Information Society Watch

August 6, 2007, Scott Gilbertson, Wired.com

This article scrutinises the closed-network characteristics of social networks such as MySpace and Facebook, whose increasing popularity makes them an important terrain on which to take up the argument for open standards. In fact sites such as Facebook and MySpace are propriety networks--just as cellphones are locked and music is copy-protected, the personal data on these social networking sites is available only to users of that particular site.

September 2006, David Murakami Wood, Surveillance Studies Network

This is a detailed report which was specially commissioned for the 28th International Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners’ Conference and looks at surveillance in 2006 and projects forward ten years to 2016. It defines and provides a perspective on a surveillance society as one where technology is extensively and routinely used to track and record activities and movements.

November 3, 2006, BBC News Service

South Korea has made significant progress with many forms of digital technology. After the 1988 Olympics, Koreans suddenly found themselves with a resource providing access to free speech, anonymously. A downside, though, is an increasing cyber violence phenomenon with 'online mobs' demonising those they disagree with and spreading around the victim's personal information.

March 20, 2007, K.C. Jones, Information Week

A market research firm, iSuppli Corporation, predicts that the global revenue from video surveillance camera sales will grow annually by 13.2%, to more than $9 billion by 2011. Last year the sales were around $4.9 billion. This growth is mainly due to the shift to networked, digital systems, increasing security needs and innovation.

September 25, 2006, Tom Zeller Jr., The New York Times

A San Diego based consumer advocacy organisation has calculated that close to 94 million private records have been fumbled by US corporations, institutions and organisations in the last two years. This epidemic problem is spread across both the private and governmental sectors and has multiple forms, including the trashing of data tapes, loss of laptops and theft of unprotected data.

September 2000, Emma Ogilvie, Australian Institute of Criminology

This paper examines cyberstalking as an example of a crime that is simultaneously both amenable to, and resistant of, traditional forms of legislation, depending upon the way in which the possibilities of the Internet are exploited.

April 28, 2006, Linda Rosencrance, Computerworld

While privacy remains a major concern for people around the world, a majority of consumers would share personal data if they knew the information was securely protected and if sharing it would make their lives easier, according to a new report on identity management. In addition, the study looked at how individuals’ sense of privacy affects their views on new ID management technologies such as biometrics.