ABSTRACT Isabelle [Pau94] is a generic theorem proving environment. It is written in ML, and is p... more ABSTRACT Isabelle [Pau94] is a generic theorem proving environment. It is written in ML, and is part of the LCF [GMW79] family of tactic-based theorem provers. The core system uses a metalogic consisting of the implicational/universal fragment of an intuitionistic higher-order logic with equality. Within this system, a large number object logics can be represented. A general method of encoding a sequent calculus as an object logic in a form suitable for proving properties of the calculus is presented. Some suggestions about general use of Isabelle in this area are made. 1 Introduction As with most Logical Frameworks, Isabelle uses an ASCII notation for the symbols of logic not available on a keyboard. Appendix A gives a basic introduction to this, but throughout this paper standard logical notations will be used for ease of reading. Isabelle represents a highly modular system with many incompatible object logics having been developed based on a single core, the Pure core system. The Pure syst...
In business information systems, many of the questions of both ethics and business benefit can be... more In business information systems, many of the questions of both ethics and business benefit can be usefully considered in terms of levels and type of open-ness to be applied. In this paper, I examine both the ethical implications of such choices, but also the business benefits to be gained, from choosing a more open path. software licensing issues, communication protocols, data formats and customer relations are all considered through this lens. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.
We review the development of European directives relating to copyright, and in particular the ori... more We review the development of European directives relating to copyright, and in particular the origins and development of the 2001 directive on harmonisation of copyright regimes for the “information society”. We present evidence that initial tendencies to balance the rights of individual users were swept aside in efforts to comply with international treaties and commercial lobbying (which also influenced the treaty development) on behalf of vested interests of the current distribution industry. In support of this thesis we present textual analysis of the development of copyright policy in the EU, beginning with the European Commission Green Paper issued in 1988, through a number of related directives, a further Green Paper in 1995 and the various stages of the development of the final directive enacted in 2001 following four years of discussion. We relate the European legislation to the international regime defined by the Berne Convention, the World Intellectual Property Organisatio...
In 2012 Edward Snowden starting releasing a cache of computer files to a small number of journali... more In 2012 Edward Snowden starting releasing a cache of computer files to a small number of journalists, which he claimed to have copied from servers at the US' National Security Agency (NSA). The NSA have disputed the context or interpretation of some of the material published by the journalists, but have confirmed that Snowden had previously worked at the agency as an employee of an external firm Booz Hamilton. The result of Snowden's revelations have included a large scale debate about the activities of both the US' NSA and their partner agency in the UK (Government Communications Headquarters) in monitoring the communications of individuals and organisations worldwide. ACM SIGCAS makes an Award each year called the "Making a Difference Award". Typically this has gone to a researcher in computer ethics or a practitioner or researcher in some other field of computer science whose work has had a significant socially beneficial impact. In 2013 some members of SIGC...
The current state of the art and direction of research in computer vision aimed at automating the... more The current state of the art and direction of research in computer vision aimed at automating the analysis of CCTV images is presented. This includes low level identification of objects within the field of view of cameras, following those objects over time and between cameras, and the interpretation of those objects' appearance and movements with respect to models of behaviour (and therefore intentions inferred). The potential ethical problems (and some potential opportunities) such developments may pose if and when deployed in the real world are presented, and suggestions made as to the necessary new regulations which will be needed if such systems are not to further enhance the power of the surveillers against the surveilled.
