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The International Conference on 4th Industrial Revolution and Beyond (IC4IR 2021) is being organized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh
The International Conference on 4th Industrial Revolution and Beyond (IC4IR 2021) is being organized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh to be held through both physical and virtual online formats from 10 & 11 December 2021. On the 100th Birth Anniversary of the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the 50th anniversary of independence of the country, the UGC is planning to create a premier international forum for bringing together researchers and practitioners from diverse domains to share cutting-edge research results obtained through the application of artificial intelligence, the internet of things, data analytics, and cloud computing to solve problems in the industrial domain.The conference will bring together researchers and practitioners from diverse domains. IC4IR 2021 also promotes the sharing and dissemination of innovative and practical development of methodologies and technologies with industrial applications through the exchange and dissemination of best practices. The scope of the conference includes Artificial Intelligence; Robotics and Automation; IoT and Smart Agriculture; Data Analytics and Cloud Computing; Communication and Networks Signal and Natural Language Processing. Researchers of home and abroad are requested to submit your research paper which can resolve our local problems, improve life and the environment utilizing state-of-the-art 4IR techniques, and help to achieve the sustainable development goal.The Major Tracks of IC4IR 2021 include - Artificial Intelligence, Robotics & Automation, IoT & Smart Agriculture, Data Analytics & Cloud Computing, Signal & Natural Language Processing and Communication & Networking. The Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman recognized the importance of quality higher education towards building a knowledge-based economy in Bangladesh. The functions of UGC are the allocation of funds to universities, facilitating the development of the higher educational system in Bangladesh with the main purpose of upgrading the qualities of teaching-learning at the tertiary level, encouraging cutting-edge innovative research and development, and improving governance issues at the universities. Also, UGC is responsible for formulating higher education policy and quality assurance to meet the international standard and advise the Government accordingly.
Everything you wanted to know: Big Data and Cryptocurrency
Let your mind wander back in time to recall the cartoons of a generation ago. A popular depiction of cutting-edge science consisted of a scrawny genius, his persona dominated by a dome of a head, one large ear planted on each side of the face and crowned by unruly wisps of white hair, with knotted eyebrows frozen in the concentration of impending discovery. Hunched over an array of vats, dishes, and test tubes, the maniacal gleam was matched in intensity only by the forest of glass perpetually boiling and spewing their multicoloured venom into the atmosphere of a laboratory that lesser mortals entered at their peril.Pause for a moment in the restless present, and replicate the scene in context. Now, instead of the “mad professor,” one is confronted by the image of a young whippersnapper, perhaps just out of college but probably not, un-groomed, tousle-headed, clad in t-shirt and shorts, feet on the table, laptop balanced precariously on one knee, the remnants of a forgotten meal of burger, fries, and soda pop contributing to the mayhem of the tabletop, a juvenile conductor who, with the occasional tap of the keyboard, controls the clack and hum of the unending rows of servers behind him, squat canyons of impersonal machinery churning and processing and crunching an endless stream of what we nonchalantly refer to as “data.”Welcome to the “busyness” of today. The collection, aggregation, sifting, and processing of information about the ways and means of one’s fellow human beings is now unprecedented in volume and boggles the mind with the scope of its application. The information of the world is now in the possession or control of a handful of organizations, and the logical corollary to this mega-aggregation is data mining. Therefore, if one has the wherewithal, install a server to sift and analyze and electronically ponder on certain identified accounts, record the caprice and trends of human behaviour in all its permutations and combinations and more, and archive the outcome in anticipation of the next sellable idea.Human impatience decreed that the monopoly needed to be taken to the next level, because the longer this data remained tranquil and undisturbed by