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News
26. November 2021
How Facebook and Google Actually Fund the Creation of Misinformation
MIT’s Technology Review shares data from a Facebook-run tool called CrowdTangle. It shows that by 2018 in the nation of Myanmar (population: 53 million), “All the engagement had instead gone to fake news and clickbait websites. In a country where Facebook is synonymous with the internet, the low-grade content overwhelmed other information sources.” #fake-news #social-media
What is Respectful Use of Location Information?
This research quantifies and qualifies public opinion of location tracking in a variety of different contexts within web and mobile technology. Key findings include:
- 72% of people for websites and 68% of people for mobile apps do not consider location tracking to be acceptable before an account is created.
- 55% of people consider it “creepy” when websites know their location when they first open the site.
- Location sensitivity is context and control sensitive, so that people are more comfortable with location tracking when it is necessary (ex. directions, deliveries, weather, traffic) and when they are asked for permission.
- 81% of people for websites and 68% of people for mobile apps used at least one negative term to describe location tracking including creepy, bad, annoying, scary, and confusing.
The Strategic Guide to Responsible Platform Business
The Strategic Guide to Responsible Platform Business highlights alternative strategies that platform organisations can pursue to acknowledge and mitigate platform capitalism’s problematic tendencies. While it is informative for policymakers and civil society, the Guide is mainly meant to be a resource for decision-makers in European platform firms. It outlines key ethical concerns and trade-offs, to then point to possible responses that have been tried by platforms operating in the market. #ethics #guidelines #platform #privacy
It’s time for individuals — not doctors or companies — to own their health data
Health data should be like a mountain stream, flowing in a single direction with a clear purpose: improving health and medical outcomes. Instead, it’s a complex puzzle that only data scientists and physicians can meaningfully put together and use. #health-data #ownership
EU Lawmakers Pass Strict New Rules Affecting Big US Tech
The lead committee in the European Parliament writing new tech rules passed measures Tuesday that could impact major U.S. and European tech companies. Lawmakers voted to approve measures in the draft Digital Markets Act that could mean:
- A company’s messaging or social media app is interoperable, to prevent users feeling forced to use one or the other because that’s where their friends are
- A ban on behavioral targeting of ads to minors
- Fines of as much as 20% of a company’s global annual sales for breaches for the law
Companies identified as “gatekeepers” and therefore set to be accountable under the DMA include Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Apple and Booking.com, and could later hit online marketplaces Zalando and Alibaba. #Digital-Markets-Act
China’s New Privacy Law Leaves US Behind
China enacted its Personal Information Privacy Law earlier this month, following Europe as the second major international player to have its own sweeping data privacy regulations. The law, regarded as China’s version of Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, is a set of rules for how businesses can collect, use, process, share and transfer personal information. Another Chinese data regulation, the Data Security Law, went into effect Sept. 1. The laws aim to protect Chinese citizens from the private sector, while the Chinese government still has easy access to personal data. #china #law #privacy
Inside the Rise and Fall of Clubhouse
More than any other startup, Clubhouse epitomizes the venture-capital-backed euphoria that swept the tech industry since lockdowns shut millions of people inside and pushed them online for connection, entertainment, and information. Marc Andreessen has called the app “the Athenian agora come to life,” referring to the hub of democracy in ancient Greece. It has raised more than $100m from his firm and other top VCs, garnering a $4bn valuation. But with vaccinations rising and more people returning to normal life, Clubhouse has been hit particularly hard. Daily downloads of the app have plunged more than 90% since a peak in June, while daily average users are down almost 80% since February. #clubhouse #community #coronavirus
Chatbots As Medical Assistants In COVID-19 Pandemic
All healthcare workers are on the frontline during the covid pandemic. They face an overwhelming workload and risk their health and wellbeing every day. Moreover, doctors and nurses still have patients with other diseases and must take care of them on a high level nevertheless. So, healthcare providers are looking for the opportunity to turn from classical consultation treatment and look for new solutions. One of these solutions is a chatbot. #chatbot #coronavirus #healthcare
Tools
Cyber Chronix
Cyber Chronix is a game to understand data protection rights and raise awareness on privacy risks. You can play it online here. #gaming #privacy (open website)
NextCloud
15K teachers in Luxembourg start using Nextcloud as described here. #office (nextcloud.com)
