Privacy law expert and law professor Dan Solove (I reviewed his latest book, The Digital Person, here) and Chris Hoofnagle (of EPIC) have published the first draft of "A Model Regime of Privacy Protection." From the abstract:Privacy protection in the…
Author: Michael Zimmer
Graduate Student Workshop: Values in Computer and Information System Design
The website for the Workshop Values in Computer and Information System Design has launched (my design).Graduate Student Workshop: Values in Computer Information System DesignDespite a growing body of research and scholarship dedicated both to theoretical and practical dimensions of this…
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AIM Terms of Service: Waiving your right to privacy
Privacy Digest reports that an update to AOL's Instant Messenger Terms of Service includes an explicit waiver of privacy. From the subsection "Content You Post" (emphasis added):Although you or the owner of the Content retain ownership of all right, title…
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Online Shopping Cart Company Fined For Selling User Data
TechDirt reports that an online shopping cart company has been fined by the FTC for selling user data to telemarketers and junk mailers without permission. Apparently, even if the website used to purchase something has a privacy policy and "opt…
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Eye-Tracking Study of Google Results Page
[from The Unofficial Google Weblog]Two search marketing companies and an eye-tracking firm called Eyetools have produced one of the most interesting studies of consumer response to a Google results page. By tracking eye movements, a picture emerges of the hot…
Why Google isn’t what it used to be
Matt McAlister writes a wonderful (and only partially tongue-in-cheek) post on how Google has morphed from a search company into an advertising company, and eventually into "a fast-growing capitalistic enterprise competing for world domination." Some excerpts:The AutoLink debate seems more…
Personalized search: who owns the information?
In an interesting post forecasting the rise of personalized searching, Greg Yardley raises an important concern about who actually "owns" the personal information/history upon which search companies will base "personalization." Pretend it’s December, 2007. You’ve been using Google (or Yahoo,…
ChoicePoint to give up some personal data sales
Finally, an encouraging development from the ChoicePoint fiasco. InfoWorld reports that ChoicePoint will stop selling sensitive consumer data to many of its customers, except when that data helps complete a consumer transaction or helps government or law enforcement. Perhaps an…
MGM v. Grokster
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has an excellent page summarizing the MGM v. Grokster case and a complete listing of all the supporting court documents and amicus briefs related to the case. From their page:EFF is defending StreamCast Networks, the company…
Ethics of Robot Design
There's a discussion today on Slashdot regarding the threats and benefits of using robots to monitor both children and employees. As reported by ABC News, Microsoft is researching such technology:The teddy bear sitting in the corner of the child's room…
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