From the report: "From
the early days of the information economy, personal data has been its most
valuable asset. Despite data protection laws, companies trade personal
information and often intrude on the privacy of individuals. As a result,
consumers become more and more irritated and concerned. They feel out of
control and lose trust in electronic environments. Technologists, economists
and regulators are struggling to develop solutions that meet businesses’ demand
for more personal information while maintaining privacy. However, no promising
proposals seem to be in sight. A vision of how internet
economics can accommodate privacy is elusive. We would like to break this
helpless cycle and propose a 3-tier market model for personal information
markets with privacy. In our model, clear roles, rights and obligations for all
actors re-establish trust. The 1st market tier, ‘relationship space’, enables
data subjects and visible business partners to build trusting relationships.
The 2nd market tier, ‘service space’, supports 1st tier relationships with
distributed information processing. The 3rd tier is called ‘rich information
space’. Here, anonymized personal information will drive innovative
socio-inspired services, and companies can freely exchange non-identified data
without restrictions. To transition to this model, we show how existing
privacy-enhancing technologies and legal requirements can be integrated." Read more
Showing posts with label information economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label information economy. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Mapping Cloud Interoperability in the Globalized Economy: Theory and Observation from Practice
From the report: "This
is one of three in-depth exploratory studies, which aim to gain a deeper
understanding of the role that interoperability plays as an enabler of
innovation and creativity in international trade. Each study explores the
various institutions, policies and approaches that shape the interoperability
landscape and investigates the effects of these factors and drivers on trade in
the globalized economy.
In this series, we examine:
(i) to what extent and how interoperability has contributed to the promotion of international trade;
(ii) what respective roles international organizations have played in concert with other stakeholders with regard to interoperability and international trade;
(iii) what policies and approaches to supporting interoperability have been used, and with what results; and
(iv) what can be learned from these experiences with regard to emerging interoperability issues in the context of international trade.
The three studies address this set of questions from different angles, acknowledging the multi-faceted character of the concept of interoperability (Gasser & Palfrey, Basic Books 2012). Two of them “Fostering innovation and trade in the global information society: The different facets and roles of interoperability”, and “Mapping Cloud Interoperability in the Globalized Economy: Theory and Observations from Practice” – focus specifically on cloud computing, an emerging technical paradigm through which to analyze the policy relevance of interoperability in a globalized economy. This example also facilitates exploration of some of the key issues and practical challenges that arise as various stakeholders engage with cloud services, infrastructure, and data across the world, as well as the implications for trade, policy, and different actors, especially, governments. The third study, “Interoperability in Information and Information Systems in the Furtherance of Trade” is focused on the role, current debates, and associated benefits and challenges in establishing a system of interoperability for information and information systems in the service of trade in a global economy over time." Read more
In this series, we examine:
(i) to what extent and how interoperability has contributed to the promotion of international trade;
(ii) what respective roles international organizations have played in concert with other stakeholders with regard to interoperability and international trade;
(iii) what policies and approaches to supporting interoperability have been used, and with what results; and
(iv) what can be learned from these experiences with regard to emerging interoperability issues in the context of international trade.
The three studies address this set of questions from different angles, acknowledging the multi-faceted character of the concept of interoperability (Gasser & Palfrey, Basic Books 2012). Two of them “Fostering innovation and trade in the global information society: The different facets and roles of interoperability”, and “Mapping Cloud Interoperability in the Globalized Economy: Theory and Observations from Practice” – focus specifically on cloud computing, an emerging technical paradigm through which to analyze the policy relevance of interoperability in a globalized economy. This example also facilitates exploration of some of the key issues and practical challenges that arise as various stakeholders engage with cloud services, infrastructure, and data across the world, as well as the implications for trade, policy, and different actors, especially, governments. The third study, “Interoperability in Information and Information Systems in the Furtherance of Trade” is focused on the role, current debates, and associated benefits and challenges in establishing a system of interoperability for information and information systems in the service of trade in a global economy over time." Read more
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The Information Economy Report 2012
From the report: "The Information Economy Report 2012 finds that, because
software is increasingly permeating societies at all levels of development and
activity, it is becoming more important for countries to develop the
technological capabilities needed to adopt and adapt existing software
solutions, and eventually to innovate. Software and service activities
represent an opportunity for developing countries, thanks to the low capital
entry requirements, the sector's high-value, high-growth nature and
knowledge-rich profile. Due to changes in the ICT landscape, even small-scale
developers in developing countries can now participate in software development
and production, for example in the area of mobile applications. The Report
suggests that there is considerable room for developing countries to make
better use of the software potential.
