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Daily Archives: October 7, 2012

Most US Internet Users Want 'Do Not Track' to Stop Collection of Data about their Online Activities

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Hoofnagle, Chris Jay, Urban, Jennifer M. and Li, Su, Privacy and Modern Advertising: Most US Internet Users Want ‘Do Not Track’ to Stop Collection of Data about their Online Activities (October 8, 2012). Amsterdam Privacy Conference, 2012. Available at SSRN.

  • Most Americans have not heard of ‘Do Not Track,’ a proposal to allow Internet users to exercise more control over online advertising. However, when probed, most prefer that Do Not Track block advertisers from collecting data about their online activities. This is a much more privacy-protective approach for Do Not Track than what has been proposed by the advertising industry. In previous studies, we have found that Americans think they are protected by strong online privacy laws. Here, we probed beliefs about tracking on medical websites and ‘free’ websites, with most not able to answer true/false questions correctly about tracking. This result brings into question notice-and-choice models that depend on consumer understanding of the terms for their legitimacy. We also probed Internet users’ attitudes towards advertising. Most Internet users say that they do not find utility in online advertising, with half claiming that they never click on ads. Advertisers and consumers are at an impasse on privacy. Advertisers seem to be seeking a kind of total information awareness for behavioral advertising, and have proposed self-regulatory guidelines with little bite. At the same time, both our survey evidence and media reports show consumer opposition to tracking. Do Not Track has emerged from the current skirmish between consumers and advertisers, but it is a relatively modest intervention that does little to shift the underlying incentives that have driven increasing tracking and aggregation of information about consumers. It is foreseeable that regardless of the form Do Not Track takes, websites will simply require consumers to disable it in order to access content. A fundamental change in incentives may be necessary to relieve this impasse and find an approach for advertising that is not so dependent upon third-party tracking and aggregation of information, both online and off.”

    • October 2012 Update for TIGER: Tracking Indexes for Global Economic Recovery

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    “In collaboration with the Financial Times (FT), Eswar Prasad and Karim Foda of Brookings have developed a set of composite indexes which track the global economic recovery. The Financial Times has produced the Tracking Indexes for the Global Economic Recovery (TIGER) interactive map, which appears on the Financial Times Web site. The global economic recovery… Continue Reading

    White Paper on Educational Technology in Schools

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    “When used appropriately, educational technology is a tool to assist with implementation of the Common Core Standards, help raise graduation rates, and prepare students for life beyond K-12 education. Technology employed in isolation, without direct instruction, or highly qualified guidance, fails to address these concerns. It is the intent of this AASL [American Association of… Continue Reading

    Census Infographic – Manufacturing Day

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    “Manufacturing plays a large role in our economy. To highlight this contribution, the Census Bureau has released an infographic focusing on manufacturing employment, cost of materials, value of shipments and exports. Part of the “How Do We Know?” series, this infographic helps celebrate Manufacturing Day (Oct. 5) and highlights key Census Bureau data programs that… Continue Reading

    Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Financial Status: Frequently Asked Questions

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    CRS – Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Financial Status: Frequently Asked Questions. N. Eric Weiss, Specialist in Financial Economics, September 27, 2012 “Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are charted by Congress as government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) to provide liquidity in the mortgage market and promote homeownership for underserved groups and locations. They purchase mortgages, guarantee them,… Continue Reading

    Low Income Americans are eligible for very inexpensive high-speed broadband internet and powerful computers

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    “…if you’re among the millions of Americans who can’t afford the typical expensive high speed internet services out there, and can’t stomach the low-speed free internet dial-up ISPs, this is the website for you. Not only will you learn about how to get cheap high-speed internet for only $9.95 a month — and even free… Continue Reading

    DOD IG – An Unreliable Chart of Accounts Affected Auditability of Defense Enterprise Accounting and Management System Financial Data

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    An Unreliable Chart of Accounts Affected Auditability of Defense Enterprise Accounting and Management System Financial Data (Report No. DODIG-201 2-140), September 28, 2012. “The U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) auditability is dependent on successfully deploying the Defense Enterprise Accounting and Management System (DEAMS). The current DEAMS life-cycle cost estimate is $2.1 billion. As of March 31,… Continue Reading

    DOD Releases the Western Hemisphere Defense Policy Statement

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    News release: “The Department of Defense released the DoD Western Hemisphere Defense Policy Statement [on October 4, 2012]. The statement explains how the January 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance will shape DoD engagement in the Western Hemisphere. The statement also describes DoD defense policy goals of promoting mature, professional national defense institutions; fostering integration and interoperability… Continue Reading

    Open data and charities

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    Open data and charities, A State of the Art Review written for Nominet Trust by Wendy Hall, Nigel Shadbolt, Thanassis Tiropanis, Kieron O’Hara and Tim Davies, July 2012. “Although most of the recent stories of progress and success in the open data field come from government and research where open data is more established, this… Continue Reading