FIR filed against Google over search result on PM Modi

An FIR has been lodged against technology major Google in Uttar Pradesh over an alleged derogatory search result in 2015 involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The FIR was registered on a complaint by lawyer Nand Kishore under various sections of the IT Act. However, a Google spokesperson said that the company had not received any notice of the complaint.

Source: Inshorts

‘Burhan vs Modi’: Video game in Kashmir shows Wani fighting for ‘freedom’

Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani may have been killed by security forces in July but he appears to have been resurrected in the form of a popular video game in Kashmir. The Android-based mobile phone game called “Burhan Vs Modi” is a hit among youngsters in the Valley.

In the game, the user dons Wani’s character to take on figures resembling Prime Minister Narendra Modi to win points and advance. The goal of the game appears to be “azaadi” (freedom) as the user shoots, kicks and punches to eliminate the Modi-like characters to gain points. The game has six stages with ten levels each.

The developers of the game remain anonymous but when the game begins, photos of two Kashmiri youngsters come up with a caption that reads ‘creator of the game’. The game isn’t available on Google Play Store from where most games and apps are downloaded by Android users.

But when one types “Burhan” in the search slot of the app store, the first option in the automatic drop down list is “Burhan vs Modi game”. Experts say it indicates that the game has been searched for numerous times by different users. Police say they think the game isn’t original but was developed by locals who superimposed Wani and Modi’s image on the characters of an existing action game.

Source: Hindustan Times

RailTel launches free high-speed public Wi-Fi service with Google at Mumbai Central

Making high-speed Internet available to millions of Indians who travel through railway stations everyday, the Indian Railways’ arm RailTel which provides Internet services as RailWire via its extensive fiber network, today announced the launch of free high-speed public Wi-Fi service in partnership with Google at Mumbai Central. The project was announced last September during Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Google headquarters in Mountain View.

Google has committed to work with Indian Railways’ and RailTel to expand the network quickly to cover 100 of the busiest stations by end of this year and will eventually roll out the service in 400 railway stations across India. 

Railwire Wi-Fi will be available  to any user who has a working mobile connection on a smartphone. Users will be able to easily stream a high definition video while they’re waiting, or save some videos for offline viewing, download a book or a new game for the journey.

Commenting on the launch, Chairman and Managing Director of Railtel Shri R. K. Bahuguna of Railtel said, "Our intent was to fulfill Indian Railway’s vision of providing Railway passengers access to high speed Internet through our Optical fiber communication network. Affordable smartphones have made it possible for the common men to experience the power of Internet. With our partnership with Google, we are very confident of rolling out a robust, scalable service at Railway stations in the near future."

PM Narendra Modi To Visit Facebook Headquarters In September 2015

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the headquarters of Facebook in California on September 27 2015. The announcement was done by none other than Mark Zuckerberg through a Facebook post. It will be a privilage for Mr. Modi as he becomes the second leader after US President Barack Obama to hold town hall interaction at the Facebook headquarters.

"I'm excited to announce that Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India will be visiting Facebook HQ later this month for a Townhall Q&A. Prime Minister Modi and I will discuss how communities can work together to address social and economic challenges," Zuckerberg posted on Facebook.

Modi also responded on Facebook to thank Mark Zuckerberg for the invite "I thank Mr. Mark Zuckerberg for the invite to visit the Facebook HQ. I look forward to the Townhall Q&A on Sunday 27th September at 10 PM IST (9:30 am Pacific time)," PM wrote on Facebook. He also invited questions from the people for the town hall session. "This programme will be incomplete without your participation! Share your questions on Facebook. I urge you all to share your questions on the 'Narendra Modi Mobile App.' Your questions will make this a programme to be remembered. The interaction will cover a wide range of issues and will surely be a memorable one." 

The San Francisco event will be webcast live on the Facebook profiles of both Modi and Zuckerberg. The Facebook CEO also referred to his last meeting with Modi in New Delhi and said, “I had the chance to visit Prime Minister Modi in India last year and it’s an honor to have the chance to host him here at Facebook." He also posted a picture of that meeting. 

Modi will be visiting US and  Ireland from 23rd to 29th September to visit Google headquarters in the Silicon Valley and address at the UN General Assembly. India has a record Facebook user base outside the US territory. In June 2015, Facebook quoted that 125 million users of its global base of 1.44 billion come from India. 

Source: Indian Express

Google Apologises For PM Narendra Modi's Image Showing Up In 'Top 10 Criminals In India' Search

Internet giant Google on Wednesday apologised "for any confusion or misunderstanding" caused after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's images started appearing in image search results for query on "Top 10 criminals in India".

"These results trouble us and are not reflective of the opinions of Google. Sometimes, the way images are described on the internet can yield surprising results to specific queries. We apologise for any confusion or misunderstanding this has caused. We're continually working to improve our algorithms to prevent unexpected results like this," a Google spokesperson said in a statement.

Google said that results to the query "Top 10 criminals in India" was due to a British daily which had an image of Modi and erroneous metadata.

It said that in this case, the image search results were drawn from multiple news articles with images of Modi, covering the prime minister's statements with regard to politicians with criminal backgrounds, but added that the news articles do not link Modi to criminal activity, and the words just appeared in close proximity to each other.

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