Assigned Readings
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This page contains the readings for the entire class. Please keep in mind that readings will be updated over the course of the semester, so check back frequently to make sure you aren't missing anything!
January 26 - Politics and Technology of Control: Introduction
Readings/Watchings
What is the Internet?
- Ethan Zuckerman, History of the Internet (approx. 7 mins., watch all)
- Jonathan Zittrain, How the Internet Works (approx. 4 mins., watch all)
How does the Internet change governance?
- You can hear Barlow read this here.
- Rob Faris and Rebekah Heacock, Platforms and Policy (from the 'Internet Monitor' 2014 annual report)
- Rebecca MacKinnon, Let’s Take Back the Internet! (TED.com) (approx. 15 mins., watch all)
Who governs the Internet?
- ICANN, Who Runs the Internet? (infographic)
- Alex Simonelis, A Concise Guide to the Major Internet Bodies (skim, but focus on ICANN, IETF, IANA, and W3C)
Who is the Internet? Who is it not? What can we do about it?
- Eszter Hargittai, The Digital Divide and What to Do About It (New Economy Handbook) (focus on Sections I-III)
- Hargittai’s data is from 2003. For more recent data, see Pew Internet & American Life Project, Who's Not Online and Why (read the summary, skim the sections).
- Ethan Zuckerman, Why Our Webs Are Rarely Worldwide, And What We Can Do About It (approx. 14 mins., watch all)
Optional Readings
- Ellery Biddle, Who Controls the Internet? (Global Voices) (video in Spanish with English subtitles, 10 mins., watch all)
- Chris Locke, Doc Searls & David Weinberger, Cluetrain Manifesto (just the manifesto); and New Clues
February 3 - Paradigms for Studying the Internet
Readings
- Mechanisms of control
- Lawrence Lessig, Code 2.0, Chapter 7 (read intro, "A Dot's Life," and "On Governments and Ways to Regulate")
- Rob Faris and Rebekah Heacock, Measuring Internet Activity: a (Selective) Review of Methods and Metrics (read 1-3 and 9-22)
- The effects of control
- Jonathan Zittrain, The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It (Chapter 1, "The Battle of the Boxes," and Chapter 4, "The Generative Pattern," only)
- Yochai Benkler, The Wealth of Networks (pp. 379-396 only; stop at "The Physical Layer")
Optional Readings
- Jeffrey Lin, Play Nice: the Science and Behavior of Online Games (Focus on 0:00-27:17. It's a long video, but an interesting exploration of how one company uses game design to regulate griefing and other online bad behavior. Some of the discussed language is NSFW.)
- danah boyd, White Flight in Networked Publics? How Race and Class Shaped American Teen Engagement with MySpace and Facebook (read 1-11, skim 12-18, read 19-end)
- Orin Kerr, The Problem of Perspective in Internet Law (Focus on sections I and II)
February 10 - Privacy Part 1: Corporate Data Gathering and Intrusions by the Public
Readings
- Conceptualizing privacy
- Privacy and data
- Robert Faris and David O'Brien, Data and Privacy (from Internet Monitor 2014: Reflections on the Digital World)
- Play around with some of the websites by Latanya Sweeney
- Corporate data practices
Optional Readings
- Lawrence Lessig, Code 2.0 (Chapter 7) (focus on "Privacy in Public: Data")
February 17 - A Series of Tubes: The Internet's Backbone and Network Neutrality
Readings
- Connectivity
- The Berkman Center, How Do We Connect To The Internet? (about 7 mins., watch all)
- Yochai Benkler et al., Next Generation Connectivity (executive summary and introduction only)
- Network Neutrality
- New reading (optional, but highly recommended) - Federal Communications Commission, Chairman Wheeler Proposes New Rules for Protecting the Open Internet
Optional Readings
- Rob Faris and Rebekah Heacock, Measuring Internet Activity: a (Selective) Review of Methods and Metrics (pages 3-9)
February 24 - Privacy Part 2: The Right to Be Forgotten
Readings
Optional Readings
- Google Spain SL v. Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (an abridged version of the ECJ decision from May 2014 - built on the Berkman Center's own H2O Platform for online textbooks)
- Aleksandra Kuczerawy and Jef Ausloos, European Union and Google Spain (from the brand new report from the Global Network of Internet and Society centers)
- EU Data Protection Working Party, Guidelines on the Implementation of the Court of Justice of the European Union Judgment on Google Spain and accompanying press release
March 3 - Privacy Part 3: Government Surveillance
Readings
- Government vs. Corporate Surveillance
- Surveillance Theory and Practice
- Neil Richards, The Dangers of Surveillance (pages 1934-96; 1942-45; and 1952-58)
- If you're interested, the Donohue article can be found here.