The Report introduces the concept of the national software system. It
emphasizes that domestic software producers and users are greatly influenced by
the quality and affordability of ICT infrastructure, access to relevant human
resources and capital, the legal framework, an enabling business
infrastructure, as well as by the links with software networks in the rest of
the world." Read more
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
FTC Releases Facial Recognition Tech Guidelines
Osborne, Charlie. "FTC Releases Facial Recognition Tech Guidelines." ZDNet, October 23, 2012.
From the article: "The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has released "best practices"
guidelines for companies that use facial recognition technology.
For many of us, tagging friends on Facebook or handing over biometric information may not seem like such a big deal -- but that information, stored on servers worldwide, can sometimes border on privacy infringement. Commercially, it's no longer a rare thing for such technology to be used -- but as adoption expands, if agencies wish to protect consumer rights, guidelines at the least should be implemented.
The new FTC report, titled "Facing Facts: Best Practices for Common Uses of Facial Recognition Technologies," is aimed at guiding businesses through the murky waters of using facial recognition for innovative products, but at the same time maintaining consumer privacy and rights." Read more
See also
For many of us, tagging friends on Facebook or handing over biometric information may not seem like such a big deal -- but that information, stored on servers worldwide, can sometimes border on privacy infringement. Commercially, it's no longer a rare thing for such technology to be used -- but as adoption expands, if agencies wish to protect consumer rights, guidelines at the least should be implemented.
The new FTC report, titled "Facing Facts: Best Practices for Common Uses of Facial Recognition Technologies," is aimed at guiding businesses through the murky waters of using facial recognition for innovative products, but at the same time maintaining consumer privacy and rights." Read more
See also
Is Google a Free Speech Opportunist?
Roberts, Jeff John. "Is Google a Free Speech Opportunist?" GigaOm, October 20, 2012.
From the article: "Rumors are swirling that the federal government is about to sue Google over
claims that the company rigs its search results. Google has responded by
invoking its right to free speech — but not everyone is buying this.
Tim Wu, a prominent law professor at Columbia, is not convinced that Google is invoking its First Amendment rights in good faith. He suggests that Google and other big companies are cynically invoking constitutional freedoms as part of a corporate deregulation agenda.
“We’re living in a golden age of First Amendment opportunism,” said Wu, speaking Friday at a Penn Law School conference titled “The Evolving Internet.”
In Wu’s view, search results are not really speech in the first space. Instead, he argues, Google’s algorithms are closer to other automated communication tools like navigation devices or even car alarms." Read more
Tim Wu, a prominent law professor at Columbia, is not convinced that Google is invoking its First Amendment rights in good faith. He suggests that Google and other big companies are cynically invoking constitutional freedoms as part of a corporate deregulation agenda.
“We’re living in a golden age of First Amendment opportunism,” said Wu, speaking Friday at a Penn Law School conference titled “The Evolving Internet.”
In Wu’s view, search results are not really speech in the first space. Instead, he argues, Google’s algorithms are closer to other automated communication tools like navigation devices or even car alarms." Read more
Big Data to Create 1.9M IT Jobs in U.S. by 2015, Says Gartner
Thibodeau, Patrick. "Big Data to Create 1.9M IT Jobs in U.S. by 2015, Says Gartner." Computerworld, October 22, 2012.
But Sondergaard's estimate included a caveat -- namely, that there's a shortage of skilled workers. Only a third of the big data jobs will be filled." Read more
From the article: "Big data, which refers to data collected and analyzed from every imaginable
source, is becoming an engine of job creation as businesses discover ways to
turn data into revenue, says Gartner. By 2015, it is expected to create 4.4
million IT jobs globally, of which 1.9 million will be in the U.S.
Applying an economic multiplier to those jobs, Gartner expects that each big
data IT job added to the economy will create employment for three more people
outside the tech industry in the U.S., adding six million jobs to the economy.
That's the kind of estimate that presidential candidates, if they focused on
IT's impact on the economy instead of fossil fuel fracking and pipelines, might
jump on.
But Sondergaard's estimate included a caveat -- namely, that there's a shortage of skilled workers. Only a third of the big data jobs will be filled." Read more
See also
Internet Market Model: Don't Fix What's Not Broken - OECD
"Internet Market Model: Don't Fix What's Not Broken - OECD." Cartt.ca, October 22, 2012.
