In the News: Saudi Arabia's Controversial Absher App

In the News: Saudi Arabia’s Controversial Absher App

By defne inceoglu on March 12, 2019 | Tagged with , , , , ,

In a story first broken by Insider, news of a malevolent function on a Saudi Arabian government app has been criticized over the past few weeks, culminating in members of the US senate pleading with Google and Apple to investigate [1]. The app, Absher has been available for download on iOS since 2015 and on Android since 2016. It is government-run, providing multiple functions to its users such as renewing documents (drivers licences, passports), paying parking tickets, or registering newborn babies.

Absher’s platform login screen. (iPhone photo courtesy of CC BY-SA 3.0. Absher app screenshot courtesy of Absher App on Android store. Photo edit courtesy of Defne Inceoglu).

The app’s more sinister function is the ability for a user or “guardian” to register their dependents, such as wives and children. Importantly, the guardian is able to see whether or not a dependent is inside or outside the borders of Saudi Arabia. By registering dependents into the system, the app serves as a database and gatekeeper that records and potentially restricts the location of women in the country. The user adds passport numbers and manages permissions; for instance, they can grant multiple journeys to their dependent or none at all. If this permission is broken, the app will alert the user, allocating them time to intercept their dependent if possible. This news comes in the wake of stories detailing the plight of Saudi Arabian women, most notably the Saudi teen who had recently landed in Toronto after escaping from her allegedly abusive family.

Husbands granting permission for their wives to fly is nothing new; in Saudi Arabia it used to be a permission slip. Like many things, the app has digitized a previously paper-based practice. By shifting these services to an online platform, the government has essentially amassed a way in which to easily monitor and track women’s movements inside and outside of Saudi Arabia. This criticism can be seen hand in hand with the criticisms raised in the past by humanitarian groups like Amnesty International’s reporting on Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations and violence against women [2].

In the wake of this, earlier in February both Google and Apple have said they would launch investigations into the application. As of February 28th, neither company has made any official comment.

As a backlash, many Saudi men have come forward defending the app; claiming it has eased the previously difficult act of registering for documents in person. Read an article from Arab News here, in praise of the app [3]. The polarized opinion on the app’s usefulness is not understated, however it does not justify the app’s darker function in the ongoing negative conditions for women living in Saudia Arabia.

Digital Tattoo will stay tuned to this developing story as it unfolds. In the meantime, read these articles for additional information: Insider, TIME.

edited by: Jason Cheung

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Digital Identity Digest (February 2019)

By Monique Rodrigues on March 11, 2019 | Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Are we more exposed with the incoming 5G tech?

Image Smartphone Technique_By_PhotographerMan Used Under Pixabay License

Developments in 5G technology have been hitting the headlines over and over this year. In Canada, the diplomatic dispute around the Chinese company Huawei is only one of the layers of the discussion. As CBC reports, this is even impacting a possible government decision to ban the tech company from helping to build Canada’s 5G wireless network. Going East, the European Union digital commissioner has already announced they will look for a common approach to address 5G cybersecurity concerns, according to TechCrunch.

The technology promises to dramatically advance the connections between people and things. But more connections also mean more risks. For instance, TechCrunch reports that a group of researchers from Purdue University and University of Iowa found three new security flaws both in 4G and 5G. “Any person with a little knowledge of cellular paging protocols can carry out this attack… such as phone call interception, location tracking, or targeted phishing attacks,” said Syed Rafiul Hussain, from Purdue University.

While those disputes are still ongoing, our role as consumers is to keep asking questions and also to be hopeful about the good advances that 5G might bring to our lives. For example, TechRepublic published that, within the university, 5G could contribute to a better integration of augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence into teaching and learning.

Does negative content on social media about people we don’t know harm us?

Image Dislike_By_mohamed_hassan Used Under Pixabay License

The Verge published a long-form piece describing the mental health effects on people who work as content moderators for Facebook. Their job is to verify posts that were denounced as hate speech, violence or pornography, and decide whether the content should be banned from the platform. As a consequence of being exposed to such a toxic environment, employees have developed severe anxiety, PTSD-like symptoms, and even started to believe in conspiracy theories from some of the videos and memes they have to moderate. According to the article, by the end of 2018, Facebook had over 30,000 employees working on safety and security all over the world, and about half of them were content moderators. The revelation of those negative impacts isn’t something new. In July 2018, Ellen Silver, Facebook’s VP of Operations, acknowledged that “this work is not easy”, and also wrote that content reviewers receive proper training and have access to mental health resources.

