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METAFORIX MAIL Volume 1, Issue 9 September 15, 2000 CONTENTS AT A GLANCE: ON
MY MIND: Privacy Tradeoffs ON MY MIND [From the Editor] Privacy Tradeoffs When it comes to privacy on the Internet, I've tended reluctantly to agree with the substance -- if not the tone -- of the widely-quoted retort by Scott McNeely, CEO of Sun Microsystems: "You already have zero privacy. Get over it." . It has always seemed to me that the ready availability of personal information over the Internet represents a difference of degree, not of kind, from earlier invasions of privacy based on older technologies and old-fashioned legwork. While preparing an article on Internet healthcare applications -- an arena fraught with both threats to privacy and opportunities for enhanced medical care -- I recently found myself in a building that houses the medical offices of physicians affiliated with a prominent New York hospital. A sign inside the elevator read something like this: "Please respect the privacy and confidentiality of our patients and visitors. Do not discuss patients' personal information in the elevator." It isn't, I thought. We need to work diligently toward privacy safeguards, electronic and otherwise, but privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity have been just comfortable illusions for a very long time. Get over it, I thought, and continued to think. That is, until recently. Just this week, my e-mail brought me articles on several privacy threats that have not received much attention in the mainstream media:- "Web bugs" are "tiny images embedded in a Web page or HTML-enhanced e-mail" that transmit information about who is viewing the page. Most sites that use web bugs do not disclose the fact in their privacy policies. - A growing number of companies collect detailed financial information about individuals for fees as low as $249 -- despite the fact that obtaining such information under false pretenses is now a federal crime. http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20000913S0014 Wireless location technologies, such as Global Positioning Software (GPS), do more than give cell phone users access on demand to travel directions and local facilities or attractions. A recent FTC ruling requires that wireless service providers be capable of locating cell phone users who dial 911. In part as a result of this ruling, companies are now poised to deliver targeted advertising based on cell phone location and to allow employers to keep tabs on telecommuters. As if the emergence of these new twists were not enough, recent data suggest that online shoppers are paying minimal attention to posted >privacy policies. For example, only 9 of every 100,000 visitors to Americangreetings.com -- the Web's second-largest retailer, with 8.1 million unique visitors last month -- take time to click on the site's privacy policy. Some sites disclose in their privacy policies that they do collect and reserve the right to sell visitor data, as Amazon.com announced in a recent mailing to its 23 million customers. Polls indicate that the overwhelming number of Internet users are concerned about online privacy, but when push comes to shove, cybershoppers are increasingly willing to subordinate privacy to convenience. So, Scott McNeely is right: we already do have zero privacy. In fact, we're into the minus column, big time. Most companies and individuals whose business is the Internet are vocal advocates of self-regulation, staunchly opposed to government regulation. But even if regulations were in place, enforcement would be problematic at best. I, for one, find it more and more difficult to "get over it." How do you feel about this issue? Cordially,
Lois C.
Ambash, Editor IN THE MEDIA [a current news article, feature, or opinion piece] "Toward Sharing the Genome"
In a special report entitled "Who Owns Your Genes?" the current issue of MIT's _Technology Review_ examines the pros and cons of patents on human genes. In his contribution to this discussion, Seth Shulman proposes five policies that "balance the powerful drive of commercial interests with the public interest." His suggestions:
INFORMATICON "The hook. The cliff-hanger. The hairpin plot turn. The serial has its own built-in marketing tool that makes it as appealing to bottom-line-oriented publishers today as it was 150 years ago," in the days of Dickens. "Content Web sites depend on building an audience of repeat visitors to get advertising and subscription revenues, so publishing in installments (by authors who can ratchet up the suspense and longing) is a logical step. The fact that novels are back in serialization is yet another sign that the Internet has made the written word a pop medium once again." Jade Chang, FEED DAILY, 08.30.00
CYBERSPEAK
NEURAL NETWORKS: Computers programs solve problems that have precise decision points and unambiguous rules. For example, the process of evaluating and approving (or denying) a loan requires many steps and numerous calculations. A computer can readily be programmed to perform this task because it can be broken down into a series of yes-or-no decisions. However, tasks that are inherently ambiguous and depend upon the recognition of subtle patterns -- for example, distinguishing between male and female faces, or between an adult and a child -- cannot be programmed. Instead, computers must be trained to recognize patterns using the techniques of artificial intelligence. One such technique is NEURAL NETWORKS (also called "neural nets"), a pattern-matching technology based on complex mathematical formulas. Weighted numerical values are assigned to all the input data available for solving the problem. The simplest neural-net design has two layers of "cells," an input layer and an output layer. For example, suppose that the inputs are black and white digital headshots measuring 50 by 50 pixels, and the task is to distinguish male from female faces. The input layer thus contains 2500 cells, called "neurons" -- one for each pixel, or dot, of the image. A value might be assigned to each input neuron to indicate its level of brightness. The output layer has only two neurons, one for male and one for female. Using an elaborate set of calculations, the input neurons supply data to the output neurons. In order for a computer to reliably distinguish male from female, it processes the same input data over and over again, with the numerical values altered each time the computer gives the wrong answer, until the computer "learns" to interpret the patterns correctly every time. Neural network technologies are a key component in designing the sophisticated computers called "robots," which imitate human responses to sensory input. Sources consulted: Alan Zeichick, Neural Nets Explained," Red Herring Magazine, August 2000 and Webopedia
SITE OF THE
DAY Internet Policy Institute The Internet Policy Institute (IPI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and research organization whose mission is "to help decision makers formulate sound, timely, and well-informed Internet public policy" through research, information-sharing, debate, and consensus building. IPI initiatives include "America on the Net," a series of town meetings in cities around the nation designed to form a foundation for Internet policy, culminating in a national summit with the President-elect and other key policy makers. A complementary initiative is "Briefing the President," a series of white papers addressing "What the Next President of the United States Needs to Know About the Internet and Its Transformative Impact on Society." All of the white papers are available on the IPI site, along with a wide-ranging set of links to other resources on Internet public policy. A set of resource guides focusing on specific areas such as privacy, education, and the digital divide will be posted later this month. To visit the site, go to: http://www.internetpolicy.org/ THE FINE PRINT Subscribing and Unsubscribing: You received this mailing because we received a subscription request. Feel free to forward this e-mail to colleagues and friends. To be added to our mailing list, e-mail us at subscribe@metaforix.com. If your e-mail address was submitted without your knowledge or if you wish to unsubscribe for any reason, e-mail us at unsubscribe@metaforix.com. Privacy Policy: We respect your privacy. We will never share your e-mail address with any third party unless we have your explicit permission. For more information on our privacy policy, go to http://www.metaforix.com/privacy_policy/index.html. VISIT US ONLINE at www.metaforix.com. Metaforix Incorporated Reinvent
yourself for the Information Age. Feel free to forward this e-mail to colleagues and friends. To be added to our mailing list, e-mail us at subscribe@metaforix.com. Copyright 2000, Metaforix Incorporated. All rights reserved. Please note that the links contained in Metaforix Mail are current as of the time of publication. Some of them may no longer be operative at the time you access past issues. To
Volume 1, Issue 8 September 8, 2000
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