workpackage 1 of the project: copyright and IPR. When the project was initiated, there was, in th... more workpackage 1 of the project: copyright and IPR. When the project was initiated, there was, in the internet community, a great deal of interest in the area of “Intellectual Property Protection ” — so-called IPP. There was a strong view at the time, boosted by the U.S.’s Digital Millenium Copyright Act, that this would be done by cryptographic-based “Digital Rights Management ” techniques — so-called DRM. 1 Digital Rights Management Digital Rights Management technology was seen in 2001, by many, especially in the music and video industries, who claimed to be suffering greatly from Internet “piracy”, to be the panacea for their woes 1. It was felt at the time of writing the MKM proposal that mathematics could just latch on to what were clearly going to be industry-standard solutions. However, a more balanced view has now emerged, and a recent report [4] has the following in its Executive Summary. A principal consequence of deploying DRM technologies is to reduce
Given that the number of CCTV cameras in the UK is the largest in the world, and given that it is... more Given that the number of CCTV cameras in the UK is the largest in the world, and given that it is unclear when video data should be regarded as Personal Data (or what rights a blanket definition would reasonably provide to the surveilled) it is claimed that a CCTV Act is needed in the UK. This claim appears to be supported by the police authorities [Bal06a], although in addition to a broad claim regarding protection of privacy, their view is that private CCTV should be forced to be of sufficient quality and sufficiently accessible, to be of use to the police. Given the Office of the Surveillance Commissioners [OSC] existing role in oversight of police surveillance operations, it is suggested that the OSC be made responsible for licensing and regulating CCTV systems and operators. Protection of raw video data as a potential source of Personal Data when processed is necessary (and currently outside the scope of the Office of the Information Commissioner [OIC]). Where raw video data is...
Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems are often touted by the copyright material distribution i... more Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems are often touted by the copyright material distribution industry as a 'solution' to the 'problem' of digital content and peer-to-peer sharing of copyright information. We introduce the law and technology overlap issues this generates, and present some motivating examples as to why this is an area in need of significant academic study. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.
Student cheating on university assessments from entrance exams to finals and from contract cheati... more Student cheating on university assessments from entrance exams to finals and from contract cheating on coursework to requesting exam answers using a mobile phone during the exam, has received more and more attention of late. As connection to the Internet becomes ubiquitous and computing and communications technology more embedded in our environment, it is argued that a re-focussing on providing educational opportunities is needed in higher education, rather than chasing the ever-retreating prospect of perfect, or even adequate, assessment for the purposes of qualification.
Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 2017
Purpose This study aims to map Swedish students’ attitudes towards Snowden’s revelations and thei... more Purpose This study aims to map Swedish students’ attitudes towards Snowden’s revelations and their effects in the political and socio-cultural environment of Sweden. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was answered by 190 Swedish university students. The quantitative responses to the survey and qualitative considerations of free text answers were statistically analysed. Findings Swedish students had a high level of knowledge about the Snowden revelations; they actively searched for information, gave a positive judgement of Snowden’s actions and were willing to follow his example in Sweden, although not in the USA. They trusted their country and most of its institutions and authorities except for secret service agencies and the internet and computer software companies. Practical implications This study could be used as a design of education for university students, especially in information technology programmes. Social implications The study can be used for developing and ap...
Education, especially higher education, is considered vital for maintaining national and individu... more Education, especially higher education, is considered vital for maintaining national and individual competitiveness in the global knowledge economy. Following the introduction of its "Free Education Policy" as early as 1947, Sri Lanka is now the best performer in basic education in the South Asian region, with a remarkable record in terms of high literacy rates and the achievement of universal primary education. However, access to tertiary education is a bottleneck, due to an acute shortage of university places. In an attempt to address this problem, the government of Sri Lanka has invested heavily in information and communications technologies (ICTs) for distance education. Although this has resulted in some improvement, the authors of this article identify several barriers which are still impeding successful participation for the majority of Sri Lankans wanting to study at tertiary level. These impediments include the lack of infrastructure/resources, low English language proficiency, weak digital literacy, poor quality of materials and insufficient provision of student support. In the hope that future implementations of ICTenabled education programmes can avoid repeating the mistakes identified by their research in this Sri Lankan case, the authors conclude their paper with a list of suggested policy options.
The access problem in scholarly communication is presented along the institutional repository sol... more The access problem in scholarly communication is presented along the institutional repository solution, in slides for talks given in Open Access Week 2010. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of online learning in distance educati... more The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of online learning in distance educational delivery at Yellow Fields University (pseudonymous) in Sri Lanka. The implementation of online distance education at the University included the use of blended learning. The policy initiative to introduce online components to distance education in Sri Lanka was guided by the expectation of cost reduction and the implementation was financed under the Distance Education Modernization Project. This paper presents one case study of a larger multiple-case-study research project that employed an ethnographic research approach in investigating the impact of ICT on distance education in Sri Lanka. Documents, questionnaires and qualitative interviews were used for data collection. The lack of access to computers and the Internet, the lack of infrastructure, low levels of computer literacy, the lack of local language content, and the lack of formal student support services at the University w...