The negative effects of dealing with toxic content on social media are not limited to those whose mandate is exclusively to turn down disturbing posts. In an article we posted recently, Tamara Baluja, CBC Vancouver’s social media editor on leave and honorary research associate at UBC’s School of Journalism, said that people who work with social media have to take care of their mental health, since they are connected for long periods and are more exposed to negative content. The BBC also published an article last year discussing how social media affects people.

What about you? Have you ever felt that negative content on social media was affecting your mental health? Share your thoughts with us on the comment box below. You can also send us an email at digital.tattoo@ubc.ca.

Is our money safe with digital currencies?

Image Money Transfer_By_mohamed_hassan Used Under Pixabay License

According to the New York Times, Facebook, Telegram and Signal are investing on cryptocurrencies that would allow users to send money over their messaging systems. The article points out that, like Bitcoin, those new digital coins facilitate money transactions between countries. Something similar already happens in China with WeChat, where the app works also as a virtual wallet for many people.

Even though this could be an accessible tool for consumers, there are questions around how safe cryptocurrency is. For Martin Wolf, from the Financial Times, digital money needs tougher regulations. “So far cryptocurrency craze has made online criminality easier, created bubbles, fleeced naive investors, imposed grotesque waste in so-called “mining,” offered funding for malfeasance and facilitated tax evasion,” he wrote.

But why has there been so much buzz around it? As Forbes wrote last year, blockchain — the technology behind digital currencies — is being promoted “as the next internet.” This could be because it relates to an idea of decentralisation and non-sovereignty, which is particularly attractive for youth. Such is the demand that even traditional universities, known to be conservative institutions, are looking for ways to take the lead — for example, offering blockchain courses. You can find more information about the technology on a recent blog post we wrote.

What do you think about this cryptocurrency craze? Would you consider sending a digital currency for another country via messaging apps? Would you be open, for example, to receive or send tuition money using this tool? As always, you can leave a comment with your thoughts in the discussion box below.

Read our most recent blog posts:

What’s happening:

VANCOUVER:

Hackathon – HackUBC: Learning Analytics + Canvas API Hackathon

When? March 29 and 30

Where? UBC Point Grey Campus – Sauder Learning Labs, David Lam Building, Room DL009, 2033 Main Mall, Vancouver, B.C.

TORONTO

Lecture – Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police and Punish the Poor, with Virginia Eubanks

When? March 12, from 4 pm to 6 pm (EST)

Where?  U of T St. George (Downtown) Campus – Centre for Ethics, Larkin Building, Room 200, 15 Devonshire Place, Toronto, Ont.

Film Screening and Discussion – Ethics & Film: Westworld, feat Mark Kingwell

When? March 12, from 6 pm to 8 pm (EST)

Where? U of T St. George (Downtown) Campus – Centre for Ethics, Larkin Building, Room 200, 15 Devonshire Place, Toronto, Ont.

Lecture – What’s Behind the Techlash? (And What to Do About It), with Taylor Owen

When? March 15, from 5 pm to 7 pm (EST)

Where? U of T St. George (Downtown) Campus – Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy / Bloor – 1st floor Boardroom/Round Room/Library, 315 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ont.

Lecture – Identification Technologies and Biometric Power: A Transition From Occupied China to Pot-World War II Japan

When? March 21, from 4 pm to 6 pm (EST)

Where? U of T St. George (Downtown) Campus – Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy / Devonshire Place – 208N, North House, 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, Ont.

Edit-a-thon – Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon 

When? March 23, from 12 pm to 5 pm (EST)

Where?  The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)

Lecture – Making Good Decisions and Getting AI to Do the Same, with Sheila A. McIlraith

When? March 26, from 4 pm to 6 pm (EST)

Where? U of T St. George (Downtown) Campus – Centre for Ethics, Larkin Building, Room 200, 15 Devonshire Place, Toronto, Ont.

Lecture – Tomorrow’s Leviathan: Intelligent Machines in a Political World, with prof. Phil Howard

When? March 28, 6:30 pm (EST)

Where? U of T St. George (Downtown) Campus – Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave, Toronto, Ont.

