The rise of fast processors and cheap storage means that remembering, once incredibly difficult for humans, has become simple through technology. In a faculty research working paper called "Useful Void: The Art of Forgetting in the Age of Ubiquitous Computing…
Read More Escaping the Data Panopticon: Computers should “Forget”
Philipp Lenssen points out that when you search Google for "she invented," on the results page you are asked "Did you mean 'he invented'?" There has been lots of discussion on this seemingly misogynistic "correction" that Google provides, and those…
I missed this when it was first released back in March: UNESCO has published a survey on ethical implications of emerging technologies, "Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies": The ethical, legal and societal implications of ICTs are one of the three…
Sherry Turkle has an excellent essay in Forbes about the alienating consequences of the digital revolution. (She gave a related talk for the McLuhan Lecture at NYU a few months ago). Her thesis is that "Thanks to technology, people have…
Here's the latest in a string of slick flash videos about social & ethical concerns with Web 2.0: Does what happens in the Facebook stay in the Facebook? (Some additional background material is here) Most of this has been covered…
Is Web 2.0 is cramping your social life? Tired of having your awkward drunken slips of judgment splashed across the web on Flickr or Facebook? Take back your privacy with Flickrblockers. Using Flickrblockers you can be the life of the…
New York City Comptroller William Thompson, Jr. has issued a petition on behalf of the New York City Pension Funds (which owns $276.2 million in Google stock) urging Google to take steps to counteract internet censorship in foreign countries with…
Read More Google Shareholders to Vote on Anti-censorship Resolution
Motivated by recent events, I'm pleased to announce that I have completed and filed my dissertation, "The Quest for the Perfect Search Engine: Values, Technical Design, and the Flow of Personal Information in Spheres of Mobility." All that awaits is…
There's been a lot of talk about Google's launch of their new Web History product, an enhanced version of Google Search History that keeps track of every web page you’ve ever visited (with the help of the PageRank feature on…
Read More Google Web History: Not the Realm of Conspiracy Theorists
Unfortunately (or fortunately) I'm much too busy right now to comment in detail on Google's acquisition of DoubleClick, especially in light of the bad track record DoubleClick has in terms of user privacy online (Philipp Lensenn has a good archive…
Read More Google + DoubleClick = Privacy Enhancing Technologies?
MichaelZimmer.org 
You must be logged in to post a comment.