even the slightest wind to ripple its surface, the less valuable it became. It would only be a matter of time before human endeavour and innovation churned the ocean with the motive of revenue and profit. But let us examine the process before arriving at the ultimate objective.In the beginning, a digital ledger is created. This is the short-form reference to something known as distributed ledger technology, a digital system for recording the transaction of assets in which transaction and computation and archiving is happening on different computers and the transactions and their details are recorded in several places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, these ledgers are not maintained in one central location. The digital ledger works on the concept of blockchain technology as applied to data both enormous and complex.The data is computed in various servers all over the world, moving from one blockchain to another, and remains in those specific servers in machine-readable (encrypted) form. Mimicking the behaviour of Mercury, the capricious and restless character of Greek mythology, the online file jumps from one computer to the next laptop to the other server until it is reined in and given commercial form by the tap of a secured key.We are describing an undertaking on a colossal and transnational level. The “system,” for want of a better expression, has to be “on” and “up” at all times. There cannot be even a millisecond of “downtime” because of the ceaseless auto-computing taking place at some unknown point of the electronic chain.And it is at this point when a creature generically referred to as cryptocurrency appears surreptitiously on the horizon. So stealthily, in fact, that few people are even aware of its decade-old existence. But it is only in recent months that this notion has begun to flex its digital muscles and advertise its existence. And it is the miracle of marketing that has people across the globe taking their first tentative steps to open their minds and explore the latest manifestation of commercial innovation. But how does it work? Let us also explore.The given fact is that every server is constantly mining data, the foundation on which the commercial proposition is constructed. Companies that have floated and endorsed online currencies, or “coins,” attach a certain value of the coin to the data controlled and processed by the company they have tied up with. As an outcome of this enterprise-level contract, one “opens” an account with the owner of the coin. Depending upon the amount of data being mined, a certain value of a coin is attached to this activity. The value of the coin is infractions and is recorded in the cryptocurrency wallet of choice. For a certain amount of time and volume provided for data mining, the coin company shall allocate a value. Of course, the value will be inversely proportional to the reputation and currency of the coin. The availability of the coin, therefore, shall always be dependent upon the amount of data that is available for mining to the public.The digital wallet is anonymous and encrypted and known only to the parties involved in the particular transaction. The level of anonymity is such that one party is not even aware of the identity of the other.Have we permitted the force of this new enterprise to pull us into the maelstrom of a world that we barely recognize? No, most probably not. Because as owners of the latest handheld technology, each of us is, willingly or unwillingly, a participant in the global undertaking and exercise of metadata, a veritable tsunami that we could not anticipate but are now submerged by.Digital currency is probably the way of the future. But for its success, there needs to be mass participation. The dynamics and nature of an enormous subcontinent overflowing with potential human capital requires that political goodwill is built and accumulated on a corresponding scale. Accordingly, experience demonstrates that it is the instrumentality of the mass-based welfare scheme that has proved to be the most potent and efficacious method of recording the performance of an administration. What better way to kick-start a nascent parallel economy than by putting in place a digital wallet for every woman of the household and encouraging her to place a designated amount into the digital crypto economy?We have for several years now been passive participants and contributors to a new model of doing business in which the personal returns are few if any at all. It is up to us to take the initiative and create our destiny, invisible as it may be, and play a more meaningful role in an economy that has transformed life and commerce at unimaginable levels.Dear reader, let us continue to unravel the secrets of this invisible behemoth. It cannot be as cryptic as it is made out to be.