Edited by: Elyse Hill

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Blockchain

By dominique rivera on March 7, 2019 | Tagged with , ,

Blockchain

Blockchain Block Chain Technology Digital Finance – by Tumisu (2017), from Pixabay, used under CC 1.0

Do you ever read an article about Blockchain and wonder what it’s trying to say? I do. With the all hype about Blockchain in news articles/internet headlines, maybe it’s time for Digital Tattoo to look at Blockchain. To simplify things for readers I will do an in-depth investigation, provide research on Blockchain and create graphics to help explain it.

To begin, let’s first look at how Blockchain got its name. Simply put, Blockchain is a system run by people. These people are entrusted with records from other people – otherwise known as data structures – that are submitted through computers. These records grow in lists which are “known as ‘blocks’ in chronological chain.” [1]  These blocks are based on a trust system of the people using them.

Think of them as a secure block that cannot be tampered with or manipulated. This is how Stuart Haber and W. Scott Stornetta described these blocks as in 1992. Additionally, “blocks hold batches of valid transactions that are hashed and encoded into a Merkle tree.”  [2] What is a Merkle tree?  It is described as:

“…..a tree in which every leaf node is labelled with the hash of a data block and every non-leaf node is labelled with the cryptographic hash of the labels of its child nodes. Hash trees allow efficient and secure verification of the contents of large data structures. Hash trees are a generalization of has lists and hash chains.” [3]

These systems are decentralized, but unlike a bank chain storing your information, they are distributed through a system of people using their own personal computers. This means anyone can use Blockchain to help run and keep the system safe and secure. It is more difficult to be corrupted or take down a network, which is what makes distribution so important. This is unlike centralized systems, which are prone to this. With a decentralized network, it is not as easy for hackers to pinpoint. [4]

How does Blockchain make sure that they cannot be corrupted or manipulated? They use Cryptography. Cryptography is a type of math or coding which eliminate records being counterfeited or manipulated by others. Although Blockchain uses coding to create it, it is still easy to read by the end user. [5]

To summarize, Blockchain allows users to bypass the mediator stage while making transactions. [6]  Thus, you can keep your transactions safe with the use of a unique key that seals the pages of your transactions by the entrusted people in Blockchain. [7]

As with any new emerging technology, it is good to check facts before investing in it. To learn more about Blockchain, here are some resources to help you decide if this new technology is right for you:

Forbes: “What Exactly is Blockchain, And Should You Adopt Its Technology?”.

Blockgeeks: “What is Blockchain Technology? A Step-by-Step Guide”.

Hacker Noon: “WTF is The Blockchain?”.

Medium: “How blockchain can give us back control of our identity and help avoid another Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal”.

Hackner Noon: “Learn Blockchains by Building One”. 

Medium, FreeCodeCamp: “How does blockchain really work? I built an app to show you”. 

Medium: “Self Sovereign Identity- a guide to privacy for your digital identity with Blockchain”. 

Edited by: Defne Inceoglu

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In the News: Facebook begins launch of new petition feature

By elyse hill on March 5, 2019 | Tagged with , , , ,

Image retrieved from Pixabay user Fill via CCo 1.0

At the end of January, Facebook began to roll out a petition feature for users across the United States, calling the new tool “Community Actions.” Here, users are able to create a petition about a self-identified social issue, and accrue support from friends and members of the broader Facebook community. As well, this feature allows users to tag relevant organizations and government officials, providing the opportunity to request change on a local and national level. However, petition supporters would not be able to tag politicians like Donald Trump or Mike Pence. Within this feature, users can also create events and fundraisers that are able to be linked on the page, and conduct a forum for discussion with fellow supporters [1]. Since its initial release, it has been likened to political features already available on the social media platform such as Town Hall and Candidate Info. It differs in the way that it is intended to spur government and organizational action, and not just function as a hub for information or a space for users to merely rally around a social cause.

While Facebook has often been used for the organization and support of social causes (the first Women’s March in 2016 was organized via Facebook events), with the announcement of Community Actions, many have come to wonder if Facebook is the ideal platform to host this type of forum, creating space for many currently unanswered questions [2]. It has been stated that a combination of user flagging, proactive algorithmic detection, and human enforcers will work together to manage the feature, however, it is unclear as to what the guidelines these moderators will operate from. Is there proper policy to prevent the spread of mis/disinformation and hate speech? And how will this be adequately conducted? As well, many wonder if individuals are able to stand up or rally against a created petition, because as it currently stands, only supporters are able to join the feed. How, then, will this feature prevent a mob mentality from developing on fringe issues, or issues based in misinformation? And what would happen when opponents of a social issue flag the petition as abusive, even if it may conform to community standards? Questions also arise about the dependency on Facebook to organize such petitions, and its role in facilitating communication around these issues.

