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CFP ‘08: Clay Shirky, Konstantinos Karachalios, and a Letter to the President

First Monday Podcast: The Faustian Bargain with Web 2.0

Reminder: Computers, Freedom, & Privacy: Technology Policy ‘08

Yale ISP’s “9.5 Theses for Technology Policy in the Next Administration”

Google to “systematically” provide data on suspect Orkut users to Brazilian authorities

Joining UW-Milwaukee School of Information Studies

Doctors Warn of Dangers of Storage of Health Records by MSFT / Google

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    CFP ‘08: Clay Shirky, Konstantinos Karachalios, and a Letter to the President

    Posted on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 9:59 pm

    There have been some exciting developments as we near the Computers, Freedom & Privacy conference on “Technology Policy ‘08“:

    Check out the program, and don’t forget to register.


    First Monday Podcast: The Faustian Bargain with Web 2.0

    Posted on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 6:23 pm

    There’s nothing worse than listening to yourself talk.

    Following up on March’s special issue of First Monday on “Critical Perspectives on Web 2.0,” I was recently interviewed by Joy Austria and A.J. Hannah for the First Monday Podcast series.

    You can download the MP3 (5.2MB, 15:16) or read the transcript. Hopefully you can read between the awkward phrasing of my responses (I think I was travel-weary at the time), and find something insightful to complement the special issue.

    (Speaking of that special issue, the Washington Post recently quoted Anders Albrechtslund’s contribution. I’m thrilled folks are finding it useful.)


    Reminder: Computers, Freedom, & Privacy: Technology Policy ‘08

    Posted on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 6:05 pm

    The program for next month’s Computers, Freedom & Privacy conference on “Technology Policy ‘08“ has been posted and features an excellent array of tutorials, plenaries and panels:

    Plenary Sessions

    • Presidential Technology Policy: Priorities for the Next Executive
    • The 21st Century Panopticon?
    • The National Security State and the Next Adminstration

    Tutorials

    • A Short History of Privacy
    • Constitutional Law in Cyberspace
    • e-Deceptive Campaign Practices: Elections 2.0
    • Maintaining Privacy While Accessing On-line Information

    Panel Sessions

    • Activism and Education Using Social Networks
    • Breaking the Silence: Iranians Find a Voice on the Internet
    • Charismatic Content: Wikis, Social Networks, and the Future of User-Generated Content
    • Filtering Out Copyright Infringement: Possibilities, Practicalities, and Legalities
    • Filtering and Censorship in Europe
    • Hate Speech and Oppression in Cyberspace
    • Interoperability at the Crossroads?: The “Liberal Order” versus Fragmentation
    • Law, Regulation, and Software Licensing for the Electronic Medical Record
    • Measuring Global Threats to Internet Freedom
    • Network Neutrality: Beyond the Slogans
    • New Challenges for Spyware Policy
    • Patents: The Bleeding Edge of Technology Policy
    • Privacy, Reputation, and the Management of Online Communities
    • Rights & Responsibilities for Software Programs?
    • States as Incubators of Change
    • “The Transparent Society:” Ten Years Later
    • Towards Trustworthy e-Voting: An Open Source Approach?

    The “early bird” registration deadline is Fri., May 2, 2008. Hope to see you there.


    Yale ISP’s “9.5 Theses for Technology Policy in the Next Administration”

    Posted on Friday, April 25th, 2008 at 9:55 am

    In preparation for next month’s Computers, Freedom & Privacy conference on “Technology Policy ‘08“, the Yale Information Society Project has released “9.5 Theses for Technology Policy in the Next Administration“:

    1. Privacy. Protect human dignity, autonomy, and privacy by providing individuals with control over the collection, use, and distribution of their personal information and medical information.

    2. Access. Promote high-speed Internet access and increased connectivity for all, through both government and private initiatives, to reduce the digital divide.

    3. Network Neutrality. Legislate against unreasonable discrimination by network providers against particular applications or content to maintain the Internet’s role in fostering innovation, economic growth, and democratic communication.

    4. Transparency. Preserve accountability and oversight of government functions by strengthening freedom of information and improving electronic access to government deliberations and materials.

