Re: [projectvrm] small data, where n = me

[Kevin Cox < >]

Thanks Phil.

This is a great explanation of why N = 1 is so useful to the 1.

It shows why behavioural authentication is "good enough" for most purposes.

John,

We are creating systems where the digital traces are under the control of the individual and where every entity has a unique identifier for every other entity.  There are ways of eating third party cookies without leaving crumbs. Our legal systems can stop the so called security services leaving crumbs or eating all the cookies.

A community has the right to protect itself and governments (or perhaps local government) should have the right to inspect an individual's digital footprint but only if there is evidence of working against the community as determined by an umpire (the legal system). We should foster ways for an individual to "tell themselves" when they are working against the interests of their communities - that is an electronic conscience.

Technology can assist create a private electronic environment but the important work is constructing social structures to, amongst other things, 

• support the idea of the sovereignty of the individual, 
  
• the idea of cooperating for the common good, 
  
• the idea of a moral conscience, 
  
• and the idea of crowd review of innovations. 
  

Kevin

On Sat, Apr 12, 2014 at 3:43 AM, John Wunderlich < " target="_blank"> > wrote:

The article assumes that the digital traces are there and being used by advertisers et al anyway, so they should be made available to the individuals who generate the traces. Good things could then be done. Given the underlying presumption, I would agree with the author, and it’s VRMish. That being said it would be interesting to see this written from the point of view of an adversary or ill wisher. Say, for example, from the point of view of an authoritarian government. What could they do with these digital traces. The technology is available for use in democratic and non-democratic states alike.

What would make it really VRM is if the actually creation of the digital traces were placed under the control of the individual AND where the default is ‘no traces’.

JW

On Apr 11, 2014, at 12:27 PM, Phil Windley < " target="_blank"> > wrote:

Article in Communication of the ACM on what can be done with personal life traces. 

http://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2014/4/173218-small-data-where-n-me/fulltext