Group items tagged

During the past decade, rapid developments in information and communications technology have transformed key social, commercial, and political realities. Within that same time period, working at something less than Internet speed, much of the academic and policy debate arising from these new and emerging technologies has been fragmented. There have been few examples of interdisciplinary dialogue about the importance and impact of anonymity and privacy in a networked society. Lessons from the Identity Trail: Anonymity, Privacy and Identity in a Networked Society fills that gap, and examines key questions about anonymity, privacy, and identity in an environment that increasingly automates the collection of personal information and relies upon surveillance to promote private and public sector goals.

One for the privacy lessons even though the app has been pulled. It's not the app itself, it's the lack of realisation about what data we are sharing and what can be done with it.  It's like Miss Marples in a digital age!

Google statements about their Privacy Principles.

You've ticked the 'keep private' setting in FaceBook but is that it? Graphic of FB privacy settings.

Post on data privacy including lots of links to supporting software.

Smart article from danah reminding us that privacy is a socially constructed notion.

Game examining online privacy. 

I think this is an important stating of the assumptions built into technology and the outcomes resulting from these assumptions and inherent biases. "... we need to understand how the shape of information access controls the intellectual (and, ultimately, financial) opportunities of some college students. If we emphasize the consequences of differential access, we see one facet of the digital divide; if we ask about how these consequences are produced, we are asking about digital redlining. The comfortable elision in "edtech" is dangerous; it needs to be undone by emphasizing the contexts, origins, aims, and ideologies of technologies."

"Our Space is a set of curricular materials designed to encourage high school students to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their participation in new media environments. Through role-playing activities and reflective exercises, students are asked to consider the ethical responsibilities of other people, and whether and how they behave ethically themselves online. These issues are raised in relation to five core themes that are highly relevant online: identity, privacy, authorship and ownership, credibility, and participation. For more information, download the Introduction to Our Space [pdf], FAQ [pdf], and Road Map [pdf]. All curricular units and lessons are free and available for download below. The full casebook [pdf - 133MB] can be downloaded using the link at the bottom of the page." Critiqued by @downes for not addressing the issue properly "This is "a set of curricular materials designed to encourage high school students to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their participation in new media environments." The content divides into five major subject areas: participation, identity, privacy, credibility, and authorship and ownership. I'm not sure these are the top five things I would list when thinking of ethical dimensions of new media environments. While it's useful that there is a section on flamers, lurkers and mentors I think there should be something about hate, racism and bulling. And while a section on credibility is a good idea, it should be based on the principles of reason and inference, not outrageously bad definitions like this: "Networking-the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information." And this: "Collective intelligence-evidence that participants in knowledge communities pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal." Wow, those are just wrong. Maybe I need to review this and criticize it more closely."

Twitter visualisation of the network of the Boston bomber. Interesting comment on harassment, privacy, publicness, etc.

"Mozilla is reportedly working on an open-source operating system for tablet devices and smartphones that will support its revolutionary "Do Not Track" feature on mobile."

Interesting piece on data, privacy, Google and changing times.

Like most marriages, the tie between citizens and the big corporations that dominate the web is one of both great joy and intense resentment. On the one hand, they are very good at helping us with web chores: Need information? Google has more of the stuff than you could ever process. Want to keep in touch with friends? Facebook eliminates the need to pick up the phone. On the other, they do not always give us the space we need. Privacy, it seems, is becoming the thorn in the side of this marriage of convenience.

Op-ed on why DRM and anti-piracy movements are doomed to fail and the invasion of privacy and reduction of human rights that legislation allows, and why people should accept that the times they have a changed ...

"The report is based on questionnaires and interviews conducted by BCcampus with a cross section of institutional stakeholders (instructors, teaching and learning centres and IT administrators) at 9 BC post-secondary institutions (25 were contacted) in the Fall of 2010. The paper highlights some of the concerns and benefits post-sec institutions in BC are grappling with when considering using cloud-based applications and services (specifically those hosted in the US), and illustrates some examples of how BC post-sec's have addressed these issues within their institutions."

Anyone who plans to enable Google+ features on their Google Apps account for work or school should make sure to note the privacy policy before proceeding.

A response to the recent EU ruling that companies can look at the private correspondence of their workers if it took place during working hours. Also implied is the question 'What hours are working hours?'.

Post decrying the tracking of attendees at conferences and what it says about privacy and individual rights

animated videos and quizzes around the theme of internet security and privacy