On Monday, September 22, we celebrated OneWebDay in Milwaukee for the first time. It was a great success. The School of Information Studies and the Center for Information Policy Research had an information booth set up in the middle of…
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Facebook *Really* Wants You to Use Beacon (Updated)
Remember Beacon? That a pervasive tool Facebook created for tracking, collecting, and publishing user purchasing habits across the Web? After enough uproar, Facebook was kind enough to offer users a way to opt-out of this surveillance assemblage. Well, I was…
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Banned Book Week is Coming…Even in Wasilla
As Banned Books Week near (September 27-October 4), Nancy Kranich, past president of the American Library Association, reminds us of the many attempts to restrict our right to read, including an example from Wasilla, Alaska: This year's banned book focal…
OneWebDay is almost here!
Next Monday, September 22, is OneWebDay, and our banner is up in the UW-Milwaukee Union, and the sidewalks are chalked! More details for the Milwaukee event can be found here and here. If you won't be in Milwaukee, hopefully you…
Use of cloud computing increasing, despite privacy concerns
Pew Internet and American Life project released a new study revealing that 69% of online Americans rely on "cloud computing" for many of their communication and productivity needs, including web-based email, online data storage and file sharing, or software programs…
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Technologies of Obfuscation and Resistance
During my studies in privacy and surveillance theory, I've gained an interest in technologies of obfuscation and resistance. Especially simple ones that nearly any average citizen can implement. TrackMeNot is a great example: a simple Firefox extension that periodically issues…
Catching Up – Link Dump
I’ve been ridiculously busy lately, and need to quickly catch up on some recent items of note: Scientific American has a nice special issue dedicated to "the future of privacy." Nothing new here for most privacy scholars, but it is…
Further Update on Local Library SSN Practices – Divulgence is Voluntary
This week I received a formal reply to my July 2 letter to the Shorewood, Wisconsin Public Library regarding its requiring I provide my social security number to obtain a library card, that confirms the anecdotal evidence that the library…
Read More Further Update on Local Library SSN Practices – Divulgence is Voluntary
Google Shortens Data Retention to 9 Months
Quickly, as I'm rushing out the door to teach: Google has announced it will (reluctantly) shorten the amount of time it holds fully-identifiable information, and will “anonymize” search records after 9 months, rather than the current 18 months. This is…
Archival Ethics with Changing Practices: The Impact of Technology
Reporting again from the SAA conference, I attended an excellent panel this morning on "Archival Ethics with Changing Practices: The Impact of Technology" (program; wiki page), featuring some excellent presentations on the way new information technology is spurring new ethical…
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