As Facebook has seen more than a fair share of controversy in the last several years regarding the collection and sale of user data [3][4][5], as well as numerous privacy breaches [6][7], many wonder if the social media platform can be trusted with the management of what could be a potentially contentious feature. As well, with consideration for Facebook’s role in the 2016 United States election as well as Brexit, it may be a point of concern for users to publicly align themselves with social causes on the social media site. While the petition platform has only recently begun testing and use through small populations across the States, there are numerous reasons to be apprehensive of the new feature.

What are your thoughts on Facebook’s new petitions feature? Would you be concerned with how it may be moderated? Do you think discussions about petitions should be stored on Facebook? Or, is this a logical next step for a platform that already organizes many social causes and connects supporters? Be sure to leave a comment in the discussion box below.

For more information, check out these articles:

Digital Activism | Digital Tattoo

How Long Before Facebook’s New Petition Feature is Complicit in Genocide? | Gizmodo

Facebook is launching a petitions feature | The Verge

edited by: Jason Cheung

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When Social Media is Also Work

By Monique Rodrigues on March 1, 2019 | Tagged with , , , , ,

Image Office Desk_By_geralt Used Under CC0 1.0

As a Master of Journalism student, I’m constantly dealing with questions around my private and professional presences on social media. More than being a news source for many people, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other platforms can be great tools to connect with sources and with the audience. The downside is that we are more exposed and even vulnerable to public scrutiny on those channels.

I am sure this experience is not restricted to journalism. Many other students are facing similar questions when it comes to building a professional presence online. Teachers, scientists, human resources professionals, researchers, freelancers from different areas; all of them might need to use social media as a professional tool at some point. So, what should we all consider before deciding how to incorporate those channels to our work?

It’s Important to Establish Boundaries

Only in the last term, I had to use my personal accounts multiple times to find and contact sources. For example, I recently worked on a project that involved talking to activists and politicians. To make sure I wasn’t revealing anything that could compromise their answers, I dedicated some time to review the public information on my Facebook profile. But is this the best strategy?

Many people prefer — and recommend — to establish a clear line between what is professional and personal by having two separate accounts in platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. “It’s like you have two brands,” said Tamara Baluja, a honorary research associate at UBC’s School of Journalism. She is on leave from her work as CBC Vancouver’s social media editor and is studying the teaching of social media journalism in Canada.

Journalists are expected to be objective about their work, but it doesn’t mean that they have to keep a professional persona when interacting with friends and family. “When I’m having a frank conversation with my friend, whether it’s on Facebook Messenger or in person, I have opinions about the world around me and having two separate accounts lets me express my opinions.”

One downside of this strategy is that people might mix up accounts. All the news of people who have gotten in trouble for accidentally posting personal content to corporate or professional pages are a good reminder of why we need to be extra careful. Embarrassing episodes with Chrysler, Vodafone and even the American Red Cross are just some examples.

Caring about your mental health is another good reason for establishing clear boundaries. People who use social media for work might be more susceptible to possible negative consequences of those networks. They are usually connected for longer periods and more exposed to negative content, including hate speech.

“When I was working at CBC, it was very important for me to say this is work and this is my personal life,” Baluja told me. “I think this was very important for my own mental sanity.”

Tamara Baluja on assignment for CBC Vancouver. Image copyright to Belle Puri.

But, does creating separate accounts mean that we can post whatever we want on our personal profiles? The short answer should be no. An important reflection is that “what is posted online is never private,” as the educator Kerry Gallagher wrote to the website ConnectSafely. She believes that having separate personal and professional accounts don’t secure that boundaries won’t be crossed. “Often, people from one category are also part of another. Real life is messy. Creating clean social media categories will also eventually get messy,” she said.

When Should We Make a Decision?

The decision of separating personal and professional accounts usually come when people deal with situations that make them feel uncomfortable. But Baluja believes we shouldn’t wait until then. “I would say you should have that conversation about whether it’s a choice that you want to make as soon as you walk into journalism school,” she said.

