Tim Berners-Lee: Demand Your Data From Google and Facebook

Katz, Ian. "Tim Berners-Lee: Demand Your Data From Google and Facebook." The Guardian, April 18, 2012.

From the article: "Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the world wide web, has urged internet users to demand their personal data from online giants such as Google and Facebook to usher in a new era of highly personalised computer services "with tremendous potential to help humanity"…. In an interview with the Guardian, Berners-Lee said: "My computer has a great understanding of my state of fitness, of the things I'm eating, of the places I'm at. My phone understands from being in my pocket how much exercise I've been getting and how many stairs I've been walking up and so on."

Exploiting such data could provide hugely useful services to individuals, he said, but only if their computers had access to personal data held about them by web companies." ." Read more

Introducing the Innovator's Patent Agreement

"Introducing the Innovator's Patent Agreement,"Twitter Blog, April 17, 2012.

From the blog: "One of the great things about Twitter is working with so many talented folks who dream up and build incredible products day in and day out. Like many companies, we apply for patents on a bunch of these inventions. However, we also think a lot about how those patents may be used in the future; we sometimes worry that they may be used to impede the innovation of others. For that reason, we are publishing a draft of the Innovator’s Patent Agreement, which we informally call the “IPA”.

The IPA is a new way to do patent assignment that keeps control in the hands of engineers and designers. It is a commitment from Twitter to our employees that patents can only be used for defensive purposes. We will not use the patents from employees’ inventions in offensive litigation without their permission. What’s more, this control flows with the patents, so if we sold them to others, they could only use them as the inventor intended." Read more

See also
"Inventor's Patent Agreement (IPA), Version 0.95," Github, April 17, 2012.

Crowdfunding: Fleecing the American Masses

Griffin, Zachary, "Crowdfunding: Fleecing the American Masses" (March 14, 2012). Case Western Reserve Journal of Law, Technology & the Internet, Forthcoming.

From abstract: “As our economy continues to sputter along like a beat-up station wagon, politicians in Washington are searching for new ways to boost its prospects. Many, including President Barack Obama, are looking to spur small business growth as a solution to our economic woes. However, such growth is stymied by the lack of capital available to small businesses. As Representative McHenry stated, “lending to job creators and entrepreneurs remains dismal, [and] we must find new and modern means for capital formation to ignite our sputtering economy.” Such “ignition” will come from crowdfunding, or at least politicians seem to think so.

Crowdfunding is a means of capital formation that connects entrepreneurs with investors over the Internet. Entrepreneurs can post their business plans on crowdfunding websites, and anybody connected to the Internet can contribute, or invest, in these companies. However, there is catch; investors are limited in the types of returns they can receive from their capital contributions. Currently, investors cannot receive any form of security, because “crowdfunding does not mesh with federal securities regulation[s].” The Securities Act of 1933 makes it illegal to offer or sell any security unless the issuer has complied with the registration requirements under section 5 of the Act or has met a registration exemption. “Entrepreneurs seeking debt or equity financing through crowdfunding will often be selling [unregistered] securities,” as compliance with the registration process is too expensive for most entrepreneurs and the Act’s exemptions do not fit with the crowdfunding model. As such, there is a tremendous push in Washington to create a new exemption for securities issued through crowdfunding.” Read more

Battles Over Digital Copyright (SOPA and ACTA) and the Rise of “Exo-Politics”

Nelson, Michael, R. "Battles Over Digital Copyright (SOPA and ACTA) and the Rise of  “Exo-Politics.” The European Institute, April 2012.

From the article: "Controversy over legislation in the U.S., Europe and Canada to protect online copyright has mobilized a wave of new players from the user community who deploy the Internet in new ways to influence the political debate. This phenomenon -- characterized by street protests organized via social media, online petitions, viral videos and other "hacktivism" techniques -- is being called "exo-politics" (i.e. outside politics as usual). It may presage a significant change in the political power equation." Read more

No Internet For Me, Thanks

Zickuhr, Kathryn and Aaron Smith, "No Internet for Me, Thanks," a report prepared by the Internet & American Life Project, Pew Research Center, April 13, 2012.

From the overview: "When the Pew Internet Project first began writing about the role of the internet in American life in 2000, there were stark differences between those who were using the internet and those who were not. Today, differences in internet access still exist among different demographic groups, especially when it comes to access to high-speed broadband at home. Among the main findings about the state of digital access:

One in five American adults does not use the internet. Senior citizens, those who prefer to take our interviews in Spanish rather than English, adults with less than a high school education, and those living in households earning less than $30,000 per year are the least likely adults to have internet access." Read more

They can’t all be SOPA: Are webizens ready to fight with nuance?

