The 12th annual conference for the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR), Internet Research 12.0 - Performance and Participation, will be held October 10-13, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. I'm pleased to be organizing this year's doctoral colloquium pre-conference with Elizabeth Buchanan.…
Author: Michael Zimmer
Open Questions Remain in Facebook Censorship Flap
Facebook has provided only a generic comment noting that the gay-kiss image was removed in error. But many unanswered questions remain. Critical questions, indeed, considering the cruel dichotomy of Facebook's mission to "[Give] people the power to share and make the world more open and connected" and its unquestioned power to control the platform, and thus the conditions under which people are allowed to share.
Libraries as Freedom of Information Gazebos
I recently attended the 9th annual Information Ethics Roundtable hosted by the University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Science. This year's theme was "Human Rights as Information Rights,"and featured a great collection of papers. I presented a…
Facebook’s Censorship Problem
Facebook recently removed a photo of two men kissing from a user's Wall due to an apparent violation of the site's terms of service. This act of censorship has received considerable attention, and while it is reasonable for Facebook to try to control some of the content shared on its platform, there are some fundamental concerns with this case that point to a growing censorship problem within Facebook, especially when considered against the backdrop of Facebook's potential entry into China.
2011 Computer Ethics Philosophical Enquiry (CEPE) Program Posted, Registration Open
The program for the 2011 Computer Ethics/Philosophical Enquiry (CEPE) conference has been posted, and features an impressive collection of international scholars and students in computer & information ethics, presenting papers on topics in the following themes: Intercultural & Interdisciplinary Computer…
Read More 2011 Computer Ethics Philosophical Enquiry (CEPE) Program Posted, Registration Open
Information Ethics & WikiLeaks (April 14)
If you are in the Milwaukee area and interested in the intersections of information ethics and WikiLeaks, please join me for a discussion on April 14 with the Law Librarians Association of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Chapter of the Special…
ALA Choose Privacy Week Webinar: Youth Privacy Attitudes
In preparation for Choose Privacy Week, the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom and American Libraries magazine hosted a webinar today, featuring the following panel of contributors: Angela Maycock, assistant director, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom Deborah Caldwell-Stone, deputy…
Read More ALA Choose Privacy Week Webinar: Youth Privacy Attitudes
Amici Brief to Judge in WikiLeaks-Twitter Case: Protect Users’ Fourth Amendment Privacy Interests
In December 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice subpoenaed Twitter for information on several people associated with WikiLeaks, seeking the users' full contact details (phone numbers and addresses), account payment method if any (credit card and bank account number), IP…
Firefox 4 Adds “Do Not Track”, but Buries It
Mozilla has released Firefox version 4, featuring a new look and feel (Chrome, anyone?), and new privacy and security features. The feature with the most potential -- and the most buzz -- is “Do Not Track,” which "lets you tell…
Featured in UWM Research Report: “Limiting the danger of new technologies”
Each year the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee issues a research report highlighting some of the innovative and influential research within our campus community. I feel privileged to be featured in the 2011 edition (PDF, page 34). Here's an excerpt from my…
Read More Featured in UWM Research Report: “Limiting the danger of new technologies”
MichaelZimmer.org 
You must be logged in to post a comment.