Nearly one-third of US states are affected by the Omicron variant
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread to about one-third of US states, but the Delta version remains the majority of Covid-19 infections as cases rise nationwide, US health officials said on Sunday.Though the emergence of the new variant has caused alarm worldwide, Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease official, told CNN "thus far it does not look like there's a great degree of severity to it." He added that it was too early to draw definitive conclusions and that more study is needed.Fauci, US President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, said he also hoped the United States would lift its ban on travellers from southern African countries in a "reasonable period of time." The South African government has complained it is being punished - instead of applauded - for discovering the new variant and quickly informing international health officials.Fauci, in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," praised South Africa for its transparency and said the US travel ban was imposed at a time "when we were really in the dark" and needed time to study the variant.At least 16 US states have reported Omicron cases: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin, according to a Reuters tally.Many of the cases were among fully vaccinated individuals with mild symptoms, although the booster shot status of some patients was not reported.Despite several dozen Omicron cases, the Delta variant still accounts for 99.9% of new Covid cases in the United States CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky told ABC News in an interview."We are every day hearing about more and more probable cases so that number is likely to rise," she said.The United States over the last seven days has averaged 119,000 new cases a day and lost nearly 1,300 lives to Covid each day, according to a Reuters tally.Louisiana currently has one Omicron case from an individual who travelled within the United States, its health department said on Sunday.On Saturday, it said a Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd cruise ship set to dock in New Orleans with more than 3,000 passengers found 10 cases of Covid-19 on board.Officials said passengers on the Norwegian Breakaway, which stopped in Belize, Honduras and Mexico, would be tested and given the CDC's post-exposure and quarantine guidelines.The emergence of the new variant has sharply curtailed the number of energy executives and government ministers planning to attend the four-day World Petroleum Congress in Houston this week, which had already been rescheduled for 2020.But travel restrictions and worries over the new variant saw energy ministers from Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Argentina, Equatorial Guinea, Greece, Turkey and Romania - bowed out, WPC officials said on Sunday.Governors of two states with reported Omicron cases -- Connecticut and Colorado -- said they hoped their higher-than-average vaccination rates would blunt the impact."We want to see how well the vaccinations hold up," Colorado's Jared Polis told ABC.As US Omicron cases emerge, Covid-19 vaccine makers aim to quickly tweak their shots to target the variant and US regulators have vowed speedy reviews, but that could still take months."Certainly, FDA (Food and Drug Administration) will move swiftly and CDC will move swiftly," Walensky said.Moderna Inc has targeted US approval of an updated vaccine as soon as March, but company officials on Sunday said it will still take time to increase output.Moderna Co-founder and Chairman Noubar Afeyan told CNN it would take another seven to 10 days to gather key data. Then, it "will take a good 60 to 100 days" to deploy an Omicron-specific shot, although other options like a higher dose of the current booster are being explored, he said.US government officials are also working with Pfizer Inc and Johnson & Johnson on updated shots, while Pfizer and Merck & Co Inc are pursuing Covid-19 pill treatments.
Facebook removes Chinese network over Covid claims by fake 'Swiss biologist'
Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O) said on Wednesday it had removed accounts used by an influence operation originating in China that promoted claims of a fake "Swiss biologist" saying the United States was interfering in the search for Covid-19's origins.Meta said in a report the social media campaign was "largely unsuccessful" and targeted English-speaking audiences in the United States and Britain and Chinese-speaking audiences in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Tibet. Claims by "Swiss biologist" Wilson Edwards were widely quoted by Chinese state media in July. In August, several Chinese newspapers removed comments and deleted articles quoting him after the Swiss embassy in Beijing said it had found no evidence of him as a Swiss citizen.Meta said Facebook removed the Wilson Edwards account in August and has since removed 524 Facebook accounts, 20 Pages, four Groups and 86 Instagram accounts as part of its investigation. Such removals also take down content that these entities have posted. "We...were able to link the activity to individuals in mainland China, including employees of a particular company in China, the Sichuan Silence Information Technology Company Limited, as well as some individuals associated with Chinese state infrastructure companies around the world," Meta's head of global threat disruption David Agranovich told Reuters.Sichuan Silence Information Technology Co did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Chinese foreign ministry and internet regulator Cyberspace Administration of China also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Meta said it had not found any connection between Sichuan Silence Information Technology and the Chinese government.