Harris, Derrick "They can’t all be SOPA: Are webizens ready to fight with nuance?" Gigaom, April 12, 2012.

From the opinion: It’s hard to be a web user these days, especially since the government has gotten so interested in what we’re doing online. Bills and proposed regulations that target web activity and user data are popping up all the time, and it’s hard to keep track of what any of this actually means. It gets even worse when we can’t figure out who — if anyone — is actually on our side, and when compromise has to take the place of all-out war.

Occasionally, things are easy, like SOPA. It was a ridiculous bill for the myriad reasons cited between its rise to prominence in October 2011 and its eventual shelving in January 2012. It would have led to absurd lawsuits and would have proved to be an incredible burden for many web service providers. But that bill clearly targeted web users’ favorite web sites and the users themselves — if you were in one of those two camps, it was easy to pick a side.

I admit I have been somewhat taken aback, however, by the outrage over the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA — namely, the allegations that it’s little more than SOPA 2.0. As I explained in a post yesterday, although the bill does mention intellectual property, it doesn’t aim to target illegal downloading. It targets actual breaches of corporate networks in an attempt to steal files, and that’s a good thing. Read more

U.S., China Tout Progress Over IP

Chau, Loretta. "U.S., China Tout Progress Over IP." The Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2012

From the article: "U.S. and Chinese officials touted recent progress in intellectual-property protection in China and called for continued efforts, even as U.S. and Chinese companies engage in high-profile battles over famous names such as iPad and Michael Jordan. U.S. officials continued to complain that high piracy rates in China are cutting into profits for rights owners, despite recent efforts by the Chinese government to crack down on Internet and software piracy.

On Thursday the U.S. called for greater cooperation by China with intellectual-property agencies in other countries as well as more consistent enforcement…. Chinese officials at the event, part of which was open to reporters, asked critics to be "objective" and to recognize the differences between the U.S. and China. "Equality and respect…are the basis for cooperation," said Chong Quan, assistant minister at China's Commerce Ministry. "China and the U.S. have different cultural and historical traditions. We are in different stages of economic development." Read more

Privacy Groups Unimpressed With Cybersecurity Bill Changes

Brendan Sasso, April 17, 2012, "Overnight Tech: Privacy Groups Unimpressed With Cybersecurity Bill Changes," Hillicon Valley, The Hill's Technology Blog.

From the article: "Changes to a House cybersecurity bill have failed to win over the bill's critics, who warn that it could undermine online privacy.

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) would tear down legal barriers that discourage companies from sharing information about cyberattacks, but privacy groups warn the legislation could lead companies to hand over personal user information to spy agencies.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), Free Press and other groups are leading a week of protests against the legislation.

The House is expected to vote on the bill next week." Read More

The Future of Money: Smartphone Swiping in the Mobile Age

Smith, Aaron, and Lee Rainie. "The Future of Money: Smartphone Swiping in the Mobile Age,"  prepared by the Internet & American Life Project, Pew Research Center, April 17, 2012.

From the overview: “As adoption of advanced mobile devices such as smartphones has exploded in recent years, consumers have grown increasingly comfortable using their phones to transfer money, purchase goods, and engage in other types of financial transactions.

Recent Pew Internet surveys find that one in ten Americans have used their cell phone to make a charitable contribution by text message, that more than one-third of smartphone owners have used their phones to do online banking services like paying bills or checking a balance, and that 46% of apps users have purchased an app using a mobile device. Research from comScore has found that 38% of smartphone owners have used their cell phone to make a purchase of some kind, with digital goods (such as music, e-books or movies), clothing and accessories, tickets and daily deals leading the way as the most popular mobile retail categories.”  Read more

Crowd-Sourcing Expands Power of Brain Research

Carey, Benedict. "Crowd-Sourcing Expands Power of Brain Research." The New York Times, April 15, 2012.

From the article: "Scientists working to understand the biology of brain function — and especially those using brain imaging, a blunt tool — have been badly stalled. But the new work, involving more than 200 scientists, lays out a strategy for breaking the logjam. The findings appear in a series of papers published online Sunday in the journal Nature Genetics.

“What’s really new here is this movement toward crowd-sourcing brain research,” said Paul Thompson, a professor of neurology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and senior author of one of the papers…..“It means sharing your data, pooling everything,” Dr. Thompson said, “and this is not usually how scientists work.” Read more

Many Doctors Don't Take Social Media Beyond Marketing

Terry, Ken. "Many Doctors Don't Take Social Media Beyond Marketing."  Informationweek, April 10, 2012.

From the article: “Healthcare organizations in the United States should learn from their peers abroad and expand the use of social media beyond marketing functions, suggests a new report from technology consulting firm CSC.

