September 29, Privacy discussion

privacy messages/certificate alerts introduced in the bill; introduced primarily for commerce.

Anders: citing article from 2000. companies track purchasing for advertisement; advertisers had been doing this kind of consumer monitoring since the 1990s, with credit card purchases tracked.

Megan: discusses cookies, Myuzaka reports on case studies, changes in policies between 2000-2007; 83% websites studied (406 sites) had policies; 86.7 by 07. 95.3 used cookies by 07. Increase in 3rd party cookies and decrease in covert placement of them. Already 95% of 400 websites used cookies. 

Kyle: you don't need that much information to locate somebody (information we enter routinely, like D.O.B)

Jeffrey W: cites Crawford, "Anxieties of Big Data": says it's scary.

Bethe: a way we cope with anxiety is falsifying information; teens will lie if they feel unsafe. 

Tara: Mashable article on the sinister nature of policies that you don't know about because you don't need.

Anders: wonders when that sort of policy came about...

Katt: Also cites Mashable article as eye-opening

Jeff w: highlights scary things we didn't know, and notes that humor softens it but doesn't fix it.

Jennifer: cites article about informed consent; ignorance doesn't make it ethical

Chase: cites 19th century book 

Lia: Wages for facebook: campaign for awareness of the way FB makes things seem essential.

Meagan: cites an article that discusses use of information as a form of "Data trade" (links wages for facebook to data trade terms)

Jeff W: are we really selling it, or are they stealing it?   

Jeff L: they aren't stealing so much as misleading

Becca: article on study in 2011: researchers try to learn how informed users are, and found out companies overestimate what people understand in their policies.

Bethe: Sarah Hodge on Lyly act: users don't know enough to opt into things, but they would prefer to opt in rather than Opt out. Companies would prefer users to opt out. (article from 2013)

Tara: an issue that concerns the whole world, UK Parliament & US Congress considering policies for global impact.

Tia: information can be leaked; we never hear people being punished for leaks. Did anybody find anything about laws against it?

Megan: OPIC case that went to court; company ended up winning? "Locating a Space for Ethics"

Ashley: invokes contractual language of Terms and Conditions. FB users are younger than age of consent, which means that Terms&Conds can't be a contract...

Mel: from a legal standpoint (cites FERPA article), it seems that measures always fall short of covering everything. Companies are always two steps ahead. 

Tia: how can any statute protect us if people don't understand? Reads US Congressional document 

Anders: historical shift in defining privacy as the right to not be bothered/to be left alone; it is now defined differently and about taking info.

Chase: Cites 1890s & Harvard review article. 

Kyle: 2011 article about iPhone geo-location that uses example "PleaseRobMe.com" as a way in which iPhone and social media info enables multiple kinds of theft 

Jeff L: Adds in changes in iPhone from recent times mag article.

 

Ashley: According to 10 Things/Mashable, Twitter can locate people; so too does Google. Apps track even if device doesn't.

Joseph / Jeff L. /Mel: Cites dispute between government, FBI, and company (specifically Apple). Information could be used in criminal cases.  

Katt: reveals a trade-off between wanting to be secure and convenience of use (cites hyper-smart office article) Invokes Orwell's 1984 and says we're going down that road...  

Jeff W: asks how we can prevent 1984...is there a way to go back?

Chase; Should we care? I trust the government...

Bethe: article on the way privacy is maintained by social norms, maintained by people. Social norms can be changed easily. Cites example of middle school 

Gabriella: Article on human behavior: majority of people don't fear or care (and invokes Chase as an example)

Becca: 2001 article: about a study in 1970: (#)% of people concerned about security of data; by the late 90s, 70% people were concerned about security.

Anfisa: cites article wherein data is primarily test scores, so it may not be that big a deal.

Jeff W: breach in Ohio University system 173,000 social security #s stolen and other data used to hack system. Not doing enough to prevent it from happening. Schools need to do more. California State Assembly passed a bill; some states are taking initiative, focused more on primary/secondary ed and not college students. 

Jennifer: article says that privacy policies are legal safeguards for companies not users.

Mohammed: we weigh pros and cons, and don't really care that much about privacy.

Jessica: cites study that says only 50% database marketers care.

Bethe: taught through experience from a young age to give over our information

Gabriella: using wifi is giving over your browsing history.

Jeff L: I don't want to know.

Megan: Responsibility of users to demand clearer terms, but also an aspect of literacy/education for young people.

Tia: "email based identification" privacy policies aren't the only thing that governs privacy, since providers can be hacked, data can be stolen; in some cases with open network, users have responsibility to pay attention and care?

Jeff W: But how young/old do you have to be? Returns to previous comment about minors and states that are passing bills/laws.

Ashley: our responsibility 5-17 minors can't be held responsible

Anders: People are lazy...