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Pasquale: "The Algorithmic Self"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Dec. 7, 2015

Dec. 7, 2015

The Hedgehog Review: Vol. 17 No. 1 (Spring 2015) *The Algorithmic Self* Frank Pasquale At a recent conference on public health, nutrition expert Kelly Brownell tried to explain our new food environment by making some striking comparisons. First, he contrasted the coca leaf—chewed for pain relief for thousands of years by indigenous people in South America, with little ill effect—with cocaine, a highly addictive, mind-altering substance. Then he contrasted a cob of corn with a highly processed piece of candy derived from corn syrup. Nutritious in its natural state, the concentrated sugar in corn can spark unhealthy, even addictive behaviors once poured into candy. With corn and with coca, the dose makes the poison, as Paracelsus put it. And in the modern era of “food science,” dozens of analysts may be spending millions of dollars just to perfect the “mouthfeel” and flavor profile of a single brand of chips.1 Should we be surprised, then, that Americans are losing the battle of the bulge? Indeed, the real wonder is not that two-thirds of the US population is overweight, but that one-third remains “normal,” to use an adjective that makes sense only in relation to an earlier era’s norms.2 […] Continua qui: http://www.iasc-culture.org/THR/THR_article_2015_Spring_Pasquale.php

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NYT: "Can’t Put Down Your Device? That’s by Design"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Dec. 7, 2015

Dec. 7, 2015

*Can’t Put Down Your Device? That’s by Design* By NATASHA SINGER DEC. 5, 2015 Greg Hochmuth was one of the first software engineers hired at Instagram. He worked on a team in 2012 that developed the first Android app for the slick photo-sharing service. In its first 24 hours, the app was downloaded more than one million times. But Mr. Hochmuth eventually came to realize that the platform’s pleasing features — the interface that made it easy for people to upload and share beautiful images, the personalized suggestions of accounts to follow — also had potential downsides. The same design qualities that make an app enthralling, he said, may also make it difficult for people to put down. And the more popular such services become, the more appeal they hold for users — a phenomenon known as the network effect. […] Continua qui: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/technology/personaltech/cant-put-down-you…

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Wired: "Smartphones Bring Solace and Aid to Desperate Refugees"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Dec. 7, 2015

Dec. 7, 2015

*"Smartphones Bring Solace and Aid to Desperate Refugees"* “The very first thing they do is ask for Wi-Fi and charging stations so they can call family members.” ALESSANDRA RAM 12.05.15 MAKING THE 1,300-MILE journey through Western Europe from Syria is a treacherous feat, and one that requires many tools: Water. Food. Almost bottomless perseverance. But the most important may well be the Internet, and, more specifically, a smartphone. More than 4 million people have fled Syria’s civil war since 2011, most of them headed for the beleaguered nation’s neighbors. Faced with overcrowded camps, religious persecution, and the hostile borders of Eastern Europe, many continue on to Western Europe. More than 500,000 refugees, the majority of them from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, started arriving there in October. Many of these displaced people rely upon smartphones to find safe passage. Maps and GPS help chart the best course. Messaging apps provide a lifeline to loved ones. Apps of every kind help find a place to sleep, translate foreign languages, offer guidance on what to pack, and help manage money. Almost every need is met with mobile. […] Continua qui: http://www.wired.com/2015/12/smartphone-syrian-refugee-crisis/

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Privacy expert argues “algorithmic transparency” is crucial for online freedoms at UNESCO knowledge café
by J.C. DE MARTIN Dec. 7, 2015

Dec. 7, 2015

04.12.2015 - Communication & Information Sector *Privacy expert argues “algorithmic transparency” is crucial for online freedoms at UNESCO knowledge café* “At the intersection of law and technology – knowledge of the algorithm is a fundamental right, a human right,” argued American privacy law expert Marc Rotenberg, on Wednesday, 2 December during a Knowledge Café event organized by UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector at the Organization’s Headquarters in Paris. Rotenberg, president and executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), explained that algorithms, complex mathematical formulas and procedures through which computers process information and solve tasks, have an increasing impact on people’s lives in areas related to commerce, employment and housing. Other areas impacted include access to information and knowledge, freedom of expression, privacy and personal data protection online. Regarding access to information, he indicated that every search engine uses its own search algorithm which influences what information can be found and how results are displayed to users’ queries, as do social media and online services. As more decisions become automated and processed by algorithms, these processes become more opaque and less accountable, with risks of secret profiling and illegal discrimination. For Rotenberg, “at the core of modern privacy law is a single goal: to make transparent, the automated decisions that impact our lives.” He sees “algorithmic transparency”, the principle that data processes which impact individuals be made public, as the next stage in the development of transparency law, internet law and privacy law. The lack of algorithmic transparency in the current internet ecosystem poses a crucial challenge to defending fundamental human rights online, ranging from privacy and freedom of expression to security. In addition to algorithmic transparency, Rotenberg pointed to other emerging issues which need to be examined, notably the increasing access to drones and robots and the need for their registration. […] Continua qui: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/resources/news-a…

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"EU Internet Forum: Bringing together governments, Europol and technology companies to counter terrorist content and hate speech online"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Dec. 7, 2015

