By andShare this storyLate last year, Nick Doiron spotted an article in , detailing how China had built a village along the contested border with neighboring Bhutan. Doiron is a mapping aficionado and longtime contributor to OpenStreetMap (OSM), an open-source mapping platform that relies on an army of unpaid volunteers, just as Wikipedia does. Governments, universities, humanitarian groups, and companies like all use data from OSM, making it an important tool that underpins ride-hailing apps and other technologies used by millions of people.After reading the article, Doiron went to add new...…By andShare this storyLate last year, Nick Doiron spotted an article in , detailing how China had built a village along the contested border with neighboring Bhutan. Doiron is a mapping aficionado and longtime contributor to OpenStreetMap (OSM), an open-source mapping platform that relies on an army of unpaid volunteers, just as Wikipedia does. Governments, universities, humanitarian groups, and companies like all use data from OSM, making it an important tool that underpins ride-hailing apps and other technologies used by millions of people.After reading the article, Doiron went to add new...WW…

ByShare this storyLast December, 28-year-old Roshan Zameer was gripped with panic. His phone had suddenly stopped working. As an electrical repairman in the outskirts of Bengaluru, Zameer needed to make a call to check if the main electricity line was turned off before he started work at a building: information crucial to his safety. A message appeared on his screen: “Pls pay the amt via online through our website to unlock your device.” His Samsung Galaxy A71 phone was then blocked by a pre-installed app, restricting access to all of his phone’s functions, including the ability to make...…ByShare this storyLast December, 28-year-old Roshan Zameer was gripped with panic. His phone had suddenly stopped working. As an electrical repairman in the outskirts of Bengaluru, Zameer needed to make a call to check if the main electricity line was turned off before he started work at a building: information crucial to his safety. A message appeared on his screen: “Pls pay the amt via online through our website to unlock your device.” His Samsung Galaxy A71 phone was then blocked by a pre-installed app, restricting access to all of his phone’s functions, including the ability to make...WW…

ByShare this storyOn December 22, acting on a tipoff, Indian police swooped on six call centers in Hyderabad, Gurugram, and Bengaluru, from which nearly 1,500 telecallers had been working to extract money from indebted and often vulnerable Indians, resulting in 24 arrests. More raids and arrests followed; the next week, a Chinese national and alleged kingpin, Zhu Wei — known as Lambo — was apprehended as he tried to flee the country.Over the past few months, an and an due to the Covid-19 pandemic have led to thousands of Indians turning to online loan apps to meet their day-to-day expenses....…ByShare this storyOn December 22, acting on a tipoff, Indian police swooped on six call centers in Hyderabad, Gurugram, and Bengaluru, from which nearly 1,500 telecallers had been working to extract money from indebted and often vulnerable Indians, resulting in 24 arrests. More raids and arrests followed; the next week, a Chinese national and alleged kingpin, Zhu Wei — known as Lambo — was apprehended as he tried to flee the country.Over the past few months, an and an due to the Covid-19 pandemic have led to thousands of Indians turning to online loan apps to meet their day-to-day expenses....WW…

ByShare this storyhe Indiranagar 100-Feet Road is the commercial heart of India’s technology capital Bangalore, lined with international brand stores, bars, restaurants, and food courts. Owning retail space here, alongside consumer giant Reliance Digital and German footwear brand Puma, is a marker of success for brands breaking into mainstream consciousness. Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi’s two-story, 6,000-square-foot flagship store is right at the heart of the district. Behind its saffron frontage is a showcase for its as-yet-unlaunched handsets, televisions, laptops, fitness bands,...…ByShare this storyhe Indiranagar 100-Feet Road is the commercial heart of India’s technology capital Bangalore, lined with international brand stores, bars, restaurants, and food courts. Owning retail space here, alongside consumer giant Reliance Digital and German footwear brand Puma, is a marker of success for brands breaking into mainstream consciousness. Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi’s two-story, 6,000-square-foot flagship store is right at the heart of the district. Behind its saffron frontage is a showcase for its as-yet-unlaunched handsets, televisions, laptops, fitness bands,...WW…