Questions on "A Deep Dive into Facebook and Datalogix"

"A Deep Dive into Facebook and Datalogix: What's Actually Getting Shared and How You Can Opt Out" (Reitman):

1.  Would more people opt out of the program if they knew that Facebook was sharing information with Datalogix?

2.   "Due to the large sample sizes that were being tested, it would be impossible to figure out whether a specific individual bought a specific item"  Can Datalogix really determine the effectiveness of an ad if this is true?

3.  "Apparently Facebook also sent in a privacy and security auditor to assess this issue, and was satisfied with the results."  Shouldn't this be a third-party auditor?  It isn't much of a surprise that Facebook's privacy and security auditor was satisfied with the results.

Questions for Group 2 "IT & Politics"

"The Emerging Role of Social Media in Political and Regime Change" (Rita Safranek) -

1.  What methods do repressive governments use within social media to suppress dissent?

2.  Do peaceful protests lead to successful revolutions only if a government is willing to allow it to happen?

3.  If only 21% of Egyptians use the internet, did social media really play that big of a role in their protests? 

Social Media and I

Facebook is a juggernaut of social media. I have spent plenty of my free time scrolling through the news feed on Facebook. I often wonder what I expect to find while I'm checking people's statuses. When I first discovered Facebook, I would regularly update my status and would maintain my farm in Farmville. Lately I've felt more detached from Facebook, because I don't really participate within the community anymore. I tend to block people more often than adding new friends or liking new pages. I'll comment here-and-there on other people's statuses, but I rarely update my own status. While it currently seems hugely popular, I wonder if anybody will still care about Facebook in 10 years. Honestly, I feel like Facebook is just a fad. As my attention drifts away from Facebook, I have found other websites that do more than fill the void.

Reddit calls itself the front page of the internet, and it's hard to disagree. It's not only a great place to find trending memes and youtube videos, but it's also a great place for lolz and generally finding out what the hell is happening in the world of the internet. I feel like Reddit truly showed its power when it and Wikipedia shutdown for a day in order to raise awareness for SOPA. I frequently lurk around both of these of sites looking for both information and entertainment. There is something great about anonymously sharing information. It just feels more accessible through the internet.

IGN is another website is another website that I frequently visit. It's a gaming journalism and review site. For me the comments section provide a nice forum. In addition to providing a source for lolz, it provides a place for genuine discussion for passionate readers. For me anonymity makes the discussion more accessible. I can post my thoughts without the need to worry or really even knowing how people will react. It's a place I can go to share a conversation with people who I don't know, but we share a common interest.

Developments in social media are shaping our modern culture. Face-to-face interaction is slowly becoming rarer but also more valuable to me. Often times I wonder if how much of analog interaction will be replaced by digital interaction. Sometimes I'm glad that I have a “dumb” phone, so I don't have Facebook in my pocket 24/7.

Week 6 Reading Questions Part 2

The Attention Economy and the Net (Goldhaber) -

1.  What is "Illusory Attention"?

2.  Why would companies let their employees bounce around from company to company?

3. "Attention transactions, which already are far more numerous than monetary transactions will come to dominate even further. So even if you have lots of money, you will find it less and less convenient or worthwhile to bother to use it."  What does Goldhaber really mean by this?

Week 6 Reading Questions

The Net & The Web (Hakim Bey) -

1.  What is the "Temorary Autonomous Zone"?

2.  When Bey talks about "data-piracy," is he talking about torrenting or are there other methods?

3.  What is a "yuppetariat"?

Group Project #2

These are my responses to questions asked by Kelly Turgeon.  Kelly's blog can be found at: http://atls2000kellyturgeon.blogspot.com/

1.  "Is there anyway a website can protect it self from being a victim to these types of online server attacks?"  

Various methods of prevention exist, and they all seem to have varying rates of success.  Some prevention and response tools include: firewalls, switches, application front end hardware, IPS based prevention, DDS based defense, clean pipes, blackholing, and sinkholing.  The wikipedia article on DDoS attacks provides a good amount of information on these various forms of defense: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial-of-service_attack


2.  "How has the group gained so much support if they don’t have an identity?  Do they work together to do these hacks or do they all just label themselves under the ‘Anonymous’ title?"  

Anonymous functions as a collective, but there is no formal structure or membership process.  My guess is that a small group of individuals will pick a target and support is gained throughout the group by word of mouth.  Coleman says that "Because anyone can take the name - as many different, seemingly unrelated affiliations have done - operations can be intensified quickly after a weakness on the part of the target is discovered, or shutdown immediately if trouble or internal controversy arises."  It seems to me that all the members share the credit and the blame for whatever the group decides to do. They don't lack an identity: it's one that is mysteriously obscure and gaining fame/infamy.

3.  "What is ‘a Cartesian attitude’?"

This is something I was also curious about.  It seems to be skepticism taken to the extreme.  It's doubting every bit of knowledge and constantly asking "What can we know for certain?".

Questions for Weekly Readings - Week 5

The Ethics of Digital Direct Action - 
1.  "'We want to send a message that chaos on the internet is unacceptable,' said Steven Chabinsky, deputy
assistant FBI director."  Who decides what is chaotic activity on the internet and what isn't?

2.  Why is a protest considered criminal activity once it's moved from physical space to the internet?

3.  What is the necessary evidence in order to convict someone involved in a DDoS attack?


Our Weirdness is Free - 
1.  What does Coleman mean when she says that Anonymous doesn't harbor a "Cartesian attitude."

2.  Are the communities belonging to Anonymous and WikiLeaks one and the same?

3.  Would Coleman consider protesting to be the highest form of trolling?


Cyberdeterence and Cyberwar -
1.  What exactly does Libicki mean when he says: "organizations are vulnerable to cyberattack only to the extent they want to be."

2.  Shouldn't the United States make strategic cyberwar a priority investment area at least as an option for a counterattack?

3.  Is an EMP the ultimate form of attack in terms of Cyberwar?