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"WEF: Blockchain will become the 'beating heart' of finance"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Aug. 16, 2016

Aug. 16, 2016

*WEF: Blockchain will become the 'beating heart' of finance* Oscar Williams-Grut Aug. 12, 2016, 10:00 AM 893 The World Economic Forum (WEF) has concluded that blockchain technology "will fundamentally alter the way financial institutions do business around the world" after a year-long study of the emerging technology. WEF's "Future of Financial Infrastructure" report, published on Friday, said distributed ledger technology, more commonly known as blockchain, "has great potential to drive simplicity and efficiency" in financial services and "will redraw processes and call into question orthodoxies that are foundational to today’s business models." […] Continua qui: http://uk.businessinsider.com/world-economic-forum-potential-of-blockchain-…

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Pokémon Go: un lavoro come un altro...
by Antonio Casilli Aug. 15, 2016

Aug. 15, 2016

"[...] Even gamers who never spend a cent on in-app purchases or promotions are effectively producing information that becomes a commodity owned by Niantic. The free distribution of Pokemon Go can be likened to the free distribution of a tool that lets us make stuff that then belongs to someone else. This tool is pretty fun to use. But this should not distract us completely from what's at stake. Work might be fun but that doesn't make it any less a form of labour. And as our everyday urban lives are increasingly commodified, it's time to start seeking answers about how the spoils of our labour (or "playbour'') are collected and distributed." http://www.smh.com.au/comment/how-pokemon-go-will-make-money-from-you-20160… -- Antonio A. Casilli Associate Professor, Telecom ParisTech Research Fellow Edgar-Morin Center (EHESS)

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Is Your Sex Toy Spying on You?
by Alberto Cammozzo Aug. 15, 2016

Aug. 15, 2016

Hackers reveal smart sex toy sends intimate information back to manufacturer. <http://europe.newsweek.com/your-sex-toy-spying-you-489328?rm=eu> Hackers have revealed that an internet-connected sex toy is sending intimate information back to its manufacturer for the purpose of “market research.” The We-Vibe 4 Plus is designed to be controlled remotely through a smartphone app, so that couples can use it when they are not together. It was revealed that data from the device, such as its temperature and vibration intensity, is being collected by the manufacturer. The privacy issue was brought to light at the Def Con hacking convention by two hackers, who use the online monikers Goldfisk and Follower. In a talk titled “The Internet of Vibrating Things,” the pair demonstrated how data is sent to We Vibe maker Standard Innovation. They also demonstrated that it is possible for third parties to intercept the data, as well as remotely take control of the vibrator and commit what is “potentially sexual assault.” The presentation description stated: “As teledildonics come into the mainstream, human sexual pleasure has become connected with the concerns of privacy and security already familiar to those who previously only wanted to turn on their lights, rather than their lover.” Standard Innovation has admitted to collecting the information but says that it is doing so for “market research purposes, so that we can better understand what settings and levels of intensity are most enjoyed.” In a statement, Standard Innovation president Frank Ferrari said that the temperature data collected is not precise enough to know how it is being used by the user. Ferrari said: “Our reason for collecting CPU temperature data is purely for hardware diagnostic purposes. Our EULA and privacy policy does disclose that we may collect data, but we are currently in the process of reviewing our privacy and data collection protocols in an effort to provide more transparency for our customers.” It is not the first time that vulnerabilities with smart sex toys have been exposed. In March, security researchers demonstrated how a web-connected vibrator could be hacked. According to experts, companies too often treat security as an afterthought when producing internet-enabled devices. Chris Boyd, an analyst at the security firm Malwarebytes, told Newsweek in an interview earlier this year: “The problem here is that many Internet of Things devices [smart devices connected to the internet] are horribly broken security-wise because it costs money to ensure a reasonable standard of protection on a product.”

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How to Hack an Election in 7 Minutes
by Alberto Cammozzo Aug. 14, 2016

Aug. 14, 2016

chiunque esca vincitore dalle prossime elezioni USA forse non sapremo mai se è quello che la gente ha effettivamente votato. With Russia already meddling in 2016, a ragtag group of obsessive tech experts is warning that stealing the ultimate prize—victory on Nov. 8—would be child’s play. <www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/08/2016-elections-russia-hack-how-to-h…> "We read the code, and found really, really bad problems,” Wallach tells me, sitting in his Houston dining table. He catches himself. “Actually, let me change that,” he says. “We found unacceptable problems.”