Social Network Sites (SNS) have become a very common part of life for a majority of regular Inter... more Social Network Sites (SNS) have become a very common part of life for a majority of regular Internet users. The implications of this usage for the privacy of users is a topic of significant concern socially and legally, and with respect to multiple parties: their connections, unconnected other users of the site, other ordinary Internet users, platform operators, other commercial organisations and governments. Some claims have been made that because users submit a significant amount of their information directly and voluntarily to these sites, that such usage should all be regarded as voluntary and subject to no significant privacy controls. In this paper the relevant sociological and psychological literature (general and specific) on the actual level of control users have over their actions and their data is presented, with the result that greater regulatory control is suggested. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.
Abstract. We present a verifiable symbolic definite integral table look-up: a system which matche... more Abstract. We present a verifiable symbolic definite integral table look-up: a system which matches a query, comprising a definite integral with parameters and side conditions, against an entry in a verifiable table and uses a call to a library of facts about the reals in the theorem prover PVS to aid in the transformation of the table entry into an answer. Our system is able to obtain correct answers in cases where standard techniques implemented in computer algebra systems fail. We present the full model of such a system as well as a description of our prototype implementation showing the efficacy of such a system: for example, the prototype is able to obtain correct answers in cases where computer algebra systems [CAS] do not. We extend upon Fateman’s web-based table by including parametric limits of integration and queries with side conditions. 1
Digital accounts are usually either personal or group accounts. Personal accounts are designed fo... more Digital accounts are usually either personal or group accounts. Personal accounts are designed for use by one person and often have terms and conditions restricting their use to that person. Group accounts are not always available and where they exist often have no ability to distinguish between users. In the real world visitors to our homes and offices can peruse our bookshelf and borrow our books, our neighbours do our shopping for us, or answer our phone. Using a sequence of real-world derived anecdotes, we explore the consequences of this mismatch between how relationships work in the real world and the lack of support for these online, in terms of the security risks of using solo accounts for shared purposes, the losses when sharing is impossible or too great a risk, and the problems caused by foreseeable major events (death of an account holder) not covered by procedures.
Given that the number of CCTV cameras in the UK is the largest in the world, and given that it is... more Given that the number of CCTV cameras in the UK is the largest in the world, and given that it is unclear when video data should be regarded as Personal Data (or what rights a blanket definition would reasonably provide to the surveilled) it is claimed that a CCTV Act is needed in the UK. This claim appears to be supported by the police authorities [Bal06a], although in addition to a broad claim regarding protection of privacy, their view is that private CCTV should be forced to be of sufficient quality and sufficiently accessible, to be of use to the police. Given the Office of the Surveillance Commissioners ’ [OSC] existing role in oversight of police surveillance operations, it is suggested that the OSC be made responsible for licensing and regulating CCTV systems and operators. Protection of raw video data as a potential source of Personal Data when processed is necessary (and currently outside the scope of the Office of the Information Commissioner [OIC]). Where raw video data ...
Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 2017
Purpose This study aims to investigate how Snowden’s revelations are viewed by young people in th... more Purpose This study aims to investigate how Snowden’s revelations are viewed by young people in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan through questionnaire surveys of and follow-up interviews with university students in the two countries, taking into account the histories and current status of state surveillance in these countries and the current complicated and delicate cross-strait relationships. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaire surveys of 315 PRC and 111 Taiwanese university students (a majority studying in those places but a few studying abroad) and semi-structured follow-up interviews with 16 master’s course students from the PRC and one from Taiwan (all studying at Meiji University in Japan) were conducted, in addition to reviews of the literature on privacy and state surveillance in the PRC and Taiwan. The outcomes of the survey were statistically analysed and qualitative analyses of the interview results were also performed. Findings Youngsters living in th...
