Online Review; Surveillance in light of Apple's patent on spyware

This is the fourth in a series of posts for ARIN6903 – Exploring Digital Cultures – with the objective to write a series of online reviews related to topics covered in the class.

This week I will touch on the subject of “surveillance” in a different kind of way, using a recent occurrence, Apple’s granted patent on spyware.


Apple has been granted a (worldwide) patent to identify unauthorized users of the iPhone (Patent :). It’s been said that Apple will only use this ‘surveillance’ technology to trace iPhone users that have tinkered with and/or jailbroken their iPhone.

This ‘surveillance’ practice has been coined ‘traitorware’ by watchdog organizations (Davidson. 2010).

What may happen in the future is that, Apple can shut down your iPhone or iPad once they conduct their own due diligence, such as matching or recording your voice, take images, or even detect and record your heartbeat. Once the company determines that you are the unauthorized user, they can shut down your device and remotely store your personal data (Samuels. 2010).

The real issue here is more of another nature. As Michel Foucault (1977. in: Lanham. 2004) states that this relates more to bringing discipline into society, and this may be brought into by an individual or an organization. In the occurrence here, it’s Apple that is exerting its power, using its technology. And, this goes broader and links to cultural, societal, economical, and juridical-political implications to those users. It is the knowledge and personal data that will gain Apple power over others.

It is agreed that you should not tamper with proprietary devices, but once you own the device aren’t you allowed to use it to your own discretion? Back in July 2010, the US court ruled that users are allowed to tinker with or jailbreak their own device (AP. 2010). Nevertheless, Apple deems differently. That being said, do we need to maintain the relationship with the proprietor of the device and use all their preferred providers in our attempt to complement our lives? I feel strongly that we shouldn’t. In the past we have derived from a monopolistic business model, because it is not one in which society strives. Therefore, Apple becoming our watchdog, and dictates our freedom of use and communication, is potentially invasive.



References:

AP (2010). Jailbroken - now iPhones are for porn, too (Internet). Accessed on August 26. 2010. Viewed from Additional news

Davidson, H. (2010) Apple 'traitorware' can take your photo and shut down your jailbroken iPhone, iPad (Internet). Accessed on August 26, 2010. Viewed from traitorware

Foucault, M. (1977) ‘Panopticism’. In Kaplan, D.M. (ed.) Readings in the philosophy of technology. (2004) Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Samuels, J. (2010) Steve Jobs Is Watching You: Apple Seeking to Patent Spyware (Internet). Accessed on August 26, 2010. Viewed from Apple seeking patent

Online Review; manipulation of art (3)

This is the third in a series of posts for ARIN6903 – Exploring Digital Cultures – with the objective to write a series of online reviews related to topics covered in the class.

This week I will touch on the subject of manipulation of art, and its tentative impact on culture.


Artist, M.C. Escher - is one of the world's most famous graphic artists for his so-called impossible structures (Escher Company. 2010). He explored the concept of representing infinity on a two-dimensional plane. For instance, in his work, Relativity, a 1953 lithograph, he combines the theme of paradox with another common proprietary theme - the staircase (Epand. 2010). In Relativity, the laws of gravity are defied in favor of rooms and staircases that are turned in every direction (2010).
But what happens when the today’s self-made amateur starts manipulating Escher’s work in light of, e.g., correcting the laws of gravity in the piece of Relativity. Or augment the impossible structures in an attempt to ‘correct’ these thoughtful errors (by reproducing his work in a three-dimensional pane) or update the artwork with today’s technology, ideology or futuristic surrealism?





Look at some examples and see what can happen:
Escher Art Pictures
Deviant Art

I think that we have to merit artists based on their contribution to culture and the significant impact their work has accomplished in societies at large. In the past, Escher’s work allowed us to think differently – to look at things in a different way. If, in today’s augmented culture, we continue to change his work through digital reproduction, his hallmark will be lost to most of the new generation; they will not be able to grasp the artist’s upbringing, history and authenticity; and the tribute paid to that specific era in art – set in the 90s.




References:
Benjamin, W. (1935) ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’. In Benjamin, W. (1992) Illuminations. London: Fontana Press, pp. 211-244.

Epand, V. (2010). ‘The Paradoxical Art of MC Escher’ (Internet). Accessed on August 19, 2010. Viewed from ezinearticles.com

The M.C. Escher Company B.V. (2010). Accessed on August 20, 2010. Viewed from MC Escher

Online Review; Privacy, Security, Network, Culture (2)

Are Smartphones Replacing The Plastic Credit Card

This blog post refers to the privacy, security, networks, and ubiquity of contactless credit card processing.

Through the grapevine, we all heard about using your smartphone to make credit card payments without even touching your plastic card. This practice has already been used in Japan, Turkey and the U.K, but has not widely hit the market in Australia and the USA.
The rumors are no longer a fad, now two of the largest telecom companies joined the two largest credit card companies in their quest for contactless credit card processing using your smartphone.

