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As nations have a variety of privacy legislation, I will focus on some recent issues raised in Canada, which may help to inform the discussion.
Canada's privacy legislation is modeled on the EU, and Canada has a Privacy Commissioner.
One of the issues the Office of the Privacy Commissioner expressed concerns about recently was Google Street View.
This is an example of how what is normally public information available locally to a limited number of people (the local streetscape) can take on a different aspect when it becomes viewable by millions of people over the Internet.
Google Street View provides the ability to "View street level photographs" (they are not live images, they are gathered by vehicles equipped with special cameras). These cameras have high enough resolution to capture recognisable images of individuals.
This is an example of an individual's "lifestream" unintentionally being captured and made available. The concept of "lifestream" is all of the events and activities of someone's life, in their different manifestations, whether its writings, photos, audio, video... But intentionally providing these types of content is an integral aspect of the Participative Web. How do we balance a desire to share our activities and our creativity with a desire to maintain control over our personal information?
Another example of the unexpected consequences of image sharing and the international nature of the Internet was a Virgin Mobile advertising campaign in Australia, which used images obtained from the photo sharing site Flickr. In one case, a 16-year-old American girl discovered a photo of herself was being used in their campaign. The Associated Press reports her family (in the United States) has accused Virgin Mobile (in Australia) of invasion of privacy.
Both of these cases illustrate the policy challenges when legal frameworks that depend on geography or nationality collide with the transborder nature of the participative web.
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This blog has been created so that the conference might use and benefit from the very technologies it is discussing.
It is hosted by the OECD but the material on it will be produced by two independent bloggers and so the posts should not be taken to represent the official or unofficial stance of the organisation.
The blog will cover events as they happen – making the flow of discussions in the room instantly available to anyone online that is interested in them. It will also accept comments, and, where useful, those comments will be relayed back into the room, providing the opportunity for real-time feedback from anywhere in the world.
It will also serve as a useful on-the-ground resource, available for years to come, for those that wish to review what happened at the meeting but were unable to attend.
The nature of blogs
Blogs are undoubtedly the most well-known participative web technology, mostly because they are so simple and as a result have been extensively used by everyone from schoolchildren to politicians.
The idea of a blog however strikes at the heart of the uneasy balance that many feel needs to be struck with new Internet technologies. The ability to self-publish information on the Internet within seconds is a remarkable thing. Previously it was extremely, even prohibitively expensive to provide information to a large audience; now it is possible (in theory at least) to reach any of the over one billion individuals online and to do so at negligible cost.
But just as the removal of barriers has given birth to an extraordinary explosion of information and discussion, many organisations and governments remain concerned that the self-same possibilities can prove damaging if used incorrectly, or in error.
Person versus representative
One of the most significant issues that blogs present comes thanks to the age-old assumption that a representative of a government, country, or business is just that: a representative.
In real life, we are finely tuned to recognising when something is a work event, and when it is a social occasion – even if sometimes that distinction has to be made verbally and attested to.
Online, however, that distinction between work and social remains uncertain in people’s minds – especially when someone write personal reflections on work issues. The result is often a sense of trepidation in those that are encouraged to write freely and openly (and without review), and dread in those that are ultimately responsible for those people’s actions.
Mistakes – especially embarrassing ones – are eagerly seized upon (although the number of stories about bloggers being fired for unflattering information on their personal blogs is in rapid decline) and, thanks to the Internet, that slip-up is now capable of spreading around the world in a matter of hours.
It is, however, simply a matter of changing times. The enormous advantages to be had by publishing information on the Internet – as will be attested to by countless individuals at this conference – mean that it is not going to go away and instead we simply have to design ways to grow comfortable with our discomfort.
This blog hopes to demonstrate some of those advantages (without the discomfort) by providing timely review and insight into the discussions while also allowing anyone to respond, and so encourage coordination, cooperation and multilateral progress for the betterment of all. Which, fortuitously, is precisely what the OECD was created for.
Who we are
The two bloggers covering the conference are:
Richard Akerman: a Technology Architect at NRC CISTI, the National Research Council Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, Canada's National Science Library and Publisher.
Mr. Akerman joined CISTI in 2002. Previously he worked at AMIRIX Systems, where he was a Senior Software Designer. His areas of interest include the application of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) to academic library and publishing workflows, and e-Science. He often writes in his blog, Science Library Pad, and elsewhere about the impact of new technologies on scholarly communication. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics with a minor in Computer Science from Mount Allison University.
and
Kieren McCarthy: a keen exponent of online methods to improve the depth and range of participation in organisations of all types. A UK journalist who has closely followed the progress of the Internet from both a political and technological standpoint since the 1990s, he is currently general manager of public participation for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
Kieren was the official blog watcher at the inaugural Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in 2006. As well as running his own successful blog, he advises companies and organisations on how to make the most of the latest Internet technologies from advanced content management systems to simple audio recordings.
