[Air-l] ethics - aol data

[Michael Zimmer]

BTW, there's a good blog post by Eszter Hargittai (and discussion) on  
the ethics of using the AOL data for research purposes:
http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/07/the-aol-data-mess/


On Aug 29, 2006, at 6:55 AM, Michael Zimmer wrote:

> I'll bite. Comments below. -mz
>
> On Aug 29, 2006, at 6:39 AM, Jeremy Hunsinger wrote:
>
>> a few minor points that some will disagree with....
>>
>> a. privacy is a fiction of modernity that arose fairly recently in
>> history, but rhetorically and ideologically it has its uses.
>
> Women's suffrage also arose fairly recently in history. Does that
> make it any less of a right/value? I don't see how recency is
> necessarily problematic here.
>
>> b. any data that is outside of the human mind is insecure and hard to
>> keep secret, not less keep private.  the situation is worse when the
>> data is mobile, or networked.
>
> Agreed, which fuels the need to build tools/policies/laws to try to
> ensure such data is not used improperly. Norms of personal
> information flow have been established in off-line intellectual
> activities (privacy of library records, for example) - such norms
> should be protected in online activities as well.
>
>> c. most people in the developed world have already in some form or
>> another by license or contract signed away whatever privacy that they
>> had in their use of the internet.
>
> Issues of informed consent with EULAs andn clickwrap agreements
> emerge; steps need to be taken to ensure the average internet user
> (my mom, for example) fully understands the data collection &
> retention practices of the products & services she is using
>
>> d. only those people with sufficient technical knowledge to go to
>> extreme lengths to ensure their privacy and operate only with trusted
>> colleagues really have any security, but they have no guarantees.
>
> Such privileged knowledge could be either spread throughout the user
> base or built into the tools that the average internet user has an
> her disposal. Why not simply hardcode Tor into the browser/OS?
>
>> e. you should not operate under the assumption of privacy, anonymity,
>> or security when using the internet.
>
> Again, the average user needs to be better educated to recognize this
> fact. Certain norms of information flow have persisted with off-line
> activities (privacy rights at the library, for example), which the
> average user might assume also exist online.
>
>> f. given all that, there are still best practices for data privacy
>> and security.
>
> Agreed.
>
>
> -----
> Michael T. Zimmer
>   Doctoral Candidate, Culture and Communication, New York University
>   Student Fellow, Information Law Institute, NYU Law School
> e: michael.zimmer at nyu.edu
> w: http://michaelzimmer.org
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