Around the world, CSC researchers found, healthcare has been less proactive than other industries in embracing social media. Within the healthcare sector, hospitals are furthest ahead in using this new method of engaging with consumers. ….Within the United States, large, urban, academic, and pediatric hospitals are leading the way in social media. For example, 42% of U.S. hospitals with 400 or more beds use social media, compared to 15% of facilities with fewer than 70 beds. Among major teaching hospitals, 58% have adopted social media vs. 16% of nonteaching hospitals, the report says."  Read more

See also
"Should Healthcare Organizations Use Social Media? A Global Update," a report prepared by Computer Sciences Corporation, March 2012.

The Doctor Will See You-If You're Quick

Brownlee, Shannon. “The Doctor Will See You-If You're Quick.” The Daily Beast, April 16, 2012.

From the article: "In an age when surgeons use robots and medicine is growing increasingly technological, time turns out to be one of the doctor’s most precious gifts to patients. Just showing up in the hospital room or calling a patient at home a couple of times during the week after an office visit can make a big difference in how patients feel, says UC Davis’s Richard Kravitz. With a few small gestures, even a fraught relationship can be smoothed out. After that, he says, “You and the patient are bonded forever.” Read more

Most Wikipedia Entries About Companies Contain Factual Errors, Study Finds

Dick Jones Communications. “Most Wikipedia Entries About Companies Contain Factual Errors, Study Finds.” Science Daily, April 17, 2012.

From the article: “Sixty percent of Wikipedia articles about companies contain factual errors, according to research published recently in the Public Relations Society of America's (PRSA) scholarly publication, Public Relations Journal. Findings from the research will help establish a baseline of understanding for how public relations professionals work with Wikipedia editors to achieve accuracy in their clients' entries…. Only 35 percent of respondents were able to engage with Wikipedia, either by using its "Talk" pages to converse with editors or through direct editing of a client's entry. Respondents indicated this figure is low partly because some fear media backlash over making edits to clients' entries. Respondents also expressed a certain level of uncertainty regarding how to properly edit Wikipedia entries.” Read more

See also

DiStaso, Marcia, W. “Measuring Public Relations Wikipedia Engagement: How Bright is the Rule?” Public Relations Society of America 6 (2012).

Going American on Privacy

Alan Charles Raul, April 13, 2012, “Going American on Privacy, The Daily Caller Blog.

From the opinion: “ …the E.U.’s stringent mindset has resulted in a determination by Brussels that U.S. privacy regulation is “inadequate,” and thus companies are prohibited from transferring personal information from Europe to the United States (even concerning their own employees) unless significant bureaucratic hurdles can be jumped. Perhaps even more ominous, there is a move afoot in Europe to shun U.S.-based providers of Cloud computing services because alleged U.S. weakness on privacy and exaggerated concerns about the PATRIOT Act make America too unsafe for the personal information of Europeans.

This view is wrong, and ultimately self-defeating for Europe, whose consumers and businesses could miss out on the full promise of Internet innovation and digital efficiencies. We could even see the rise of transatlantic digital skirmishes where U.S. Clouds are deemed unsafe (German and other regulators on the Continent have said precisely that), and where U.S. Internet companies have to curtail their business practices and offerings to satisfy European data protection authorities who do not like “Like” buttons and other information-sharing features of social media.” Read more

Selling You on Facebook

Angwin, Julia, and Jeremy Singer-Vine. “Selling You on Facebook.” The Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2012.

From the article: "Not so long ago, there was a familiar product called software. It was sold in stores, in shrink-wrapped boxes. When you bought it, all that you gave away was your credit card number or a stack of bills.

Now there are "apps"—stylish, discrete chunks of software that live online or in your smartphone. To "buy" an app, all you have to do is click a button. Sometimes they cost a few dollars, but many apps are free, at least in monetary terms. You often pay in another way. Apps are gateways, and when you buy an app, there is a strong chance that you are supplying its developers with one of the most coveted commodities in today's economy: personal data.

Some of the most widely used apps on Facebook—the games, quizzes and sharing services that define the social-networking site and give it such appeal—are gathering volumes of personal information." Read more

The New Ambiguity of “Open Government”

Yu, Harlan and David G. Robinson. “The New Ambiguity of 'Open Government” (February 28, 2012). Forthcoming in UCLA Law Review Discourse; Princeton CITP / Yale ISP Working Paper.

From the abstract: “Open government” used to carry a hard political edge: it referred to politically sensitive disclosures of government information. The phrase was first used in the 1950s, in the debates leading up to passage of the Freedom of Information Act. But over the last few years, that traditional meaning has blurred, and has shifted toward technology.