When people ask her if they should have two accounts, she explains that there is no right answer but advises that what they post reflects how the audience perceives them. “Know what you’re putting out on your professional account. Don’t say anything on your professional account that you wouldn’t say live on TV or radio, or that you wouldn’t print in a newspaper with your byline on it.”

And there is another great reason for reflecting on what you post. “There’s a good chance that there’s even a hiring manager who will look at your Twitter account,” Baluja added.

What Do You Think?

  • Are those issues related to the use of social media discussed within your field?
  • Have you started thinking about building a professional profile?
  • If you already use social media as a work tool, how do you separate what is professional from what is private?
  • Do you believe that separating accounts free us from eventual risks?
  • How do you make sure that the boundaries aren’t being crossed?

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not constitute legal or financial advice.

Always do your own research for informed decisions.

Written by: Monique Rodrigues

Edited by: Defne Inceoglu

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Digital Activism

By dominique rivera on February 28, 2019 | Tagged with , , , ,

Digital Activism

by Victoria McAuley and Dominique Rivera

Keep Data Safe in the Digital Revolution – by ulltium Consulting, Inc. (2016), from ulltium Consulting, used under CC 1.0

 

 

“Political engagement is as old as politics itself (Braddick, 2014), but social media has changed the game for many activists around the globe. From #metoo to Kony2012, social media activism is creating a platform to disseminate ideas quickly and to compel people to join causes; but, at the end of the day, is it helping or hurting our digital identities?

Social media activism can take many forms on many different platforms. Your friend’s Kickstarter for the local animal shelter, the petition you signed about election reform, and the hashtag you follow about Indigenous rights in the Canadian context are all forms of social media activism. RESET.org defines the practice as: “where digital tools (the internet, mobile phones, social media, etc.) are used towards bringing about social and/or political change” (Rees, 2015), and it has been growing in popularity since the 1990s (Peters, 2011). Over the past 5 years, popular activism campaigns have included: Kony2012, #blacklivesmatter, Occupy Wall Street, Je Suis Paris, #metoo, and the Women’s March campaign. All of these movements have gained traction in online spaces, and political action in the physical world. Some campaigns have brought about enormous social change, while others continue to struggle against multiple axes of oppression.

Unfortunately, not all online activism is created equal, and as the number of digital movements has skyrocketed, so too has the risk of malicious activism: fraudulent counter movements, like the Women’s March scam in Bangladesh, and the Black Lives Matter page scam are eroding the positive foundations created by successful campaigns; tracking devices threaten the safety of activists around the globe; and, critics of “slacktivism” are calling into question the efficacy of hashtags and trending topics.”

What is Digital Activism?

Digital Activism is also known as, Social Media Activism, Online Activism, Internet Activism, Web 2.0 Activism, and Hashtag Activism (a new form of Activism in the new age medium). But what is this Digital Activism? It is when a policy or action of a campaign moves from the foreground onto the internet/social media for viral attention and traction [1]. Digital Activism has the ability to bring activism to new levels of outreach, by engaging audiences all over the world through campaign hashtags [2].

With the 1990 campaign of the Lotus Marketplace which was organized through message boards and emails, Digital Activism was born. Since then many movements have been brought to life through social media using hashtags, for example, such as #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter, #Kony2012, #PrayforJapan, and ASLIceBucketChallenge.

 

Hashtag Activism

Hashtag Activism is considered as activism that is used on platforms such as Twitter using hashtags to bring awareness to the respective movements [3]. This term has evolved to also refer to a user liking or sharing campaigns hashtagged posts [4].

Hashtag Activism provides a platform for everyday people to voice their stories through the use of the hashtag campaign. But with this greater outreach and ability to gather strength through numbers, there is more concern and threat about the abuse of this power [5].

One concern with Hashtag Activism is that users are no longer participating for the greater good of the cause but instead are using the cause for revenge (TedTalk). For example, in Tarana Burke’s TedTalk (2018), Tarana discusses how the Me-Too movement has changed from a social movement to a trolling expedition. Me Too was originally created as a safe space for the voice of women sexually harassed, to tell their stories, shed light in hopes of stopping future sexual harassment [6]. The Me Too Movement is meant to defer sexual violence and provide resources to the victims, but it has become the hashtag #MeToo of trolling [7]. There have been incidents where victims have been threatened to remove their #MeToo stories, making this online community an unsafe place for victims to share their personal stories [8].

