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What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen
by Alberto Cammozzo Feb. 7, 2017

Feb. 7, 2017

Omen nomen... <https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/business-blog/2017/02/what-vizio-was-…> Consumers have bought more than 11 million internet-connected Vizio televisions since 2010. But according to a complaint filed by the FTC and the New Jersey Attorney General <https://ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/02/vizio-pay-22-million-ftc…>, consumers didn’t know that while they were watching their TVs, Vizio was watching them. The lawsuit challenges the company’s tracking practices and offers insights into how established consumer protection principles apply to smart technology. Starting in 2014, Vizio made TVs that automatically tracked what consumers were watching and transmitted that data back to its servers. Vizio even retrofitted older models by installing its tracking software remotely. All of this, the FTC and AG allege, was done without clearly telling consumers or getting their consent. What did Vizio know about what was going on in the privacy of consumers’ homes? On a second-by-second basis, Vizio collected a selection of pixels on the screen that it matched to a database of TV, movie, and commercial content. What’s more, Vizio identified viewing data from cable or broadband service providers, set-top boxes, streaming devices, DVD players, and over-the-air broadcasts. Add it all up and Vizio captured as many as 100 billion data points each day from millions of TVs. Vizio then turned that mountain of data into cash by selling consumers’ viewing histories to advertisers and others. And let’s be clear: We’re not talking about summary information about national viewing trends. According to the complaint, Vizio got personal. The company provided consumers’ IP addresses to data aggregators, who then matched the address with an individual consumer or household. Vizio’s contracts with third parties prohibited the re-identification of consumers and households by name, but allowed a host of other personal details – for example, sex, age, income, marital status, household size, education, and home ownership. And Vizio permitted these companies to track and target its consumers across devices. That’s what Vizio was up to behind the screen, but what was the company telling consumers? Not much, according to the complaint <https://ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/162-3024/vizio-inc-vizio-insc…>. Vizio put its tracking functionality behind a setting called “Smart Interactivity.” But the FTC and New Jersey AG say that the generic way the company described that feature – for example, “enables program offers and suggestions” – didn’t give consumers the necessary heads-up to know that Vizio was tracking their TV’s every flicker. (Oh, and the “Smart Interactivity” feature didn’t even provide the promised “program offers and suggestions.”) The complaint <https://ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/162-3024/vizio-inc-vizio-insc…> alleges that Vizio engaged in unfair trade practices that violated the FTC Act and were unconscionable under New Jersey law. The complaint also alleges that Vizio failed to adequately disclose the nature of its “Smart Interactivity” feature and misled consumers with its generic name and description. To settle the case <https://ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/162-3024/vizio-inc-vizio-insc…>, Vizio has agreed to stop unauthorized tracking, to prominently disclose its TV viewing collection practices, and to get consumers’ express consent before collecting and sharing viewing information. In addition, the company must delete most of the data it collected and put a privacy program in place that evaluates Vizio’s practices and its partners. The order also includes a $1.5 million payment to the FTC and an additional civil penalty to New Jersey for a total of $2.2 million. [...]

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Google, unlike Microsoft, must turn over foreign emails: US judge
by Alberto Cammozzo Feb. 6, 2017

Feb. 6, 2017

<http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/05/google-unlike-microsoft-must-turn-over-forei…> A U.S. judge has ordered Google to comply with search warrants seeking customer emails stored outside the United States, diverging from a federal appeals court that reached the opposite conclusion in a similar case involving Microsoft Corp . U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Rueter in Philadelphia ruled on Friday that transferring emails from a foreign server so FBI agents could review them locally as part of a domestic fraud probe did not qualify as a seizure. The judge said this was because there was "no meaningful interference" with the account holder's "possessory interest" in the data sought. "Though the retrieval of the electronic data by Google from its multiple data centers abroad has the potential for an invasion of privacy, the actual infringement of privacy occurs at the time of disclosure in the United States," Rueter wrote. Google, a unit of Mountain View, California-based Alphabet Inc, said in a statement on Saturday: "The magistrate in this case departed from precedent, and we plan to appeal the decision. []

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94° Mercoledì di Nexa - 8 febbraio 2017
by Francesco Ruggiero Feb. 6, 2017