- Re/Code, An Interview with President Obama (10:50-15:25 only)
- Transparency and Accountability
- IC on the Record (skim)
- Twitter Transparency Report (skim)
Optional Readings
- The Jennifer Granick / Orin Kerr debates on metadata and the Fourth Amendment
- Emily Bell et al., Comment to Review Group on Intelligence and Communication Technologies Regarding the Effects of Mass Surveillance on the Practice of Journalism (pages 9-12 ("Mass surveillance raises issues beyond individual surveillance," "Secret and confusing law," and "Chilling Effects") only)
March 10 - Speech, Day 1: Free Expression, Information, and Unwanted Speech
Readings
- Speech Theory
- Informing the Public in the Internet Age
- Persephone Miel and Rob Faris, News and Information as Digital Media Come of Age (read executive summary)
- Craig Silverman, Lies, Damned Lies, and Viral Content: How News Websites Spread (And Debunk) Online Rumors, Unverified Claims, and Misinformation (read executive summary)
- Private, public, and platforms - control of speech online
- Adam Holland et al., NoC Intermediary Case Studies: Intermediary Liability of Intermediaries in the United States (Sections I and II.A. only)
- Berkman Center, How Internet Censorship Works (about 7 mins., watch all)
- Biz Stone and Alex Macgillivary, The Tweets Must Flow and The Tweets Still Must Flow
- Unwanted and Dangerous Speech
Optional Readings
- You may want to revisit EFF's Facing the Challenge of Online Harassment, from the second class's readings
- Yochai Benkler, The Wealth of Networks (Chapter 7) (skim from 225 ("Our second story focuses…") to 241 (end before "On Power Law Distributions, Network Topology, and Being Heard"); read from 261-66 ("Who Will Play the Watchdog Function?"))
- David Ardia, Free Speech Savior or Shield for Scoundrels: An Empirical Study of Intermediary Immunity Under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (Read all of Section I, Parts C&D of Section II, and Conclusion)
- RonNell Anderson Jones, Litigation, Legislation, and Democracy in a Post-Newspaper America (Section I only)
- This American Life, Picture Show (audio, from 0:00 to 5:09)
March 17 - No class (Spring Break)
March 24 - Speech, Day 2: Collective Action, Hacktivism, and Social Movements
Readings/Watchings
- Framing
- Ethan Zuckerman, New Media, New Civics? (read "The Thick and the Thin of Participatory Civics", skim rest)
- Bruce Etling et al., Political Change in the Digital Age: The Fragility and Promise of Online Organizing (read introduction, "Digital Technologies, Information and Political Transitions," "Online Organizing and Contentious Politics," and "The Uncertain Future of Digital Organizing")
- Defining hackers, hacking, and hacktivism
- Gabriella Coleman, Anonymous from lulz to activists (from 0:00 to 54:26)
- Case Studies
- Yochai Benkler et al., Social Mobilization and the Networked Public Sphere: Mapping the SOPA/PIPA Debate (pg. 4-10 only)
- Rob Faris et al., Score Another One for the Open Internet? The Role of the Networked Public Sphere in the U.S. Net Neutrality Debate (read intro and conclusion, skim rest)
- Bruce Etling et al., Mapping the Arabic Blogosphere: Politics, Culture, and Dissent (read Key Findings and Introduction, skim rest)
Optional Readings
- Daniel Drezner and Henry Farrel, The Power and Politics of Blogs (read introduction, "The networked structure of the blogosphere;" skim "How skewedness affects politics;" read "The constraints on blog influence" and conclusion)
- Benjamen Walker, Doing it for the LULZ (from Too Much Information) (11:00 to 22:45 only, language at times is NSFW. Too Much Information drifts between fiction and non-fiction, but this excerpt is non-fiction.)
