Topic Of The Day:-“The state and private players”
Very often when we worry about questions of privacy, it is about the role of the government or the state. The state too can do much with the information on individuals that it collects through various voluntary as well as coercive means. The concern about privacy thus was a concern about potential misuse of such information. However, information about individuals is arguably much more in the private domain today than it is within various governments. Moreover, the mining of this information is taken up far more assiduously by the private compared to government institutions. The idea of privacy has always had a troubled relationship with privatisation. Private companies often have rules that protect them from being transparent in hiring policies, in affirmative action or even making public the salaries of all their employees. Private groups know best the power of the idea of privacy. They use this notion to protect themselves from governments and the public. They also realise that the greatest market that is perennially available to them is the market of trading information on privacy. A related problem is that the government has begun to look more and more like the private sector. Today, almost all politicians are rich entrepreneurs and hold powerful business interests. The public-private binary does not function in any useful sense as far as the governing class is concerned. Thus, privacy is not only open to manipulation by the government but even more so by the private sector. This is so especially because it is the private sector that is at the forefront of developing technologies that facilitate this mining, storing and sharing of information.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Assent
Meaning: Express approval or agreement.
Example: The Prime Minister assented to the change.
Synonyms: Agree to, Accept
Antonyms: Dissent from, Refuse
2) Tribunal
Meaning: A court of justice.
Example: An international war crimes tribunal.
Synonyms: Court, Court of justice
3) Adjudicates
Meaning: Make a formal judgement on a disputed matter.
Example: The Committee adjudicates on all betting disputes.
Synonyms: Judge, Adjudge
4) Overhaul
Meaning: Take apart (a piece of machinery or equipment) in order to examine it and repair it if necessary.
Example: The steering box was recently overhauled.
Synonyms: Service, Maintain
5) Accession
Meaning: The action or process of formally joining or being accepted by an institution or group; The formal acceptance of a treaty or agreement.
Example: The accession of Spain and Portugal to the EU.
Synonyms: Assent, Consent
6) Accustomed
Meaning: make someone or something accept (something) as normal or usual.
Example: I accustomed my eyes to the lenses .
Synonyms: Adapt, Adjust
Antonyms: Unusual, Unaccustomed
7) Encroachment
Meaning: Intrusion on a person’s territory, rights, etc.
Example: Minor encroachments on our individual liberties.
Synonyms: Intrusion into, Trespass on
8) Regressive
Meaning: Relating to or marked by psychological regression.
Example: A regressive personality.
9) Clampdown
Meaning: A concerted or harsh attempt to suppress something.
Example: A clampdown on crime.
Synonyms: Suppression, Prevention
10) Thriving
Meaning: Prosper; flourish.
Example: Education groups thrive on organization.
Synonyms: Flourish, Grow vigorously
Antonyms: Decline, Wither
11) Pragmatic
Meaning: Dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.
Example: A pragmatic approach to politics.
12) Imperatives
Meaning: An essential or urgent thing.
Example: Free movement of labour was an economic imperative.
13) Robust
Meaning: Strong and healthy; vigorous.
Example: The kajol family are a robust lot.
Synonyms: Strong, Vigorous
Antonyms: Weak, Frail
14) Contemporary
Meaning: Living or occurring at the same time.
Example: The event was recorded by a contemporary historian.
Synonyms: Concurrent, Coeval
15) Conception
Meaning: The forming or devising of a plan or idea.
Example: The time between a product’s conception and its launch.
Synonyms: Inception, Genesis
16) Anonymity
Meaning: The condition of being anonymous.
Example: The official spoke on condition of anonymity.
17) Divulge
Meaning: Make known (private or sensitive information).
Example: I am too much of a gentleman to divulge her age.
Synonyms: Disclose, Reveal
Antonyms: Conceal
18) Trajectory
Meaning: the curved path that an object follows after it has been thrown or shot into the air.
Example: The trajectory of a bullet/missile
Synonyms: Bends, Loops and curves
19) Supposedly
Meaning: According to what is generally assumed or believed (often used to indicate that the speaker doubts the truth of the statement).
Example: The adverts are aimed at women, supposedly because they do the shopping.
20) Coercive
Meaning: Relating to or using force or threats.
Example: Coercive measures.
21) Assiduously
Meaning: With great care and perseverance.
Example: Leaders worked assiduously to hammer out an action plan.
22) Affirmative
Meaning: Agreeing with or consenting to a statement or request.
Example: An affirmative answer.
Synonyms: Positive, Approving
Antonyms: Dissenting, Negative
23) Perennially
Meaning: In a way that continues for a long or apparently infinite time; permanently.
Example: A new blow to the perennially struggling economy