In 10yrs, 10 lakh jobs created in ICT sector: Palak
Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT), announced that the sector has created more than 10 lakh employment.The industry will add another three lakh jobs in the market within the next couple of years, Palak said while inaugurating the 15th edition of the BASIS SoftExpo 2019 this morning. Palak said their government is heavily investing in the digitization process to make the citizen service easier and generate job employment in the coming days. ICT is the government’s top priority sector and the government is providing training and ensuring facilities to flourish the digitization process, he said.The three-day-long mega event is demonstrating the country’s digital business to promote the digitization process at the International Convention City Bashundhara in the capital. This year's three-day show—that bears the slogan of “Technology for prosperity”—will house four new zones. One will be titled Industry 4.0 and the rest will be experience zone, VAT zone and women zone.In the event, there are also zones on digital education, fin-tech, software, mobile innovation, digital commerce, ITES and business process outsourcing. The showcase is also the congregation of ICT companies, personalities, key policymakers, industry leaders and other ICT stakeholders, according to the organisers.Over 100 national and international speakers are also sharing their thoughts in different sessions of the expo. There will also be business leaders meetings, corporate hours, ICT career camps and gaming fest, business to business matchmaking sessions, including a special session for exploring the business in Japan. In the inauguration event ICT division secretary NM Zeaul Alam and Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) president Syed Almas Kabir was also present.
Cyberbullying a serious problem for 85% of Bangladesh youths
The most common platforms where youths experienced online bullying were social media, messaging apps, and online gaming and video game streaming platformsCyberbullying is a serious problem for 85% of Bangladeshi youths, according to a Grameenphone and Telenor Group survey run in association with Plan International from August to September.The survey was conducted among youths to find out how internet use and online bullying trends have changed across Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand in the backdrop of Covid-19. Of the 3,930 respondents to the regional survey, 16% were youths from Bangladesh. About 29% of Bangladesh youths said they were bullied before the pandemic, and 18% said they experienced more online bullying since the onset of Covid-19. Around 8% of youths experienced online bullying at least once a week since the arrival of the pandemic. The most common platforms where youths experienced online bullying were social media, messaging apps, and online gaming and video game streaming platforms.To stop the bullying online, respondents in the four countries said that they took several measures to safeguard themselves, which included ignoring the bully, which resulted in the person stopping, changing security settings online so the person could not contact them, and speaking to a parent or guardian about the problem.The survey also revealed that 86% of youths surveyed in Bangladesh spent more time on the internet since Covid-19 began. In addition, 35% of youths in Bangladesh said they used the internet all the time, 15% used it mainly in the evenings, and only 2% limited their use to only during school hours. Yasir Azman, CEO of Grameenphone, said: "There is no denying our future generation needs digital skills and are active users of the internet. So, we need to intensify cooperation and commitment with various stakeholders to keep them safe. The survey results set a call to action to focus on this issue collectively.”Manisha Dogra, VP (Sustainability) for Telenor in Asia, said: "With the marked increase in time spent on the internet by youth during the pandemic, there is a clear need to better equip youth with ways and methods to protect themselves online. Awareness, training on online bullying, and digital building resilience are crucial to be a multi-stakeholder exercise. This should not be left just to educational institutions but should also involve parents and caregivers."
Facebook officially allows users to have 'more control' over their news feeds.
Facebook says it is introducing new features to give people more control over what appears in their news feeds.The social network has been under intense scrutiny in recent years for how its algorithms promote content.Now, it says it is testing controls to "adjust people's ranking preferences" and customise the feed.That includes, for example, increasing the number of posts from friends and family, and decreasing those from groups and pages.It will also make controls that already exist "easier to access", it said - such as the favourites and snooze features, which largely live inside a settings sub-menu."We'll begin testing in countries around the world to a small percentage of people, gradually expanding in the coming weeks," Facebook said in its announcement post."This is part of our ongoing work to give people more control over [the] news feed, so they see more of what they want and less of what they don't."
HC is concerned by the failure to submit reports on fraudulent e-commerce companies.