Another downside to Hashtag Activism is the false accusations of some social media users that can escalate in proportion potentially ruining people’s lives [9].

Social Media has brought awareness to movements that deal with tough situations such as sexual harassment. And although a lot of people are participating through these hashtags, it has also made some users wary in sharing their stories and of certain situations.

“We know that it has led to injustices, such as the wrongful expulsion and tarnishing of an innocent accused. I have actually had female students write to me saying they’ve heard rumors that some scientists are afraid of accepting female graduate students because if any of them makes an accusation of sexual harassment in an atmosphere where you believe the victim, it’s impossible for them to defend themselves. They don’t really want to take the chance. So that’s a negative consequence of having a policy that is not driven by principles of evidence.” [10]

Although every success has its downsides, Social Media has opened doors for people throughout the world to now tell their stories as never before. Some of these stories are saving lives by participating in these movements and/or helping others through online resources funding those in need [11].

Unfortunately, there have been many movements/activists since the inception of social media which have been derailed from their original intentions due to trolling expeditions. This leads to important questions such as: How does an online user successfully contribute to their cause using Digital Activism? And in doing so, how can an individual protect their Digital Identity?

 

Additional Readings:

Me Too Movement articles | The New York Times

Pelosi says Trump is trying to “break the Me Too movement” | The Washington Post

Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers | TIME Magazine

The Overwhelmed Person’s Guide to Activism | Medium

Edited by: Elyse Hill

 

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In the News: WinRAR Users Threatened By Security Flaw

By Jason Cheung on February 26, 2019 | Tagged with , , ,

Image file at varying levels of file compression, from Wikipedia, used under CC BY-SA 3.0

According to a report by ZDNet [1], WinRAR, a popular Windows software for file compression and decompression, is at risk of a security flaw unless updated. Researchers at Check Point Software Technologies [2], a cybersecurity company, discovered a vulnerability in the .ACE file format of compressed files.

WinRAR is well known for offering its software free to download [3], and it is estimated to have a userbase of over 500 million users [4]. Researchers at Check Point have identified a flaw in the UNACEV2DLL library packaged with all versions of WinRAR. This library is involved in unpacking files in the .ACE format, and Check Point found a way to use the flaw to extract malicious files outside of the intended decompression folder.

WinRAR developers have released version 5.70 Beta 1 [5] of the software on January 28, 2019 with patches for this issue. These fixes are noted under the CVE-2018-20250, CVE-2018-20251, CVE-2018-20252, and CVE-2018-20253 identifiers.

This video from Check Point demonstrates the ability of the exploit to add programs to the startup folder of a Windows machine. Check out their technical paper on how they discovered this issue [6].

What do you think?

  • Are you a user of WinRAR? Both trial and premium users should update their version of WinRAR as soon as possible.
  • How do you keep updated with security flaws discovered in software that you may use?
  • Do you set your software to check for security updates automatically?
  • What are your thoughts on companies like Check Point that discovered this flaw?

Let us know what you think about this article and your responses to our questions in the comments below!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not constitute legal or financial advice.

Always do your own research to make informed decisions.

For more information, check out these articles:

WinRAR [Wikipedia]

WinRAR 5.70 Beta 1 released [WinRAR]

What is file compression? [Boston College]

Why WinRAR’s 40 Day Trial Actually Lasts Forever [Popular Mechanics]

Vulnerability CVE-2018-20250 [National Vulnerability Database]

edited by: Defne Inceoglu

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Book Review: So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed

By samantha summers on February 19, 2019 | Tagged with , , ,

So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed

Jon Ronson (2015)

Digital Tattoo Rating: 5/5

1

2

3

4

5

Leave it on the shelf

Give it a skim

An informative read

Would give to a friend

A must read!!!

Summary

Who hasn’t participated in a Twitter-based group-shaming? Who hasn’t retweeted a meme making fun of a celebrity who spoke out of turn, or shared a negative post about an individual who said or did something thoughtless and hurtful?

I have. Many times.

