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The <keyword id="19895221" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Competition-Commission-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Competition Commission of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Competition Commission of India">Competition Commission of India</keyword> has dismissed a complaint against <keyword id="20201307" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Google India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Google India">Google India</keyword> alleging that the tech giant abused its <keyword id="22202852" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dominant-Position" source="keywords">dominant position</keyword> to favour <keyword id="20200171" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Truecaller" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Truecaller" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Truecaller">Truecaller</keyword> in the market for caller ID and spam protection apps, as it found no evidence of violation of <keyword id="20854369" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Competition-Law" source="keywords">competition law</keyword>. While dismissing the complaint, the fair trade regulator said, "The Commission finds that no prima facie case of contravention of the provisions of Section 4 of the Act is made out against <keyword id="6355629" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google" source="Orion">Google</keyword> in the instant matter". Section 4 of the Competition Act, deals with the abuse of dominant position. The ruling came on a complaint filed by Rachna Khaira (informant) accusing Google of granting exclusive access to Truecaller to share private contact information while prohibiting other apps from doing the same. Further, she alleged that this practice has distorted the market and created a monopoly for Truecaller. The informant also alleged that Google's developer policy prohibits unauthorised disclosure of non-public contacts, and Truecaller's privacy policy, to which she argued allowed the sharing of such information. Further, Khaira alleged that Google favoured Truecaller due to commercial arrangements involving Google's cloud storage and advertising services. The regulator after reviewing submissions from both Google and Khaira, found that the informant's claims were unsubstantiated. "...the allegation of the informant remains unsubstantiated and despite sufficient opportunity, the informant has not provided any evidence to prima facie establish that Google is according either preferential treatment to Truecaller or resorting to discriminatory practises by allowing access to user's contact data to Truecaller while denying the same to the competing applications," CCI said in an order on June 24. The competition watchdog also addressed the commercial relationship allegations against the tech major, stating that mere commercial relationships do not imply preferential treatment unless proven. However, the regulator found no evidence suggesting that these changes granted Truecaller a competitive advantage over its rivals. The request for interim relief by the informant to temporarily block Truecaller from operating on the Play Store was also rejected by the competition watchdog."The Commission finds that no prima facie case of contravention of the provisions of Section 4 of the Act is made out against Google in the instant matter. Accordingly, the Information is ordered to be closed," the fair trade regulator said.

Competition Commission dismisses complaint against Google India

<ul><li>India contributes 69% to <keyword id="1106616" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="truecaller" source="Orion">Truecaller</keyword>’s revenue, so even a minor impact coming from India could have larger implications for this Sweden-based company.</li><li>The <keyword id="2617070" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="personal-data-protection-bill" source="Orion">personal data protection bill</keyword> aims to ensure that personal data of Indian citizens is safeguarded and not stored overseas.</li><li>Truecaller claims to be the third largest communication platform in India, after Facebook and WhatsApp.</li></ul>Caller identification and spam blocking app Truecaller — which will soon go for an initial public offering (IPO) in Nasdaq Stockholm, Sweden — is worried that India’s personal <keyword id="4839724" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="data-protection-bill" source="Orion">data protection bill</keyword> may end up to be a business risk for the company. The<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indias-new-data-protection-bill-makes-a-good-show-of-user-rights-but-can-it-deliver-on-its-promises/articleshow/81422687.cms"> personal data protection bill</a> is yet to be approved by the Indian parliament. Any data that can identify an individual — like names, addresses, financial information, IP addresses, cookies, device IDs and other data — are covered under the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019. The bill includes requirement of notice and prior consent to use individual data, which limited the purpose for which the companies had processed this data for. These restrictions are put in place so that only necessary data is collected. The Indian government with this will wants to ensure that personal data of Indian citizens is safeguarded and not stored overseas. Truecaller highlighted this bill as one of the risks factors to its business in the <a href="https://corporate.truecaller.com/cms/18eb93ba-f68b-4446-829c-9d1ad3add6a5_TruecallerAB_prospectus2021.pdf">IPO prospectus</a>. It plans to raise SEK 1 billion, which is about $116 million. What does Truecaller say? “If adopted, the act, which is<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indias-personal-data-protection-law-versus-europes-gdpr/articleshow/81504058.cms"> broadly modelled on the GDPR </a>[European Union’s General Data Protection Regulations] will establish a mechanism for protection of personal data and would set up a national data protection authority. It is possible that this act, if adopted and depending on the final form, could have unanticipated adverse effects on Truecaller’s business,” Truecaller said, in the IPO prospectus. “Additionally, if third parties that Truecaller works with — such as advertisers, service providers or developers — violate applicable laws or Truecaller’s policies, these violation may also put Truecaller’s information at risk and could in turn have an adverse effect on Truecaller’s business, revenue and financial results,” the company added. Penalties proposed under the data protection bill, 2019 <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Offence </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Penalty </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Processing or transferring personal data in violation of the bill </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Fine of ₹15 crore or 4% turnover, whichever is higher </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Failure to conduct data audit </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Fine of ₹5 crore or 2% annual turnover, whichever is higher </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Re-identification and processing of de-identified data without consent </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Imprisonment of up to three years, or fine, or both </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> Why will a regulation in India impact Truecaller’s overall operations? The personal data protection bill will impact Truecaller’s operations in India, which contribute about 69 percent to its overall revenue. So even a minor impact coming from India could have larger implications for this Sweden-based company. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">January-June 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">January-June 2021 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Operating revenue (global) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">SEK 169,538,000 ($19 million) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">SEK 424,670,000 ($48 million) </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Loss for the period </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">SEK 36,413,000 ($4 million) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">SEK 117,622,000 ($13 million) </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> Truecaller is the third largest communication platform in India, after Facebook and WhatsApp. About 73% — or 205 million — of its 278.1 million monthly active users are from India. It also counts companies like Uber India, Swiggy, Airtel, Flipkart, Byju’s, Urban Company, HDFC Bank, Unacademy, among others, as its key customers. India is also the biggest market for Truecaller in terms of workforce as 55% of its employees are based in the country. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tata-motors-tcs-hdfc-bank-icici-bank-and-other-trending-stocks-ahead-of-rbis-monetary-policy-meet/slidelist/86857252.cms">Tata Motors, TCS, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and other trending stocks ahead of RBI’s monetary policy meet</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/heres-why-tata-motors-is-red-hot-even-when-82-of-its-business-is-still-in-the-woods/articleshow/86849799.cms">Here’s why Tata Motors is red hot even when 82% of its business is still in the woods</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-and-youtube-say-they-will-cut-off-climate-change-deniers-from-being-able-to-monetize-their-content-and-display-ads/articleshow/86856039.cms">Google and YouTube say they will cut off climate-change deniers from being able to monetize their content and display ads</a>

Ahead of its $116 million IPO, Truecaller says India's upcoming data protection bill may affect future earnings