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Om Malik: "Apple, Google, Amazon, and the Advantages of Bigness"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Aug. 14, 2016

Aug. 14, 2016

*Apple, Google, Amazon, and the Advantages of Bigness** * By Om Malik August 9, 2016 At some point in a big, successful company’s life, it comes up against the problem of the law of large numbers. In the simplest terms, a fast-growing company can’t keep growing at the same fast rate forever. It eventually has to slow down. For years, people have been looking for signs that Apple is finally hitting its growth limits. And this year Apple revenue fell for the first time since 2003. The same concerns face other giants in the tech economy: Google (now part of the parent company Alphabet), Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook. And, yet, for a brief time in July, the stock markets, arbiters of future fortunes, anointed those five technology companies—Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook—as the top five American companies by market capitalization. Market value changes all the time, but, still, for that moment, they were the Big Five. […] Continua qui: http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/apple-google-amazon-and-the-adva…

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"Twitter refuses to explain censorship of verified journalist accounts in post-coup Turkey"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Aug. 14, 2016

Aug. 14, 2016

*Twitter refuses to explain censorship of verified journalist accounts in post-coup Turkey** * Efe Kerem Sozeri — 2016-08-12 07:22 p.m. | Last updated 2016-08-13 05:13 a.m. Twitter has made a name for itself as a champion of free speech around the world. Following the recent coup attempt in Turkey, however, something has changed in the way it approaches censorship, and the company refuses to talk about it. Twitter’s policy toward Turkey—limited “censoring to avoid a ban”—puts the company between a rock and a hard place: If Twitter does not comply with Turkey’s ever-increasing censorship requests to silence dissidents, it may face a nationwide ban that silences everyone. But this bullying has just gained more ground against press freedoms in Turkey with Twitter censoring journalists’ accounts that Turkish government wants banned. […] Continua qui: http://www.dailydot.com/layer8/twitter-censorship-journalists-turkey-coup/

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"Interview: Busting the Myths of a Workerless Future"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Aug. 13, 2016

Aug. 13, 2016

*Interview: Busting the Myths of a Workerless Future* July 26, 2016 / Chris Brooks, Kim Moody / //Where’s our economy headed? Soon every factory worker will have to start driving for Uber, and the trucks will drive themselves—at least so the business press tells us.// // //But Kim Moody, co-founder of this magazine and the author of many books on U.S. labor, paints a different picture. Chris Brooks asked him to cut through the hype and describe what’s coming for working people and the opportunities for unions.// // //This is Part 1 of our interview with Kim Moody. Watch for Part 2, coming next week. —Eds./ […] Continua qui: http://www.labornotes.org/2016/07/interview-busting-myths-workerless-future

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UN e-Government Surveys
by Diego Giorio Aug. 12, 2016

Aug. 12, 2016

https://publicadministration.un.org/en/Research/UN-e-Government-Surveys Nella classifica mondiale dei paesi con il piú alto indice di sviluppo di e-Government l'Italia si posiziona al 22 posto Saluti a tutti D.

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Broker-dealer TradeZero launches first 'dark pool' exchange for bitcoin
by Alberto Cammozzo Aug. 12, 2016

Aug. 12, 2016

TradeZero, a Bahamas-based online broker-dealer, said on Thursday it had launched the world's first "dark pool" exchange for bitcoin to enable institutional investors to execute large trades. The company will eventually open the exchange to other digital currencies such as ether and litecoin. TradeZero has partnered with Jered Kenna, one of the earliest bitcoin investors and founder of the now defunct bitcoin exchange called Tradehill, for the venture. Dark pools refer to trading outside the exchange done by large institutional investors. Off-exchange trading can make up about 40 percent of all U.S. stock trades. "We are looking to provide the non-U.S. investor with the same access, tools and discounted commission structure that many U.S. traders enjoy today," said Daniel Pipitone, director of TradeZero said in a statement. The company said customers will get access commission-free dark pool digital currency trading, allowing them to make large purchases or sales without substantially moving the market price. TradeZero already allows commission-free stock and ETF trading, as well as equity and index options. "If you want to see larger players moving in to do larger trades in bitcoin without upsetting the market, a dark pool is necessary," bitcoin entrepreneur Kenna told Reuters in an interview. <http://www.reuters.com/article/us-bitcoin-trading-darkpool-idUSKCN10M1ZA>

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Uber: wage theft by design? (quite literally)
by Antonio Casilli Aug. 12, 2016

Aug. 12, 2016

How Can Wage Theft Emerge in App-Mediated Work? invited post by Alex Rosenblat (Data & Society Research Institute) http://therideshareguy.com/how-can-wage-theft-emerge-in-app-mediated-work/ -- Antonio A. Casilli Associate Professor, Telecom ParisTech Research Fellow Edgar-Morin Center (EHESS)

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