Ubiquitous computing is an intertwining of networks and the local user, which draws together new possibilities (Varnelis & Friedberg. 2008). It’s a growing development in technology that enables the user to conduct all its activities on one device – in this case a mobile phone.
My premise is that this will contribute to the demise of the home computer used as such. It is the mobile device that’s going to take over converging integrated customized user applications and will act as a customized content-delivery system. We are entering an era of ubiquity in the use of new media, mutually stressed by Flew (2008).

Smartphones have encroached on tasks ranging from Web browsing to street navigation; now with two of the largest credit card companies joining the landscape – Visa and MasterCard – ventured in contactless credit card processing in the USA. Research has predicted that more than half of U.S. consumers — and 80 percent of those 18 to 34 — will use mobile financial services within five years (The Week. 2010).

The Technology

The smartphone will be augmented with the addition of an RFID antenna (Radio Frequency Identification) and chip, and this will be embedded into the phone. RFIDs are a passive way of providing smartphone users with the capacity to tell their stories. These are small tags and commonly used in inventory tracking stores (Varnelis & Friedberg. 2008).

Provided that all goes well, cell phone RFID payments could be more secure than paying with plastic (Eaton. 2010). However, RFID technology is not free from any threats such as viruses, security and privacy (PC World. 2010). Hackers, those who access, reproduce and modify data on the devices expose design flaws in the system, which could potentially be a detrimental issue on security (Dyer-Witherford. 2002), and threaten the acceptance of this technology at the inception. In the past, RFIDs have been subject to privacy and security issues, and no bulletproof way of deactivating of RFIDs has been identified yet (Albert & McIntyre. 1998). Once a user makes a credit card purchase, it’s forever identifiable with the user, and tracing the user is also possible then (Varnelis & Friedberg. 2008).

What’s the impact of the technology and on existing cultures?

Foremost, it will prospectively change the landscape of mobile phone use, merchandising, and its eco system – communication networks/infrastructure, payment culture, banking systems, merchant systems, cell phone provider services, security, and proprietary rights issues.

Although these digital ubiquitous developments will take up time before it is fully implemented and widely accepted, I predict that it is going to mark the next era in our culture of how we conduct our business, communicate, obtain content, and process transactions in the future.





References:

Albert & McIntyre (1998). Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move With RFID. Nashville: Nelson Current

Eaton, K. (2010) Specter of Apple Looms Over Verizon, AT&T's Cell Phone Credit Cards Game (Internet). New York: Fast Company. Accessed on August 9, 2010. Viewed from fast company

Eichenbaum, P. & Collins, M. (2010), AT&T, Verizon to Target Visa, MasterCard With Smartphones (Internet). Accessed on Aug 2, 2010. Viewed from bloomberg

Varnelis, K & Friedberg, A. (2008) Networked Publics, MIT, Cambridge MA.

Other sources:
Accessed on August 9, 2010. Viewed from the week

Online Review; collective intelligence

Online Review One: Collective Intelligence

All of us are smarter than any one of us (Brown, 2009, Levy, 1997). Understanding this is the key to unlocking the innovative power of any individual or group (Brown, 2009). The concept of ‘collective knowledge’ (Flew, 2008, Levy, 1997) refers to the capacity of networked computers to exponentially enhance the pool of social knowledge and contributions enabled by social networks (Flew, 2008, Levy, 1997). This concept was discussed in class in relation to the ‘20 key new media concepts’ (Flew, 2008).

Collaboration across interdisciplinary boundaries thrives on the Internet (Brown, 2009) and as such the concept of collective intelligence flourishes where a profusion of new participants join online. In this context, one case study from OpenIDEO, (A) Food Revolution is examined in order to explain how the concept of collective intelligence works. Food Revolution calls for new methods to educate children to make healthier food choices at school. The case is subject to the collaborative innovation decision-making process of openIDEO.com, an online platform for creative collectives (OpenIDEO, 2010). It mobilises creative minds on a global scale (Granovetter, 1973, OpenIDEO, 2010, Watts, 2003); it attracts and inspires individuals to develop innovative solutions for the greater social good within and beyond IDEO’s network, while attaining recognition for their achievements (OpenIDEO, 2010). This collaborative initiative further facilitates the strategies: inspiration, conception, evaluation and monitoring of problem-solving activities (Sternberg, 1986), and extends to create global communities.

To date, creative collectives on OpenIDEO have contributed:



One of the paramount reasons why OpenIDEO chooses to utilise collective intelligence is due to the collaborative nature of its concept; its multiplier effect on the outcome; its pool of intercultural and cross-functional participants; its shared consensus; and, the limited capital resources needed.

