Mirko Tobias Schäfer (Category: Recommended)http://mtschaefer.net/rss/recommended/Latest Recommended-Entries on mtschaefer.net.en-usTue, 08 Nov 2022 09:27:59 -0000A Florida sheriff uses data analysis to monitor and harrass citizenshttps://projects.tampabay.com/projects/2020/investigations/police-pasco-sheriff-targeted/intelligence-led-policing/<p>There is so much in this excellent story by the Tampa Bay Times about sheriff Chris Nocco who developed an approach of "intelligence led policing" [sic!]. Not only, does it expose how a technocratic police force built an inherently flawed algorithm, it also demonstrates how this mediocre technology meets a mediocre &amp; ethically weak police force resulting in stifling of civil rights and systematic harassment. It also shows that the programme did not yield the promised results as crime decreased in the surrounding counties as well. Most importantly, this story shows how much needed local journalism is for exposing abuse of power.</p>https://projects.tampabay.com/projects/2020/investigations/police-pasco-sheriff-targeted/intelligence-led-policing/Algorithmic Colonisation of Africahttps://www.theelephant.info/long-reads/2020/08/21/algorithmic-colonisation-of-africa/<p>In this programmatic article, cognitive scientist <a class="external" href="https://abebabirhane.wordpress.com/about/" target="_blank">Abeba Birhane</a> from University College Dublin, writes about how Western corporate software solutions harm people in Africa. The mere techno-solutionism paired with ignorance of the local context and neglect of public values constitutes yet another colonisation of Africa, and is likely to hurt the most vulnerable demographies.</p>https://www.theelephant.info/long-reads/2020/08/21/algorithmic-colonisation-of-africa/Blockchain, the amazing solution for almost nothinghttps://thecorrespondent.com/655/blockchain-the-amazing-solution-for-almost-nothing/86649455475-f933fe63<p>At last this awesome article by Jesse Frederik from the Correspondent is also available in English. Frederik debunks convincingly many myths surrounding blockchain and exposes how blockchain currently is more techno-solutionist rhetoric than actual applicable technology.</p>https://thecorrespondent.com/655/blockchain-the-amazing-solution-for-almost-nothing/86649455475-f933fe63Dutch open science deal primarily benefits Elsevierhttps://www.scienceguide.nl/2020/06/open-science-deal-benefits-elsevier/<p>While the MIT <a class="external" href="http://news.mit.edu/2020/guided-by-open-access-principles-mit-ends-elsevier-negotiations-0611" target="_blank">terminates</a> their deal with Elsevier, the Dutch universities just signed it. Sicco de Knecht from ScienceGuide.nl explains why it is mostly profitable for Elsevier, and costly for Dutch tax payers and universities. In addition the Elsevier deal does little to advance the open access agenda of the Netherlands, but opens plenty opportunities for Elsevier's to expand their business opportunities in data-related services.</p>https://www.scienceguide.nl/2020/06/open-science-deal-benefits-elsevier/There's no app for ending the COVID-19 lock-downhttps://thecorrespondent.com/502/we-were-told-technology-would-end-covid-19-lockdowns-but-the-truth-is-theres-no-app-for-that/66459379404-908b5707<p>This article by Dimitri Tokmetzis and Morgan Meaker from The Correspondent provides an informative overview of the the use of Corona apps. Their research indicates that non of the active apps is effective in accomplishing what they promise to do, tracing the spread of COVID-19 and informing the users about their risk of being infected. However, many of these apps -in addition to being useless for their initial purpose- are prone to undermine values and fundamental rights.</p>https://thecorrespondent.com/502/we-were-told-technology-would-end-covid-19-lockdowns-but-the-truth-is-theres-no-app-for-that/66459379404-908b5707The truth behind filter bubbles: Bursting some mythshttps://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/risj-review/truth-behind-filter-bubbles-bursting-some-myths<p>David Fletcher from Reuters Institute revisits the completely unfounded claim of filter bubbles. In debunking this relentless myth, he touches upon relevant issues of today's news consumption, such as social media and news, and personalization and algorithms.</p>https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/risj-review/truth-behind-filter-bubbles-bursting-some-mythsTwelve Million Phones, One Dataset, Zero Privacy https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/19/opinion/location-tracking-cell-phone.html<p>The NYT Privacy Project obtained a file consisting of geolocations tracked by app services on millions of phones. Their excellent analysis demonstrates how privacy invasive mobile phone tracking is, yet many apps require access to their users location. Aside from the impressive analysis, this article is an outstanding example of how to communicate effectively the social impact of mobile phone tracking.</p>https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/19/opinion/location-tracking-cell-phone.htmlHow to Run a City Like Amazon, and Other Fableshttps://meatspacepress.com/<p>One of the annoying and utterly inaccurate frames of smart cities is their alleged efficiency and client-friendlyness. Edited by Mark Graham, Rob Kitchin, Shannon Mattern and Joe Shaw, this book book takes a playful but critical look at cities if they were run by companies.</p>https://meatspacepress.com/How top health websites are sharing sensitive data with advertisershttps://www.ft.com/content/0fbf4d8e-022b-11ea-be59-e49b2a136b8d<p>This article in the Financial Times covers Wolfie Christl's recent investigation into trackers on health websites. As Christie shows, health websites share detailed information about their visitors with a wide range of third parties.</p>https://www.ft.com/content/0fbf4d8e-022b-11ea-be59-e49b2a136b8dThe new dot com bubble is here: it’s called online advertisinghttps://thecorrespondent.com/100/the-new-dot-com-bubble-is-here-its-called-online-advertising/13230718600-5d15791f<p>Online advertising is mere alchemy. If advertisers blieve hard enough in their return of investment, online advertisement might work (for them). In this fantastic article Jesse Frederik and Maurits Martijn from The Coorespondent shed light on the shady online advertisement industry.</p>https://thecorrespondent.com/100/the-new-dot-com-bubble-is-here-its-called-online-advertising/13230718600-5d15791f