<ul><li>Spotify capitalised on Truecaller’s brand solutions to maximize the brand visibility and saw 30% more clicks in a single day for its launch campaign. </li><li>Zoomcar managed to achieve over 400 million impressions for its brand campaign after using Truecaller</li><li>India is the largest revenue contributor for Truecaller globally</li></ul>When Swedish mobile app Truecaller started buying and selling ad inventories programmatically in 2017, a lot of people were not aware of its potential. Fast forward to now, Truecaller’s programmatic platform has helped brands like Spotify and Zoomcar to capitalize on the platform’s 100 million daily active premium smartphone users in India, to send out their communications and see close to 500 million impressions in one day for their campaigns. Spotify launched in India in February this year and during the launch phase, the music streaming app capitalised on Truecaller’s brand solutions to maximize the brand visibility and saw 30% more clicks in a single day. By using Truecaller’s contextual capabilities, Spotify’s launch campaign, ‘There’s A Playlist For That’ ended up delivering over 500 million impressions in a single day. Similarly, Zoomcar again used Truecaller to reach out to its users across major cities, to promote its three-day offer of 100% off on bookings made towards the end of May, earlier this year. The numbers from both the campaigns are impressive. Both Spotify and Zoomcar saw 500 million and 400 million impressions respectively for their campaigns. We recently spoke to Tejinder Gill, Vice President Global Sales, Truecaller to understand how the programmatic ecosystem has evolved in the country in the past few years. Sharing his views on some of the biggest advantages of using programmatic advertising, Gill said, “When you look at it from a publisher’s lens, programmatic has helped us get better yield. We get more money for our inventory and everything can be optimized automatically at the back-end. We’ve now also started offering guaranteed deals called ‘Programmatic Guaranteed’ through which we can sell all our premium inventories like Roadblocks programmatically.” Gill further shares that moving to programmatic has also helped in bringing about a lot of operational efficiencies. “We no longer need a big team. Currently, three people are managing ad operations and programmatic for Truecaller globally, which includes large markets like India, Middle East and Africa. On an average, these people manage over 100 campaigns a month, which means three campaigns per day, which is a pretty high volume,” adds Gill. It has also helped in regularizing payment cycles, he shares. Gill believes programmatic is very helpful for marketers too, who now know exactly where their campaigns are running, which has given them a lot of confidence and control over their campaigns. “They are also getting better insights and are able to optimize their campaigns. They know how frequently we are reaching out to consumers and what geographies they are from,” he explains. The fact that the pricing is transparent has also helped win over a lot of clients, shares Gill. Speaking about how Truecaller helped them reach their target audience and drive effectiveness, Varun Jha, Chief Marketing Officer, Zoomcar, said, “Through Truecaller, we managed to achieve over 400 million impressions for our brand campaign. By tapping such a large quality audience through Truecaller, we were able to generate user interest that led to direct conversions during our campaign. Having witnessed such exceptional metrics, we would surely partner with Truecaller in the future for our brand promotion.” Sharing her experience, Neha Ahuja, Head of Marketing - India, Spotify said, “Being recent entrants to the Indian music streaming landscape, collaborating with fellow Swedish app Truecaller truly accelerated our launch campaign in India. It helped us gain scale and connect with potential 1.3M users who clicked on our ads through Truecaller.” Gill also feels that programmatic has evolved a lot in the last few years. He shares that close to 70% of marketers are today choosing to transact programmatically. Moreover, during the first phase, only display ads were available programmatically. However, today, YouTube mastheads, and inventory on Facebook and Google can be bought programmatically, which is leading to the entire ecosystem moving towards programmatic. So how important is India for Truecaller in the global scheme of things? ‘Very’, says Gill who shares that India is the largest market for Truecaller globally. “India is far ahead of the curve in terms of programmatic when compared to a lot of other markets like MENA and Africa. We are also the largest revenue contributors and will continue to grow as we scale up,” he adds.

How Truecaller Helped Spotify and Zoomcar Reach 500 Million Impressions in a Day

We are moving on to a more connected world and are increasing surrounded by more ads, whether we know it or not. From social media, to ‘free’ apps, <keyword id="6372272" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="advertisements">advertisements</keyword> are everywhere and that is ominipresent in the most connect device- the Smartphone. While we expect ads to pop up on new websites and in our inbox, Truecaller- the company that enables us to find out who is calling to avoid tele-marketers, is now also going to be featuring ads on its platform, albeit a little differently- with six-second videos.<div type="embedgroup"> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="60423749" title="This Green coffee is replacing green tea for health enthusiasts" rank="1.0" kind="RELATED" publishDate="Sep 08, 2017, 3:35 PM" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div></div>
 <keyword id="1106616" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="TrueCaller">Truecaller</keyword> announced that it will be launching Truecaller Ads Manager, a self-serving platform for its ads, and soon be enabling advertisers to launch six-second videos on its platform. Truecaller Ads Manager will open its unique ad inventory to small and medium businesses and will enable small and medium sized businesses to manage their ad campaigns running on Truecaller’s ad platform proactively, enabling scale to reach a larger audience in a personalised manner. <div type="embedgroup"> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="60425253" title="Here’s how Razorpay’s new office symbolizes the growth of the fin-tech startups" rank="1.0" kind="RELATED" publishDate="Sep 08, 2017, 6:45 PM" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div></div>
 <keyword id="1679569" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ted-Nelson">Ted Nelson</keyword>, Chief Commercial Officer, Truecaller told Business Insider said, “With this launch, we aim to fast track programmatic <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> in India. As the consumption of video content across entertainment and media is soaring in India, this will enable businesses to showcase their brand to their consumers by leveraging video content to reach their audiences. The idea behind six second videos is to engage the user without boring him/her.” <div type="embedgroup"> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="60752113" title="Food influences holiday choices for 87% of Indian Travelers according to Airbnb" rank="1.0" kind="RELATED" publishDate="Sep 19, 2017, 6:48 PM" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div></div>
 As video consumption drives mobile usage in India, the move will allow marketers and advertisers to achieve top-of-the mind recall and increased brand awareness. The six-second video ads will further help them drive purchase intent and deliver contextually relevant messages to their audiences. Truecaller Ads has grown as a platform with over 300 per cent the past 12-months, and has recorded 200 million impressions on its ads, in India, according to the company.

In a bid to attract advertisers, Truecaller introducers Ads Manager for Small and Medium Businesses