ABSTRACT Isabelle [Pau94] is a generic theorem proving environment. It is written in ML, and is p... more ABSTRACT Isabelle [Pau94] is a generic theorem proving environment. It is written in ML, and is part of the LCF [GMW79] family of tactic-based theorem provers. The core system uses a metalogic consisting of the implicational/universal fragment of an intuitionistic higher-order logic with equality. Within this system, a large number object logics can be represented. A general method of encoding a sequent calculus as an object logic in a form suitable for proving properties of the calculus is presented. Some suggestions about general use of Isabelle in this area are made. 1 Introduction As with most Logical Frameworks, Isabelle uses an ASCII notation for the symbols of logic not available on a keyboard. Appendix A gives a basic introduction to this, but throughout this paper standard logical notations will be used for ease of reading. Isabelle represents a highly modular system with many incompatible object logics having been developed based on a single core, the Pure core system. The Pure syst...
In business information systems, many of the questions of both ethics and business benefit can be... more In business information systems, many of the questions of both ethics and business benefit can be usefully considered in terms of levels and type of open-ness to be applied. In this paper, I examine both the ethical implications of such choices, but also the business benefits to be gained, from choosing a more open path. software licensing issues, communication protocols, data formats and customer relations are all considered through this lens. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.
We review the development of European directives relating to copyright, and in particular the ori... more We review the development of European directives relating to copyright, and in particular the origins and development of the 2001 directive on harmonisation of copyright regimes for the “information society”. We present evidence that initial tendencies to balance the rights of individual users were swept aside in efforts to comply with international treaties and commercial lobbying (which also influenced the treaty development) on behalf of vested interests of the current distribution industry. In support of this thesis we present textual analysis of the development of copyright policy in the EU, beginning with the European Commission Green Paper issued in 1988, through a number of related directives, a further Green Paper in 1995 and the various stages of the development of the final directive enacted in 2001 following four years of discussion. We relate the European legislation to the international regime defined by the Berne Convention, the World Intellectual Property Organisatio...
In 2012 Edward Snowden starting releasing a cache of computer files to a small number of journali... more In 2012 Edward Snowden starting releasing a cache of computer files to a small number of journalists, which he claimed to have copied from servers at the US' National Security Agency (NSA). The NSA have disputed the context or interpretation of some of the material published by the journalists, but have confirmed that Snowden had previously worked at the agency as an employee of an external firm Booz Hamilton. The result of Snowden's revelations have included a large scale debate about the activities of both the US' NSA and their partner agency in the UK (Government Communications Headquarters) in monitoring the communications of individuals and organisations worldwide. ACM SIGCAS makes an Award each year called the "Making a Difference Award". Typically this has gone to a researcher in computer ethics or a practitioner or researcher in some other field of computer science whose work has had a significant socially beneficial impact. In 2013 some members of SIGC...
The current state of the art and direction of research in computer vision aimed at automating the... more The current state of the art and direction of research in computer vision aimed at automating the analysis of CCTV images is presented. This includes low level identification of objects within the field of view of cameras, following those objects over time and between cameras, and the interpretation of those objects' appearance and movements with respect to models of behaviour (and therefore intentions inferred). The potential ethical problems (and some potential opportunities) such developments may pose if and when deployed in the real world are presented, and suggestions made as to the necessary new regulations which will be needed if such systems are not to further enhance the power of the surveillers against the surveilled.
workpackage 1 of the project: copyright and IPR. When the project was initiated, there was, in th... more workpackage 1 of the project: copyright and IPR. When the project was initiated, there was, in the internet community, a great deal of interest in the area of “Intellectual Property Protection ” — so-called IPP. There was a strong view at the time, boosted by the U.S.’s Digital Millenium Copyright Act, that this would be done by cryptographic-based “Digital Rights Management ” techniques — so-called DRM. 1 Digital Rights Management Digital Rights Management technology was seen in 2001, by many, especially in the music and video industries, who claimed to be suffering greatly from Internet “piracy”, to be the panacea for their woes 1. It was felt at the time of writing the MKM proposal that mathematics could just latch on to what were clearly going to be industry-standard solutions. However, a more balanced view has now emerged, and a recent report [4] has the following in its Executive Summary. A principal consequence of deploying DRM technologies is to reduce
Given that the number of CCTV cameras in the UK is the largest in the world, and given that it is... more Given that the number of CCTV cameras in the UK is the largest in the world, and given that it is unclear when video data should be regarded as Personal Data (or what rights a blanket definition would reasonably provide to the surveilled) it is claimed that a CCTV Act is needed in the UK. This claim appears to be supported by the police authorities [Bal06a], although in addition to a broad claim regarding protection of privacy, their view is that private CCTV should be forced to be of sufficient quality and sufficiently accessible, to be of use to the police. Given the Office of the Surveillance Commissioners [OSC] existing role in oversight of police surveillance operations, it is suggested that the OSC be made responsible for licensing and regulating CCTV systems and operators. Protection of raw video data as a potential source of Personal Data when processed is necessary (and currently outside the scope of the Office of the Information Commissioner [OIC]). Where raw video data is...
Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems are often touted by the copyright material distribution i... more Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems are often touted by the copyright material distribution industry as a 'solution' to the 'problem' of digital content and peer-to-peer sharing of copyright information. We introduce the law and technology overlap issues this generates, and present some motivating examples as to why this is an area in need of significant academic study. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.
Student cheating on university assessments from entrance exams to finals and from contract cheati... more Student cheating on university assessments from entrance exams to finals and from contract cheating on coursework to requesting exam answers using a mobile phone during the exam, has received more and more attention of late. As connection to the Internet becomes ubiquitous and computing and communications technology more embedded in our environment, it is argued that a re-focussing on providing educational opportunities is needed in higher education, rather than chasing the ever-retreating prospect of perfect, or even adequate, assessment for the purposes of qualification.
Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 2017
Purpose This study aims to map Swedish students’ attitudes towards Snowden’s revelations and thei... more Purpose This study aims to map Swedish students’ attitudes towards Snowden’s revelations and their effects in the political and socio-cultural environment of Sweden. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was answered by 190 Swedish university students. The quantitative responses to the survey and qualitative considerations of free text answers were statistically analysed. Findings Swedish students had a high level of knowledge about the Snowden revelations; they actively searched for information, gave a positive judgement of Snowden’s actions and were willing to follow his example in Sweden, although not in the USA. They trusted their country and most of its institutions and authorities except for secret service agencies and the internet and computer software companies. Practical implications This study could be used as a design of education for university students, especially in information technology programmes. Social implications The study can be used for developing and ap...
Education, especially higher education, is considered vital for maintaining national and individu... more Education, especially higher education, is considered vital for maintaining national and individual competitiveness in the global knowledge economy. Following the introduction of its "Free Education Policy" as early as 1947, Sri Lanka is now the best performer in basic education in the South Asian region, with a remarkable record in terms of high literacy rates and the achievement of universal primary education. However, access to tertiary education is a bottleneck, due to an acute shortage of university places. In an attempt to address this problem, the government of Sri Lanka has invested heavily in information and communications technologies (ICTs) for distance education. Although this has resulted in some improvement, the authors of this article identify several barriers which are still impeding successful participation for the majority of Sri Lankans wanting to study at tertiary level. These impediments include the lack of infrastructure/resources, low English language proficiency, weak digital literacy, poor quality of materials and insufficient provision of student support. In the hope that future implementations of ICTenabled education programmes can avoid repeating the mistakes identified by their research in this Sri Lankan case, the authors conclude their paper with a list of suggested policy options.
The access problem in scholarly communication is presented along the institutional repository sol... more The access problem in scholarly communication is presented along the institutional repository solution, in slides for talks given in Open Access Week 2010. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of online learning in distance educati... more The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of online learning in distance educational delivery at Yellow Fields University (pseudonymous) in Sri Lanka. The implementation of online distance education at the University included the use of blended learning. The policy initiative to introduce online components to distance education in Sri Lanka was guided by the expectation of cost reduction and the implementation was financed under the Distance Education Modernization Project. This paper presents one case study of a larger multiple-case-study research project that employed an ethnographic research approach in investigating the impact of ICT on distance education in Sri Lanka. Documents, questionnaires and qualitative interviews were used for data collection. The lack of access to computers and the Internet, the lack of infrastructure, low levels of computer literacy, the lack of local language content, and the lack of formal student support services at the University w...
