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Daily Archives: October 7, 2011

Six Provocations for Big Data

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Six Provocations for Big Data, Danah Boyd and Kate Crawford

  • “The era of Big Data has begun. Computer scientists, physicists, economists, mathematicians, political scientists, bio-informaticists, sociologists, and many others are clamoring for access to the massive quantities of information produced by and about people, things, and their interactions. Diverse groups argue about the potential benefits and costs of analyzing information from Twitter, Google, Verizon, 23andMe, Facebook, Wikipedia, and every space where large groups of people leave digital traces and deposit data. Significant questions emerge. Will large-scale analysis of DNA help cure diseases? Or will it usher in a new wave of medical inequality? Will data analytics help make people’s access to information more efficient and effective? Or will it be used to track protesters in the streets of major cities? Will it transform how we study human communication and culture, or narrow the palette of research options and alter what ‘research’ means? Some or all of the above? This essay offers six provocations that we hope can spark conversations about the issues of Big Data. Given the rise of Big Data as both a phenomenon and a methodological persuasion, we believe that it is time to start critically interrogating this phenomenon, its assumptions, and its biases. (This paper was presented at Oxford Internet Institute’s A Decade in Internet Time: Symposium on the Dynamics of the Internet and Society on September 21, 2011.)”

    • Wired Reports Keylogger Computer Virus Has Infected U.S. Drone Fleet

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    Danger Room: “A computer virus has infected the cockpits of America’s Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots’ every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other warzones. The virus, first detected nearly two weeks ago by the military’s Host-Based Security System, has not prevented pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada from… Continue Reading

    New GAO Reports: Data Mining, National Cord Blood Inventory, Tax Administration, Warfighter Support

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    Data Mining: DHS Needs to Improve Executive Oversight of Systems Supporting Counterterrorism, GAO-11-742, Sep 7, 2011 National Cord Blood Inventory: Practices for Increasing Availability for Transplants and Related Challenges, GAO-12-23, Oct 7, 2011 On-the-Job Training: Federal Highway Administration Needs to Strengthen Program Assessment, GAO-11-703, Sep 7, 2011 Tax Administration: IRS’s Information Exchanges with Other Countries… Continue Reading

    The Song of the Sirens: Google Book's Project and Copyright in a Digital Age

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    The Song of the Sirens: Google Book’s Project and Copyright in a Digital Age, Clarice Castro and Ruy De Queiroz, September 1, 2011 “Numerous scholars have highlighted the extraordinary book-scanning project created by Google in 2004. The project aims to create a digital full text search index which would provide people with online access to… Continue Reading

    Urban Informatics Research and Insights for Libraries, Cultural Industries and Innovation Systems

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    Urban Informatics Research and Insights for Libraries, Cultural Industries and Innovation Systems, by Marcus Foth, September 2011 “Over less than a decade, we have witnessed a seismic shift in the way knowledge is produced and exchanged. This is opening up new opportunities for civic and community engagement, entrepreneurial behaviour, sustainability initiatives and creative practices. It… Continue Reading