 2017, a 3-day thought leadership conclave being held in Mumbai, is one such place which aims to give several brave entrepreneurs and their promising endeavours a much needed boost by directing them down the right path. Before you move on, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/fintegrate-zone-2017-awaits-explosion-of-ideas-as-changemakers-gather-to-script-fintechs-future-growth-story/articleshow/57275280.cms">read more about this upcoming event and all that is in store.</a> 
 Now, being an entrepreneur is not easy, especially when you are trying to innovate in this complicated field of finance mingled with ever-evolving technology. The <keyword id="6356925" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BFSI">BFSI</keyword> sector is vast, especially when interlinked to technology like Blockchain, API’s, robotics, Indiastack and presents a multitude of opportunities for innovators. 
 
Let’s examine the investment sector alone for instance. For decades, we have been banking on middlemen for their advice. We rush to investment agents at the last minute, especially at the end of the year to avoid huge tax cuts. Such methods of investments do lead to costly mistakes. Why such lethargy and neglect? Try following the stock market or those lengthy and complicated charts that define your investments growth story. Complicated, isn’t it? It's here that entrepreneurs are understanding the pain points of individuals and are painstakingly trying to simplify it. 
 
Here’s a look at 3 inspiring individuals who quit their amazing jobs in the corporate world to start their own ventures, not just to make a change but to be the change. 
 
<keyword id="215868" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amit-Sharda">Amit Sharda</keyword> 
Co-Founder of Fund Expert 
 
Amit is backed by 16+ years of experience in creating software solutions for a variety of verticals from education to Artificial Intelligence. In his past stints with previous ventures he realised that 2 out of 3 individuals either lack basic knowledge of investments or were too busy to follow-up on their invested surplus. This was a serious problem that needed a solution. “Most investment portals floating in the market barely scratched the surface of the problem, all they did was give suggestions on which product suited an individual’s need. Seasoned advisors in their individual capacity do help many investors on how to invest, re-invest or rebalance their portfolio, but their capacity is minimal and reach limited, to connect with the millions in need,” says Amit. 
 He and his supportive team at Gumption Labs set out to dissect the problem and created a technology based solution namely Fund Expert. A mutual fund platform that lets you on-board in 5 minutes with instant e-KYC and no signatures or documentation required. It lets you import your portfolio from any other transactional platform letting you track your already invested mutual fund transactions too. And most importantly it allows you to constantly and seamlessly monitor your portfolio from buying and selling to rebalancing, thus generates the maximum wealth you need. It can be remarkably customised to suit an individual’s requirements. What makes it unique is the insight received from advanced artificial algorithms, it seamlessly auto-manages a portfolio based on user inputs, data and risk management capabilities. Fund Expert so far has seen a well-received adoption of their product, validation and proof of concept from <keyword id="6386585" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Barclays">Barclays</keyword> Rise Accelerator and additionally a $50,000 USD from Village Capital as seed investment. 
 
Sougata Basu 
Founder and CEO of Cash Rich 
 
Sougata’s tremendous past experiences managing 12,000 crore of investments for a renowned brand has played a vital role in his current journey. During his interaction with the investment market at large he realised there was a lot of miss-selling due to tendencies to maximise commissions and revenues. Like Amit, he too realised the herculean task at hand and that automation was the only way out. In his research he realised most existing apps in the market had a complicated user interface, with multiple charts, graphs and plenty of financial jargon that left people confused. Another pain point that struck him, people did not have access to in depth information on investments. Every individual needed to have ample knowledge or had to investigate a product independently before transacting. This is when the idea of Cash Rich was born. Sougata adds, “Cash Rich is a straightforward, transparent and uncomplicated mobile investment app. This app lets you track where and when of investments along with allowing you to withdraw from the same. It allows users to manage and grow their money effectively.” 
The ability of the app to personalise investment options is excellent, it displays investments suitable to you depending on your data input, thus simplifying the process of choosing. 
 
Sougata intends to unveil and demonstrate his app, Cash Rich, at Fintegrate Zone 2017. He eagerly looks forward to it and the exchange of ideas at this conference which will help him decipher the key trends that will play out in future and lateral product plans. 
 
Bhargavi Sridharan, 
Co Founder &amp; CEO, FinMitra 
 
“Make a difference in the world, on your terms and address a fundamental problem that nobody is tackling. Our education system unleashes a workforce that knows trigonometry but lacks the basic knowledge about income tax. I believe financial literacy is equivalent to basic literacy and everyone should know it. A country cannot progress when its citizens do not have access to formal financial services and the understanding of what it is.” 
 
This is how Bhargavi describes her calling to the FinTech world. A decade of experience with a renowned group has seasoned her to take on this laborious task of revolutionizing everyone’s connection to their money. FinMitra, is a multi-lingual, predictive Financial Advisory &amp; Transaction Platform. It aims at refashioning how people spend, save, borrow and invest. A proprietary algorithm helps generate customised investment options based on individual goals, income and risk profile. E-KYC simplifies the identification process in a zip and investments can be made at a click of a button. 
 