History has proven time and time again that shame is a powerful tool, and it is one that today we are very comfortable using in order to achieve our ends. From viral videos to high-traffic think pieces, online society is rife with public shamings. Digital citizens have designated themselves judge, jury, and executioner, but have we been fair guardians of these responsibilities? Perhaps more pressingly, what happens to our victims once the public shaming ends?

Jon Ronson’s So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed is at times funny and at times terrifying, but thoroughly enlightening nonetheless. This book is multiple things at once: a history of the weaponization of shame, a series of examples of individuals who, for various reasons, have been publicly shamed online, and a guide to how to survive these shamings. Ronson does not try to justify the actions of those who have been shamed, as in all cases the actions that provoked these bouts of public humiliation were harmful in some way or another. Rather, Ronson invites us to reconsider how we react to these comments, and whether or not picking up our pitchforks and rallying our fellow digital denizens is an effective way to constructively change our society. Ronson asks us, in funny, light, and poignant prose, where we draw the line between construction and destruction.

So, have you done anything shame-worthy lately? Here’s where to start:

 

The Top 5; or, How to Survive a Shaming

  1. You have said or done something unfortunate, and the Internet has caught wind of it. Apologize sincerely, and demonstrate that you are listening to those whom you have hurt.
  2. Avoid defensiveness, even though you will feel defensive.
  3. Let family and friends know what has happened. You want them to hear it coming from you, not the Internet.
  4. Limit your time online in order to protect your own mental health. Definitely don’t Google yourself for the first little while.
  5. After an appropriate period of time has passed, you can begin to artificially improve your online reputation. Start posting positive things to Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, a personal blog, and more. Spend time Googling and clicking on these links. Your goal is to trick search engine algorithms into prioritizing these more positive references to you over the negative. Bear in mind that the worse your blunder was, the harder this will be, but also the more necessary.

So there you have it, folks. Go forth and blunder intelligently. May any shaming you experience be swift and not too severe.

Image source.

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In the News: Indian government proposes strict internet censorship laws

By elyse hill on February 19, 2019 | Tagged with , , , , ,

Whatsapp IOS iPhone by HeikoAL via Pixelbay

The Indian government has recently announced a proposal for a strict form of internet censorship that many have noted to be comparable to the regulations practiced in China. Within these new rules, any online content that Indian officials deem to be “unlawful” will be removed [1]. However, definitions of what can be considered unlawful content are broad and open to interpretation. As defined by the Indian government, this includes speech that is defamatory, indecent, immoral, invasive, hateful, or ultimately threatening to public the order. Content that can fall under these categories, though, is not always obvious or able to be objectively determined.

This proposal for censorship has come in response to the proliferation of misinformation on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In particular, many have cited the regulations to be directly related to the circulation of false messages and videos via WhatsApp regarding child kidnappings last year in India. This eventually resulted in mob violence and approximately 20 deaths [2]. Critics of the new regulations state that the proposals would do nothing to stop the dissemination of fake news. Instead, unrealistic expectations would be placed on internet service providers to create a screening process to determine what content ultimately violates these new laws.

A recent article published by Wired noted that these proposed changes involve Section 79 of the IT Act, which is meant to protect internet “intermediaries” and social media platforms from any liability for actions made by users, including harmful posts, until these platforms are explicitly made aware. Under this act, content cannot be censored by platforms unless ordered by a court. However, the proposed amendment would now require companies to not only actively analyze and what users post, but they also must provide the government with information about creators or distributors of unlawful content, which would require encrypted apps (such as WhatsApp) to build a backdoor. The proposal to alter these laws will therefore have drastic effects on both user security and free speech on a global scale [3].

Following the proposal of these regulations, the public in India was able to voice comments and concerns until February 14. After this period ended, it was understood that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could impose these rules at any time [4].

What are your thoughts on India’s proposed censorship laws? How will these affect internet use and access to information in India and around the world? Be sure to leave a comment in the discussion box below!

Check out these articles for more information:

Why are India’s new internet rules being called ‘Chinese-style censorship’? | Scroll.in

India’s New Rules to Govern Social Media Raise Fears of More Censorship | Forbes

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Digital Identity Digest (January 2019)

By Monique Rodrigues on February 15, 2019 | Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

What is the best educational measure against piracy?