<ul><li>Many research studies conducted across the world show that women are more stressed and discouraged since the pandemic began as they take on an increasing amount of responsibility at home and in their careers.</li><li>The ad, media and marketing industry has a lot more women today than a decade ago. However, many drop out by the time they reach mid-management levels, primarily due to the lack of flexible hours and ever-increasing workload.</li><li>So this Women’s Day, we decided to speak to women in leadership positions about how we can make women feel welcome at workplaces. They told us how employers can support women and create a more high-trust, inclusive environment for the future.</li><li>The women leaders we spoke to believe organizations need to prioritize training more women, to prepare them for leadership roles, and this should be a part of the company’s culture.</li></ul>In the work-from-home era, the responsibility of unpaid domestic work and raising kids has fallen on Indian women more than men. This has affected their ambitions and careers, widening the gender gap at the workplace. A McKinsey report found that women around the world have been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has heightened the large and small inequalities—both at work and at home—that women face daily. One in four women are considering leaving the workforce or downshifting their careers versus one in five men. Women only form less than a third of the workforce in marketing, sales and less than a fifth in data analysis, and artificial intelligence, revealed a World Economic Forum’s 2020 study. Another survey by Deloitte found that 51% of women are less optimistic about their career prospects than they were before the pandemic. A lot of women who have chosen to stick to their jobs have missed out on a fair promotion or raise. A LinkedIn report shows that 85% of women in India have missed out on a raise, promotion because of their gender. Women’s careers are observed to have been more adversely affected despite increasing flexibility at work, as 68% of women and 74% of working mothers in India say it is difficult to balance career and familial responsibilities today. More than 7 in 10 women and working mothers in India also say that household responsibilities often come in their way of their career progression. As you move up in the hierarchy of the corporate world, there’s also a lack of women leaders in the upper rungs. As per Egon Zehnder Global Diversity Report 2020, women in India occupy 5% of executive chairs and 10% of non-executive chairs. The report indicates that only 11% of committee chairs are held by women, while the number stands at 27.3% globally. Having said that, the world of advertising, marketing and media has seen a lot of <keyword id="3275573" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="women-in-leadership-roles" source="Orion">women in leadership roles</keyword>. While we are still far from an equal man-woman ratio in the industry, it is heartening to see more and more women take the top spots. On the other hand, advertising and media are industries that hold a lot of power in shifting perceptions and mending beliefs. The advertising industry was infamous for perpetuating gender stereotypes -- from a sacrificing mother to a man being the bread-earner, the portrayal of women has remained very shallow for years. How brands depict women and their role in society has evolved today, she is independent, she has a voice and is slowly learning to care less about society’s judgement, but we haven’t taken a big leap yet. She is still a woman who is ‘aesthetically pleasing,’ fair-skinned, doesn’t come from a minority community and is a little far from real. There’s almost no progress towards including transwomen in women’s day ads or communication throughout the year. Once we achieve an equal number of gender representation inside Indian advertising agencies, media organisations and the marketing world, there will be diverse opinions in a brainstorming session, leading to better B2C communication. So this women’s day, we decided to speak to women in leadership positions about how we can make women feel welcome at workplaces. They told us how employers can support women and create a more high-trust, inclusive environment during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what they had to say about improving equality at work: Meghana Dave - Head Marketing &amp; PR, Lamborghini India: Power v/s Purpose, women inherently are purpose-driven. The changing environment requires leadership that is driven by adaptability, agility and ambition. Today, companies need these traits to outperform competition which has to deliver in the known and unknown environment. To bring balance and speed with positivity, we need more women in the leadership role. Look at what Falguni Nayyar has done with Nykaa or Anjali Sudd has done with Vimeo. In the 21st century companies will need purpose, innovation and balance to achieve the top position, and the right time to bring women to lead the next generation of business growth. To encourage more women to join these industries by encouraging new formats of working culture or environment. Covid has challenged the traditional approach, and today work from home has become the new normal. Secondly, by promoting diversity and opening leadership positions for women and third, we can improve the pay scale and inculcate mentorship for potential women leaders. Rachna Kanwar, Chief Operating Officer, Digital Media, Radio City and Mid-Day: Women in Corporate India have taken a heavy toll during Covid 19 lockdowns. Organisations, however, rarely recognise the double effort that women have to put into their regular day, which during the pandemic, ravaged their mental and physical health. Having said that, women emerged stronger, seldom seeking ‘preferential treatment.’ Companies need to address and recognise this effort as women continue to remain underrepresented at all levels. Thankfully, in the Media industry, with the inclusion of advertising &amp; marketing, there have been plenty of examples of women super achievers acting as role models for younger women which has led to greater gender parity, but women leaders still need to play a major role in supporting and seeing to it that more leaders emerge from the shadows of doubt and stereotypes to claim their rightful places. It is heartening to see more and more women leaders at Radio City and Midday and all of us here are committed to diversity and excellence. Building a positive mindset for diversity at all levels in an organisation goes a long way in ensuring an equal workplace. Strong women leaders in the organisation act as role models for women aspiring to reach the top. They also help in providing a more empathetic environment which is required at certain delicate stages of a woman employee’s career. And lastly, they provide the much needed confidence both for the women employees and the organisation by being a case study in excellence. At Radio City, a large number of leadership positions are held by women which motivates and inspires the mid-level and entry-level women employees to dream big. Diversity has many virtues and numerous reports time and again have proved that a diverse organisation is a better organisation. Radio City was amongst ‘India’s Best Workplaces for Women in 2019.’ Additionally, in 2020, Radio City ranked 4th in ‘Best Large Workplaces in Asia’, according to the GPTW survey. Jyotsna Uttamchandani, Executive Director, Syska Group: I think what is happening is we are definitely attracting more women, but are unable to retain them. The industry also needs to take steps to stop showcasing and representing women in stereotypical ways. The truth is women need to start taking credit for their work, brag and self-promote. What men need to understand is with diversity creativity and innovation only booms. I personally feel advertising, media and marketing industries are more unstructured, and there is no one to help you climb that ladder. You will have to do it yourself. More so we need more women, to help support and mentor other women. I think to be a safe and inclusive environment, we really need to listen to our employees. I have always said that my employees are my first customers. Goals and expectations need to be set mutually, team members need to appreciate each other and there has to be a certain level of trust within the team. Megha Agarwal, CXO-Growth, Meesho: In my last 12 years of working, I have seen many smart women entering the workforce but also taking a step back and stepping out, especially at two pivotal points – marriage and motherhood. The societal maxim is such that it places higher expectations on women, compelling them to juggle many roles – wife, mother, primary caregiver among others. What is imperative is to create support structures that empower them to strike the perfect balance between personal and professional commitments. An example on this front could be Meesho’s recent boundaryless workplace model, enabling people to work from home/ anywhere so that it gives flexibility to facilitate adjustments. Additionally, we, as employers, also need to make a perception shift towards sabbaticals taken by women to rear children. These vital steps could be further bolstered by initiatives aimed to ease their comeback into the workforce again. The responsibility lies with us to act as change agents to create the change we aspire to see. Pragya Misra, Public Affairs Director at Truecaller: I have always believed that empathy, freedom to be authentic and listening are critical to building a work environment that promotes equality. This begins with introducing diversity in the leadership so that the perspectives and related challenges of different employee profiles can be properly understood and addressed. Finally, implementing flexible policies, promoting healthy and non-late work hours, having industry standard pay scale and having actionable punishments (and transparency) in place for any intolerant offenses are some of the other measures that can be put into place to ensure a safe and equal work environment. At Truecaller, being respectful, celebrating diversity and equality in the workplace is deeply set in our values as a company. We continue to make communication safer through our spam blocking, scam and fraud alerts, this principle of safety reflects in our workplace through our employee policies. The inability to feel safe in both offline and online spaces adversely impacts women’s confidence and hinders their ability to grow and thrive. This year we are urging people to #CallitOut and report harassment to the authorities when you see or experience it. We are bringing together all the key stakeholders like government, law enforcement, civil society, mental health experts, lawyers and survivors to work collaboratively to improve the safety of women and continue our 5 year long effort to minimise harassment. This year, we want to create an environment that allows women to feel safe in society, their workplace and in their online communication. Kanika Mittal, Large Customer Solutions, Lead at Twitter India: I strongly believe that a leader is only as good as his/her team &amp; therefore our path starts with building a team that looks like the amazing people of all backgrounds and abilities who use our service every day. At Twitter, we're on a journey to become the world's most inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible tech company — it's key to serving the public conversation. For Inclusion &amp; Diversity strategies to have an impact, leaders along with companies need to ensure that they are tackling systemic challenges and also impacting and nurturing inclusive behavior amongst the team. This requires adapting a new way of thinking and making the right decisions such as becoming more distributed, empowering women employees to share and leverage their unique perspectives and experiences for growth and opportunities. Collectively we’ve got work to do to build a truly inclusive culture across the industry. We’ve made steady progress, and as industry our work doesn’t end <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UntilWeAllBelong?src=hashtag_click">#UntilWeAllBelong</a>. Anika Wadhera, Head of Digital Marketing, Sirona: A supportive work environment is one in which each and every employee can discuss job-related difficulties in confidence and without fear of backlash. Actively showing appreciation to the staff, and encouraging them to exhibit appreciation for each other, is an easy and gratifying way to establish a great working atmosphere. Employees, both male and female, should be taught about ethical behavior and how to create a culture that supports everyone's safety. Although enforcing policies and holding instructional sessions are beneficial, a process or system that promotes power equality in the business can be implemented, reducing the number of unpleasant experiences. My advice to all wonderful women around me will be to ’Take a stand for yourself &amp; be vocal. The world is your oyster.’ We as 21st-century women should focus on creating a network; it may be one of the most powerful factors in our career at any level, whether one is a fresher or a senior leader, just network, network &amp; network. Shradha Agarwal, COO &amp; Strategy Head, Grapes: Women at leadership roles play a very crucial role in the comprehensive growth and development of any organization. They are the true manifestation of sustainable growth. A woman inherently is nurturing and being in a leadership position helps her in cultivating an inclusive work culture with diversity at the core of the organizational structure. This diversity is the precursor of diverse ideas that stimulates creativity and champions for more quality in business operations. Women have a warm and welcoming disposition which enables the organization to develop a much stronger bond and connect with their customers. In any workforce, the major loophole at the very base level is the lack of proper guidance to define the roles and duties to be fulfilled by a person. In order to help them realize their true potential, it is important to first connect with the people. By putting themselves in other’s shoes it becomes easier to understand the situation better and provide a relatable solution. As developing a connection and affinity for people comes naturally to women, in leadership positions they are better able to relate with and understand the pain of their teammates. To get women to join the advertising and marketing industry the mantra is very simple, just make them feel they are making ads for themselves. As women are better listeners and good storytellers, one needs to harness these qualities of women to motivate them to pursue a career in this field. They are better adept at giving a diverse perspective and drawing holistic pictures to a narration. Advertising and marketing is not about selling products, it goes way beyond and is about telling the right story. It is about connecting with the brand rather than the product as the products can be replaced but the brand remains constant. And women love and enjoy such jobs, it is just that we need to tap on this quality of women. Sowmya Iyer, Founder and CEO of DVio Digital: Women have faced more significant economic hardships through the pandemic - disproportionately losing jobs and income. A recent report by LinkedIn shows how Covid-19 has impacted women’s careers. About 85% of women in India have missed out on a promotion because of their gender. Despite the increase in flexibility at work, women’s careers are observed to have been more adversely affected. So, it is safe to say that we are far away from building an inclusive environment for employees of all gender spectrum. Company policies will have to be redefined and relooked at to give women space to work, grow, and balance their careers and Homes. DViO Digital, is an equal opportunity provider. We work towards hiring and promoting our employees based on their merit and not just gender. Our current workforce has a fair divide of 55:45 women to men ratio; a similar trend can be seen in our leadership team, which has a 60:40 ratio (60% women and 40% men), which is not by design but by default. Hence it is safe to say that women are naturally inclined towards the advertising and marketing industry. Tanya Bami - Series Head, Netflix India: The representation of women in entertainment has been increasing with the times and we couldn’t be happier! At Netflix, we are focussed on entertaining the world with authentic stories that are a true reflection of our times and society. Be it Delhi Crime, Aranyak, Masaba Masaba, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, or our latest series The Fame Game, the characters can be determined, driven, fabulous or flawed.” •Since the beginning of 2020, we have collaborated with over 2400 women creators, talent, and crew on and off screen in India. •Half (15) of our original films and series in 2021 had a woman as the central character. • Netflix has 15+ female forward titles already announced for 2022. Apart from the already released Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, Looop Lapeta and The Fame Game, the upcoming titles include Mai, Monica, O My Darling, Masaba Masaba Season 2, Mismatched Season 2, She Season 2, Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives Season 2, The Fame Game, Qala, Plan A Plan B, Khufiya, among others. •In 2021 Netflix worked with nearly 50 women producers, directors or writers (25 women producers and directors + 23 women writers - 2X the women writers in 2020. •In addition, Netflix has worked with incredible women standup comics- Rytasha Rathore, Urooj Ashfaq, Prashasti Singh, Prajakta Koli, Sumukhi Suresh, Mallika Dua, Kaneez Surka and Sumaira Shaikh. •Inclusivity also extends internally to all of us at Netflix as women make up 51.7% of our global workforce, up from 48.7% in 2020. This includes 6.9% growth of women directors and above, totalling 51.1%. Aditi Shrivastava, CEO &amp; Co-Founder, Pocket Aces: It all starts from the top. If there is equality in the mind, it will automatically trickle down to every level within the organization. A few key base rules I always keep in mind: ● Think in terms of equity (not stock options in this case, but what is required to get people to the same level) rather than equality (i.e. providing the exact opportunities to each person) ● Be a true meritocracy ● Even in the most equal households, women are often expected to be the primary caretaker of children or parents, so keep that in mind ● Don’t forget to groom young female talent in the company right from the go by increasing their confidence levels and encouraging them to not be ambivalent about their ambitions and dreams ● Discourage even mildly offensive loose talk / jokes at the workplace ● Have a strong POSH committee in place ● Encourage older male employees / leaders to unlearn from previous “male club” workplaces and see the value their female counterparts can add Overall, be conscious about gender diversity and equity. It won’t happen by chance.