Open technologies involve sharing data over the Internet, and all kinds of governments can use them, for all kinds of reasons. Recent public policies have stretched the label “open government” to reach any public sector use of these technologies. Thus, “open government data” might refer to data that makes the government as a whole more open (that is, more accountable to the public), but might equally well refer to politically neutral public sector disclosures that are easy to reuse, but that may have nothing to do with public accountability. Today a regime can call itself “open” if it builds the right kind of web site — even if it does not become more accountable. This shift in vocabulary makes it harder for policymakers and activists to articulate clear priorities and make cogent demands.

This essay proposes a more useful way for participants on all sides to frame the debate: We separate the politics of open government from the technologies of open data. Technology can make public information more adaptable, empowering third parties to contribute in exciting new ways across many aspects of civic life. But technological enhancements will not resolve debates about the best priorities for civic life, and enhancements to government services are no substitute for public accountability.” Read more

The Global information Technology Report 2012, Living in a Hyperconnected World

The Global Information Technology Report 2012, Living in a Hyperconnected World, prepared by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with INSEAD (Geneva, 2012).

From the Abstract : “Over the past decade, The Global Information Technology Report series, has become the most comprehensive and respected international assessment of the preparedness of economies to leverage the networked economy. This research provides a unique platform for public-private dialogue on best policies and for determining what actions will further national ICT readiness and innovation potential.

Through the evolved methodological framework of the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), The Global Information Technology Report 2012 measures the extent to which 142 economies take advantage of ICT and other new technologies to increase their growth and well-being. This year, Sweden tops the rankings, followed by Singapore and Finland.

Under the theme Living in a Hyperconnected World, the report features expert contributions that explore the causes and consequences of living in an environment where the Internet is accessible and immediate, where people and businesses can communicate instantly, and where machines are interconnected." Read more

See also

The Global Information Technology Report 2012 Data Platform, prepared by the World Economic Forum (Geneva, 2012)

 

FDA Tangles With Wireless Medical-App Makers

Norman, Brett. “FDA Tangles With Wireless Medical-App Makers.” Politico Pro, April 16, 2012.

From the article: "An onslaught of mobile health technology has forced an arranged marriage between smartphone app makers and the Food and Drug Administration — because someone had to regulate them. There’s just one problem: Many of the tech wizards aren’t used to FDA supervision. And now, both sides are struggling to figure out how to live with each other.


Last year, the FDA suggested some ground rules: If you make an app that claims to diagnose or treat a medical condition, then you need to show that it’s safe and effective before you sell it, just as other medical-device makers do.


That seemed reasonable enough to the traditional medical-device industry, which is well-versed in the ways of the FDA. But the requirements — data on effectiveness, possibly clinical trials — have gobsmacked some software developers who are used to working in the fast-paced, relatively unregulated wilds of the Internet." Read more

Gartner Says Worldwide Media Tablets Sales to Reach 119 Million Units in 2012

"Gartner Says Worldwide Media Tablets Sales to Reach 119 Million Units in 2012. Gartner Research. April 10, 2012."

From the news release: "Worldwide media tablet sales to end users are forecast to total 118.9 million units in 2012, a 98 percent increase from 2011 sales of 60 million units, according to Gartner, Inc.

Apple's iOS continues to be the dominant media tablet operating system (OS), as it is projected to account for 61.4 percent of worldwide media tablet sales to end users in 2012.

Despite the arrival of Microsoft-based devices to this market, and the expected international rollout of the Kindle Fire, Apple will continue to be the market leader through the forecast period." Read more

See also
“iPad and Beyond: The Future of the Tablet Market,” Special Report prepared by Gartner.

The Computing Trend that Will Change Everything

Koomey, Jonathan. “The Computing Trend that Will Change Everything.” Technology Review, April 9, 2012.

From the article: "The performance of computers has shown remarkable and steady growth, doubling every year and a half since the 1970s. What most folks don't know, however, is that the electrical efficiency of computing (the number of computations that can be completed per kilowatt-hour of electricity used) has also doubled every year and a half since the dawn of the computer age.

Laptops and mobile phones owe their existence to this trend, which has led to rapid reductions in the power consumed by battery-powered computing devices. The most important future effect is that the power needed to perform a task requiring a fixed number of computations will continue to fall by half every 1.5 years (or a factor of 100 every decade). As a result, even smaller and less power-intensive computing devices will proliferate, paving the way for new mobile computing and communications applications that vastly increase our ability to collect and use data in real time." Read more

See also
Koomey, Jonathan G., Stephen Berard, Marla Sanchez and Henry Wong. “Implications of Historical Trends in the Electrical Efficiency of Computing.” IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 33, (July-September 2011): 46-54.

