DIGITAL FUTURES WORKSHOP: Ruth Shillair, Michigan State University & Quello Center and William Dutton, Oxford University Via Zoom | RSVP Here | or email quello@msu.edu Governments and international organizations are focusing increasing attention on building the capacity of nations to withstand threats to the security of the Internet and related digital resources on which nearly all actors within their country increasingly depend. However, there are major questions surrounding such initiatives, such as the return on the investment in capacity building and any unintended consequences on such central issues as privacy and freedom of expression. The Oxford Global Cybersecurity Capacity Centre (GCSCC) and their partners […]
On May 10th, 2018, Google’s ‘father of the Internet’, Vint Cerf gave the Quello Lecture at MSU, entitled ‘The Unfinished Internet’. Before the interview, he was interviewed by Scott Pohl of WKAR public radio. Here is that interview: http://wkar.org/post/googles-father-internet#stream/0
The Quello Center’s Broadband to the Neighborhood Project is surveying residents in three areas of Detroit. We are delighted to be collaborating with the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State University on the fielding of survey and putting their CATI system to work. Yesterday, prior to some focus groups in Detroit, we were able to visit the Center for Urban Studies and meet the team conducting our field research, led by Charo Hulleza (far left in photo), and her research assistant, John Jakary (far right in photo). Our thanks to them for their professional team work and collaboration on […]
My colleagues and I had a wonderful conversation with Tommy Edison, host of The Blind Film Critic, yesterday afternoon, following his presentation at UARC’s (MSU Usability/Accessibility Research and Consulting) World Usability Day conference. Blind from birth, Tommy’s website describes him as the ‘Blind Film Critic, YouTuber, Radio Personality, Public Speaker’, and he truly is a master of all. We organized this conversation to discuss his life and work and particularly the lessons he has learned about disabilities and access to the Internet. As Tommy said, ‘too few people have any experience with a blind person’, and even fewer with how […]
A BBC reporter, Rachel Nuwer, wrote a nice piece on what would it mean to people if the Internet stopped working. It was entitled “What if the Internet Stopped for a Day“. I stressed that there are some empirical cases, such as a power outage in NYC, and the pager blackout across the US, that provide some concrete evidence of possible outcomes, and I was impressed how well she embedded these cases and more in a well developed article. I recommend it. Bill Dutton See: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170207-what-if-the-internet-stopped-for-a-day
Professor Bill Dutton, Director of the Quello Center, in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, has signed a contract with Oxford University Press for a book on his concept of the Fifth Estate. He has been speaking and conducting research over the last decade on the role of the Internet in empowering a Fifth Estate that can hold other ‘estates’ accountable, including the press, as the Fourth Estate. The book will develop the concept of the Fifth Estate, provide empirical evidence of its rise, and its implications across nearly every sector of society. While a growing tide of criticism […]
From discussions in courses and within the Quello Center Advisory Board, the Center has been developing a set of key issues tied to media, communication and information policy and practice. We’d welcome you thoughts on issues we’ve missed or issues noted that do not merit more sustained research and debate. Your feedback on this list would be most welcome, and will be posted as comments on this post. I. Innovation-led Policy Issues New Developments around Robotics and Artificial Intelligence: What are the implications for individual control, privacy, and security? Security is no longer so clearly a cyber issue as cyber […]