Women in leadership across media, brands and advertising on improving gender representation and retaining women in the workforce

New Delhi, Feb 4 () Phone directory app Truecaller on Tuesday said it has achieved profitability over the last four months with India contributing significantly to the growth.
 The Stockholm-based company has also crossed the 200 million monthly active users (MAUs)-mark globally. Of this, 150 million were from India.
 "The aggressive growth in advertising sales and premium subscriptions in India have been a driving force in revenue generation," Truecaller said in a statement.
 Premium subscriptions have grown immensely since it was launched a year back, it added.
 "It has already crossed the 1-million mark and projected to grow by another 50 per cent in coming months," according to the statement. 
 Sandeep Patil, Managing Director at Truecaller, said the company has been profitable for the last several months while simultaneously growing revenues at over 70 per cent annually.
 "We will continue to grow revenues through investments in advertisement, subscriptions, credit and financial services," he added.
 Patil said the company will "make in India for India by recruiting talent across technology, product management, data sciences and finance and by developing partnerships across the ecosystem".
 "This is a concrete milestone on our path to build a financially-sustainable independent company that will be ready for an initial public offering (IPO) in three years," he noted.
 Truecaller is also expanding its business portfolio with services like Truecaller for Business.
 Another feature being revamped is Truecaller Priority, which identifies relevant calls from businesses, thereby differentiating them from spam calls. SR ANS
ANS