    5. Innovation. Restore balance to intellectual property rules and explore alternative incentives to better promote innovation, freedom, access to knowledge, and human development.

    6. Democracy. Empower individuals to fully participate in government and politics by making electronic voting consistent, reliable, and secure with voter-verifiable paper trails.

    7. Education. Expand effective exceptions and limitations to intellectual property for education to ensure that teachers and students have access to innovative digital teaching techniques and educational resources.

    8. Culture. Ensure that law and technology promote a free, vibrant and democratic culture, fair exchanges between different cultures, and individual rights to create and participate in culture.

    9. Diversity. Limit media concentration and expand media ownership to ensure a diverse marketplace of ideas.

    9.5 Openness. Support innovation and fair competition by stimulating openness in software, technological standards, Internet governance, and content licensing.

    Please feel free to comment on the official post at the CFP08 blog.

    (9.5 Theses - get it?)


    Google to “systematically” provide data on suspect Orkut users to Brazilian authorities

    Posted on Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 10:17 am

    Social network services are increasingly being used in legal and criminal investigations. Google’s social networking site Orkut, which is immensely popular in Brazil, is no exception.

    In 2006, I commented on Google’s decision to comply with a Brazilian court order to release data on Orkut users to help Brazilian authorities investigate use of the site related to racism, pedophilia and homophobia. Part of Google’s justification was that the data requested by Brazilian authorities was “relatively discrete — small and narrow.” They weren’t turning over massive amounts of general data, but specific bits of information in response to specific requests.

    Then, in 2007, I pointed to reports that Google was taking further steps to cooperate with Brazilian authorities to help censor content and track down offenders on Orkut, providing the police access to an admin tool for deleting or blocking illegal content.

    Now, the AP reports that Google has “handed over data stored by suspected pedophiles on its Orkut social networking site to Brazilian authorities, ceding to pressure to lift its confidentiality duty to its users.” Apparently there was pressure from a Brazilian senate commission to turn over the data, threatening Google with criminal and civil lawsuits if it did not comply with opening the restricted online photo albums of users under suspicion. Approximately 200 accused pedophiles are affected by this disclosure.

    It is inclear whether Google simply folded under pressure of lawsuits and provided the information based on simple (if coercive) requests by the Brazilian government, or if there were legal warrants or subpoenas issues to obtain the data. If the latter, then Google had a choice as to whether to comply with a legal request or to fight it in court. They might have determined that a court battle wouldn’t succeed, and simply provided the data. If the former is true — that there were no legal demands or requirements to turn over the data and Google just did it to avoid potential civil suits — then Google is setting a troublesome precedent that it will maintain the confidentially of its users only so long as it won’t be sued.

    But what concerns me most about this report is this passage:

    Google representatives met with police, prosecutors and other officials late Wednesday in Sao Paulo to negotiate a wide-ranging deal that would see the US company systematically providing data on suspect Orkut users to Brazilian authorities.

    What does “systematically providing data” mean? Will the Brazilian authorities have direct access to Google’s systems? Will a data file be routinely and “systematically “shared with the police? How will “suspect Orkut users” be defined and identified? Exactly what data will be shared? Will Google require warrants or subpoenas before “systematically” providing data on its users?

    This needs further clarification.


    Joining UW-Milwaukee School of Information Studies

    Posted on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 12:00 pm

    I am thrilled to announce that I have accepted an offer to join the faculty of the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

    SOIS

    As of August 18, 2008, I will be an Assistant Professor at SOIS, with teaching responsibilities focusing on its undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Information Resources, and my research will be aligned with the Information Policy concentration of its new Ph.D. in Information Studies. I also will be affiliated with the Center for Information Policy Research.

    On a personal note, it is hard for me to express/contain my excitement about joining SOIS. Here are just a few of the reasons for my euphoria:

    I have been lucky throughout my (young) academic career to have benefited from associations with amazing faculty, colleagues, and friends at the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at NYU (especially Helen Nissenbaum), and more recently at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School. I honestly can’t think of a better place to continue my academic adventures than at SOIS.

    (ps - for those who want a taste of the kind of work SOIS/CIPR is committed to, check out its upcoming conference: Thinking Critically: Alternative Perspectives and Methods in Information Studies. Hope to see you there!)


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