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Context

• Israel’s former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on the brink of a dramatic comeback, after partial election results showed he was on course to win a majority in parliament with the far right’s help.
• Netanyahu is its master and Israel is a nation now shaped more by the right wing – and perhaps its most extreme elements – than at any point in its history.

Netanyahu’s comeback: Implications on the World

Netanyahu has proven himself inherently risk-averse when it comes to acting on matters of war and peace.

• Crackdown on Palestine: The confrontation with Palestinians in the West Bank or in Jerusalem, between Israeli Jews and Arabs will likely grow.
• Iranian rhetoric: On Iran, Netanyahu’s rhetoric will intensify. The US will have an opportunity to intensify its crackdown on Iran.

Implications on India

• Netanyahu’s likely victory could see an upward trajectory in Indo-Israel ties, which flourished while he was in power till 2021.
• Over this, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Netanyahu for his success in the Israeli general elections and said he looks forward to continuing their joint efforts to deepen the India-Israel strategic partnership.

A quick recap of bilateral ties

• In January this year, India and Israel marked 30 years of full diplomatic relations.
• Israel had opened its embassy in Delhi in February 1992.
• The Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv opened on May 15 that year.

How PM Modi and Netanyahu re-shaped India-Israel Relations?

(1) First ever visit by Indian PM

• An advocate of strong bilateral ties with India, Netanyahu was the second Israeli PM to visit India in January 2018.
• PM Modi made his historic visit to Israel, the first by an Indian Prime Minister, in July 2017 when the ‘chemistry’ between the two leaders became the subject of intense discussion.

(2) Trade

• The strong relations between the two nations can be gauged from the fact that the bilateral merchandise trade grew from $200 million in 1992 to $7.86 billion during 2021-2022.
• The balance of trade is highly in India’s favour.
• Discussions around a Free Trade Agreement are underway, but it has not matched the heightened hype so visible with Netanyahu in power.

(3) Strategic Partnership

• India and Israel elevated their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership during Modi’s visit to Israel.
• Since then, the relationship between the two countries has focused on expanding knowledge-based partnership, which includes collaboration in R&D, including boosting the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
• India’s relations with Israel progressed with I2U2 (India, Israel, the United States and the United Arab Emirates).

Reasons for India prioritizing Israel

• India’s exclusion from OIC: The formation of an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in 1969 which neglected the sentiments of Indian Muslims by blocking India’s membership to this group by Pakistan is one of the primary triggers for the change instance.
• Backing of Kashmir: India has received no backing from the Arab countries on the Kashmir Issue. There have been no serious attempts by the Arab world to put pressure on Pakistan to reign in the cross-border insurgency in Kashmir.
• Support in crucial wars: Israel supported India during the Indo-Pak wars even before full diplomatic ties were established.
• India’s US allegiance: With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of the US as a superpower, India started aligning itself with the US, and this further added to our improved relations with Israel.
• Deviation from NAM: After decades of Non-Alignment and Pro-Arab policy, in 1992 India changed its stance and established full diplomatic ties with Israel.
• Support at global forums: Israel has always been a vocal supporter of India’s permanent seat in the UNSC.
• Technology: India’s world-class institutes of higher education could benefit from the strong culture of research and high-end innovation that thrives in Israel.

Israeli interests in India

• Huge Indian markets: India presents a massive market for Israel’s manufactured goods and technology.
• Respect for religion: India has for long enjoyed great goodwill among Israel’s citizens as the only country in the world where Jews have not faced anti-Semitism.
• Support for holocaust survivors: There are many instances of Jews under Hitler’s persecution finding shelter in India including some that were said to have been facilitated by Nehru. The minuscule Jew community was able to rise to eminence in various fields.
• Haifa war support: Israel cherishes its admirers in India for its ability to thrive in spite of very adverse situations in its short history as an independent nation.

Why is Israel India’s most crucial partner?