The next hearing is scheduled for November 23. The High Court expressed its displeasure on Tuesday after the authorities in question failed to submit reports on the efforts taken to combat money laundering by e-commerce companies and the policy for collecting tax and VAT from them on time.During a hearing on three writ petitions filed by victims of e-commerce fraud, the HC bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Md Mostafizur Rahman expressed their displeasure. The bench stated that the court will treat the complaint seriously because the government bodies involved had not responded to the High Court's notice.The court ordered Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar to notify the Attorney General. It then scheduled the next hearing for November 23 and delayed the deadline for submitting reports until then.On September 30, the court ordered the Ministry of Commerce, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), and the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) to produce separate reports on e-commerce platform money laundering by November 8. The court requested that the BFIU tell it of the efforts taken against money laundering by e-commerce firms, as well as NBR's stance on collecting VAT and tax from these businesses.The court also enquired about the operation of the 16-member technical committee for the e-commerce sector established by the Commerce Ministry.The petitioners were represented by lawyers Mohammad Shishir Monir, Md Anwarul Islam, and Pallob Kabir M Humaun, while the state was represented by Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar.Anwarul Islam, a Supreme Court lawyer, had filed a writ case on September 20 seeking a directive from the court to establish an impartial e-commerce monitoring institute to defend the interests and rights of e-commerce customers.On September 22, SC lawyer Mohammad Humayun Kabir filed a petition asking the court to order the formation of a probe committee to identify the responsible individual or government authority whose negligence or failure has resulted in monetary losses for lakhs of consumers from well-known e-commerce sites such as Evaly, e-orange, Dhamaka, Daraz, Qcoom, Aladiner Prodip, Alesha Mart, and Dalal Plus.Thirty-three e-orange customers filed a writ on September 23 to seek their money back from the corporation. Advocate Shishir Monir filed the petition, which calls for a travel ban on senior officials and authorities of risky e-commerce enterprises like e-orange, as well as the formation of a commission to protect the interests of both customers and businesses, led by economists, IT specialists, and stakeholders.
Government plans to hire 20,000 BPO professionals in the next five years
Bangladeshi BPO specialists will be able to compete in the worldwide market thanks to this initiative.In the next five years, the Information and Communication Technology Division (ICT), in collaboration with the private sector, will train 20,000 Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) experts through online training for college and university students.Agriculture Minister Mohammad Abdur Razzaque inaugurated the BPO skill development training program via the digital platform at Mushuddi Razia College of Dhanbari, Tangail, on Monday as part of the program's debut. A total of 130 college students will receive 60 hours of English language training and 80 hours of German language instruction, both of which are essential for BPO work.LICT Project Director Tarique M Barkatullah and IT-ITES Policy Adviser Sami Ahmed, Chairman of Golden Harvest Infotech Rajeeb Samdani, and CEO of A2Arena Asub Ullah Khan were among those who spoke during the ceremony, which was chaired by college Principal Keshab Chandra Das. The event was co-organized by the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) and Golden Harvest Infotech.According to the minister, ICT has spread to the village level as a result of many efforts implemented under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's active leadership. Frontier technologies of the fourth industrial revolution, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as robotics, are being implemented in a variety of industries, including agriculture.Dr Razzaque stated, "There is no alternative to skill development training, and we must build trained human resources for frontier technologies."Bangladesh has now become a development role model, he added, and this trend must be maintained by fully employing technology to transform Bangladesh into a developed country by 2041.According to Tarique M Barkatullah, the BPO skill development program would bridge the gap in English and German language skills needed to function in the global outsourcing business. According to him, the training will improve BPO professionals' ability to compete in the international market.ICT career camps, roadshows, and campus activation, according to Sami Ahmed, are being held in the country's colleges and institutions to encourage students to pursue BPO training and careers. Bangladesh's BPO sector has been gradually growing over the last 12 years, and local institutions, including banking, non-banking, and insurance companies, have expressed interest in outsourcing their work, he noted.According to Ahmed Rajeeb Samdani, Bangladesh has become an attractive investment location as a result of the government's establishment of an ICT ecosystem.According to Asub Ullah Khan, they are focusing on developing trained human resources at the village level, which is why this training program has been created in Tangail.The ICT Division of the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) has partnered with Golden Harvest Infotech to provide BPO skill development training on the WELEARN platform through BCC's training platform: www.bdskills.gov.bd.Those who successfully finish the training will receive certificates from both BCC and Golden Harvest Infotech.