Social Network Sites (SNS) have become a very common part of life for a majority of regular Inter... more Social Network Sites (SNS) have become a very common part of life for a majority of regular Internet users. The implications of this usage for the privacy of users is a topic of significant concern socially and legally, and with respect to multiple parties: their connections, unconnected other users of the site, other ordinary Internet users, platform operators, other commercial organisations and governments. Some claims have been made that because users submit a significant amount of their information directly and voluntarily to these sites, that such usage should all be regarded as voluntary and subject to no significant privacy controls. In this paper the relevant sociological and psychological literature (general and specific) on the actual level of control users have over their actions and their data is presented, with the result that greater regulatory control is suggested. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.
Abstract. We present a verifiable symbolic definite integral table look-up: a system which matche... more Abstract. We present a verifiable symbolic definite integral table look-up: a system which matches a query, comprising a definite integral with parameters and side conditions, against an entry in a verifiable table and uses a call to a library of facts about the reals in the theorem prover PVS to aid in the transformation of the table entry into an answer. Our system is able to obtain correct answers in cases where standard techniques implemented in computer algebra systems fail. We present the full model of such a system as well as a description of our prototype implementation showing the efficacy of such a system: for example, the prototype is able to obtain correct answers in cases where computer algebra systems [CAS] do not. We extend upon Fateman’s web-based table by including parametric limits of integration and queries with side conditions. 1
Digital accounts are usually either personal or group accounts. Personal accounts are designed fo... more Digital accounts are usually either personal or group accounts. Personal accounts are designed for use by one person and often have terms and conditions restricting their use to that person. Group accounts are not always available and where they exist often have no ability to distinguish between users. In the real world visitors to our homes and offices can peruse our bookshelf and borrow our books, our neighbours do our shopping for us, or answer our phone. Using a sequence of real-world derived anecdotes, we explore the consequences of this mismatch between how relationships work in the real world and the lack of support for these online, in terms of the security risks of using solo accounts for shared purposes, the losses when sharing is impossible or too great a risk, and the problems caused by foreseeable major events (death of an account holder) not covered by procedures.
Given that the number of CCTV cameras in the UK is the largest in the world, and given that it is... more Given that the number of CCTV cameras in the UK is the largest in the world, and given that it is unclear when video data should be regarded as Personal Data (or what rights a blanket definition would reasonably provide to the surveilled) it is claimed that a CCTV Act is needed in the UK. This claim appears to be supported by the police authorities [Bal06a], although in addition to a broad claim regarding protection of privacy, their view is that private CCTV should be forced to be of sufficient quality and sufficiently accessible, to be of use to the police. Given the Office of the Surveillance Commissioners ’ [OSC] existing role in oversight of police surveillance operations, it is suggested that the OSC be made responsible for licensing and regulating CCTV systems and operators. Protection of raw video data as a potential source of Personal Data when processed is necessary (and currently outside the scope of the Office of the Information Commissioner [OIC]). Where raw video data ...
Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 2017
Purpose This study aims to investigate how Snowden’s revelations are viewed by young people in th... more Purpose This study aims to investigate how Snowden’s revelations are viewed by young people in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan through questionnaire surveys of and follow-up interviews with university students in the two countries, taking into account the histories and current status of state surveillance in these countries and the current complicated and delicate cross-strait relationships. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaire surveys of 315 PRC and 111 Taiwanese university students (a majority studying in those places but a few studying abroad) and semi-structured follow-up interviews with 16 master’s course students from the PRC and one from Taiwan (all studying at Meiji University in Japan) were conducted, in addition to reviews of the literature on privacy and state surveillance in the PRC and Taiwan. The outcomes of the survey were statistically analysed and qualitative analyses of the interview results were also performed. Findings Youngsters living in th...
Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 2017
Purpose As part of an international study of knowledge of and attitudes to Snowden’s revelations ... more Purpose As part of an international study of knowledge of and attitudes to Snowden’s revelations about the activities of the National Security Agency/Government Communications Headquarters, this paper aims to deal with Germany, taking its socio-cultural and political environment surrounding privacy and state surveillance into account. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was answered by 76 German University students. The quantitative responses to the survey were statistically analysed as well as qualitative considerations of free text answers. Findings Snowden’s revelations have had an important influence over German students’ attitudes toward privacy and state surveillance, and show concerns over the privacy risks associated with Internet activity. Practical implications The study results imply a need to build a collective awareness of the importance of the right to privacy and its responsibilities, the available technological options for individuals to exert their own priva...
Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 2017
Purpose This paper aims to introduce a cross-cultural study of the views and implications of Snow... more Purpose This paper aims to introduce a cross-cultural study of the views and implications of Snowden’s revelations about NSA/GCHQ surveillance practices, undertaken through surveys administered in eight countries. The aims and academic and social significance are explained, and justification is offered for the methods used. Design/methodology/approach Pilot surveys were deployed in two countries, following which revised versions were deployed in eight countries (including expanded collection in the original pilot countries). Quantitative analysis of suitable answer sets (Yes/No; Likert scales) and quantitative analysis (interpretation of free text answers) were performed. Findings Through the pilot survey studies conducted in Japan and Spain, the academic significance and meaningfulness, as well as social significance of the project, were confirmed. Practical implications The results of the cross-cultural study are expected to contribute not only to the advance of surveillance study...
When the term openness is mentioned in business with respect to information systems, many people ... more When the term openness is mentioned in business with respect to information systems, many people assume that the only question at issue is whether to choose open source or proprietary licensed off-the-shelf software. However, there are many other aspects of information systems relevant for business in which questions of openness or closure are highly relevant, and even the software licensing question is not as simple or stark a choice as it may first appear. In this talk, based on the recent paper "The Open vs Closed Debate", the speaker will cover a few of these other items (more on covered in the paper)* - the range of options for software licensing for internal and bespoke developments, including shared ownership and code escrow among others; - the related questions of data formats and communications protocols; - whether online customer groups are treated as customers or a community, and the benefits and pitfalls of each approach. The thesis that a more nuanced approach to questions of openness and ownership is needed in the knowledge economy is put forward, supported by examples of beneficial practices.
There has been an academic myth since at least Benedict's 1940s "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword"... more There has been an academic myth since at least Benedict's 1940s "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" that the Japanese have little or no sense of privacy. This myth has been challenged by a number of scholars in recent years, all of whome point out that while the exact details of Japanese people's concepts of the various kinds of privacy (bodily, surveillance, information) differ in detail to those of other countries, these ideas still exist, and in fact contain no greater difference than that between other countries such as Germany and the US.
One of the arguments put forward for the Japanese lack of a sense of information privacy was the limited Japanese data protection legislation of 1988 which only covered government use of data, leaving commercial use of data entirely to voluntary codes of practice. However, in 2003, the Japanese government introduced revised data protection legislation for the public sector and introduced legislation it publicly stated was hoped to bring Japan under the EU's third country export regulations.
Prof Adams of Meiji University will present recent joint work with Murata (also of Meiji) and Orito (of Ehime) on the Japanese Sense of Information Privacy, historically and how this has been effected by computer and networking systems, and the broader political background to the development of the 2003 data protection legislation.
I present the access problem regarding the peer-reviewed scholarly literature and the institution... more I present the access problem regarding the peer-reviewed scholarly literature and the institutional repository and deposit mandate solution.
I present the access problem regarding the peer-reviewed scholarly literature and the institution... more I present the access problem regarding the peer-reviewed scholarly literature and the institutional repository and deposit mandate solution.
Uploads
Books by Andrew Adams
Papers by Andrew Adams
In this talk, based on the recent paper "The Open vs Closed Debate", the speaker will cover a few of these other items (more on covered in the paper)*
- the range of options for software licensing for internal and bespoke developments, including shared ownership and code escrow among others;
- the related questions of data formats and communications protocols;
- whether online customer groups are treated as customers or a community, and the benefits and pitfalls of each approach.
The thesis that a more nuanced approach to questions of openness and ownership is needed in the knowledge economy is put forward, supported by examples of beneficial practices.
One of the arguments put forward for the Japanese lack of a sense of information privacy was the limited Japanese data protection legislation of 1988 which only covered government use of data, leaving commercial use of data entirely to voluntary codes of practice. However, in 2003, the Japanese government introduced revised data protection legislation for the public sector and introduced legislation it publicly stated was hoped to bring Japan under the EU's third country export regulations.
Prof Adams of Meiji University will present recent joint work with Murata (also of Meiji) and Orito (of Ehime) on the Japanese Sense of Information Privacy, historically and how this has been effected by computer and networking systems, and the broader political background to the development of the 2003 data protection legislation.