Through FinMitra, she intends to eliminate biases that come with transactional commissions and profit making perspectives. Their philosophy is clear, good quality financial advice comes without a sales target assigned to it. The FinMitra team strongly believes in the absolute need for financial empowerment. Its vision is to empower every student, employee and the community at large towards financial literacy. 
 
More such #Finteresting journeys of inspiring entrepreneurs, who are changing the FinTech landscape coin by coin, will be captured by the upcoming ‘Fintegrate Zone 2017’. Meanwhile, you can discover more enthralling ventures <a href="https://blog.fintegrate.zone/">here</a>. 
 
Interestingly, experts forecast a tremendous 360 degree turn in the way financial services are witnessed today. Every innovator could be a catalyst to such a change. Change makers like Fund Expert, Cash Rich and Finmitra are some of the intelligent minds who will transform the financial paradigm. The latest technological advancements like Blockchain, API’s and Artificial intelligence are milestones in the financial evolution. But these are just the tip of the iceberg, while a whole transformation lies beneath the surface ready to evolve.

Keep your eyes on 'Fintegrate Zone 2017' as it highlights the inspiring journeys of real change-makers in the FinTech world

<div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMIZAdghQZo">YouTube</a></div></div>PARIS (Reuters) - "I am French," explains the young man in the YouTube video carrying a Kalashnikov and wearing a kufiya cotton headdress as he sits in front of a waving black-and-white flag of al Qaeda.
"Oh my Muslim brothers in France, Europe and in the whole world, Jihad in <keyword id="6354913" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Syria">Syria</keyword> is obligatory," says the fair-skinned youth with sandy hair, wispy beard and southern French accent, imploring viewers to join him and his younger brother in Syria.
"There are many Muslims in the world and we need you."
Although the United States and its European allies support rebels fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, they consider some rebel groups to be dangerous terrorist organizations linked to al Qaeda.
Officials in Western countries say they are worried about the threat from their own nationals going abroad to fight in Syria and one day returning to carry out attacks at home.
"There is a key factor in the Syria war now: the number of French nationals who are fighting there. It is a problem of national security," a senior French diplomat told Reuters.
Radicals heading to Syria are learning about the war online from social media like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and user forums. Security experts say that makes it harder than ever to disrupt the networks that might lure them in.
"The Islamist radicalization going on today isn't with preachers anymore, acting within mosques, but individuals who are using the Internet as a means of propaganda," said sociologist Samir Amghar, author of the book "Militant Islam in Europe."
As the West considers strikes on Syria to punish Assad's government for suspected chemical weapons attacks, as many as 600 Europeans have already joined the rebellion against him, according to the European Union, which in May recommended better tracking of social media to spot foreign fighters.
A much smaller number of Americans are also believed to be fighting. A Muslim convert from Michigan was the first U.S. woman believed to have been killed alongside the rebels in May.
Computer experts and police say online recruitment is particularly difficult to disrupt because of the dizzying volume of material, time lags in capturing digital evidence, the difficulty of cross-border cooperation and the uncertainty of securing convictions in countries that safeguard free speech.
"I describe it as a Sisyphean task," said Shiraz Maher of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King's College, London. "You try and pull it down and it will come back in one form or another."
"How do you begin to challenge this? It's just practically impossible to do, it's out there in such quantity."
<h3>"VISIT SYRIA!"</h3>
Syria has now eclipsed conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Mali to dominate web discussion by Islamists. Some 40 different rebel factions are uploading status reports from the ground in Syria in real time, said senior analyst Laith Alkhouri of security consultancy Flashpoint Global Partners.
Just a few keystrokes can uncover Germans, Italians, Belgians, British, Americans, even Australians - Muslim-born or recently converted - on social networking sites encouraging their countrymen to leave their homes and take up arms in Syria.
"Oh brothers! You don't need someone to take you by the hand to get there. A bit of resourcefulness and you're off!" wrote "Erwan" in a June 23 posting on French radical Islamist forum Ansar Al Haqq. He included links showing the easiest way to Syria from Turkey.
Authorities sometimes choose to shut or sabotage the sites of groups they identify as terrorists, as the United States and Britain did in corrupting online issues of al Qaeda's "Inspire" English-language magazine.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said in June that police had removed over 5,700 pieces of online terrorism content since 2011. Yet that is only a fraction of the estimated 50,000 extremist sites globally, according to the University of Arizona's Dark Web Project, which collects and analyses data from global jihadist forums.
While governments and major social networking sites quickly take down material deemed clearly offensive, such as videos of prisoners being beheaded, most content is less clear cut.
Authorities seeking to curb what they consider to be dangerous material on the Web have to make fine distinctions between political speech that is protected in most Western countries, and incitement to violence which is banned.