Truecaller turns profitable, crosses 200 mn monthly user-base globally

<ul><li>As of April 29, there are 18 million active Covid cases in India.</li><li>To help our country grapple with the second wave of Coronavirus pandemic, many brands have stepped forward to do their bit.</li><li>Apart from financial aid, there’s another powerful tool that brands can use today -- advertising. It can influence consumers to act and remind them that we are in this together.</li><li>We reached out to experts to understand how should a brand use its marketing tools today: should they halt their advertising to give consumers space or launch empathetic campaigns as a reminder of togetherness and better tomorrow.</li></ul>As we stepped into 2021, consumers were hopeful about their lives returning back to normalcy. There was hope and enthusiasm for a better tomorrow. We were almost towards the end of it. Consumer sentiment also picked up with the announcement of India’s biggest sporting event IPL and advertisers were optimistic about bouncing back to normalcy. Advertising agencies worked on IPL pitches for months, risked their lives to execute them and even started thinking about campaigns for Mother’s Day. However, the country now is in the midst of one of the worst calamities it has faced in recent times. Our country’s healthcare system and our brave healthcare workers continue to be under tremendous pressure. It has impacted our mental health because we are living in constant fear of us or someone close to us contracting the virus. People are either mourning someone’s loss or dealing with the anxiety that they might have to, soon. Despite the despondency in the air, citizens have taken it upon themselves to help each other out. Many brands and organisations have also come to our rescue. They are using their social media reach to amplify requests for hospitals beds and oxygen supply. They have also donated money to government bodies and NGOs. There’s another powerful tool that brands can use today -- advertising. It can influence consumers to act. Apart from facing the truth of what’s happening around us, we need empathy and kindness to get through this tough phase. It is only in socially-distanced unity and togetherness that we can find courage to face the reality. Consumers also need compassion, more than ever today. They need brands they follow to set an example and encourage them. Afterall, they are a huge part of our country. Many brands, however, have chosen silence to give their consumers enough space to heal. A few are using their social media to help everyone out -- left, right and centre. Some have chosen to focus on the fact that consumers still need products and services to survive and have continued advertising like nothing has changed. At the same time, these ads remind us of good, old days and serve as a great escape from the grim reality. So, we reached out to experts to understand how should a brand use its marketing tools today. Here is what they had to say: <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Karthik Srinivasan, Social Media Expert and Independent Brand Consultant:" text="Karthik Srinivasan, Social Media Expert and Independent Brand Consultant:">Karthik Srinivasan, Social Media Expert and Independent Brand Consultant:</cmsannotation> I would say that silence is definitely not the best way for brands now. It could be construed as disinterest or worse, callousness. A better way could be one of the two, or both, depending on the size and scale of the brand. 1. Make yourself directly useful - use your reach: Brands have media budgets, social handles with a sizable following, and access to media. They could put this to good use by helping in the coordination of essential medical supplies including oxygen. This would take time, effort, and coordination, but it would also be a visible example of the brand trying to help as against one donation done once and announced. This is particularly useful for brands that cannot reposition their own products/services as a way to help people manage their lives during a pandemic. For instance, a movie production house. Or a fashion brand. Or a Cola brand. Or IPL teams. 2. Make yourself indirectly useful - use your product/service context: This is useful for brands that can reposition their own products/services as a way to help people manage their lives during a pandemic. For example, a book retailer (or an audiobooks retailer, like Audible) could make a selection of their repertoire free/cheaper and pick those titles that can calm minds, or those that can help engage children (helping the parents who are recuperating). Or a retailer or producer of audio equipment could become a curator of calming music, podcasts, or audiobook titles. This way, they are not selling their products, but merely making them a backdrop to a far more contextually useful curation effort that is related to their category. Or food brands that could help offer recipes to gradually overcome the loss of sense of taste and smell. <div type="twitter" handle="beastoftraal" handlename="Karthik" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1140493276316745734/WH-6N17h_normal.jpg" favoritecount="8" retweetcount="2" status="Nice idea - &quot;A cook book to inspire those experiencing changes in taste and smell as a result of Covid&quot; (free digit… https://t.co/UU5s258eOf" createdat="1619440585000" id="1386660436552994821"></div> It is important that brands do not force-fit or contort themselves to become relevant within the COVID-19 context - that would be seen through and exposed very soon, and backfire badly. The connection has to be entirely natural and more importantly, purposeful. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist, Investor and former APAC Marketing head of HP:" text="Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist, Investor and former APAC Marketing head of HP:">Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist, Investor and former APAC Marketing head of HP:</cmsannotation> I think a brand cannot completely isolate themselves from the reality on the ground. Given the grim situation because of the Covid surge, it is appropriate that commercial objectives take a back seat and a brand communicates sensitively. Staying silent is a safe and acceptable strategy but if a brand can help people cope in any way appropriate, this will be a good time to do so. This could mean using the brand’s assets – communication spends or social media assets to communicate help messages or using logistical resources to move healthcare related equipment. These need to be devoid of any commercial motive or seem like virtue signalling. So staying sensitive to large humanitarian tragedy is paramount. Also, collaborating with a competitor on any social project would seem like a mature and positive thing to do. Many fondly remember Nike’s support to the Back Lives Matter movement when they said ‘For once, don't do it.’ Seeing this heartfelt message, Adidas shared the sentiment saying together we can move forward and change. This worked wonderfully for both brands. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Vani Gupta Dandia, Founder, CherryPeachPlum Growth:" text="Vani Gupta Dandia, Founder, CherryPeachPlum Growth:">Vani Gupta Dandia, Founder, CherryPeachPlum Growth:</cmsannotation> What can brands do in all of this crying chaos? Quite simply help, for no other reason, but for humanitarian reasons. Corporates can respond in one of three ways: 1) Support the efforts to fight the virus directly e.g. by providing infrastructure (ambulances, cold chains for supply chain management), volunteers, disseminating information on hygiene protocols etc. Last few days, for example, OYO has converted its rooms into isolation centres. Can an Airtel or a Truecaller take on the task of separating fake vs real/verified numbers amidst the zillion different covid related forwards? Can a company set up a leasing system of oxygen concentrators? Patients need one for only a few hours, at best a few days. Why don't we have them available on hire? Saves consumers money and lives, while those who lease can actually make more money than through a single sale. Can some company come forward to set this up? 2) Providing support to those impacted by the pandemic e.g., smartphones to students for online learning, community food kitchens in slum areas to support daily wage labourers etc; and 3) Helping NGOs e.g. Give India by providing cash and expertise. Will it reap any benefit on brand equity or more sales later... Who knows? But my bet is it will! People are hungry for stories of good amidst this grim desperation. And one great way of standing out just now is to simply come forward with courage and say "Screw strategy, let's help where we can.” It's war -- just of a different kind. Not all good work by companies need be categorised as 'purpose-driven' or 'CSR'. When brands stand up at such times people remember. It doesn't need to have any link at all with the brand proposition. But I see that there is an ongoing debate on whether IPL should be pulled down, given the gravity of the ongoing crisis. I don't see why it shouldn't go on. All of us as consumers need to keep our sanity too - and cricket is a welcome distraction. And because we're watching cricket, advertisers will continue to sell their wares - and I don't see why not. Normal life also must go on to the extent possible. Lives and livelihoods both matter. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Ronita Mitra, Founder and Chief Strategist, Brand Eagle Consulting:" text="Ronita Mitra, Founder and Chief Strategist, Brand Eagle Consulting:">Ronita Mitra, Founder and Chief Strategist, Brand Eagle Consulting:</cmsannotation> While we are faced with a large scale and challenging humanitarian crisis, corporates and brands, as responsible citizens, should consider contributing actively in order to alleviate the situation. This phase is not about advertising products and services unless it is for a new category which needs immediate awareness building. Actions, especially empathetic ones, that contribute towards bettering the lives of people during these challenging times, will have far more meaningful impact than mere communication. Corporates have the clout to make a significant impact and they should consider diverting their CSR funds towards helping citizens in various possible ways - be it funding supply of medical products, food for the lower socio-economic classes who are impacted by the lockdowns, education for children who have been impacted by the inadequate infrastructure at home, facilitating vaccination for those who are not adept with the systems, and much more. Brands can use social media and other media platforms to communicate the same. Meaningful actions during these times will have a memorable impact on the consumer psyche too and will help strengthen consumer connect in the long term more than anything else now. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Harish Bijoor, Brand-strategy specialist &amp; Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc:" text="Harish Bijoor, Brand-strategy specialist &amp; Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc:">Harish Bijoor, Brand-strategy specialist &amp; Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc:</cmsannotation> In moments such as these, very very tough times when fear and chaos is the norm, I do recommend a dignified brand silence. Brands must not add to the clutter of personal communication. Staying away from the melee of tumult is a good thing brands with commerce on their minds can do. At least for now. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="82260905" title="From CRED to Google, here’s how brands are helping India fight against COVID-19" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Experts share the ideal ways in which brands can advertise during the second Covid-19 wave in India