On the one hand, Maher (2010) observes that collective intelligence accommodates an inclusive process, in which participants extend into a broader community to participate in the knowledge process with the aim to fulfil a common social goal. On the other hand, communities are the grassroots of network societies and societies at large. OpenIDEO’s global community fosters a shared belief, knowledge, inspiration and sense of moving forward. People join the network because of its attractiveness, subsequently updating their information and ideas, both synchronously and asynchronously (Gros, 2008).

In examining OpenIDEO’s online platform, it is clear that the use of collective intelligence produces merit in participants’ work. It is a resourceful, economical concept of gaining the freshest and brightest ideas without directly paying the contributors; participants and receivers inspire and share the recognition. Moreover, collective intelligence is advantageous to investigate whether an idea or specific knowledge has cultural ‘significance’ to prevail in culture and/or get picked up by the crowds. It exemplifies the needs of societies at large.

While an immediate threat relating to the concept does not come to mind, I acknowledge that it might diminish individuality and proprietary knowledge advancement. There may be a slight chance that participants’ values and beliefs clash within the network, after which they might withdraw from it in the end (Watts, 2010).


References:

Brown, T. 2009. Change by design: how design thinking transforms organizations and inspires innovation, New York, Harper Collins Publishers.

Flew, T. 2008. New Media: An introduction, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Granovetter, M. S. 1973. The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78 1360-1380.

Gros, C. 2008. Complex and Adaptive Dynamical Systems, Berlin, Springer-Verlag.

Kooren, K. 2010. Creative & Interactive Media. Creative & Interactive Media [Online]. Available from: http://creativemedia-kk.blogspot.com/ [Accessed 9 August 2010].

Levy, P. 1997. Collective Intelligence: Mankind's Emerging World in Cyberspace, New York Plenum Trade.

Maher, M. L. Year. Motivation and Collective Intelligence: Design Lessons In: Collective Intelligence 14 April 2010 University of Sydney.

Openideo. 2010. Introduction to OpenIDEO [Online]. New York: openIDEO. Available: http://openideo.com/ [Accessed 15 August 2010].

Sternberg, R. J. 1986. Intelligence Applied, New York, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers.

Watts, D. J., Anthony, D., Kotz, D., Et Al 2010. Complex Systems Symposium: Session One Panel Dartmouth: Thayer School of Engineering; YouTube.

WK 2 - Readings Q & A

The five most important concepts to my belief are:
1. Networks
a. They are at the heart of the Internet, New Media and interrelationships between societies at large. Networks commenced as early as the invention of speech (van Dijk, 2004), and has evolved from a physical to an organic, and neuronal to a social, technical and ultimately to a media network. A network is self-sustainable and adheres to those that interact and impact the relationships within. For that reason, networks will continue to evolve and increasingly pay tribute to our societies.
2. Digital divide
a. Pertains to the differential access to and use of the Internet according to gender, income, race and location (Rice, 2002). I believe that this is the front-runner of geo-targeting, and any type of segmentation to qualify or disqualify Internet users/societies for specific information, offers, and so forth. These days geotargeting is used as a powerful tool to monetize one’s resources and increase the impact of new media solely for those, to whom it pertains.
3. Security & surveillance
a. It goes without saying that the increasing use of the Internet makes use users more vulnerable to defects in the system. Whilst we are more and more interlinked to all kinds of systems, such as payment, identification and proprietary systems, it’s all a matter of trust. Creating this trust, commitment and sufficiently information-rich communication is both a condition and a problem for social and media networks (van Dijk, 2004). Users have actually become so dependent on new technologies that there is no way back. In the event of increasing insecurity of systems or applications this will eventually lead to its break-down (Van dijk, 2004). Note the latest glitches of Facebook and Google that triggered the enthusiasm of new developers in creating similar but yet to be proven, improved applications.
4. Ubiquity
a. Proliferation of digital devices, the density, interconnectedness of networks and both the multiplicity of forms of use, and the routine nature of uses of new media embedded in all aspects of daily life (Flew, 2008) is rapidly changing. I believe that in the near future, mobile devices will contribute a larger part in society than computers. These mobile devices have embedded ‘user system’ that allows for a one-click payment option, easy membership opt-in and instant qualifications, and customized media and information delivered to the device.
5. Collective intelligence (CI)
a. The exponential contribution of users to enhance the collective pool of social knowledge (Flew, 2008), which relate to the aspects of strong and weak ties based on the kind of relationship established – online and offline. Its impact is becoming greater and greater now more sites have emerged; CI requires a vivid participation and contribution of its users to create a ‘prospective’ greater outcome; it extends to crowdsourcing, and creates communities that share similar interest.


Key Concepts Missing:
• Increasing digital and proprietary media tools to modify existing media such as Picassa and PhotoShop.