Sociologist Amghar said many of the sites are promoting an ideology, rather than calling for violence.
"The objective of many of these sites is not to incite individuals to commit attacks but rather to keep the idea ofJihad in the forefront of people's minds," he said. "The hard part to gauge with precision is what's the impact."
In a sign of the difficulty of stamping out extremism on the Internet, both France and Germany abandoned movesto block such content in the past two years.
The West's opposition to Assad muddies the issue further. It means any Westerners fighting against the government - and anyone on the internet urging them to do so - are ostensibly on the same side as Western authorities.
France's top anti-terrorism judge, Marc Trevidic, foresees challenges in prosecuting return Westerners who return home, given the difficulty of tracking their movements in Syria and proving they joined groups, such as the al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, that Western states consider terrorists. A recruiting video may fall short of proof needed for conviction.
"We consider that wanting to fight Jihad is being a terrorist. But things aren't so simple," Trevidic told an anti-terrorism parliamentary committee in February.
France has opened five formal Syria-related terrorism investigations but no cases have yet been decided by a judge, according to a justice ministry source.
Across the Atlantic, a U.S. citizen, Eric Harroun, was indicted in June by a federal grand jury for allegedly fighting alongside the al-Nusra Front. He can be been seen in online videos posing with weapons and boasting of successful attacks.
<h3>"THANK YOU, YOUTUBE"</h3>
There are benefits to leaving extremist online material in place, security experts say.
"It's an excellent tool for intelligence," said criminologist Alain Bauer, a former security advisor to French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy. "Western intelligence agencies should give Facebook, YouTube and these other sites a medal."
Eighty percent of terrorism cases before French courts rely exclusively on evidence from the Internet, according toa May 24 parliamentary report on terrorism.
"There's a sense of 'disrupt the flow' when they can, and also a sense of 'leave it be, let's monitor'," said Maher.
When authorities do try to take material off the Web, they are often too late to be effective. It may take months before YouTube responds to a government request to remove an offending video. In the interim, hundreds of copies may have been made and reposted, fuelled by buzz about the video on Twitter.
A system in which users flag inappropriate content is faster, but given that 72 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute, it's not fast enough to keep such content offline.
"It takes five minutes to upload a one-hour video but it might take five months to get YouTube to be aware of this video," said Flashpoint's Alkhouri.
A spokesman for Google, which owns YouTube, said the company responds quickly after users flag content forbidden under policy guidelines, such as incitement to violence.
Given the flood of volume, Western police agencies need smarter tools allowing them to pinpoint and analyze the most dangerous content, a capability most don't have, said Hsinchun Chen, who runs Dark Web at the University of Arizona.
"The analogy is drinking water from the fire hydrant, the content just keeps coming through and how do you monitor that?"
Chen's Dark Web portal relies on multilingual data mining and content analysis to gather and sift through terrorist web content. He said a similar systematic method of collection is currently used only by Israel and one U.S. security agency.
"(Intelligence agencies) are experts in investigations but most of them are not experts in computer science. They don't have the resources or the will or the capability to collect large amounts of information on a systematic basis," Chen said. "They should have it, and it's available."
That also raises privacy issues, which have come to the fore in the United States since former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the National Security Agency collects huge amounts of data from phone calls and internet traffic.
In its May report, France's parliamentary commission recommended strengthening the technical means and automation of Internet surveillance. It added that high-level engineers were "impossible to recruit."
<h3>URGENT OR LONG-TERM THREAT</h3>
Fighting online extremist content requires a cross-border response as websites may appear in one country but be hosted in another. But information-sharing can be slow and the sensitive nature of terrorism cases adds further delays.
"As soon as you talk about terrorism and national security there are other rules of the game," said Troels Oerting, head of the European Cybercrime Centre at Europol, which helps countries monitor the Web. "National security is very national, it's not very international."
One such example is Malika el Aroud, a Belgian-Moroccan convicted in 2007 by Switzerland for operating a website that recruited militant Islamist fighters to Afghanistan, only to launch a similar site across the border in Belgium. A Belgian court ultimately sentenced her to prison in 2010.
Police are likely to devote more effort to immediate local threats than hypothetical future threats, like those that might be posed by returned fighters from Syria.
"If I'm an intelligence officer in Paris and my primary concern is to make sure nothing happens on the Metro, I'm not immediately concerned by the guy saying, 'Go to Syria,'" said radicalization expert Maher.
"The urgent threat is the guy sitting in a Parisian suburb building a bomb," he said. "You have to balance resources between that threat and the important more slow-moving threat that will germinate and come to fruition in years to come."
(Additional Reporting By Mark Hosenball in Washington; Editing by Peter Graff)

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