Feb. 6, 2017

*REMINDER*: vi ricordiamo che mercoledì 8 febbraio 2017, dalle ore 18 alle ore 20, si svolgerà il 94° Mercoledì di Nexa, con un incontro dal titolo: *"An Integrated Domain: visions of a Connected Future".* Ospite dell'incontro *Jim Groom* (Reclaim Hosting). Ingresso libero, webcast live all'indirizzo: http://nexa.polito.it/upcoming-events. Maggiori informazioni sono disponibili all'indirizzo: *https://nexa.polito.it/mercoledi-94 <https://nexa.polito.it/mercoledi-94>* Cordiali saluti, Francesco 2017-01-30 12:02 GMT+01:00 Francesco Ruggiero <francesco.ruggiero(a)polito.it> : > Se non visualizzi correttamente questo messaggio clicca qui > <http://nexa.polito.it/mercoledi-94> > [image: NEXA] > > 94° Mercoledì di Nexa > Mercoledì 8 febbraio 2017, ore 18.00 - 20.00 > > Politecnico di Torino > > http://nexa.polito.it/mercoledi-94 > An Integrated Domain: visions of a Connected Future > > Speaker > Jim Groom (Reclaim Hosting) > > This event will be webcast live: http://nexa.polito.it/upcoming-events > > Visions of the future are often framed by the technologies that shape > them. This is readily apparent in popular culture’s treatment of the future > over the past 50 years. Several recurring themes of these fictional > projections have become contemporary concerns in 2017: the specter of > artificial intelligence, the rise of robots, virtual worlds, and the > existential question of self in an increasingly distributed and fragmented > reality. All of which points to an increasingly technological mediation of > both *reality and identity, raising the larger question of how we are > managing these changes culturally*. > > Are we teaching people to interrogate the way news is presented on social > media? Are we teaching students to understand the basic infrastructure of > the internet? Are we beginning to examine the ever-changing fault lines of > the reality that is framed for us on the web? *This talk will examine one > small project called Domain of One’s Own* happening at various > universities and colleges in North America, Great Britain, and Australia > that empowers faculty, students, and staff to both *manage and control > their online digital presence through an integrated online domain*. An > initiative that frames education as fundamental to preparing an entire > generation for the shifting notions of identity and reality that that will > everywhere shape our connected future. > > BIOGRAFIE - e informazioni supplementari > > [image: [GROOM]] > > JIM GROOM is the co-founder of Reclaim Hosting, an independent web hosting > company focused on the higher education community. Previously he was the > Executive Director of the Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies > and adjunct professor at the University of Mary Washington in > Fredericksburg, Virginia. He has been part of a number of exciting projects > at the University of Mary Washington. In 2006 he started the web-based > educational publishing platform ELS Blogs for the English Linguistics and > Speech department at UMW. This pilot project led to the development of UMW > Blogs in 2007 which has since become an enterprise level academic > publishing platform. In 2008 the madness that was EDUPUNK was attributed to > a series of posts he wrote on his personal blog. In 2010 he re-imagined the > Computer Science 106 course on Digital Storytelling at UMW as an open, > online community referred to as ds106—an experiment in teaching and > learning on the web that is still going strong and has been celebrated > internationally as a compelling community-based approach to online > learning. Additionally, he also helped spearhead an initiative at the > University of Mary Washington called A Domain of One’s Own that, starting > in Fall 2013, provided all incoming Freshman their own domain and web > hosting account. In 2015 he left Mary Washington to work full-time for > Reclaim Hosting, a company he co-founded that helps individuals, groups, > and institutions reclaim the web from the corporate silos. Finally, he > writes regularly about his work in educational technology–in addition to > several other interests such as film, literature, and media of all kinds–on > his home away from home: bavatuesdays.com <http://www.bavatuesdays.com>. > > *Letture consigliate e link utili:* > > - Jon Udell's, * A Domain of One's Own* > <https://www.wired.com/insights/2012/07/a-domain-of-ones-own/> > - Audrey Watters's, *A Domain of One's Own in a Post-Ownership Society* > <http://hackeducation.com/2016/08/23/domains> > - Jim Groom, *Domain of Online Scholarly Presence* > <http://bavatuesdays.com/domains-of-online-scholarly-presence/>. > - Andrew Rikard's, *Do I Own My Domain if You Grade It?* > <https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-08-10-do-i-own-my-domain-if-you-grade-it>. > > - Martha Burtis's, *Making, Breaking, and Rethinking Domain of One's > Own* > <http://www.digitalpedagogylab.com/hybridped/making-breaking-rethinking-web-…>. > > > > > > Che cosa sono il Centro Nexa e i cicli di incontri “Mercoledì di Nexa” e > “Nexa Lunch Seminar” > > Il Centro Nexa su Internet & Società del Politecnico di Torino > (Dipartimento di Automatica e Informatica) è un centro di ricerca > indipendente e interdisciplinare che studia Internet e il suo effetto sulla > società. Maggiori informazioni all'indirizzo: http://nexa.polito.it/about. > > Durante i “*Mercoledì di Nexa*”, che si tengono *ogni 2° mercoledì del > mese* alle *ore 18 in punto*, il Centro Nexa su Internet e Società apre > le sue porte non solo agli esperti e a tutti coloro i quali lavorano con > Internet, ma anche a semplici appassionati e cittadini. Il ciclo di > incontri intende approfondire, con un linguaggio preciso ma divulgativo, i > temi legati alla Rete: motori di ricerca, Creative Commons, social > networks, open source/software libero, neutralità della rete, libertà di > espressione, privacy, file sharing, big e open data, smart cities e molto > altro. > > Al centro di quasi tutti gli incontri un ospite pronto a dialogare con i > direttori del Centro Nexa, il Prof. Juan Carlos De Martin del Politecnico > di Torino e il Prof. Marco Ricolfi dell'Università di Torino, nonché lo > staff e i Fellows del Centro Nexa. > > Maggiori informazioni sui Mercoledì di Nexa, incluso un elenco di tutti i > “Mercoledì” passati, sono disponibili all'indirizzo: > http://nexa.polito.it/mercoledi. > > Si segnala inoltre che dal maggio 2012 *ogni 4° mercoledì* del mese *dalle > ore 13 alle ore 14* il Centro Nexa organizza anche i "*Nexa Lunch Seminar*". > Una lista di tutti i “Lunch Seminar” passati è disponibile all'indirizzo: > http://nexa.polito.it/lunch-seminars. > > See our events calendar <http://nexa.polito.it/events> if you're curious > about future luncheons, discussions, lectures, and conferences not listed > in this email. Our events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise > noted. > > Maggiori informazioni sui Mercoledì di Nexa e i Nexa Lunch Seminar, sono > disponibili all'indirizzo: http://nexa.polito.it/events. Weekly Events > Newsletter. Sign up <http://nexa.polito.it/mailing-lists> to receive this > newsletter if this email was forwarded to you. To manage your subscription > preferences, please click here > <https://server-nexa.polito.it/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nexa>. > > Connect & get involved: Jobs, internships, and more > <http://nexa.polito.it/get-involved> > > > _______________________________________________ > nexa mailing list > nexa(a)server-nexa.polito.it > https://server-nexa.polito.it/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nexa > > -- Francesco Ruggiero Communication Manager Nexa Center for Internet & Society Politecnico di Torino - DAUIN Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24 - 10129 Torino web: http://nexa.polito.it mail: francesco.ruggiero(a)polito.it tel: 011 090 7219

