Most Indian languages are now available on smartphones. But this was not always the case.
During Covid, was the implementation of Arogya Setu, an app-based monitor, justified to access treatment?
Does Aadhaar help to access facilities, or is it another roadblock?
These are questions that Anivar Aravind, a public interest technologist, asks in the course of his work.
He is one of the founding members of Swathanthra Malayalam Computing, a free software collective.
He and the collective solved a central issue to translate native language scripts to the digital space, which had, for decades, not included Indian languages.
Indic Keyboard, developed by the collective, helped many to type in their own native language on their mobile phones.
Anivar has been at the forefront of several digital rights movements. His activism includes filing a public interest litigation looking into Arogya Setu’s data collection and campaigns questioning Aadhar’s approach to the privacy of citizens.
According to Anivar language technologies should be owned by the communities.
Published 09 January 2024, 10:36 IST