Academics To Predict Next Twitter and Its Pitfalls 150
An anonymous reader writes "University researchers in the UK have put together a team tasked with predicting the next big thing in terms of communication technologies, in a bid to tackle ethical pitfalls before they become a problem. This is in the wake of the rise of social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, which has led to a dramatic increase in the amount of personal information available online."
If you could do that... (Score:5, Insightful)
You'd probably not be swatting away for some douche at a University, trying to finish you thesis or get tenure. You'd probably scrape together every last penny you had and become a first round VC.
Strangled in the crib, or earlier (Score:4, Insightful)
So now they're trying to figure out a way to regulate new technologies out of existence before they've even been conceived of? Such progress....
Re:Begs the question (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem isn't people posting their own idiotic adventures online - the problem is people getting tagged in other people's photos and videos. It's easy for me to control what I post online about myself; it's very, very difficult for me to control what other people post about me online, and even more difficult to remove material that I find inappropriate.
Or it would be if I had a social life, anyways.
Pseudonyms, encryption and Identity theft (Score:5, Insightful)
I use pseudonyms as a barrier between me and Identity Theft, because facebook, myspace all look like vectors for Identity theft to me. Using a fake identity can't be a bad thing when people are inclined to steal it.
Unfortunately, our institutions are yet to realise that protecting privacy by educating people about using encryption is a good first step to reducing fraud related behaviour. Until that happens, the bad guys have the advantage.
Simply put, the authorities have related encryption to illicit activities instead of a set of basic tools that people can use to protect themselves on line. In terms of protecting ourselves people are often encouraged into the worst sets of behaviour, so we haven't even done the basics now, let alone 10-15 years time. I predict more scams in the future.
Re:Academics meh... (Score:1, Insightful)
Avoid Marketeers (Score:4, Insightful)
The only way to make a social networking product be as big as My Space / Facebook / Twitter AND not suck monkey nuts is to keep the marketeers out of it, and that just isn't going to happen.
Science Fiction (Score:2, Insightful)
Why don't they just go read some good science fiction? Or talk to some good sci-fi authors?
Re:Pseudonyms, encryption and Identity theft (Score:4, Insightful)
"Unfortunately Facebook, Myspace etc. do not allow pseudonymous identities."
That's not a bug, it's a feature. Some of us actually *want* people to know who we are online, and want to know who the people are who we are dealing with.
Yes, we'd no doubt get a whole lot more privacy if we always went by Zasduhauy Q. Viisufod online and posted a picture of our cat run through a Gaussian blur as our photograph.
But why not extend that logical principle and go to the office and supermarket every day wearing a Guy Fawkes mask? The Man shall not chain me! I shall be a free, unharrassed, absolutely private individual! None shall know my secret identity!
If you have stuff you don't want the world to know, don't put it up on public forums.
Conversely, if you want to create a public forum where people can trust each other, don't let them lie about their identity.
Works for me.
Re:Academics meh... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Begs the question (Score:3, Insightful)
So your problem is with freedom.
Re:Academics meh... (Score:4, Insightful)
But they do know what they want. A faster horse, or whatever the equivalent is these days.
What are the issues? (Score:2, Insightful)
Sorry, but you're completly missing the point (Score:4, Insightful)
Sorry, but you're completly missing the point.
The supermarket is a semi-private place: you show your face knowing that only a fraction of people (those that live in the same town) are present there; and if do something embarassing, an employer 10 years from now won't be able to know.
Facebook is a worldwide public place. You have to be cautious because everything you say there is on the record, for everyone to see.
So the decision to be anonymous on facebook has an entirely different meaning than the supermarket. It is far from paranoia, even more so when you think of all the new ways this information could be used ,in the future.
And of course, the thing that really matters here is politic: by setting up an anonymous account on facebook, you can lead a political life, convincing people to go to protests, or to vote or donate for a cause. It is a pretty new thing to be able to do so anonymously, and there is nothing cowardly about it when you see how scientology (for example) illegally harasses opponents.