February 2015 - nexa - server-nexa.polito.it

Andrus Ansip - Guest blog: Sir Tim Berners-Lee: "Net neutrality is critical for Europe's future"

by J.C. DE MARTIN

Blog post - by Andrus Ansip - 2 February 2015 Guest blog: Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Founding Director, World Wide Web Foundation Net neutrality is critical for Europe's future I would like to welcome Sir Tim Berners-Lee in this first guest blog. Sir Tim makes important and valid points on the issue of net neutrality and the need for establishing European rules so that it remains protected. I find his thoughts to be especially timely given the current debate around the Telecoms Single Market regulation. I met Sir Tim in Brussels in November when we had a very interesting discussion about several issues, not only net neutrality. I hope that his blog will be the first of many to be composed by guest writers. Here it is: *Net Neutrality is Critical for Europe’s Future* /By Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Founding Director, //_World Wide Web Foundation_/ <http://www.webfoundation.org/> As inventor of the World Wide Web, people often ask me - "What's next? What will be the next big thing on the Web”? […] Continua qui: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014-2019/ansip/blog/guest-blog-sir-tim-ber…

Feb. 3, 2015

Special Issue of the Monthly Review su "surveillance capitalism"

by J.C. DE MARTIN

La storica rivista marxista americana "Montly Review" dedica un numero speciale al "surveillance capitalism", http://monthlyreview.org/2014/07/01/mr-066-03-2014-07/ Indice: "Surveillance Capitalism", John Bellamy Foster and Robert W. McChesney "Electronic Communications Surveillance", Lauren Regan "The New Surveillance Normal", David H. Price "The Zombie Bill", Beatrice Edwards "Surveillance and Scandal", Alfred W. McCoy "“We’re Profiteers”", David Vine "U.S. Control of the Internet", Prabir Purkayastha and Rishab Bailey "Merging the Law of War with Criminal Law", Jean-Claude Paye "The National Security State", Michael E. Tigar Ciao, juan carlos

Feb. 3, 2015

Re: [nexa] L'avete vista? SIAE, M5S: NUOVE MULTE DA USURA, INACCETTABILI

by Simone Aliprandi

> Qui la richiesta dell'abolizione del monopolio Siae > http://www.repubblica.it/tecnologia/2014/10/10/news/petizione_online_aboliz… > > Qui una proposta alternativa per proteggere il diritto d'autore > http://www.wired.it/economia/business/2014/12/12/patamu-protegge-tua-creati… Si però attenzione a non mettere sullo stesso piano le due cose. Sono sicuro che Arturo conosce la questione, ma per chi non mastica questi temi preferisco precisarlo ancora una volta. Parlare di "alternativa alla SIAE" è sempre pericoloso e spesso foriero di equivoci; tuttavia è un tormentone fin troppo ricorrente, anche quando si parla di Creative Commons (http://aliprandi.blogspot.it/2013/12/alternativa-siae-cc.html) Anche parlare genericamente di Patamù come alternativa alla SIAE (specie quando si sta parlando di abolizione del monopolio) è molto fuorviante e contribuisce a far passare una delle leggende che io cerco giorno per giorno di smontare. Patamù non è un'alternativa per proteggere il diritto d'autore ma - più propriamente - una sistema che permette di ottenere (in maniera smart, veloce e gratuita) una prova di anteriorità su opere dell'ingegno. La SIAE è una società di gestione collettiva dei diritti d'autore a cui gli autori possono demandare la GESTIONE (parola che andrebbe sempre sostituita alla fuorviante TUTELA) dei diritti sulle proprie opere. E' fondamentale capire che siamo su due piani diversi. Che poi la SIAE faccia ANCHE un servizio di presa in deposito delle opere per attribuire prova di anteriorità, è un'altra questione. Patamù, come anche Copyzero e gli altri servizi simili, sono una "alternativa" solo a questo servizio. Credo che la radice di questo enorme equivoco derivi dal fatto che nel gergo comune si parla indistintamente di "deposito", quando invece bisognerebbe tener distinti i concetti di "deposito" delle opere e di "registrazione" delle opere. Questo aspetto l'avevo già chiarito in un post dell'anno scorso. Eccolo: http://aliprandi.blogspot.it/2014/05/siae-differenza-deposito-registrazione… Un caro saluto. E scusate l'intervento pignolo e bacchettone. -- Simone Aliprandi - http://www.aliprandi.org | http://www.array.eu