U.S. Consumers Turn to Facebook, Twitter for Healthcare Answers

Mearian, Lucas. “U.S. Consumers Turn to Facebook, Twitter for Healthcare Answers.” Computerworld, April 17, 2012.

From the article: “A third of U.S. consumers now use social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to seek medical information and track and share symptoms. They're also using the sites to vent about doctors, drugs, treatments, medical devices and health plans.

The survey of 1,040 U.S. consumers was put together by consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and includes data from a separate survey of healthcare and pharmaceutical executives on how social media is used in their business strategies.

Not unexpectedly, young adults rely on social networks for healthcare information far more than older Americans. The survey found that more than 80% of those between the ages of 18 and 24 said they're likely to share health information through social media channels -- and nearly 90% said they would trust information found there.

By comparison, less than half (45%) of those surveyed between the ages of 45 and 64 said they're likely to share health information via social media.

The PwC report showed that four in 10 consumers have used social media to find health-related consumer reviews of treatments or doctors; one in three have sought information related to other patients' experiences with their disease; and one in four have posted comments about their health experience.” Read more

See also
Social Media “likes” Healthcare: From Marketing to Social Business prepared by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, LLP Health Research Institute, April 2012.

Web Freedom Faces Greatest Threat Ever, Warns Google's Sergey Brin

Katz, Ian. “The Web Freedom Faces Greatest Threat Ever, Warns Google's Sergey Brin.”
The Guardian, April 15, 2012.

From the article: “The principles of openness and universal access that underpinned the creation of the internet three decades ago are under greater threat than ever, according to Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

In an interview with the Guardian, Brin warned there were "very powerful forces that have lined up against the open internet on all sides and around the world". "I am more worried than I have been in the past," he said. "It's scary."

The threat to the freedom of the internet comes, he claims, from a combination of governments increasingly trying to control access and communication by their citizens, the entertainment industry's attempts to crack down on piracy, and the rise of "restrictive" walled gardens such as Facebook and Apple, which tightly control what software can be released on their platforms.” Read more

See also
“Battle of the Internet” Special Series prepared by The Guardian.

Measuring the Internet: the Data Challenge

Lehr, W., "Measuring the Internet: The Data Challenge", OECD Digital Economy Papers, No. 194, OECD Publishing, April 13, 2012.

From the abstract: “This working paper reviews a number of the challenges and opportunities confronting analysts interested in measuring the Internet and its economic and social impacts. It identifies several additional challenges to the measurement issue, in addition to all of the normal problems one expects when measuring information and communication technologies (ICTs). These challenges are related to: the rapidly changing nature of the Internet, the need for more granular data in order to understand the complex nature of the Internet, and the phenomenon of big data and the resulting ability to measure almost anything.” Read more

A Rose-Colored View May Come Standard

Bilton, Nick. "A Rose-Colored View May Come Standard." The New York Times, April 4, 2012.

From the article: "Google on Wednesday offered a look at a previously secret project to develop Internet-connected glasses, staking out a lead position in a futuristic and fast-growing area known as wearable computing.

Google’s glasses are still in the prototype stage.

The glasses, which are still in a prototype stage, would place a small see-through display screen above a person’s eye that can show maps and other data. The wearer could use voice commands to, say, pull up directions or send a message to a friend.

…. A video released by Google, shot from the perspective of a glasses-wearer, showed how the glasses might work. A man wanders the streets of Manhattan, communicating with friends, seeing maps and other information, and snapping pictures. At the end he plays the ukulele for a friend over a video link." Read more

Consumer Reports Survey Confirms That We're Worried About Online Privacy

Quirk, Mary Beth. "Consumer Reports Survey Confirms That We're Worried About Online Privacy." The Consumerist, April 3, 2012.

From the article: "What with credit card companies being hacked, apps on smartphones that have you sign your life away before using them and new policies from social networks and search engines, there are a lot of reasons for consumers to be uncomfortable about the state of online privacy. That's exactly what a national survey by our smarter elder siblings at Consumer Reports found — most of us are pretty darned concerned.

According to a Consumer Reports press release, the national survey found that 71% of respondents said they were very concerned about companies selling or sharing their information about them without their permission. Another 65% of smartphone owners don't like that apps can access their contacts, photos, locations and other data without permission from them.

Other big concerns on the minds of the more than half of respondents: Advertisers going after kids with personalized ads based on their web-surfing data; companies keeping data even when it's not needed anymore and lastly, data about online activities and purchases being used to deny employment or affect their ability to get a loan." Read more