From the article: "A
new OECD report concludes that despite ongoing and future challenges,
the existing market model for the Internet has performed remarkably well,
boosting growth and competition and driving down prices for data to 100,000
times less than that of a one minute telephone call.
The report, entitled Internet Traffic Exchange Market Developments and Policy Challenges argues that governments should largely take a hands-off approach to regulating the Internet market.
The report, entitled Internet Traffic Exchange Market Developments and Policy Challenges argues that governments should largely take a hands-off approach to regulating the Internet market.
“If
a regulatory obligation to interconnect were to be established, then this
choice could be imposed unilaterally by one of the parties, which would
dramatically change the dynamics of the market. It is extremely unlikely that
the efficient outcomes produced so far would be maintained in this
environment,” writes the report’s authors Dennis Weller, Bill Woodcock." Read more
See also
'Copyright World' and Access to Information: Conjoined Via the Internet
Sebastian, Tania. "'Copyright World' and Access to Information: Conjoined Via the Internet." Journal of Intellectual Property Rights, 17 (2012): 235-242.
From the report: "Access to
information, despite wide intellectual acceptance, is still a struggle for many
in various quarters of the world. In today’s era there exist constraints in the
way information is shared; dividing continents based on the way information is
accessible to its people. This paper strives to understand the underpinnings of
the accessibility to information in the human rights perspective, with a
special mention of the current debate on the accessibility of the Internet
on the lines of concepts which constitute emerging access to knowledge
coalition. The arguments of the present paper take the following form: it
begins with an introduction to the oft-debatable access to information
question; goes on to elucidate the view of various scholars on why information
needs to be free and extends the aspect of freedom to information to the human
rights paradigm; then expounds the activism of ‘access to knowledge’ advocates
for access to information; and finally talks about European Union’s
legalization of access to information on the internet
as a ‘fundamental right’ before the conclusion." Read more
The Internet at 20: Evolution of a Constitution for Cyberspace
Perritt, Henry H. "The Internet at 20: Evolution of a Constitution for Cyberspace." William & Mary Bill of Rights, Chicago-Kent College of Law Research Paper, October 19, 2012.
From the report: "The
Internet’s
“constitution” is not expressed in a single document. Instead, it comprises the
open architecture inherent in the Internet’s technological
protocols together with a collection of government policies, legislative
enactments, and judicial decisions that seek to protect the basic architectural
philosophy, ensure space for entrepreneurial freedom, and guard against the
abuse of economic or political power.
This Article looks back over the Internet’s first twenty years, highlighting the crucial legal decisions by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches that have led to the Internet’s success, and which now frame its constitution. I participated in many of these decisions and wrote more than a dozen law review articles and reports suggesting directions for public policy and law. This Article uses this foundation to consider the future, focusing on major legal controversies, the resolution of which will define the Internet’s third decade — either strengthening or undermining its constitution." Read more
This Article looks back over the Internet’s first twenty years, highlighting the crucial legal decisions by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches that have led to the Internet’s success, and which now frame its constitution. I participated in many of these decisions and wrote more than a dozen law review articles and reports suggesting directions for public policy and law. This Article uses this foundation to consider the future, focusing on major legal controversies, the resolution of which will define the Internet’s third decade — either strengthening or undermining its constitution." Read more
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Exclusive: White House Review Finds No Evidence of Spying by Huawei - Sources
Menn, Jospeh. "Exclusive: White House Review Finds No Evidence of Spying by Huawei - Sources." Reuters, October 17, 2012.
From the article: "A White House-ordered review of security risks posed by suppliers to U.S.
telecommunications companies found no clear evidence that Huawei Technologies
Ltd had spied for China,
two people familiar with the probe told Reuters.
Instead, those leading the 18-month review concluded early this year that relying on Huawei, the world's second-largest maker of networking gear, was risky for other reasons, such as the presence of vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.
These previously unreported findings support parts of a landmark U.S. congressional report last week that warned against allowing Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE Corp to supply critical telecom infrastructure.
But it may douse speculation that Huawei has been caught spying for China." Read more
See also
Martinez, Jennifer. "White House Denies Huawei Investigation Report." The Hill, October 17, 2012.