For the first time, Facebook provides an estimate of bullying and harassment on it's own platforms
The social media giant has long been chastised for its handling of online abuse.On Tuesday, Facebook revealed for the first time the prevalence of bullying and harassment on its platform, claiming that such content was seen 14 to 15 times per 10,000 visits on the site in the third quarter. In its quarterly content moderation report, the company, which recently changed its name to Meta, also stated that bullying and harassing content was seen between 5 and 6 times per 10,000 views of content on Instagram.Former employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen disclosed internal documents that included studies and talks regarding Instagram's effects on teen mental health and whether Facebook's platforms fuel divisions, bringing the social media behemoth back into the spotlight. The documents, according to Haugen, reveal that the corporation prioritized profits before user safety. Facebook refuted this assessment, claiming that the records were being exploited to create a "false picture."The documents, which were first reported by the Wall Street Journal, have spurred calls for Facebook to be more transparent and have raised questions over whether metrics such as prevalence give the full picture of how the company handles abuses. Facebook said its bullying and harassment numbers only captured instances where the company did not need additional information, such as a report from a user, to decide if the content broke its rules.They said that of the 9.2 million pieces of content the company removed from Facebook for breaking its bullying and harassment rules, it found 59.4% proactively."Bullying and harassment is a unique challenge and one of the most complex issues to address because context is critical," the company's global head of safety, Antigone Davis, and product management director Amit Bhattacharyya said in a blog post.
ICT minister: Bangladesh will export smartphones in 2yrs
Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar on July 9, 2019, tells parliament that the government will take tougher measures to realise outstanding money from different private mobile phone operators."The government already has established a position to manufacture different digital devices," he said at a discussion on "Technology, innovation and policy: How to proceed?" at the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Dhaka.Already at least seven companies have applied to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to set up mobile plants and some of them will start to assemble 4G-enabled handsets by June. Minister Jabbar stated that the software business exports roughly $800 million in products, and if the software can make a large amount of foreign cash, then hardware can do the same.Former president of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), Jabbar said, "The country has failed to build an innovation culture, and there is little value placed on invention in this country. To reach our full potential, we must reform our culture and ensure that innovation is valued ".He also stressed the importance of increasing educational quality and ensuring that the educational system is digitalized.More improved technologies will be introduced to the market, and I will be one of them.
5 thousand per minute users in Surokka
In order to prevent corona (Covid-19), the pressure has started to start mass vaccination activities in the country on the virtual registration platform 'Surokka'. From this app and website now more than 5 thousand per minute.The platform has successfully verified and registered the NIDs of a total of 14 lakh 60 thousand citizens from 9 am to 12:30 pm on Saturday. In all, more than 2 crore 16 lakh registrations have been made till this day.An official from the Department of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) said on condition of anonymity that the DIDS attack was carried out on August 4 and 5 for security reasons outside the country. Then in 48 hours 2 crore 36 lakh clicks were made from within the country. On the other hand, only 1 crore 20 lakhs from Hungary and a total of 36 million clicks from abroad. As a result, some people are embarrassed to use it at that time. Realizing the matter, registration from outside the country has been stopped. As a result, 15 percent of the registration capacity is now being used. Security has a total registration capacity of 16 crore. That means 50 thousand people can register every second.Earlier, State Minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Palak had said that the ‘Surokka’ has a capacity of 5 million registrations per day. Registration for the coronavirus vaccine began on January 26. After that, the vaccination program started from February 8. Due to low stock of ticks, the registration process of ticks was suspended from June 6. Later, at the end of June, the registration of tickers started again. Then, on July 14, the registration for the vaccine crossed the one crore milestone.