In what comes as a shocking piece of news, Communication app <keyword id="1106616" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="TrueCaller">Truecaller</keyword> has surpassed the number of <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword> downloads only to become the fourth most downloaded application in India on <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> <keyword id="1470391" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Play-Store">Play Store</keyword>. Truecaller is delivering an unbelievable 100,000 clicks in a day to in-app advertisers. "Our biggest strength is the engagement and undivided attention we can provide to advertisers," Tejinder Gill, Vice President, Sales and Head of India Operations at Truecaller, said in a statement. "We can deliver a brand's message and enable them to stay on top of the consumer's mind simply by the fact that we are not an 'appointment viewing' app. This is proven by the fact that over 70 per cent of our advertisers are repeat customers, which assures us of the efficacy of our platform," Gill added. According to the "<keyword id="1006750" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mary-Meeker">Mary Meeker</keyword> Internet trends 2017" report, Whatsapp leads the list of the most downloaded app, followed by Messenger and ShareIt. Homegrown entertainment app JioTV jumped maximum points -- from 301 last to ninth this year -- and surpassed Facebook Lite (lighter version of Facebook for low connection speeds). The report said India's internet users now stands at 355 million putting the country number two in the market just behind China.

Did you know? Truecaller is more famous than Facebook in India

New Delhi [India], May 16 (ANI): <keyword id="9766785" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha-elections-2024" source="Orion">Lok Sabha elections 2024</keyword> have seen a <keyword id="20108198" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-turnout" source="keywords">voter turnout</keyword> at polling stations of about 66.95 per cent so far, as approximately 451 million people have voted during the first four phases of ongoing general elections. In a bid to encourage voters to exercise their franchise in large numbers, ECI has enhanced its targeted interventions to reach out to every eligible voter. The Commission led by CEC Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, further directed CEOs of the states going to poll in the fifth, sixth and seventh phases to timely distribute voter information slips to all electors and enhance outreach activities. "Commission strongly believes that partnership and collaboration are essential pillars of the voter awareness programme. It's heartening to see that, at the Commission's request, different institutions, influencers and celebrities with significant reach are working enthusiastically on a pro-bono basis," Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said. Further, he added that a higher voter turnout would be a message from Indian voters to the world, about the strength of Indian Democracy. He urges all the voters to cast their vote in huge numbers, as voting day is not a holiday but a day of pride, by participating in the festival of democracy. According to an official release, various <keyword id="21686177" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-awareness-drives" source="keywords">voter awareness drives</keyword> and campaigns have been carried out by stakeholders in collaboration with ECI. Telecom Service Providers such as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Bharti Airtel Limited, Jio Telecommunication, and Vodafone-Idea Limited are reaching out to every mobile user in the respective parliamentary constituency through push SMS/Flash SMSs, outbound dialling calls to mobile users, RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging and WhatsApp messages/alerts. These activities are carried out two/three days before the poll and even on the poll day, in regional languages, with an appeal to vote. ECI has collaborated with BCCI for voter awareness activities during the ongoing IPL season. The voter awareness messages and songs are being played at different stadiums during the cricket matches. The most innovative aspect of this campaign is the administration of voter's pledges by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in a pre-recorded video message, at various IPL venues. Further, voter awareness messages are integrated into cricket commentary. Cricketers from 10 IPL teams have encouraged voters to participate in the <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> elections in 2024 with their recorded voter awareness messages. A voting day alert was sent to all Facebook users pan India to inform and inform the voters about the general elections and to nudge them to participate in the festival of democracy, the release mentioned. The release further stated that WhatsApp personalised messages have begun on polling day. Google India is contributing through its iconic feature of Google Doodle on poll days and banners appearing on YouTube, Google Pat and other Google platforms. The Retail Association of India has been actively engaging with voter awareness activities, through their retail network, whereby retail chains are encouraged to celebrate the election as a festival. The vast network of post offices and banking institutions was utilised by ECI to reach out to a wide and diverse audience across the length and breadth of the country. In collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the parliamentary elections campaign logo "Chunav ka Parv, Desh ka Garv" has been integrated with the IRCTC portal and tickets. Voter awareness announcements have been integrated with the public address system at all railway stations. The logo stickers are used on coaches of the superfast trains. In collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, hoardings on voter awareness have been installed in about 16,000 retail outlets. In collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, airlines are making an inflight announcement with an appeal message to participate in the ensuing elections. Voter guides are being kept in aircraft seat pockets. Apart from this, many airports are providing space for the display of voter awareness messages. Selfie points have been installed at airports in 10 major cities viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna, Chandigarh, and Pune. Cinema theatres across the country are playing ECI voter awareness films and ECI Song Main Bharat Hoon, Hum Bharat Ke Matdata Hai, at regular intervals, as a part of the Public Service Awareness (PSA) film. Sansad TV is creating short films on Unique Polling Stations set up in remote corners of the country by the election machinery after navigating difficult terrains to demonstrate the challenges in ensuring voting at the last mile. AMUL, Mother Dairy and other milk co-operatives have started branding their milk pouches with the message 'Chunav Ka Parv, Desh ka Garv' and encouraging voters through social media platforms. AMUL is also encouraging voters with its unique messaging through AMUL Girl Topical advertisements in newspapers. Prasar Bharati: Doordarshan has produced, various short films, including appeals from constitutional functionaries like President of India, Vice President of India, and Chief Justice of India, among others. Further, unique polling stations are being covered by the regional Kendra's audio-visual documentation. Music App Spotify is running a campaign called 'Play Your Part', and they have issued print advertisements, and curated the playlists for the elections, on their app. Payments app PhonePe has integrated voter awareness message into their app and is actively encouraging voters. BookMyShow has launched an integrated campaign, titled "Aaj Picture Nahi, Bigger Picture Dekho," to raise awareness among voters. MakeMyTrip is running a campaign titled 'MyVoteWalaTrip', whereby discounts are offered to citizens going to vote. Food delivery platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy are disseminating voter awareness messages through their platforms and social media activities. Grocery App Blinkit changed its logo to "Inkit" for the elections, incorporating a message encouraging people to "Go out and Vote" as a tagline. Uber India is reaching out to voters through multi-channel messaging (in-app, emails, push notifications), offering discounts for rides to polling stations, and amplifying voter awareness messages on social media platforms. Bike app Rapido has been encouraging voters with a free ride to vote. Urban Company has launched 'I Have Voted Campaign' to encourage voters. Tata Neu app, serving as the Tata Group's group-wide consumer-facing mobile app, prominently features the "Cast Your Vote" animated banner on its homepage, with additional initiatives currently underway. Truecaller is enhancing its layout by displaying voter awareness message during outbound calls Some other independent initiatives are Mankind Pharma #VotingVirgin campaign, clothing brand Neeru's "Vote ki Taiyaari" TVC, Tinder's "Every Single Vote Counts" campaign, creatively curated social media post by Matrimonial sites like Jeevansathi.com, etc and discounts for voting by popular brands such as Shoppers' Stop, MakeMyTrip, Chroma and many more. Four phases of Lok Sabha polls have been held and the voting will conclude on June 1 with results on June 4. The remaining phases will be held on May 20, May 25, and June 1.

