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News

12 November 2021

The Membership Guide

Although membership in news is fairly new beyond public radio, it is not new to other movements for public good. That’s why Membership Puzzle Project studied churches, Burning Man camps, citizen science projects, and other member-driven movements for clues to survival. That research revealed five insights applicable to journalism.     

Hackers Are Stealing Data Today So Quantum Computers Can Crack It In a Decade

While they wrestle with the immediate danger posed by hackers today, US government officials are preparing for another, longer-term threat: attackers who are collecting sensitive, encrypted data now in the hope that they’ll be able to unlock it at some point in the future.     

How an outbreak became a pandemic

chronological analysis of crucial junctures and international obligations in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic: Understanding the spread of SARS-CoV-2, how and when evidence emerged, and the timing of local, national, regional, and global responses is essential to establish how an outbreak became a pandemic and to prepare for future health threats.  

The unexpected health impacts of wearable tech

The Verge asked cardiologists, sleep doctors, and sports physicians how all of that data from wearables influences their interactions with patients. For better or for worse, they know it’s here to stay.    

Certified B Corporation

Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.     

Smart city in a post-pandemic world: Small-scale, green, and over-policed

On the face of it, the smart city market is bleeding. In May 2020, Alphabet pulled the plug on Sidewalk Toronto, the company’s ambitious smart city project in Canada. One year later, the company scrapped two other smart city projects in Portland, Oregon, and Kansas City. While the trend of large-scale smart city projects seems to be waning, the markets for smart technology, including AI, facial recognition and the Internet of Things (IoT), are rapidly growing and attracting customers from the public sector.     

Exercise your digital rights and find out what your data is used for

Your data is more valuable than you might think. You have the right to know how your data is used. Get started by asking five questions of the companies whose digital services you use.        

Do you know where your data is?

When we first began the Me2B Alliance, our central thesis was that technology was unknowable by everyday people. And we held, perhaps, a tacit corollary that industry abused and exploited the natural opacity and unknowability of technology. What we’ve learned, however, over the course of creating our yardstick to measure the behavior of technology, and applying that yardstick to websites and apps, is that there is an appreciable amount of “unknowability” on the part of technology makers as well   

Governing health futures 2030: Growing up in a digital world

The Lancet and Financial Times Commission on governing health futures 2030: growing up in a digital world argues digital transformations should be considered as a key determinant of health. But the Commission also presses for a radical rethink on digital technologies, highlighting that without a precautionary, mission-oriented, and value-based approach to its governance, digital transformations will fail to bring about improvements in health for all.     

Seoul Will Be the First City Government To Join the Metaverse

Seoul says it will be the first major city government to enter the metaverse. On Nov. 3, the South Korean capital announced a plan to make a variety of public services and cultural events available in the metaverse, an immersive internet that relies on virtual reality. If the plan is successful, Seoul residents can visit a virtual city hall to do everything from touring a historic site to filing a civil complaint by donning virtual reality goggles.        

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