[A] Military Collaboration

• Against terrorism: India and Israel have increased collaboration in military ventures since both nations face the threats of rising radical terrorism and separatism.
• Arms trade: India is the largest buyer of Israeli military equipment and Israel is the second-largest defense supplier to India after Russia.
• Security: Working groups in areas of border management, internal security and public safety, police modernization, and capacity building for combating crime, crime prevention, and cybercrime were established.
• Defence R&D: IAI is developing the Barak 8 missile for the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force which is capable of protecting sea vessels and ground facilities from aircraft and cruise missiles.

[B] Agriculture collaboration

• India has chosen Israel as a strategic partner (G2G) in the field of agriculture.
• This partnership evolved into the Indo-Israel Agricultural Project (IIAP), under the Indo-Israel Action Plan, based on an MOU signed by Indian and Israeli ministers of Agriculture in 2006.
• The partnership aims to introduce crop diversity, increase productivity & increase water use efficiency.
• India has a lot to learn from the dryland agriculture of Israel. The Economic Survey 2016-17 batted for Indo-Israel cooperation in drip-irrigation technologies.

Various deterrents in ties

• Bilateral Trade and investment still below potential: From just $200 million in 1992, bilateral trade (excluding defense) peaked at about $5 billion in 2012 but since then it has dropped to about $4 billion. Also, bilateral trade has not diversified much—diamonds and chemicals still make up for the large chunk of the pie.
• Connectivity between the two countries is still poor with just one direct flight from Mumbai 3 times a week and no direct flights from Delhi.
• Historical retrenchment: India’s consistent support for a sovereign, independent, viable, and united Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, living within secure and recognized borders, side by side, and at peace with Israel and Pro-Arab stance has been a sticky point.
• Limited People to People ties and cultural differences: Israelis and Indian approach business differently and often find it difficult to get on the same page.
• India’s support for Palestinian Cause: Though formal ties were established in 1992, the ideological divide resurfaces time and again due to India’s affinity for Palestine.

Way forward

• Indian policy appears to be guided primarily by strategic considerations.
• There is a strong need to use soft power diplomacy to build people-to-people bridges and to add to economic benefits through robust inter-country tourism.
• The Indian and Israeli markets do not compete with one another but complete one another.
• A potential quadrilateral with US and UAE can help this relationship soar to new heights.

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Context

• A safe and a secure world is a shared responsibility. When threats like terrorism, drug trafficking, corruption and organized crime are global, the response to them cannot just be local.  
• That was PM Modi’s emphasis at the 90th Interpol General Assembly, recently held in New Delhi.
• Interpol will turn 100 next year. Now is the time to calibrate to counter emergent challenges.

What is INTERPOL?

• The Interpol, or International Criminal Police Organization, is an inter-governmental organization comprising 195 member countries, which helps police forces in all these countries to better coordinate their actions.
• It was set up in 1923 by 19 countries in the wake of an urgent need to facilitate cooperation between police across borders.
• It enables member countries to share and access data on crimes and criminals and offers a range of technical and operational support.
• It is run by a secretary general with its headquarters in Lyon, France, with a global complex for innovation in Singapore, and several satellite offices in different regions.
• India accepted Interpol membership in June 1956.
• The General Assembly is the apex governing body of Interpol that meets every year to discuss its functioning.

Key functions of INTERPOL

• Global police-level cooperation: Interpol is a global organisation that provides a platform for cooperation between the police forces of various member countries even between countries that do not have existing diplomatic relations.
• Database of crime and criminals: It also manages databases with information on crimes and criminals which are accessible in real-time to member countries.
• Investigative and training support: It lends investigative and training support such as forensics, analysis, and assistance in locating fugitives around the world.
• Combating global crimes: Interpol also plays a key role in combating crimes across three global areas namely terrorism, cybercrime and organized crime which pose a significant threat in the current era.

Key challenges to global security

• At present countries across the world are facing unprecedented complexity in the criminal threat landscape with threats including-
• Cybercrime
• Cross-border terrorism
• Drug trafficking and
• Women and child sexual abuse

All these crimes are interlinked. Here is how?