451 million voters! First four phases of Lok Sabha elections witness 66.95% voter turnout so far

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A <keyword id="11894211" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="police" source="Orion">police</keyword> officer that leads workshops across the US has advised cops use <keyword id="12320770" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="facial-recognition" source="Orion">facial recognition</keyword> at traffic stops.</li><li>Thousands of police have taken this officer's course on using social media or other tools to identify people.</li></ul>An instructor for the influential police workshop company Street Cop Training has advised <keyword id="11899820" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="law" source="Orion">law</keyword> enforcement to use facial recognition at traffic stops in order to find out a person's identity and if they have a warrant out for their arrest, even if it's unclear whether that person committed a crime.The recommendation, made during a podcast intended for police and hosted by members of the training organization, shows how controversial uses of facial recognition and social media can make their ways into conventional forms of <keyword id="11911207" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="policing" source="Orion">policing</keyword>, and the often murky legal applications of their use. It also calls into question how new technology may be used to sidestep otherwise barred policing methods. For example, the landmark 1968 <keyword id="11893011" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="supreme-court" source="Orion">Supreme Court</keyword> case Terry v. Ohio ruled that police must have "reasonable suspicion" that a person might have committed a crime before they can compel that person to identify themselves. Due to that ruling, it may not be lawful for to police use facial recognition software to compel identity without having reasonable suspicion first.The instructor, Nick Jerman, has taught thousands of police officers around the country how to do social media investigations through Street Cop Training. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/police-trained-create-fake-social-media-accounts-using-ai-images-2022-1">Insider previously reported</a> that he has advised police to make fake social-media accounts for work using AI-generated profile images, violating some rules on platforms like Facebook. Jerman <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/police-trained-create-fake-social-media-accounts-using-ai-images-2022-1">has also encouraged</a> using these social-media investigative methods to gather information about "hot" women in order to lie to and manipulate them.Jerman is a detective for Maryland's Montgomery County, where <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/police-trained-create-fake-social-media-accounts-using-ai-images-2022-1">he is facing an internal investigation</a> after Insider asked the county police department to comment on rape jokes Jerman made on his personal Twitter account and Trayvon Martin jokes he made on his personal Tumblr account.In a <a href="https://streetcoptraining.com/captivate-podcast/social-media-and-online-tactics-feat-nick-jerman/">July 2021 episode</a> of the Street Cop Podcast with Dennis Benigno, the company's founder, Jerman encouraged using facial recognition software to determine the identity of the person pulled over. The Street Cop Podcast is advertised as "The training that cops deserve" and, along with Street Cop Training's other programs, is marketed to active-duty police."Let's say you're on a <keyword id="12320469" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="traffic-stop" source="Orion">traffic stop</keyword> and we have someone in the car that we suspect may be wanted," Benigno asked during the episode. "What do we do in that situation?""Well there's a couple of paid programs you can use where you can take their picture, and it'll put it in," Jerman said, referring to facial recognition tools, before recommending "another one called PimEyes you can use." PimEyes is a free, public-facing facial-recognition search engine.Those recommendations would not be legal if the police don't have reasonable suspicion that the person pulled over has committed a crime, according to Greg Nojeim, senior counsel and co-director of the Security and Surveillance Project at the Center for Democracy &amp; Technology. In Benigno and Jerman's example, it's unclear if this is the case or not. Benigno and Jerman did not respond to Insider's requests for comment.Jerman teaches police departments around the country about how they can use social media and facial recognition technology.Insider obtained a document called "<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21195743-street_cop_training_-_social_media_and_osint_bookmar_1srosjhetcpr8dzq5mjm8wru7lctysfjq1aoxbge_u14docx?responsive=1&amp;title=1">Street Cop Training Social Media and OSINT Bookmarks</a>" through a public-records request filed with the Maryland State Police. The document, which lists resources from Jerman's social-media investigation course, includes facial recognition tools. <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21195743-street_cop_training_-_social_media_and_osint_bookmar_1srosjhetcpr8dzq5mjm8wru7lctysfjq1aoxbge_u14docx?responsive=1&amp;title=1">The document</a> lists PimEyes, which Jerman mentioned on the podcast. It also lists Clearview AI, a facial recognition tool that tries to match faces with billions of images the company scraped from social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Police have to pay to use Clearview AI long-term, though the company does offer <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/facial-recognition-local-police-clearview-ai-table">30-day free trials</a>.<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21195743-street_cop_training_-_social_media_and_osint_bookmar_1srosjhetcpr8dzq5mjm8wru7lctysfjq1aoxbge_u14docx?responsive=1&amp;title=1">It also lists</a> Thorn Spotlight, a facial-recognition tool for finding victims of child sex trafficking, and FacePlusPlus, another facial recognition tool.Jerman and Benigno also discussed another scenario on the July 2021 podcast: An officer pulls someone over on a traffic stop, but the officer can't compel the person to show their identification. Based on the Terry v. Ohio ruling, this probably means the officers don't have reasonable suspicion."How about, you're in a situation where you can't compel ID and before you even ask you're like there's something not right with this guy and he's gonna lie," Benigno said.Jerman suggested getting the person's phone number, either by asking the person, or by accusing the person of stealing a phone in the car and asking if they can call the phone in order to exonerate them. "[Say] 'I see that phone in the car, we've had a lot of thefts of phones,' say 'Is that really your phone?' and then you can call it to see if that's the real phone number," Jerman said. "If you can get the phone number from your target, the world is your oyster."Then, Jerman said police should see if there are any social media accounts associated with the phone number. He said they should also use services like Truecaller, which shows the names associated with a phone number by finding how it's labeled in other people's contact lists. (Truecaller gets this information by asking users to share the contacts in their phone.)"A person who gives up their phone number makes a choice," Nojeim, the Center for Democracy and Technology lawyer, told Insider. "I think they should be informed of whether they are obliged to give up their phone number and what the police intend to do with it."Got a tip? Contact this reporter at <a href="mailto:chaskins@insider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chaskins@insider.com</a> or <a href="mailto:caroline.haskins@protonmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">caroline.haskins@protonmail.com</a>, or via secure messaging app Signal at +1 (785) 813-1084. Reach out using a non-work device.

A popular workshop for police encouraged cops to use face scans to ID people they pull over at traffic stops

<ul><li>Spam calls and messages can get tiring and, in some cases, they can also be used to scam you.</li><li>Telecom operators allow users to activate do-not-disturb (DND) service to stop receiving promotional messages.</li><li>Here’s how you can activate <keyword id="9335980" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="dnd-on-jio">DND on Jio</keyword>, Airtel and Vodafone Idea.</li></ul>If you are getting tired of checking your messages every time you get a notification and finding an advertisement or a spam message, it may be a good option to register your number for do-not-disturb (DND) service so that you stop getting these messages and calls. The process for activating DND is different for each telecom operator. Once you have activated DND on your number, you will stop getting spam messages on your device. How to activate DND on Reliance Jio <div type="image" title="Jio DND" msid="76167655" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Jio DND process.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> To activate DND on your Jio number, follow the below steps: <ul><li>Download the MyJio app for <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jio.myjio&amp;hl=en_IN">Android</a> and <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/myjio-for-everything-jio/id1074964262">iOS</a>. </li><li>Open the app and sign in using your Jio number. </li><li>Click on the three lines menu in the top left corner. </li><li>Click on ‘Settings’ and then click on ‘Do not disturb’. </li><li>You can activate ‘Full DND’ or stop messages from specific sectors such as banking, health, real estate and so on. </li><li>Finally, click on ‘Submit’. </li></ul><keyword id="9335982" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="how-to-activate-dnd-on-airtel">How to activate DND on Airtel</keyword> <div type="image" title="Airtel DND" msid="76167635" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Airtel DND selection.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> To activate DND on your Airtel number, follow the below steps: <ul><li>First, go to the <a href="https://www.airtel.in/airtel-dnd">DND page</a> on Airtel’s website. </li><li>Now, scroll down and click on ‘Click Here’ in the Airtel Mobile Services section. </li><li>Enter your mobile number and click on ‘Get One Time Password’. </li><li>Like Jio, you can either stop promotional messages from all sectors or choose specific sectors such as banking, real estate and more. </li><li>Finally, click on ‘Submit’. </li></ul><keyword id="9335983" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="how-to-activate-dnd-on-vodafone">How to activate DND on Vodafone</keyword> Idea While Vodafone and Idea have now merged to form Vodafone Idea, you will still have to activate DND based on your telco. <ul><li>First, go to the DND page of <a href="https://www.vodafone.in/dnd">Vodafone</a> or <a href="https://www.ideacellular.com/dnd">Idea</a> based on your SIM. </li><li>Now, enter your number and click on ‘Send OTP’. </li><li>Enter the OTP. </li><li>Enter the required details such as your name and email. </li><li>Either select full DND or select the sectors from which you want to stop receiving promotional messages. </li><li>Finally, click on submit. </li></ul>SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-says-all-advertisers-will-soon-have-to-verify-their-identities-in-an-effort-to-curb-spam-scams-and-price-gouging-across-the-web/articleshow/75328717.cms">Google says all advertisers will soon have to verify their identities in an effort to curb spam, scams, and price gouging across the web</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/truecallers-has-three-fourths-of-its-customers-in-india-all-thanks-to-endless-spam-calls/articleshow/73934880.cms">Truecaller has three-fourths of its customers in India - all thanks to endless spam calls</a>

