Is Meta purposely making their products "addictive"?; And NCERT has reignited the India vs Bharat row

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Market Watch

• Indian benchmark indices ended the day in the red, with the Sensex decreasing 522 points at 64,049 and the Nifty falling 159 points at 19,122.
• Sectorally, Nifty Media (-1.66%) and Financial Services 25/50 (-1.15%) shed the most, while PSU Bank (-0.17%) and Metal (-0.15%) gained the most.

'Meta designed features to ‘addict’ children to Instagram, Facebook': Over 40 US states allege in lawsuits

More than 40 attorneys general from various US states have filed multiple lawsuits against Meta, alleging that the company designed features in Instagram and other apps to intentionally addict children and teens.

The intrigue:?This legal action follows a 2021 investigation into Meta's practices after?whistleblower Frances Haugen testified?that the company was aware of the potential harm its products could inflict on children.

What they're saying:?The suits claim that Meta's practices have contributed to a “youth mental health crisis” and have violated state consumer protection laws and the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

• According to the lawsuits, Meta has continued to collect data from young users, including those below 13 years, without parental consent and has concealed the extent of psychological and health harms suffered by young users addicted to the use of its platforms.
• The legal actions also claim that Meta used algorithms to create addictive “rabbit holes” to maximize user engagement and knowingly misled the public about the associated harms.
• State attorneys general demanded injunctive relief and unspecified monetary damages to rectify the harms caused by these platforms, and are also investigating TikTok's conduct on similar concerns.

The other side:?Meta maintains that it is committed to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online and has introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families.

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NCERT panel recommends replacing 'India' with 'Bharat' in school textbooks

A high-level committee set up by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has unanimously accepted a proposal to replace the term 'India' with 'Bharat' in textbooks.

What they're saying:?CI Issac, one of the panel members, explained that the term 'Bharat' is mentioned in ancient texts like the Vishnu Purana, which is 7,000 years old, and has been used officially on recent occasions such as the G20 invites.

• “The term India started being used commonly only after the establishment of the East India Company and the battle of Plassey in 1757,” he added.

• The panel also suggests replacing 'ancient history' with 'classical history' and incorporating the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) across all subject curriculums.
• The panel further recommends highlighting “Hindu victories” in the textbooks, and believes that the current division of history into ancient, medieval and modern, a structure imposed by the British, portrays India in an unprogressive light.

The big picture:?This coincides with the ongoing controversy surrounding?the potential renaming of India to Bharat, which began when?Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government referred to the country as Bharat on official invitations for the G20 summit?in Delhi.

• The use of 'Bharat' at the summit led to a heated argument, with?the Opposition claiming?it was an attempt to distract the public from governance issues and a “panic reaction” to the Opposition Front naming itself INDIA.

The other side:?However, supporters of the name change argue that Bharat is an indigenous term that goes back in history and was prominent in the anti-colonial struggles.?

• The rationale offered by supporters of the name change is that Bharat is a more traditional and culturally soaked name of the nation, whereas India is an exonym – a placename given by Britishers.?

ICYMI

• The Maldives President-elect Mohamed Muizzu has reportedly told India to remove all its military personnel from the country, raising concerns over the Maldives' shifting alliance from India towards China.
• Pakistan has defended terrorism under the guise of 'freedom-fighting', linking the situations in Palestine and Kashmir, with India dismissing the remarks 'with contempt'.
• Israel has released an audio clip in which a Hamas terrorist claims to have killed 10 Jews “with my own hands” and sends photos of his victims to his parents.
• In the second major leadership shakeup in China in just three months, Defence Minister Li Shangfu and ex-Foreign Minister Qin Gang have been removed from the cabinet.
• Of the seven key listed companies of the Adani Group, only the stock price of Adani Total Gas has fallen 85%, in line with the predictions made by Hindenburg Research in January.
• A recent one-year study led by research scientist N Hema has pointed out heavy metal contamination in vegetables across Bengaluru.