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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Algorithmic Anarchy

The NEET paper leak protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar should have remained a legitimate expression of student anger over the collapse of examination integrity. Instead, as the agitation escalated into clashes with the police, abusive sloganeering and an increasingly radical political campaign, Meta’s algorithms emerged as an invisible force multiplying the unrest. The controversy surrounding the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message to the youth in the aftermath of the...

Algorithmic Anarchy

The NEET paper leak protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar should have remained a legitimate expression of student anger over the collapse of examination integrity. Instead, as the agitation escalated into clashes with the police, abusive sloganeering and an increasingly radical political campaign, Meta’s algorithms emerged as an invisible force multiplying the unrest. The controversy surrounding the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message to the youth in the aftermath of the protests only reinforces that concern. Meta has attributed the takedown to a “technical glitch” and apologised. But when the world’s largest social media platform can temporarily suppress the message of the elected leader of the world’s largest democracy during a politically charged moments, the issue extends well beyond a single deleted post. Who decides what India sees? That question has become impossible to ignore during the Cockroach Janta Party’s protests. Across Instagram and Facebook, users have reported being inundated with CJP videos, reels and protest clips despite never following the organisation or engaging with similar political content. Whether this resulted from coordinated paid collaborations, recommendation algorithms or both deserves a thorough investigation. But the larger democratic concern is that public opinion is increasingly being mediated not by citizens, journalists or elected representatives, but by opaque algorithms designed in Silicon Valley and optimised for engagement rather than democratic responsibility. Meta’s recommendation engine is not a passive notice board. Every piece of political content that reaches millions has first been selected by an algorithm whose workings remain largely hidden from public scrutiny. This is hardly unique to India. Around the world, Meta has repeatedly been accused of amplifying polarisation, misinformation and political extremism because outrage keeps users engaged. From elections to ethnic conflicts and episodes of civil unrest, the company has faced persistent criticism that its commercial incentives reward divisive content over balanced discourse. Democracies cannot afford to outsource the architecture of public debate to corporations whose primary obligation is to shareholders rather than constitutional values. While citizens are entitled to challenge governments and demand accountability, there is an important distinction between a movement that expands because people are persuaded and one that appears to be algorithmically amplified into omnipresence. Equally disturbing has been the normalisation of abusive political language during the protests. When such content is repeatedly amplified through recommendation systems, platforms cease to be neutral intermediaries and become active participants in degrading democratic discourse. Platforms that influence elections, protests and public opinion must explain how political recommendations are generated and why particular narratives receive extraordinary amplification. Silicon Valley companies insist they are merely technology platforms. But their algorithms increasingly exercise editorial power. When software determines which protests dominate national conversations and whose voices disappear, technology has already become politics.

India housing market outperforms global peers: Knight Frank

India’s residential housing market continues to outperform most global peers, demonstrating resilience amid easing interest rates and an uneven global recovery, according to Knight Frank’s Global House Price Index Q3 2025 and India Real Estate: Office and Residential Market – H2 2025 reports.


Globally, annual house price growth strengthened modestly to 2.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2025 as major central banks pivoted towards monetary easing. Against this backdrop, India emerged as one of the strongest performers, ranking 10th worldwide with a 9.6 per cent year-on-year rise in residential property prices.


India was also the only Asia-Pacific market to feature in the global top 10, significantly outperforming the global average and underlining the strength of end-user-driven demand.


Turkey topped the global charts with nominal price growth of 32.2 per cent year-on-year, although real prices remained marginally negative due to high inflation. Other strong performers included North Macedonia, Portugal, Bulgaria and Hungary, largely driven by supply constraints and sustained demand in select European markets.


Knight Frank’s data shows that residential sales across India’s top eight cities remained steady in 2025 at over 348,000 units, with the second half of the year recording the highest sales volumes since 2013. Despite an increase in unsold inventory, largely due to the launch of higher-value projects, market health indicators remained stable. The quarters-to-sell ratio stood at a balanced 5.8 quarters, indicating sustained absorption.


Price growth was broad-based across major Indian cities. The National Capital Region led the pack with a sharp 19 per cent year-on-year increase, followed by Hyderabad at 13 per cent, Bengaluru at 12 per cent and Mumbai at 7 per cent.


According to the report, this upward momentum reflects strong demand in the premium and mid-to-premium segments, supported by cumulative interest-rate cuts, benign inflation and rising household incomes.


A significant structural shift in buyer preferences continued through 2025. Homes priced above Rs 1 crore accounted for nearly 50 per cent of total residential sales, highlighting growing demand for larger, better-quality homes in well-located developments. Developers, in response, have moderated new launches, focused on execution and offered targeted financing incentives rather than resorting to price corrections, helping maintain sales momentum.


Commenting on the outlook, Shishir Baijal, International Partner, Chairman and Managing Director of Knight Frank India, said India’s housing market continues to stand apart in an otherwise uneven global environment. “The combination of strong economic growth, easing financial conditions and a decisive shift towards end-user-led demand has created a more mature and resilient residential cycle. As we move into 2026, we expect the market to be defined by stable absorption, selective price appreciation and disciplined supply, rather than speculative excess,” he said.


Globally, emerging and select European markets dominated the upper end of the price growth rankings in Q3 2025, while several mature markets continued to lag. Price declines persisted in parts of Northern Europe and East Asia, underscoring the uneven nature of the global housing recovery.


Looking ahead, Knight Frank expects a cautiously improving outlook for global housing markets. The broad pivot towards rate cuts is easing borrowing costs and supporting buyer sentiment, but real price growth remains under pressure in many countries due to lingering inflation.


“Nominal growth has edged higher again as central banks pivot towards cuts, but real gains are still hard-won. To see firmer growth into 2026, policymakers will need to maintain an easing stance while inflation continues to retreat,” said Liam Bailey, Global Head of Research at Knight Frank.


With supportive global monetary conditions and robust domestic fundamentals, India’s residential sector is well positioned to sustain its relative outperformance in the period ahead, the report noted.

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