Dec. 7, 2015

European Commission - Press release *EU Internet Forum: Bringing together governments, Europol and technology companies to counter terrorist content and hate speech online* Brussels, 3 December 2015 EU Internet Forum: Bringing together governments, Europol and technology companies to counter terrorist content and hate speech online Today, European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos in cooperation with the Commissioner for Justice, Consumer and Gender Equality, Věra Jourová, will launch the EU Internet Forum. The forum brings together EU Interior Ministers, high-level representatives of major internet companies, Europol, the EU Counter Terrorism Co-ordinator and the European Parliament. The goal is to reach a joint, voluntary approach based on a public-private partnership to detect and address harmful material online. Continua qui: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-6243_el.htm --------- *EDRI chiede alla Commissione informazioni riguardo all'iniziativa di cui sopra:** * http://www.asktheeu.org/en/request/eu_internet_forum_launch/new juan carlos

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Campaign: "Censoring links breaks the Internet"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Dec. 7, 2015

Dec. 7, 2015

Alla vostra attenzione. juan carlos https://savethelink.org/ *Listen to the Internet! Save our Right to Link!** * In less than 48 hours, the EU Commission will publish a new copyright plan that opens the door to “the most dangerous attack on the hyperlink yet.” Over 9000 people have already written detailed comments to the Commission opposing this reckless link censorship plan. But if we don’t act fast, the EU could ignore us and usher in new regulations that will damage our right to express ourselves online. ACT NOW: We have just hours to tell EU Digital Economy Commissioner Oettinger to listen to the Internet and Save our Right to Link.

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Timm: "How not to report on the encryption ‘debate’ "
by J.C. DE MARTIN Dec. 7, 2015

Dec. 7, 2015

/Columbia Journalism Review/*/ / How not to report on the encryption ‘debate’ ** * By Trevor Timm Rarely has a public debate been ignited so fast as the one about whether to ban online encryption after the tragic Paris attacks two and a half weeks ago. And rarely has the coverage of such a debate been so lacking in facts—especially considering that encryption is a tool reporters increasingly need to do their jobs. The deplorable terrorist attacks in Paris occurred on the evening of Friday, Nov. 13. By the end of that weekend, news organizations had published dozens of articles linking the Paris attackers with the use of encrypted messaging apps that prevent the companies that make them—and therefore governments—from easily accessing the messages their users send back and forth. By the following Monday, there were literally thousands of articles questioning whether such apps should be outlawed, spurred on by the Sunday talk shows that gave intelligence officials license to speculate on the “likely” use of encryption as a catchall excuse for why the attacks had not been detected, and to condemn the technology without a single skeptical follow-up. […] Continua qui: http://www.cjr.org/first_person/misinformation_and_misconceptions_how_not_t…

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dalla Francia: "Wi-Fi interdit, Tor bloqué, backdoors… les nouvelles idées au gouvernement"
by J.C. DE MARTIN Dec. 6, 2015

Dec. 6, 2015

*Wi-Fi interdit, Tor bloqué, backdoors… les nouvelles idées au gouvernement* Guillaume Champeau Les services du ministère de l'Intérieur envisagent de nombreuses mesures pour renforcer une nouvelle fois la sécurité au détriment des libertés. Coupure obligatoire de tout réseau Wi-Fi ouvert, blocage des réseaux d'anonymisation et fourniture des clés de chiffrement des messageries font partie des pistes soumises à arbitrage. La liste des mesures envisagées par le gouvernement pour renforcer la sécurité au détriment de la liberté et de la vie privée s’allonge. Alors que le gouvernement envisage déjà de nouvelles lois sécuritaires qui permettraient par exemple de croiser tous les fichiers de données personnelles détenues par l’État, d’obliger à l’installation d’émetteurs GPS sur les voitures louées, d’allonger la durée de conservation des données de connexion ou encore de faciliter le recours aux IMSI-catchers, Le Monde révèle samedi de nouvelles mesures recensées par le ministère de l’Intérieur. […] Continua qui: http://www.numerama.com/politique/133795-wi-fi-ouvert-interdit-tor-bloque-l…

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The Guardian: Citizens must be the state’s master. Not its plaything
by Alessandro Mantelero Dec. 5, 2015

Dec. 5, 2015

The Guardian view on surveillance: citizens must be the state’s master. Not its plaything Britons need somehow to learn a new zeal when it comes to protecting the individual against the authorities. The UK may be a long way from Russia, but the warning from Russia should not be neglected. It is a warning about where things can lead when instead of the state being the citizen’s servant, the citizen becomes the plaything of the state. And it is a warning which no lover of liberty anywhere should ignore. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/04/the-guardian-view-on-s… Un monito che dovrebbe valere anche per gli altri Stati dell'EU (Italia compresa), specie in queste settimane di dibattiti sulla sicurezza "drogati" dall'emergenzialismo. AM -- Prof. Avv. Alessandro Mantelero Politecnico di Torino Nexa Center for Internet and Society | Director of Privacy Politecnico di Torino–Tongji University| Coordinator, Double Degree program in Management and IP Law Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology | Part-time Expert, School of Public Administration http://staff.polito.it/alessandro.mantelero @mantelero EMAIL POLICY: twice a day (Mon-Fri)

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UK number plate monitoring one of the 'world's biggest surveillance systems'
by Alessandro Mantelero Dec. 5, 2015

Dec. 5, 2015

The widespread use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems by UK police forces represents one of the largest surveillance systems in the world, but lacks any legal framework or governance. This was the warning from Tony Porter, the UK’s surveillance camera commissioner, during a speech at Stirling University. continua qui: http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2437161/uk-number-plate-monitoring-one-of-th… -- Prof. Avv. Alessandro Mantelero Politecnico di Torino Nexa Center for Internet and Society | Director of Privacy Politecnico di Torino–Tongji University| Coordinator, Double Degree program in Management and IP Law Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology | Part-time Expert, School of Public Administration http://staff.polito.it/alessandro.mantelero @mantelero EMAIL POLICY: twice a day (Mon-Fri)

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