• Mixed nature of crime: Transnational organised crime continues to thrive due to illicit networks that operate on the strength of money laundering.
• Radicalization: In recent years, terrorism is not only spreading in physical space but has started spreading its presence through online radicalization and cyber threats.
• Financial crimes: Corruption and money laundering threaten people in every aspect of their lives across the world. So are the payment frauds.
• Environmental crime: This includes illicit cross-border trade in wildlife.

Why need INTERPOL?

• Rising criminality has caused law enforcement to come under strain.  
• In a democratic polity, police forces have to act with restraint, within the boundaries of legal procedures.
• Lawbreakers enjoy the ease of mobility and access to the internet. There is no diminishing trend of these threats within sight.

How is INTERPOL equipped to curb transnational crimes?

• Interpol uses 19 databases and tools for issuing alerts, sharing information about criminals and their modus operandi.
• It has a huge repository of fingerprints, DNA profiles, facial recognition kits, cyber-enabled financial crimes, and property crimes, among others.
• Providing information about crime and criminals in the digital space, preventing abuse of cyberspace and stalling hackers on the dark web are areas where Interpol’s global security architecture is used.
• Interpol issues colour-coded notices of various hues — red, yellow, blue, black, orange, green and purple.

INTERPOL and India

• A large number of red corner notices have been issued at the request of Indian law enforcement, resulting in the detention of several accused and convicted fugitives.
• India, as one of the oldest and strongest members of Interpol, has been involved in productive engagements over the years.
• Several operations have been undertaken by the CBI with Interpol.

Limitations of INTERPOL

• Vague composition: In its composition, Interpol is like the UN. But it is not meant for dispute resolution. It is designed to assist the police forces of member nations.
• Not a policing body: Interpol is neither an investigative agency like the CBI nor a front-line police force.
• Assistive role: It is mandated to share information and provide back-end technical assistance to law enforcement agencies.
• Not an independent organization: Interpol action against notorious fugitives is consequential upon commensurate action from member nations where the fugitives might be seeking shelter.
• More of a bilateral tool: Interpol cannot act on its own. The desired legal course of action depends on bilateral arrangements like mutual legal assistance treaties.

How can India leverage INTERPOLs benefit?

• India becoming the fifth-largest economy in the world, and on the path to becoming the third-largest in the near future.
• The country has created a positive impact by bringing down terrorist-related violence.
• Moreover, India is now an acknowledged technology powerhouse.
• This demographic dividend of a large and young technology-oriented workforce in startups can be utilised for upgrading the security architecture.
• Indian skill development resources through capacity building programmes run by the CBI training academy are used periodically by the international police fraternity.

Way forward

• There should be close collaboration between global security organisations such as the Interpol, United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
• It is important that these security organisations reposition their strategies in line with the realities of the current century and the latest advancements.
• In this context, India must push for the establishment of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) which was proposed by India in 1996.
• It is time for Indian coaxial engagements with Interpol and other member nations to accelerate further, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

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Context

• The Competition Commission of India has imposed a provisional penalty of Rs. 1337.76 crore on Google for abusing its dominant position in multiple markets in the Android Mobile device ecosystem.
• The regulator also issued cease and desist directions to the tech giant on a number of its business practices.
• Big tech companies have faced similar actions in various other countries as well.

Broader Issue: Big Tech Competition

• During the course of inquiry, Google argued about the competitive constraints being faced from Apple.
• However the Commission noted the differences in the two business models which affect the underlying incentives of business decisions.
• Google manages the Android operating system as well as other licences, which gives it advantage over its competitors to pre-install most prominent apps and widget like Chrome browser on Android devices.

Major contention with Google: Tech Monopoly and Hegemony

• Monopolies like Amazon and other Big Tech companies have been allowed to conduct blatantly anti-competitive and discriminatory disinformation practices.
• This is no new thing for a huge market like India.
• Google is facing more antitrust scrutiny at home and abroad.

What is Monopoly?