As a journalist, he has written for a number of prominent UK publications, including The Times, The Guardian, New Scientist, The Independent and the Daily Mail. He worked for leading IT news site The Register during the dotcom boom and spent several years as news editor of Techworld.com.
His first book, the tale behind the theft of domain name ***.com was published in April 2007.
Other snapshots:
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e-Science, also called e-Research or cyberinfrastructure, will be the topic of Session 2, Stream B "Research 2.0: e-Science and new ways of interaction in the science community".
Originally the term encompassed mainly large science projects, using grid computing in order to provide a powerful technology platform for distributed science.
However, with the rise of the participative web, and more widely-available computing and more participants in science networks, including students and science libraries, the scope of discussion is expanding to cover many network-enabled science activities on the Internet. Part of the promise of e-Science is the idea of a unified science workflow system, that can connect instruments with computation, data with visualisation, and allow powerful analysis. One can imagine the capabilities of such an e-Science infrastructure extending beyond just researchers to decisionmakers and citizens as well.
Some nations have national programs in this area. While by no means an exhaustive list, these include
One of the most active areas of investigation is related to the tremendous amounts of data that can be produced by new experiments or new simulations, and how to manage, distribute, and archive those data.
The efforts of various study groups have provided a number of very informative reports in different areas of e-Science. These include:
There are also ongoing studies, including:
- e-SciDR - Towards a European e-Infrastructure for e-Science Digital Repositories
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9.00-9.20
TK: 10pm
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LA: 6am |
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Michael Binder, Assistant Deputy Minister, Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications, Industry Canada
Suzanne Huttner, Director, Science, Technology and Industry Directorate, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
John Oxley (Facilitator), Vice President, Canada's Association of Information Technology Professionals |
Click here for a rundown of all blog posts covering this session.
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STREAM B -- Research 2.0: e-Science and new ways of interaction in the science community
11.10-12.30
TK: 12.10am
PA: 4.10pm
NY: 11.10am
LA: 8.10am |
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Walter Stewart (chair), Walter Stewart & Associates Inc.
Andrew Herbert, Managing Director, Microsoft Research, Cambridge, UK
Bill St. Arnaud, Senior Director Advanced Networks, CANARIE Inc.
Mario Campolargo, Head of the Unit "GEANT & eInfrastructures", Information Society and Media Directorate-General, European Commission
Diana Rhoten, Program Director, Office of Cyberinfrastructure, National Science Foundation |
Click here for a rundown of all blog posts covering this session.
The participative web and high-powered research networks are having profound impacts on science and interactions within the science community. Advanced scientific applications in computing/networking have been well ahead of commercial applications and the introduction of participative tools is no exception. Given the critical importance that businesses place on using technology tools there are important lessons to be learned from scientific experience with very advanced network-based applications, building and using computational grids and exploring innovative uses of highly-networked computers.
Questions to be addressed include:
- What innovation-relevant lessons can be learned from e-science (e.g. grid computing, bioinformatics)?
- What are the impacts of the participative web and “open innovation” on scientific research and computation-intensive business applications?
- How are new applications changing expert and public debate, including diverse and alternative views?
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STREAM B: Government 2.0 - Engaging citizens to deliver better policy and improve democracy
13.45-15.05
TK: 2.45am
PA: 7.45pm
NY: 1.45pm
LA: 10.45am |
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Ellen Miller (Chair), Co-Founder and Executive Director, Sunlight Foundation
Don Lenihan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Crossing Boundaries
Alejandro Hernandez Pulido, Chief Operating Officer, e-Mexico National System
Wolfgang Blau, Journalist, Political correspondent US Elections and Media Expert
Quitterie Delmas, Editor AGORAVOX and political blogger, French presidential elections |
Click here for a rundown of all blog posts covering this session.
The participative web can change how governments organise their internal processes and engage with citizens, business and society as a whole to deliver policies, information and content. The participative web can be an open platform with watchdog functions that expands the diversity of opinions, political and societal debates, the free flow of information and freedom of expression. It is increasingly part of politics through online campaigns, social network profiles and political blogs becoming commonplace. However, with opportunities come new challenges such as censorship, mis-information, and social exclusion for those not online.
Questions to be addressed include:
- How are governments using participative web tools to improve their internal processes?
- How are governments using participative web tools to engage with citizens, business and civil society?
- How can these tools support more inclusive policy making and greater societal engagement? How does it change the political process?
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STREAM A: User-created content: What are the impacts?