Instead, those leading the 18-month review concluded early this year that relying on Huawei, the world's second-largest maker of networking gear, was risky for other reasons, such as the presence of vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.
These previously unreported findings support parts of a landmark U.S. congressional report last week that warned against allowing Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE Corp to supply critical telecom infrastructure.
But it may douse speculation that Huawei has been caught spying for China." Read more
See also
Martinez, Jennifer. "White House Denies Huawei Investigation Report." The Hill, October 17, 2012.
Asian Countries Top in Connection Speed, Attack Origin
From the article: "Internet speeds worldwide continue to be faster, led by Asia-Pacific
countries South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong, while China remains the source of
the largest amount of observed attack traffic.
According to Akamai's Second Quarter 2012 State of the Internet report released Thursday, the global average
connection speed increased 13 percent to 3Mbps in the second quarter compared
with the first quarter, continuing a trend of strong growth." Read more
See also
Monday, October 15, 2012
Measuring the Information Society 2012
Measuring the Information Society 2012, prepared by the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, Switzerland, 2012).
From the report: "For the fourth consecutive year, this report presents
two authoritative benchmarking tools to monitor information society
developments worldwide. The ICT Development Index (IDI) ranks 155
countries’ performance with regard to information and communication technology
(ICT) infrastructure and uptake. The ICT Price Basket (IPB) is a unique metric
that tracks and compares the cost and affordability of ICT services in more
than 160 countries globally. Both the IDI and the IPB combined are powerful
measures for benchmarking and explaining differences among countries and within
regions when it comes to ICT developments. This year’s edition of the report
also features brand new data and analyses on revenue and investment in the ICT
sector and proposes a new methodology to measure the world’s telecommunication
capacity." Read more
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Senator Opens Investigation of Data Brokers
Singer, Natasha. "Senator Opens Investigation of Data Brokers." The New York Times, October 10, 2012.
From the article: "The multibillion-dollar data brokerage industry, a growing force in online marketing, is drawing intensified government scrutiny.
On Wednesday, Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, Democrat of West Virginia, opened an extensive investigation of nine leading information brokers. Because Americans now conduct much of their daily business online, the senator said he was concerned that “an unprecedented amount” of personal, medical and financial information about people could be collected, mined and sold, to the potential detriment of consumers." Read more
From the article: "The multibillion-dollar data brokerage industry, a growing force in online marketing, is drawing intensified government scrutiny.
On Wednesday, Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, Democrat of West Virginia, opened an extensive investigation of nine leading information brokers. Because Americans now conduct much of their daily business online, the senator said he was concerned that “an unprecedented amount” of personal, medical and financial information about people could be collected, mined and sold, to the potential detriment of consumers." Read more
How Much Do Google and Facebook Profit from Your Data?
Mullin, Joe. "How Much Do Google and Facebook Profit from Your Data?" Ars Technica, October 9, 2012.
From the article: "Savvy Internet users know that all the great stuff they get from the Internet for "free"—the searches, the social networks, the games, even the news—isn't really free. It's an exchange, where companies are able to take user data, sell it to advertisers, and make money that allows them to give themselves a paycheck while keeping you afloat in free digital services.
So that data you're giving away online is worth something, but have you ever taken a stab at figuring out how much? A just-released privacy add-on for Firefox and Chrome, Privacyfix, gives it the old college try. Both Congress and the executive branch have been talking more about online privacy in the past couple years.
The estimates for Google and Facebook are imprecise, as the program's creator, Privacy Choice founder Jim Brock, readily admits. "We wanted people to understand, it is a value exchange" when they use these sites, said Brock." Read more
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
If Internet Governance Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It: U.S.
Miles, Tom. "If Internet Governance Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It: U.S." Reuters, October 8, 2012.
From the article: "The best solution to improving oversight of the Internet may be to do nothing at all, a senior U.S. official said on Monday while briefing reporters on a conference in December that could decide to consolidate control within a U.N. body. …
Kramer said any work done at the conference should ultimately benefit citizens, consumers and society at large.
"We need to avoid suffocating the Internet space through well-meaning but overly prescriptive proposals that would seek to control content or seek to mandate routing and payment practices. That would send the Internet back to a circuit switch era that is actually passing in history," he said." Read more
App Law Within: Rights and Regulation in the Smartphone Age
Sithigh, Daithi Mac. "App Law Within: Rights and Regulation in the Smartphone Age." Edinburgh School of Law Research Paper No. 2012/22, September 2012.