Activate DND on Jio, Airtel or Vodafone Idea to put a stop to spam — Here’s how

Rohan Shravan was 24 years old when he founded Notion Ink, a <keyword id="138263" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="startup">startup</keyword> that designed India’s first tablet computer Adam. The device was launched five months before Apple placed the first version of the iPad on store shelves. 
 
At its international debut in the Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas in January 2010, one of the first to place an order for Adam was an employee at Apple headquarters in Cupertino. However, in the ensuing months as the iPad gained iconic status, Adam dropped by the wayside, felled by the lack of risk capital to grow the business. 
 “When I told venture capitalists that our product will be a challenger to <keyword id="10591" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Samsung">Samsung</keyword> and Apple, they laughed at me,” said Shravan, a mechanical engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur who initially bootstrapped the firm with personal savings of around Rs 6 lakh. 
 
Shravan’s experience is hardly unique. In the midst of an unprecedented entrepreneurial boom, several of those starting up say there are more hurdles than advantages in the Indian startup sector. Apart from the red tape and the lack of policy support there is also a shortage of true risk capital that can back edgy new ideas. 
 
Customers are unwilling to pay for untested products and many entrepreneurs choose the middle path fearing failure. “I was very aggressive, arrogant and fought like a warrior, the so-called experts advised me to tone down and be nice, which led to our downfall,” said Shravan who trained engineering students to work on Adam as a way to minimise staff costs. “Around 80 per cent of the employees were final year students; they were later snatched by Samsung and Motorola.” 
 
In recent years, several ventures including short messaging service GupShup, personalised news service Frrole and language keypad maker Luna Ergonomics have altered business models when faced with regulatory hurdles or the fear of rejection from investors and customers. 
 This at a time when many global technology companies including WhatsApp, <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword>, caller identification service Truecaller, home rental marketplace Airbnb, and question and answer site Quora count India as one of their fastest growing markets. 
 
Nearly 40 million of WhatsApp’s global user base of 450 million is in India. “India is our largest market with about 30 million users and continues to demonstrate great opportunities for us,” said Nami Zarringhalam, cofounder of Sweden’s Truecaller. When Amarpreet Kalkat started his company Frrole in 2011, he wanted to build a product that was tailored to a user’s area of interest. 
 
“I believed it could rival Google News,” said the 35-year-old entrepreneur. Eight months later, Kalkat started looking for funds and he had to answer the dreaded question, over and over again: “How do you make money?” Two years of running the company without external funding almost made him bankrupt. Kalkat was forced to start a new by changing his model to an enterprise product. 
 
At about the same time when Frrole was launched in Silicon Valley, a text and photo sharing app called Snapchat was born. It received $60 million (Rs 361 crore) in initial funding and was handling 150 million photos every day. 
 
Last year, the company rejected a $3 billion (Rs 18,000 crore) buyout deal from Facebook. “There is a very high chance that Frrole would still have been a social newspaper, if we were based in Silicon Valley,” said Kalkat whose company now has a dozen of enterprise customers. 
 
Parag Dhol, managing director at Inventus Capital Partners, said he has some sympathy with the entrepreneurs’ point of view. “But let me throw the question back at them—let us find at least one product from India where there are at least 100 million users,” said the investor who has backed firms such as Savaari Car Rentals, online bus ticketing site redBus and technology company TELibrahma. 
 
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Angel investor Sharad Sharma, who pushed Kalkat to alter his business model, is of the view that in Silicon Valley entrepreneurs can afford to not have a paying business. “Because they have the confidence that they will get bought over, here there is no such scene. It’s all about viability of the business,” said Sharma who participated in a $245,000 angel (Rs 1.4 crore) funding round in Frrole this April. 
India has a far worse ratio of venture capital exits as compared to Israel and the US, according to data compiled by think tank iSpirt and investment bank Signal Hill. Few large companies are interested in buying out startups or using their products, impeding growth of local companies. 
 
“We had all the ingredients to become a large global company,” says Abhijit Bhattacharjee, 43-year-old founder of Luna Ergonomics, the maker of the Indian language keypad Panini. 
 
Named after an ancient Sanskrit grammarian, the technology makes it possible to type quickly and easily in all Indian languages on the mobile phone. The company which has received patents for its Korean language interface did not find takers amongst Indian telecom companies. 
 
“Supporting Indian scripts on digital devices does not suit the strengths and roadmaps of these companies,” said Bhattacharjee, whose company last released an Urdu keypad for iOS, Android, and PC in 2013. “Which large enterprise buys cutting edge technology from startups? When there are not early customers, how can you expect to have $1 billion companies?” asked Ashish Gupta, a senior managing director at Helion Venture Partners that backed group text messaging service GupShup. 
 
The Mumbai-based firm was launched just six months after microblogging site Twitter was launched in the US in July 2006. Within a year of inception the service had racked up 15 million users. 
 GupShup was a free, social, short messaging service that allowed users to communicate and connect with family, <keyword id="343" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="Friends">friends</keyword> and followers using ordinary mobile handsets. But the telecom ecosystem and policies were a problem. 
 
“The regulations did not allow advertising. The operators kept the short messaging service rates high,” said Beerud Sheth, cofounder of Webaroo maker of GupShup product. The company had to shift focus from retail consumers and instead offer the messaging platform for enterprises. 
 
“They (government) should invest money in big ideas. They need to stop protecting big industries and start encouraging disruption and risk taking,” said Rahul Sood, partner at Microsoft Ventures and a technology entrepreneur, who sold the luxury computer business VodooPC to Hewlett Packard in 2006. 
 
Compare this to China, where the startup ecosystem is accelerating faster than anywhere in the world. There are around 1300 incubators and accelerators across the country compared with about 35 active accelerators in India. Shravan of Notion Ink has not lost hope yet. 
 
The entrepreneur is placing another bet. This time a personal computing robot called EVE, which he thinks will disrupt the market and will be in the market by 2017. “I will be jealous of my kids, they will be enjoying the rewards our hard work and same is true for the next generation of entrepreneurs,” he said.

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