13.45-15.05
TK: 2.45am
PA: 7.45pm
NY: 1.45pm
LA: 10.45am |
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Michael Leblanc (Chair), Analyweb Inc./Blogger
Jungwook Lim, Vice President for Service Innovation, Daum Communications, Korea
Andres Monroy-Hernandez, MIT Media Lab, Lifelong Kindergarten Group
Jennifer Corriero, Executive Director, Co-founder of TakingITGlobal
Manon Ress, Director, Information Society Projects, Consumer Project on Technology |
Click here for a rundown of all blog posts covering this session.
The rise of user-created content is based on "amateurs" producing, distributing, accessing and re-using information and content. These changes imply a shift from simple passive consumption to a more active role through increased user participation and autonomy. In addition to large structural impacts on cultural, educational, social and political activities, user-created content is increasingly important economically although most people are still consuming content rather than creating it. Critics of these impacts point out the limitations of social communities, the lack of inclusiveness as well as the quality of the content.
Questions to be addressed include:
- What is the profile of a content creator? What is the value of user created content and who determines this value?
- What are the social, cultural and educational impacts? What are the business impacts?
- How are virtual worlds developing, and how do they interact with existing regulation?
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STREAM B Confidence, privacy, and security
15.05-16.25
TK: 4.05am
PA: 9.05pm
NY: 3.05pm
LA: 12.05pm |
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Hugh Stevenson (Chair), Deputy Director, Office of International Affairs, Federal Trade Commission, USA
Gary Davis, Deputy Commissioner, Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Ireland
Chris Kelly, Chief Privacy Officer and Head of Global Public Policy, Facebook
Jennifer Mardosz, Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs for Fox Interactive Media (parent company of MySpace)
John Lawford, Counsel, Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Canada |
Click here for a rundown of all blog posts covering this session.
Maintaining user trust is essential to reaping the benefits of the participative web, but individuals are becoming increasingly sensitive to real and perceived risks related to privacy, security and safety. To which extent do individuals, and particularly younger generations, make informed choices when they upload increasing amounts of detailed personal information to the web? Questions arise about how the data are used, who has access and whether it can be effectively secured in the long term. What are safety issues -particularly related to children? And what about the longer term implications?
Questions to be addressed include:
- What are the new challenges that emerge from the participative web, in terms of privacy, security and consumer protection?
- Do policy approaches and legal frameworks need to be modified to address these changes?
- What are the best communication and education strategies to help individuals understand how to miminise their risks while taking advantage of new opportunities?
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STREAM A -- Creation, access and competition
15.05-16.25
TK: 4.05am
PA: 9.05pm
NY: 3.05pm
LA: 12.05pm |
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William New (Chair), Editor-in-Chief, Intellectual Property Watch
Kiyoshi Mori, Vice Minister Policy Coordination, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan
Urs Gasser, Research Center for Information Law, University of St. Gallen and Fellow, Harvard Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Anne Bucher, Head of Unit, Information Society and Media Directorate-General, European Commission
Martin Senftleben, Professor of Intellectual Property, Free University of Amsterdam |
Click here for a rundown of all blog posts covering this session.
The potential of the participative web is based on its fostering of creativity, open exchange and wide-spread use. New access, creation and distribution technologies are rising with new regulatory challenges as Internet distribution replaces and expands on physical distribution and broadcasting. New questions arise around lock-in and high switching costs for consumers, intellectual property rights, new forms of protecting and licensing content, and their effect on content creation.
Questions to be addressed include:
- Should content creation, diffusion and access be fostered, and participation and skills be cultivated? If yes, how and what is the role of government?
- How can competition and innovation be ensured given large network effects?
- What intellectual property right opportunities and challenges are emerging?
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16.45-17.55
TK:5.45am
PA:10.45pm
NY:4.45pm
LA:1.45pm
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Michael Geist (Chair), Canadian Research Chair of Internet and e-Commerce Law
Sangwon Ko, Vice Chair of the OECD Working Party on the Information Economy, Executive Director, Division of Information Industry Research, Korea Information Society Development Institute
Marc Rotenberg, Executive Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center and Public Voice, civil society representative to the OECD
Daniela Battisti, Vice Chair of the OECD Information, Computer and Communications Policy Committee and Director, Public Agency for Economic Development, Italy
Joseph Alhadeff, (Oracle Corporation), Chair ICCP Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD
Keith Besgrove, Chair OECD Working Party on Information Security and Privacy and First Assistant Secretary, Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Australia
Neil Anderson, Head of Telecom, Union Network International, Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD |
Click here for a rundown of all blog posts covering this session.
The policy roundtable will be an interactive session building on the day's discussions. The session chair will summarise the main issues identified and challenge the panel and participants to identify possible policy approaches and strategies at national and international levels. The session will also seek to prioritise current and emerging social, economic, regulatory and political issues of the participative web.
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