Category Archives: policy

Engaging Data Forum @ MIT in October

Posted on May 26, 2009 by ben

I’m on the Program Committee for a new conference being held at MIT in the Fall, the Engaging Data Forum. A number of fascinating topics around the issues of managing personal electronic information. Of course I’m focused on the security, … Continue reading →

Posted in policy, privacy, security | Leave a comment

Creative Commons Tech Summit, June 26th

Posted on May 26, 2009 by ben

Creative Commons is holding its third technology summit on June 26th. The previous two have been lots of fun, very productive, with a unique mix of policy-oriented tech folks. Plus, it’s in Italy! How can you go wrong?

Posted in policy | Leave a comment

Owning Genes

Posted on May 13, 2009 by ben

At some point in the history of patents, something went a little nutty: it became possible to patent genes themselves. Not “a method for extracting” a gene. Not “a method for synthesizing” a gene. But the gene itself. As a … Continue reading →

Posted in genomic, personal, policy | Leave a comment

We do (should) not torture

Posted on April 23, 2009 by ben

Major credit goes to Shep Smith of Fox News for this: Fox News is generally right-wing propaganda, but credit is due here, and I completely agree with Shep Smith. It doesn’t matter if it works. We do not torture. Well, … Continue reading →

Posted in policy | Leave a comment

Warrantless Wiretapping is not OK, even when Obama does it

Posted on April 13, 2009 by ben

I’m a big supporter of Obama, I volunteered for him, and I donated money to his campaign. And I’m proud of just about everything he’s been doing as President so far. But not everything. It seems that the Obama administration … Continue reading →

Posted in policy | Leave a comment

Does CVS provide a CSV?

Posted on April 7, 2009 by ben

Over the last two years, I’ve spent most of my time on… not elections believe it or not, but rather the personal control of health data over at Children’s Hospital, Boston, with a fantastic crew. And so now it turns … Continue reading →

Posted in health, personal, policy | 2 Comments

Disturbing Apple Trends

Posted on March 16, 2009 by ben

I’ve long been an Apple fan. It is somewhat dissonant with my strong attachment to open-source/free software, but I’ve learned to live with it because I am significantly more productive on Mac OS than on Linux, and I still have … Continue reading →

Posted in crypto, policy | 6 Comments

The Beautiful Magic of Cryptography

Posted on March 4, 2009 by ben

An election just wrapped up a few hours hours ago [public radio, le soir, RTL info]. The encrypted votes are stored in a redundant database, tied to each voter’s identifier, signed by the voting system, and available to all election … Continue reading →

Posted in crypto, policy, press, voting | 2 Comments

Enough with Secrecy in Research

Posted on February 20, 2009 by ben

If you do security research, say to make sure voting machines are secure, you could get sued because of the way copyright law is written. That’s insane. That’s why I enthusiastically signed on to Alex Halderman’s request for Exemption to … Continue reading →

Posted in policy | Leave a comment

Hotel Facebook and Tethered Data

Posted on February 18, 2009 by ben

After writing yesterday about the Facebook Terms of Service fiasco — Facebook just reverted their Terms of Service due to user outcry — I remembered that Mark Zuckerberg has talked about data ownership before. So I did a little bit … Continue reading →

Posted in policy, privacy | 1 Comment