Feb. 3, 2015

Berkman Center Webcast live oggi ore 18 - Development in the Digital Age: The role of online platforms & payments in enabling entrepreneurship in emerging markets

by Giuseppe Futia

Development in the Digital Age: The role of online platforms & payments in enabling entrepreneurship in emerging markets http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/9497 <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/06/sigal> <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/06/sigal> *featuring Usman Ahmed (ebay), Jake Colvin (Global Innovation Forum), and Althea Erickson (Etsy)* Today, 6.00 pm Webcast live: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast http://nexa.polito.it/berkman-webcast-live The Internet is democratizing access to the global marketplace for millions of people around the world. Thanks to online platforms, payment systems and logistics services, companies, nonprofits and individuals can embark on global journeys like never before. Join representatives from the Global Innovation Forum, eBay and Etsy to explore the opportunities for economic development that the Internet unlocks, and the specific challenges that global entrepreneurs and micromultinationals in developing countries face. About Usman Ahmed, eBay Inc Usman Ahmed is Policy Counsel for eBay Inc. His work covers a variety of global Internet issues including international trade, intellectual property policy, and financial services. He has spoken at several universities on the topic of Internet-enabled international trade and has published an article in the Journal of World Trade on the subject. Prior to working at eBay, Usman worked at a number of policy think tanks in the Washington DC area. He earned his JD from University of Michigan and holds a BA from University of Maryland. About Jake Colvin, Global Innovation Forum Jake Colvin is Executive Director of the Global Innovation Forum @ NFTC. Through GIF, Jake works with startup, business, education and nonprofit leaders to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with participating in the global marketplace in the digital age, and to assess the effect of public policies on international trade and innovation. He is also Vice President for Global Trade Issues at the National Foreign Trade Council, where he leads the organization's engagement with the World Trade Organization, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and its policy work on intellectual property rights, environment issues, and the digital economy. Jake has written for Business Week, blogged for Comedy Central, testified before Congress and provided analysis for outlets including CNBC, CNN and Time Magazine. Originally from Long Island, New York, he is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies and the University of Richmond. About Althea Erickson, Etsy Althea Erickson is director of public policy at Etsy, the marketplace for creative people to buy and sell unique goods. Althea leads Etsys government relations and advocacy efforts, focusing on educating and advising policymakers on the issues that micro-entrepreneurs and creative businesses face. She is also responsible for developing and advancing Etsys position on issues ranging from taxes and regulation, to open Internet and free trade, to IP and privacy policies. Prior to joining Etsy, Althea was the advocacy and policy director at Freelancers Union, where she helped build the membership into a powerful political constituency, leading its successful campaign to repeal unfair tax laws and promoting legislation to protect freelancers from unpaid wages. Previously, Althea worked at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she focused on strategies to build economic security within the U.S. workforce. She has a B.A in government and public policy from Wesleyan University.