From the report: "This
paper assesses the regulation of smartphone 'app stores.' At the outset, the
adoption of smartphones and apps is noted, alongside the ways in which scholars
and journalists have used these markets as the basis for the discussion of
legal and economic issues. The importance (commercially and as a study in
governance and control) of the iOS App Store (Apple) is highlighted. Part 2
deals with the relationship between Apple and app developers; three themes of
Apple’s Guidelines are identified (content, development and payments), and the
ways in which control can be challenged (through jailbreaking, ‘web apps’ and
regulatory intervention) are scrutinised. Part 3 considers three ways in which
apps are already regulated by law: the protection of consumers (particularly
through the UK system for 'premium rate services'), user privacy, and (in
brief) the regulation of video games and video-on-demand services in Europe.
Finally, in part 4, the tension between comparatively 'open and 'closed' app stores
is highlighted; the problems of applying general provisions to emerging formats
are emphasised. It is concluded that the emerging status of non-carrier app
stores as neither retailer nor platform means that it is not yet possible to
identify the form of regulation that is in operation, but that some steps are
available to legislators that could shift the balance between closed and open
models." Read more
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Three Ways the President Can Create Digital Jobs Now
Baird, Zoë. "Three Ways the President Can Create Digital Jobs Now." Forbes, October 2, 2012.
From the article: "The United States has the opportunity to become a world
leader in defining digital age jobs. We are already significantly ahead in
creating technology tools and services, and we are on the threshold of a new
era of data-driven progress where the jobs of the future will not look like the
jobs of the past. The economic growth technology has generated to date has not
been widely shared, however, and we therefore also face intractable
unemployment, widespread decline in real wages, and a growing national bitterness
and divisiveness." Read more
Freedom and Connectivity: Advancing the Freedom to Communicate in the Americas
From the summary: "As communications-related issues rise to the top of local, national and international agendas, policymakers often find themselves caught between competing obligations and values. Questions arise around building the digital future: What is the proper role of government? What are the responsibilities of business, civil society and citizens? What policies and practices are emerging as indicators for future success? The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, in association with Grupo Salinas and Caminos de la Libertad, convened the first Aspen Institute Forum on the Freedom to Communicate to examine the issues surrounding the freedoms of expression and connectivity in the Western Hemisphere and to develop actionable steps that can enhance these freedoms in the Americas." Read more
Ad-Supported Internet Makes Big Contribution to U.S. Economy, IAB Report Says
Hayley Tsukayama, October 1, 2012, "Ad-Supported Internet Makes Big Contribution to U.S. Economy, IAB Report Says," The Washington Post Post Tech Blog.
From the article: "The Interactive Advertising Bureau released new figures Monday showing that advertising supported Internet companies contributed $530 billion to the economy in 2011 and are, in some way, responsible for 5.2 million U.S. jobs.
The IAB-commissioned report from Harvard Business School, which updated a similar 2009 report, found Internet-based companies in every congressional district in the United States. About 2 million people are directly employed by Internet ad-supported firms, the report said.
An additional 3.1 million jobs, including those in Internet advertising and digital advertising analysis, would not exist without the sector." Read more
From the article: "The Interactive Advertising Bureau released new figures Monday showing that advertising supported Internet companies contributed $530 billion to the economy in 2011 and are, in some way, responsible for 5.2 million U.S. jobs.
The IAB-commissioned report from Harvard Business School, which updated a similar 2009 report, found Internet-based companies in every congressional district in the United States. About 2 million people are directly employed by Internet ad-supported firms, the report said.
An additional 3.1 million jobs, including those in Internet advertising and digital advertising analysis, would not exist without the sector." Read more
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Google News at 10: How the Algorithm Won Over the News Industry
From the blog: "Achieving all this through an algorithm is, of course, approximately one thousand percent more complicated than it sounds. For one thing, there's the tricky balance of temporality and authority. How do you deal, for example, with a piece of news analysis that is incredibly authoritative about a particular story without being, in the algorithmic sense, "fresh"? How do you balance personal relevance with universal? How do you determine what counts as a "news site" in the first place? How do you account for irony and cheekiness in a headline? How do you accommodate news coverage's increasing emphasis on the update as its own form of news narrative? Andre Rohe, Google News's head of engineering, summed up the challenge: "How do I take a story that has 20,000 articles, potentially, and showcase all of its variety and breadth to the user?"" Read more