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RAND: "No Company Should Be Able to Keep You from Checking Your Government's Math"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Feb. 5, 2017

Feb. 5, 2017

*No Company Should Be Able to Keep You from Checking Your Government's Math* by Brian A. Jackson As part of efforts to make government smarter, data and computer models are becoming more and more important for making policy decisions. For example, in the criminal justice system, computer models and analytic methods are being used to inform decisions from how police officers patrol to judgments about whether individual defendants are kept in jail and for how long. Predictive policing tools use data about past crime and other factors, in some cases identifying individual city blocks for enhanced police patrol because the model predicts that crime is more likely to happen there. In the courts and corrections system, risk and needs assessment (PDF) tools use variables about defendants like their connections in the community, past interactions with the police or courts, and other data to inform judgments about their bail amounts, what sentence is imposed after conviction, how they are held in prison, and about their release into the community after they have served their time. […] Continua qui: http://www.rand.org/blog/2017/01/no-company-should-be-able-to-keep-you-from…

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CEPR: "The Bureau of Labor Statistics Hasn't Heard About Automation"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Feb. 3, 2017

Feb. 3, 2017

*The Bureau of Labor Statistics Hasn't Heard About Automation** * Published: 02 February 2017 http://cepr.net/blogs/beat-the-press/the-bureau-of-labor-statistics-hasn-t-… While intellectual types are writing all sorts of grand treatises on how automation is going to take all the jobs and leave most people unemployed, the folks at the Bureau of Labor Statistics who actually collect the data haven't gotten the message. They released data today on productivity growth (this is the measure of the rate at which automation is reducing the need for labor) for the 4th quarter of 2016. The data showed that productivity grew at a 1.3 percent annual rate in the 4th quarter and is now 1.0 percent higher than it was a year ago. This is roughly the same pace that productivity has grown for the last decade. It is an extremely slow rate of productivity growth. Productivity had grown at close to a 3.0 percent rate from 1995 to 2005 and also in the long Golden Age from 1947 to 1973. In other words, instead of automation moving along at an incredibly rapid rate leading to mass displacement of workers, it is actually advancing very slowly. We can put the threat of automation in the alternative facts category, albeit in the category of alternative facts that appeals to intellectual-types.