Feb. 3, 2015

articolo Salon su ricercatori e conflitti d'interesse

by J.C. DE MARTIN

Internet c'entra poco, e me ne scuso, ma si tratta di una questione che riguarda tutti i ricercatori e i centri di ricerca, soprattutto se fanno lavoro di policy (e Nexa lo fa), e quindi mi permetto di convidere con voi questo articolo di Salon segnalato poche ore fa da Lawrence Lessig. juan carlos Sunday, Feb 1, 2015 12:59 PM CET *This is why Piketty matters: Davos and the real story about economists and the 1 percent* /Economists take heat for failing to predict crises, but not disclosing financial ties is a bigger problem/ Janine R. Wedel Davos, that yearly exercise in cognitive dissonance formally known as the World Economic Forum, is over, as is the time-honored, and highly entertaining tradition of Davos-bashing. Jon Stewart rarely lets Davos pass, railing last week at the hypocrisies of “Wealthstock,” where the super-elite wax on about sustainability, but use a reported 1,700 private jets to get to the Swiss ski mecca. Economic blogger Felix Salmon calls it the “sybaritic alpine gabfest.” One of my favorite takedowns is Salon’s simple headline from a year ago: “Welcome to Davos, Where Rich People Talk About Poor People.” Beyond some of the contradictions that Davos offers are real questions of relevance. Should Davos provide some geo-econo-political crystal ball for the year ahead? As the New York Times put it last week: “Longtime participants of the forum noted that for all the brainpower there in past years, those at the event did not predict significant upheavals in recent years — like the financial crisis or the Arab Spring or the Russian takeover of Crimea.” Among the attendees at Davos are some of the world’s most elite economists and they, too, have been lambasted since 2008 over the same question: Should they have been able to predict the crisis? This was an issue taken up by one of the most famous among them just as Davos began last week. […] Continua qui: http://www.salon.com/2015/02/01/this_is_why_piketty_matters_davos_and_the_r…

Feb. 2, 2015

Zeynep Tufekci : internet e movimenti sociali

by Antonio Casilli

Vi segnalo il TED talk della sociologa Zeynep Tufekci (University of North Carolina/Harvard Berkman Center) su come Internet abbia reso l'organizzazione dei movimenti sociali più facile, ma più difficile (in proporzione) il loro successo. http://www.ted.com/talks/zeynep_tufekci_how_the_internet_has_made_social_ch… -- Antonio A. Casilli Associate Professor, Telecom ParisTech Research Fellow Edgar-Morin Center (EHESS)

Feb. 2, 2015

Morozov: "Our cities shouldn’t rely on Uber to devise new transport choices"

by J.C. DE MARTIN

Insomma, Morozov migliora costantemente :) jc *Our cities shouldn’t rely on Uber to devise new transport choices * As regulators from India to France continue to crack down on Uber, the popular taxi-hailing app, the company has embarked on a charm offensive. All of a sudden, Uber’s once combative and tone-deaf executives laud the importance of regulating their industry. They also seem to grasp why the company makes for such an easy target <http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2014/may/11/taxi-drivers-uber-lo…>: it’s just too nasty. Thus, during the recent Juno winter storm in the US, Uber agreed to halt its controversial practice of surge pricing, whereby passengers see prices for journeys skyrocket because of increased demand. But this is not the whole of it. In a genius publicity gambit, Uber has also offered the city of Boston <http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/boston> – once its staunch opponent – access to the troves of anonymised data about its journeys, all with the hope of easing traffic congestion and improving city planning. And – a sheer coincidence, of course – Massachusetts, Boston’s home state, has recently recognised taxi-sharing platforms as legal modes of transport, lifting one of the main barriers faced by Uber. Here Uber is following in the footsteps of smaller startups that make their data available to urban planners and city halls – and the latter are keen to claim that such data would make planning more empirical, participatory, and innovative. Thus, last year Strava <http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2013/jul/31/strava-app-cy…>, a popular smartphone app for tracking running and cycling, struck a deal with Oregon’s department of public transportation, with the officials paying a hefty licence fee to access data about routes taken by the app-using cyclists. Strava’s data is to be used for improving bike lanes or designing alternative routes. […] Continua qui: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/01/cities-need-to-fight-u…

Feb. 2, 2015

Zittrain, HLS Thinks Big 2014: "The Future of Scholarly Publishing and How to Stop It"

by Alessandro Mantelero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnoytth71iA&x-yt-cl=85114404&x-yt-ts=142257… -- Alessandro Mantelero Aggregate Professor, Politecnico di Torino Director of Privacy and Faculty Fellow, Nexa Center for Internet and Society http://nexa.polito.it/people/amantelero

Feb. 1, 2015