Image Digital Art_By_Projekt_Kaffeebart Used Under Pixabay License

Canada’s government has amended its Copyright Act to clarify that piracy notices can’t demand cash from Canadians. The piracy-notice system took effect in 2015, allowing “copyright holders to send warning emails to people suspected of illegally downloading content such as movies or music,” CBC explains. According to CTV News, the measure’s goal was to educate abusers and discourage piracy. However, consumers and advocates complain that some creators have abused the system, sending demands for payment and stating that they could face legal fines otherwise. Now, internet service providers won’t have to forward notices that demand payment or personal information.

Do you want to know more about piracy? Check out our three-part series. We walked about the definition of digital piracy – or copyright infringement – what the Canadian law says about it, and who decides what is considered pirated material.

How harmful can screen addiction be?

Image Boy Mobile Phone_By_Andi_Graf Used Under Pixabay License

According to CBC, a recent study suggested that excessive screen time can cause delays in child development. Conducted by the University of Calgary in partnership with the Alberta Children’s Hospital and the University of Waterloo, the research looked at the habits of 2,500 families in Calgary. One of the researchers, Dr. Sheri Madigan, pointed out that “The Canadian Paediatric Society’s recommendation for kids age two to five is that they spend no more than one hour per day watching high-quality programming,” which means content with a learning component. To prevent problems, she argued that parents should lead by example, encouraging “productivity screen time.”

But how to define what is too much screen time? Also in January, TechCrunch reported that U.K. parliament’s Science and Technology Committee called social media platforms for more transparency on their service. The ultimate goal is to provide more data and other resources to researchers studying technology’s effects on users, particularly children and teens. The committee has expressed concern about the lack of good academic evidence to support legislation. A similar concern was expressed by The Guardian last year in an article suggesting that there is a “cycle of moral panic” around technology use by children. They argued that society needs to take a step back before taking judgmental positions. After all, good science is complex and involves “more than just a quick internet search away.”

For now, more important is that you don’t need to wait for more evidence-based research if you feel that your personal use of technology is hurting you somehow. You can take a look at our resources on screen addiction and start taking steps to prevent it.

What is Facebook’s limit for breaching people’s privacy?

Image Hands Smartphone_By_Geralt Used Under Pixabay License

Adding a new episode to Facebook’s crisis, TechCrunch reported that the company has been paying up to US$ 20 monthly plus referral bonuses to users – both teenagers and adults – willing to install a “Facebook Research” app. The tool functions as a VPN and allows the company to track users’ phone and web activity. As a response, Apple blocked the app saying it breaks their policy, and revoked Facebook’s Enterprise Certificate, which enables distribution out of the App Store. With that, even Facebook’s internal iPhone apps were immediately impacted. The New York Times published that employees weren’t able to access their calendars, campus maps, nor shuttle bus schedules.

Month after month, we’ve been asking ourselves how exposed we’re on Facebook due to all those privacy issues. In our last Digital Identity Digest, we suggested an article from the New York Times reflecting on the decision of leaving the platform. Now we bring another article from them that discusses a comprehensive study on the effects on people who quit Facebook. Some outcomes included people spending more time with friends and family, and less partisan fever – despite less political knowledge.

Read our most recent blog posts:

What’s happening:

VANCOUVER

Seminar – The mind in your pocket: On the neuroethical implications of smartphones as extensions of our minds

When? Feb. 19, from 4 to 6 pm (PST)

Where: UBC Point Grey Campus – Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, Room 307, 6331 Crescent Road, Vancouver, B.C.

Seminar – AI and Moral Intelligence: Preserving Humane Thinking in a Machine Age

When? Feb. 25, from 4 to 6 pm (PST)

Where: UBC Point Grey Campus – Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, Room 307, 6331 Crescent Road, Vancouver, B.C.

KELOWNA

Talk – UBC Connects: A movement that empowers: “Me too” and the role of empathy in healing and change, with Tarana Burke

When? March 6, from 7 to 9 pm (PST)

Where? Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water Street, Kelowna, B.C.

TORONTO

Lecture – Ethics of AI in Context: Beyond Algorithmic Reform: Re-imagining the Role of Artificial Intelligence and Statistical Discourse in Criminal Law, with Chelsea Barabas

When?  Feb. 26, from 4 to 6 pm (EST)

Where? U of T St. George (Downtown) Campus – Centre for Ethics, Larkin Building, Room 200, 15 Devonshire Place, Toronto, Ont.

Written By: Monique Rodrigues

Edited By: Jason Cheung and Elyse Hill

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