- Lada Adamic and Natalie Glance, The Political Blogosphere and the 2004 U.S. Election: Divided They Blog (read introduction, analysis, and conclusion – i.e., pages 1-3 and 8-15)
- Alex Remington, Social Media and Participation in Political Protest: Observations from Tahrir Square
- Yochai Benker, The Wealth of Networks (Chapter 7 - "The Emergence of a Networked Public Sphere")
March 31 - Privacy Part 1: Corporate Data Gathering
Readings
- Conceptualizing privacy
- Privacy and data
- Chris Anderson, The End of Theory (Wired appears to be having some troubles with their links this week, so if that doesn't work, try this cached version.)
- Bruce Schneier, Why Anonymous Data Sometimes Isn't (see the note above about Wired - try this cached version if the link above doesn't work).
- Play around with some of the websites by Latanya Sweeney
- Corporate data practices
- Jennifer Valentino-Devires, Jeremy Singer-Vine, Ashkan Soltani, Websites Vary Prices, Deals Based on Users' Information (if this appears behind a paywal, play around with the WSJ's interactive graphics)
Optional Readings
- Lawrence Lessig, Code 2.0 (Chapter 7) (focus on "Privacy in Public: Data")
April 7 - Privacy Part 2: Government Surveillance
Readings
- Government vs. Corporate Surveillance
- Emily Bell et al., Comment to Review Group on Intelligence and Communication Technologies Regarding the Effects of Mass Surveillance on the Practice of Journalism (pages 9-12 ("Mass surveillance raises issues beyond individual surveillance," "Secret and confusing law," and "Chilling Effects") only)
- Case Study - the NSA Scandal and Surveillance Policy
- Bruce Schneier, The Battle for Power on the Internet (approx. 12:30, watch all)
- Surveillance and U.S. law
- If you're interested, the Donohue article can be found here.
Optional Readings
- The Jennifer Granick / Orin Kerr debates on metadata and the Fourth Amendment
April 14 - Informing the Public in the Internet Age
Readings
- The whos and wheres of modern journalism
- Persephone Miel and Rob Faris, News and Information as Digital Media Come of Age (read executive summary)
- Federal Communications Commission, Information Needs of Communities (read executive summary, skim overview)
- Yochai Benkler, The Wealth of Networks (Chapter 7) (read from 225 ("Our second story focuses…") to 241 (end before "On Power Law Distributions, Network Topology, and Being Heard"); read from 261-66 ("Who Will Play the Watchdog Function?"))
- Threats and issues
- This American Life, Picture Show (audio, from 0:00 to 5:09)
- RonNell Anderson Jones, Litigation, Legislation, and Democracy in a Post-Newspaper America (Section I only)
- Brendan Nyhan, Biases Abound (about 15 mins., watch all)
- New technologies and models
- Catherine D'Ignazio, Ali Hashmi, and Ethan Zuckerman, Mapping the (Boston) Globe (play with the website)
Optional Readings
- Jonathan Zittrain, 2009 Richard S. Salant Lecture on Freedom of the Press (the lecture starts at 19:45)
April 21 - Hacking, Hackers, and Hacktivism
Readings
- Defining hackers, hacking, and hacktivism
- Molly Sauter, Activist DDOS Campaigns: When Similes and Metaphors Fail (video, watch from to 1:56 to 21:44)
- Sauter uses the term "DDoS" throughout. This is an abbreviation for "distributed denial of service," a specific form of attack to a web server described in more detail here.
- Benjamen Walker, Doing it for the LULZ (from Too Much Information) (11:00 to 22:45 only, language at times is NSFW. Too Much Information drifts between fiction and non-fiction, but this excerpt is non-fiction.)
- Law and law enforcement
- United States Department of Justice, Prosecuting Computer Crimes (read pages 1-11: Introduction to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and Key Definitions)
- Case studies
Optional Readings
- Intelligence Squared Debate: "The Cyberwar Threat Has Been Grossly Exaggerated" (an Oxford-style debate with Marc Rotenberg, Bruce Schneier, Mike McConnell, and Jonathan Zittrain; watch the video of the debate)
April 28 - The Internet as a Tool of Education
Readings
- Modern distance education
- What is new and what is not?
- Radio Berkman, Wikis, Teaching, and the Digital Divide (audio, about 18 mins., listen to all)
- Concerns, doubts, and issues
- Case Studies - HarvardX and CopyrightX