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Fwd: Il FUTURO del LAVORO nella Società Digitale - Quali Competenze? 14-02-2017
by Mauro Alovisio Feb. 3, 2017

Feb. 3, 2017

Gent.me/mi segnalo convegno di interesse a Milano Cordiali saluti Mauro Alovisio ---------- Messaggio inoltrato ---------- Da: AICA-COMUNICAZIONI <aica-newsletter(a)cu.mi.it> Date: 3 febbraio 2017 12:53 Oggetto: Il FUTURO del LAVORO nella Società Digitale - Quali Competenze? 14-02-2017 A: newsletter(a)aicanet.it <http://www.aicanet.it/dettaglio_evento/1016782> *AICA** Comunicazioni* www.aicanet.it [image: Logo Facebook 1] <https://www.facebook.com/aicanet/>[image: Twitter] <https://twitter.com/AICA_1961>[image: Linkedin] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/associazione-italiana-per-l'informatica-ed-il-calcolo-automatico>[image: Google+] <https://plus.google.com/107541682407900918288/posts>[image: YouTube] <https://www.youtube.com/user/aicaonline/>

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Hanno capito tutto
by Diego Giorio Feb. 2, 2017

Feb. 2, 2017

Questa è modernità e innovazione tecnologica: "Ovviamente, i modelli compilati in «word», prima di essere trasmessi via pec alla Autorita', dovranno essere stampati, sottoscritti dal responsabile (in genere il rup) e trasformati in formato preferibilmente pdf" Questa perla di nuova frontiera dell' informatica è dell'ANAC, ed è regolarmente pubblicata in Gazzetta Ufficiale: http://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2017/02/01/17A00718/sg Non esprimo i miei commenti perché devo correre in cartoleria a comprare i pennini ed calamaio. Saluti a tutti D.

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More on Communia and copyright reform for education
by Fabio Nascimbeni Feb. 2, 2017

Feb. 2, 2017

Email just received : Dear all, As Communia we are preparing a joint statement on copyright reform, and circulating it now in search of signatories. I hope that on this list are either representatives of educational organisations, or people who know them. Please help us get support for this statement. (Lisette from our team wrote a guest post on this issue on the blog last year: https://education.okfn.org/we-need-to-get-a-better-copyright-for-education/ <https://education.okfn.org/we-need-to-get-a-better-copyright-for-education/>) best, Alek Tarkowski

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Paper: Floridi, "What is data ethics?"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Feb. 1, 2017

Feb. 1, 2017

https://ssrn.com/abstract=2907744 Luciano Floridi University of Oxford - Oxford Internet Institute Mariarosaria Taddeo University of Oxford - Oxford Internet Institute November 14, 2016 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A, Volume 374, Issue 2083, December 2016 Abstract: This theme issue has the founding ambition of landscaping Data Ethics as a new branch of ethics that studies and evaluates moral problems related to data (including generation, recording, curation, processing, dissemination, sharing, and use), algorithms (including AI, artificial agents, machine learning, and robots), and corresponding practices (including responsible innovation, programming, hacking, and professional codes), in order to formulate and support morally good solutions (e.g. right conducts or right values). Data Ethics builds on the foundation provided by Computer and Information Ethics but, at the same time, it refines the approach endorsed so far in this research field, by shifting the Level of Abstraction of ethical enquiries, from being information-centric to being data-centric. This shift brings into focus the different moral dimensions of all kinds of data, even the data that never translate directly into information but can be used to support actions or generate behaviours, for example. It highlights the need for ethical analyses to concentrate on the content and nature of computational operations — the interactions among hardware, software, and data — rather than on the variety of digital technologies that enables them. And it emphasises the complexity of the ethical challenges posed by Data Science. Because of such complexity, Data Ethics should be developed from the start as a macroethics, that is, as an overall framework that avoids narrow, ad hoc approaches and addresses the ethical impact and implications of Data Science and its applications within a consistent, holistic, and inclusive framework. Only as a macroethics Data Ethics will provide the solutions that can maximise the value of Data Science for our societies, for all of us, and for our environments. Number of Pages in PDF File: 8 Keywords: Data Ethics, Data Science, Ethics of Data, Ethics of Algorithms, Ethics of Practises, Levels of Abstraction (Sent from my wireless device; please excuse brevity and typos (if any))

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"Data Sharing on traffic pattern inside Facebook’s datacenter network"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Feb. 1, 2017

Feb. 1, 2017

January 30, 2017 * Data Sharing on traffic pattern inside Facebook’s datacenter network* By: James Hongyi Zeng Today, we are happy to announce that we are releasing packet header samples from several of our datacenters to facilitate datacenter network research. The data set has been shared with a few research groups since late last year and now it’s open to everyone. To get started, please request to join Facebook Network Analytics Data Sharing group for details and instructions. Large cloud service providers have invested in increasingly larger datacenters to house the computing infrastructure required to support their services. Accordingly, researchers and industry practitioners alike have focused a great deal of effort designing network fabrics to efficiently interconnect and manage the traffic within these datacenters in performant yet efficient fashions. […] Continua qui: https://research.fb.com/data-sharing-on-traffic-pattern-inside-facebooks-da…

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