• A monopoly that occurs when a single firm controls manufacturing methods necessary to produce a certain product, or has exclusive rights over the technology used to manufacture it.
• Technological monopolies differ from those based on vertical or horizontal consolidation in that the exclusivity derives from the production process itself.

What is a Technology Monopoly?

• Facebook, Google, Rogers, Microsoft, and Amazon – you have heard their names and you might even use them on a day to day basis.
• Turning trillions of consumer dollars each year, these tech giants have dominated the global market.
• These companies have wiped out any competition in order to maintain their monopolies on power.
• Or Facebook, which has acquired over 94 companies, the most notable being Instagram, WhatsApp Messenger, Oculus Virtual Reality, Giphy, and more.
• These are just a few examples of how these companies consolidate power and monopolize the industry.

Issues with Big-tech Monopoly

(1) Data Privacy

• A major issue with technology monopolies is the accumulation of users’ data.
• We never read the privacy policies under the terms and conditions of a website.
• Technology monopolies get to set the bar in what they do with our data instead of the individual deciding.
• This accumulation of data in a centralized domain makes it more enticing for hackers to breach these companies’ security measures.

(2) User manipulation

• Especially regarding media companies like social media or news outlets, these large corporations can push their personal agendas and biases on the public.
• The lack of variety in major media sources can result in a reduction of different perspectives and a narrowed personal point of view.
• Censorship can also aid in manipulating what the public gets to see (or does not get to see) and can obstruct religious, political, social, and other viewpoints.

(3) Ability to bypass regulator

• Due to rapid innovation and advancement by the Big Tech firms, the regulators are only able to react, not be in readiness.
• Before the policymakers could realize prospects of a disrupting tech, the technology replaces itself. Ex. Intellectual Property manipulations by Pharma companies.
• Due to this, they can avoid any negative repercussions for their continued violations.

Does this really affect us?

• Sudden disruptions: Recently, the WhatsApp went down for no known reasons. Also Instagram and Netflix do.  Luckily for us it was a network system failure.
• Lack of alternatives would disrupt everything: But if this is what a mere maintenance mistake, imagine what a cyber-attack on one of these companies could do.

How vulnerable is India to such monopolies?

• Use of the targeted algorithm: You might have seen a video in which Google CEO admits that it records and monitors every movement or click by a user.
• Consumer manipulation: Tech giants are using users’ search data to push advertisements to the users. The ads are specifically targeted to users based on their recent search over the internet.
• Ambiguity over data control: This has raised serious privacy concerns and also created anti-trust investigations by various governments. The Cambridge Analytica scandal of Facebook is one such example. The recent WhatsApp privacy policy also created widespread concern.
• Predatory pricing: The tech giants usually drive out competitors using anti-competitive behaviour. For example, accusations on Amazon favouring their self-branded products over third-party products.
• Societal impact: The big techs are the foremost medium of fake news, hate speech, etc. These were seen as un-democratic activities by countries.
• Impact on economy: The combined market capitalization of the big techs is more than the GDP of most countries except China and the USA. The sheer economic presence and their market presence make them create aggressive clauses in their terms and conditions, contract agreements etc.

Steps taken in India

• Competition Act, 2002 established the Competition Commission of India (CCI). The CCI has been established to eliminate practices having an adverse effect on competition.
• Information and Technology Act, 2000 governs all activities related to the use of computer resources in India.  
• Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) seeks to promote open networks, which are developed using the open-source methodology. The project is aimed at curbing “digital monopolies”.

Way Forward

• Capitalizing information: Big Tech companies must negotiate a fair payment with all the stakeholders for using their content in Facebook’s newsfeed and Google’s Search.
• Personal data protection bill: At a point in time where data is the new gold standard, the regulation of how tech companies use consumers’ personal data needs to be established by a proper legislation.
• Comprehensive regulation: One umbrella legislation is far better than having multiplicity of legislations.

Conclusion

• The implications of tech monopolies have real life consequences, and the actions of these corporations have a direct effect on each of us as individuals.

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