MichaelZimmer.org

Michael Zimmer, PhD, is a privacy and data ethics scholar at Marquette University

Month: January 2010

Google’s Privacy Principles Fall Short

Posted by on in Privacy, Search Engines

To celebrate Data Privacy Day, Google has published its 5 guiding privacy principles. The principles are something every organization should commit to and strive for. The problem is, Google hasn't adhered to them quite as closely as they'd want you to believe....

Call for Panelists: On the Philosophy of Facebook (AoIR 2010, Gothenburg)

Posted by on in Events, Social Media

I am proposing a panel for Internet Research 11.0 titled "On the Philosophy of Facebook". Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has built his social networking empire on the belief that "information wants to be shared", a particular philosophy of information that directly impacts the values built into the design of Facebook, ranging from its user interface, privacy policies, terms of service, and method of governance. This panel will explore the philosophy of Facebook and its broader implications for norms of privacy, identity, governance, sociability, and online life generally.

Microsoft to Delete IP Addresses From Bing Search Logs after 6 months

Posted by on in Privacy, Search Engines2 Comments

Microsoft has fired a new salvo into the search privacy wars, announcing it will delete IP addresses from the Bing search engine logs after 6 months. Microsoft has decided to take the lead in search privacy and agree to the European Union’s demand that data retention be cut to six months. Previously, Microsoft de-identified its search logs immediately, but didn’t purge the IP address until 18 months. Now, de-identification still takes place immediately, and the IP addresses are completely removed in 6 months.

Michael Arrington is Wrong about Privacy, Too

Posted by on in Privacy, Social Media5 Comments

Responding to the brouhaha caused by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s recent proclamation that social norms on privacy have loosened, Michael Arrington (the tech blogger who was interviewing Zuckerberg at the time) has posted a piece on his blog Tech Crunch:…

Read More Michael Arrington is Wrong about Privacy, Too

Zuckerberg’s Remarks Aren’t Surprising, Nor New, Nor True

Posted by on in Privacy, Social Media1 Comment

There's been quite a dust-up regarding Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s recent proclamation that social norms on privacy have changed, and that Facebook is merely reacting to these shifting norms. Lots has already been said about Zuckerberg's remarks, so I'm only going to add three thoughts to the conversation: What Zuckerberg said isn't surprising, it isn't new, and it isn't true...