February 2006 – MichaelZimmer.org

NYT: US Looking for New Ways to Mine Your Data

Posted by Michael Zimmeron February 25, 2006in Internet, Privacy, Values In Design

Today's New York Times features the article "Taking Spying to Higher Level, Agencies Look for More Ways to Mine Data," which focuses on government meetings with venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, hoping to find or develop advanced technologies…

Poll: 60% Oppose Companies Permanently Storing Users’ Search Behaviors

Posted by Michael Zimmeron February 23, 2006in Privacy, Search Engines

A University of Connecticut Poll on Government Investigation of Internet Search Engines reveals that 60% of respondents oppose search engine companies permanently storing users’ search information. Additionally, 0nly 13% feel “extremely” or “very” confident that the search behavior collected will…

Federal Court: Financial Institution Has No Duty To Encrypt Customer Databases

Posted by Michael Zimmeron February 21, 2006in Information Law & Policy, Internet, Privacy

Bruce Schneier reports that a Federal Court has ruled that a financial institution has no duty to encrypt customer databases under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley statute. From the article:In a legal decision that could have broad implications for financial institutions, a court…

Amateur Data Mining: The Case of the Lost (Stolen) Camera

Posted by Michael Zimmeron February 21, 2006in Internet, Privacy

I've blogged about the concerns with commercial data aggregation, the power of data mining, and about how "security via obscurity" no longer applies when databases are online and searchable. Here's a case showing just how easy it can be for…

In Defense of My Chosen Profession

Posted by Michael Zimmeron February 20, 2006in Professional

There seems to be a never-ending stream of cries about liberal bias in academia. Thus far, I've kept myself out of this debate about my chosen profession. Today, however, I'd like to point to two reasoned responses to recent claims…

Thoughts on “growing anti-Google sentiment and what is fueling it”

Posted by Michael Zimmeron February 20, 2006in Information Ethics, Internet, Search Engines, Values In Design3 Comments

I recently received a request from a journalism graduate student to comment on a story about "growing anti-Google sentiment and what is fueling it" and about "how Google's principles have changed, and how the public is reacting to this switch."…

Protect Your Regime with iRepress

Posted by Michael Zimmeron February 18, 2006in Information Ethics, Internet, Search Engines, Values In Design

Mark Fiore's latest cartoon satirizes the activities of US search engine companies contributing to the Great Firewall of China: "Protect Your Regime with iRepress - with Powerful Democracy Filtering!"

Google No Longer Claims Completely Organic Results

Posted by Michael Zimmeron February 16, 2006in Information Ethics, Internet, Search Engines, Values In Design

Last month, Google changed their censorship policy after launching their censored Google.cn service in China. Now it seems Google has changed its "core principles" regarding providing only organic search results. Previously Google’s Principles included this statement: The order and contents…

Congress v. IT Companies re: China

Posted by Michael Zimmeron February 15, 2006in Information Ethics, Internet, Search Engines

Nathan Weinberghas posted some excellent excerpts form today's congressional hearings with various IT companies regarding thier actions in China. Here are some highlights: The Associated Press: Rep. Tom Lantos, ranking Democrat on the International Relations Committee, told the company officials…

Yahoo on NSA surveillance: No comment

Posted by Michael Zimmeron February 15, 2006in Privacy, Search Engines1 Comment

Yahoo's privacy policy states:Yahoo! does not rent, sell, or share personal information about you with other people or nonaffiliated companies except to provide products or services you've requested, when we have your permission, or under the following circumstances: ...We respond…