The biggest video streaming website Youtube is making an effort to stop extremist content reaching the users. It has prepared four easy steps to achieve its target.

With the increasing use of social media it has become easier for some platforms to spread extremist content.  Social media platforms demonstrate a large variety and huge number of media content. Unfortunately, these have thus become an easy platform for the people who want to spread propaganda and extremist content to other users.

The increasing extremist content has led to a decision to rake serious action against them. The government now has decided the removal of extremist content from the social networks.

Google based online video platform, YouTube has come up with four steps to combat the problem of extremist video content.

YouTube issued a statement that outlined four steps that could prove useful. In collaboration with different law enforcement agencies, YouTube is soon going to remove the extremist content from the platform.

According to YouTube:

• The first step will entail the use of automated systems for better identification of content related to terror. The company is thus using machine learning that will make it easier to classify the terror-related content so that it can be removed.
• The second step is to increase the number of experts in its Trusted Flagger user’s program. This group already made up of 63 organizations, will get 50 more NGOs to help in reviewing flagged content so that it can be easily removed from the YouTube list of videos.
• Step three will entail making it more difficult for videos that may not violate community standards but all the same have content that is supremacist or inflammatory religious in nature. Such videos are to be denied any ad revenue and will be hidden behind a warning to those who may wish to view them.
• The last step is the most effective one. Using its Creators for Change program, YouTube will redirect those who wish to view extremist content to channels with counter-terrorist content which will provide them with another perspective to the terror menace. They will thus be convinced not to join groups such as ISIS.

YouTube is not the only solider in the battle with the extremist video content but it is also supported by platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The aim is to make the extremist content disappear and by looking at the efforts being done and steps being taken it is pretty obvious that the extremist content will vanish soon.

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Pakistan Software Export Board has recently projected Country’s Information Technology exports to boost from $2.8 Billion to $5 Billion by 2020 and to $10 Billion by 2025.

Managing Director PSEB Asim Shahryar Hussain briefed the National Assembly Standing Committee stating that IT Exports had mounted up a whopping $2.84 Billion by 2017 and would mount further to $5 Billion by 2020. The Exports through Freelancers were said to be $200 Million for the year while IT export were projected at $661 Million for the year 2017.

The Committee Member astonished, questioned the way such target was to be achieved but Official had no answers. What fascinated even more was that the projected export was far away from the trends. During the last 20 years it had just accounted $2.8 Billion and here was Pakistan Software Export Board Managing Director claiming it to double up in the next 4 years!

The Committee headed by Captain Muhammad Safdar commenced on Tuesday. The committee expressed exasperation over the IT export being less than par. The officials confirmed that Pakistan was far behind in the IT exports from the neighboring countries, excusing Pakistan’s negative Reputation as the cause of it.

Lack of capacity building, Ignorance of commercial councilors at abroad, Lack of quality Software and Standard Certification system were declared to be some other causes.

The official further declared Pakistan’s IT exports to be $2.8 billion against State Bank’s figures of $561 Million citing unregulated sector and the lack of heed paid by the companies to get registered with Pakistan Software Export Board as the reasons. The officials also said the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) had approved the country’s first state-of-the-art Information Technology (IT) Park in Islamabad.

The committee also directed the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication to acquire performance report of the commercial counselors employed in Pakistani embassies abroad for the last two years pertaining to IT sector. The committee also decided to raise the issue with commerce minister and suggested IT training for officers before their postings abroad.

Korean Exim Bank recently agreed to finance the development of first technology Park in Pakistan in order to promote IT and telecom sector labeled at $50 Million. The Loan Agreement is predicted to be signed by the end of January 2017 and consequently the development of IT Parks would start soon. IT parks are to be developed in Lahore, Karachi and probably Faisalabad and Sialkot too.

The committee noted that Pakistan had immense IT talent and potential, but that potential had not been utilized fully on a global scale because of lack of proper infrastructure for the IT industry at present.

The committee was further informed that Axact Company was registered with the Pakistan Software Export Board; however, after the case, its membership was suspended. Officials quoted that company remittances were $24 million. On which the committee member said it meant a lot of money was parked outside the country.

