Part 1 of this series was 2018 highlights. Now it’s time to shine light on some interesting ideas and developments that people have surfaced for a better Internet in 2019 and beyond. We’ll look at a new middle layer of user care that’s being discussed by some – and gradually being built out, little by little, worldwide. Called for by the conditions of our new media environment, it’s a new layer of … [Read more...] about Digital safety 2019: The new ‘middle layer’ of user care (Part 2)
Law & Policy
What does GDPR mean for our kids?
You may be wondering what, if any, impact Europe's sweeping new data law, GDPR (for General Data Privacy Regulation), has on parenting tech users in your life. After all, it went into effect today, and you may've seen headlines like the New York Times's about how it makes Europe the "world's leading tech watchdog" or the piece in Ad Age pointing out the irony that a data privacy law triggered a … [Read more...] about What does GDPR mean for our kids?
What just happened: ‘Big data’ got personal
What the Cambridge Analytica story and last week’s congressional hearings with Facebook’s CEO are really all about is that people – not even “just” social media users, voters and policymakers – are waking up to the meaning of “big data.” It’s a big story not only because Facebook has more than 2.2 billion users or because Cambridge Analytica may have helped Donald Trump become president, as … [Read more...] about What just happened: ‘Big data’ got personal
Social media’s next phase: A new social contract?
The "Cambridge Analytica scandal," as seen in so many headlines, is giving way to a more thoughtful – and crucial – international discussion about not only data privacy but an even bigger question: where our social development is at this point in the planet's technological development, the part we call the Internet. Here are a few thoughts on that and, below them, links to coverage that I feel … [Read more...] about Social media’s next phase: A new social contract?
Real news: UK lawmakers’ formal ‘fake news’ hearing in the US
They were historic conversations on many levels, and not just because 11 British Members of Parliament flew across the Atlantic to hold hearings with Google, Twitter and Facebook executives (as well as scholars, journalists and news publishers) at George Washington University last week. It was "the first ever live broadcast and public hearing of a House of Commons select committee outside the UK," … [Read more...] about Real news: UK lawmakers’ formal ‘fake news’ hearing in the US