According to the stats that were provided to the committee said that the growth in  PSEB- registered IT companies and call centers was 81.8%. With an increase from 681 in 2013 to 1,238 in 2016 and projected to reach 1,330 in 2017 in last three years.

What is to be noted is whether the ‘Root-Less” Plans would lead to something or would end up as unsung, unfeasible Proposals? What do you think? Leave your reply in comments section.

News Source: Brecorder.com

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LUMS Center for Entrepreneurship (LCE) in collaboration with Ilm Ideas 2 and Techstars, organized a themed Startup Weekend event at LUMS to scout and support innovators looking to address the enrollment, retention and learning outcome challenges in the education sector of Pakistan.

The event started on Friday evening, August 5, with Dr. Zartash Afzal Uzmi, LUMS faculty member and facilitator for Startup Weekend Lahore, commencing the proceedings and opening remarks presented by Shahida Saleem, Team Lead Pakistan Education Innovation Fund (Ilm Ideas 2). From among the 130 participants of the Start Weekend, a total of 63 startups made their elevator pitches to the audience on Friday evening. 19 startups were shortlisted to continue with the competition and mentoring support for the rest of the weekend.

Participants worked tirelessly throughout the weekend including the nights with a passion that was palpable. Through Saturday until Sunday evening, successful business people and educators came in to mentor and coach the startups and help them polish their business models, financials and even presentations. The hard work of all the teams culminated on Sunday, August 7, where all the 19 shortlisted teams pitched in front of a panel of judges comprising of Khurram Zafar, Abid Malik, Faisal Bari, Izza Farrukh, Shahida Saleem, Imran Sarwar and Gauher Aftab.

Ilmistan, an online platform for teachers training won the competition. Keep Schools Safe, a startup focused on imparting disaster preparedness training to schools, came in second. According to the founders, there are hundreds of thousands of kids whose education suffer because of disruptions caused by natural disasters and people-caused incidents in Pakistan. Edu Care, a startup formed by students of Namal University that aims to build an online networking platform to connect students in any part of the country with volunteer tutors and coaches, came in third. The founders of Educare dedicated the win to the generous donors of Namal University that enabled them to seek good education and gave them the confidence to start their own ambitious venture. The Audience Favorite vote went out to SS Gamification, a team who is working on gamifying social sciences subjects in schools.

Addressing the participants of the Startup Weekend, Shahida Saleem of Ilm Ideas 2 said, “You all blew me away! Your energy, your passion and your commitment is infectious and I believe that a lot of social enterprises we saw develop over the weekend will play a pivotal role in providing 25 million out of school children access to good education.”

The winning team and the top two runners up are offered guaranteed incubation at LUMS Center for Entrepreneurship while all other participants were encouraged to apply for incubation for the 6^th batch of LCE through the online application process.

About Startup Weekend Lahore:

Startup Weekend Lahore is the Lahore chapter of the global Startup Weekend event held at LUMS every year. The event is backed by Google for Entrepreneurs, .CO and TechStars and is a 54-hour event that brings together enthusiastic and driven budding entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups leading to the path of launching successful ventures.

About LUMS Center for Entrepreneurship:

LUMS Center for Entrepreneurship (LCE) is Pakistan’s most comprehensive experiential development platform for budding entrepreneurs that formalizes the process of scouting, grooming and facilitating passionate startup founders. Gust and Fundacity recently rated LCE the #1 accelerator in Pakistan and #11 in Asia. Since its inception in May 2014, LCE has mentored over 130 entrepreneurs who have created over 400 direct jobs and provided better economic and livelihood opportunities for thousands more. LCE graduates have already generated PKR 200 Million in revenues and are valued at PKR 1.5 Billion backed by approximately PKR 150 Million in investment capital by local and foreign investors. More about LCE at: lce.lums.edu.pk and Facebook and Twitter

About Ilm Ideas 2:

Ilm Ideas 2, supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), provides a platform for the generation, piloting and scaling up of innovative solutions to address critical education challenges in Pakistan. Phase 2 of the program, launched in 2015, is managed by Cambridge Education, a member of the Mott MacDonald group. More about Ilm Ideas 2 at: ilmideas2.pk and Facebook and Twitter

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