Identity

Boston Pride, pinkwashing and how cities heal

June 8th 2019

Boston, my city, is becoming only party of neighborhoods. In the last decade, waves of investment and building have blurred the lines between areas that had been attached to ethnic or racial identities in people’s minds. As a ‘glass half full’ kind of guy, I see such change as mostly to the good. But I […]

Respect the unexpected: President Trump and asterisk-shaped disruptors

January 20th 2017

The asterisk hangs unspoken above the rest of language. Hiding truth in contracts, tainting sports statistics by its appearance and warning that your mileage my vary. This is a not that serious case for innovation leaders to be more like the asterisk than the capital T.

Are You Ready for the US Government as the Arbiter of Trust and Privacy?

April 22nd 2011

Not all nations spy on their people without court orders, but the Washington does. In in my mind, this excludes them from the privacy and trust business. And there are good reasons to be skeptical of Washington’s new approach to national online identity management.

False Identity: A Federal Crime in the US, But Heroic in the UK?

November 23rd 2009

On The Internet Nobody Knows If You’re a 14-Year-Old Girl In Wales, a 61-year-old woman suspected that her husband had been sharing elicit emails with a 14-year-old girl, and feared he was a pedophile. She logged on from a computer elsewhere in their home, pretended to be such a girl, and found he was all […]

Another Missouri Mom Harasses a Teenage Girl Online

August 27th 2009

What’s in the water in St. Charles County? You’ll recall that’s where Lori Drew was was indicted in a cyber bullying case related to the November 2006 suicide of teenager Megan Meier. The case, publicity and resulting legal responses have been a frequent topic here. Now, another grown-up is facing felony harassment charges for allegedly […]

Squatting on Your Digital Identity

June 29th 2009

In May, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa filed suit against Twitter in California Superior Court, essentially claiming that someone using his name was posting comments that damaged his reputation and caused emotional distress. The suit also claims damage to La Russa’s trademark rights. Ordinarily, I would have thought little about the case, believing […]

Facebook’s New ToS: We Own Your Stuff Forever

February 17th 2009

In 2007, Facebook was valued by Microsoft at about $15 billion. It garners substantially less financial enthusiasm these days, at about $3-$4 billion. Not too shabby. Of course, the big question is why. Has it actually made a profit, or is this 1999 again? The valuation may very well be based upon the data Facebook […]

The Era of Digital Fascism

January 20th 2009

It seems that only natural disasters happen suddenly. Man-made ones begin small. The EU is adopting policies that secretly allow the police to hack into personal computers anywhere, at any time, for any reason – all without any judicial oversight, which would be the start of a man-made disaster. According to the TimesOnline: The hacking […]

UK Police to Get Mobile Fingerprint Scanners

November 1st 2008

I can hear it now in Britain: “Fingers? Fingers? Where are your fingers?” Within the next 18 months, every police officer in the UK will be equipped with portable fingerprint scanners, and will be able to carry out identity checks at the drop of a bobby’s helmet. The official (and implausible, given past history) claim […]

Aaron Sorkin to Write Facebook Movie

September 2nd 2008

Last week, a seemingly fake Facebook group called Aaron Sorkin & the Facebook Movie popped up. Though there was initial skepticism, New York Magazine confirmed that really was him, and yes, he’s writing a movie about Facebook. Reuters and The Christian Science Monitor have covered it. He’s asked visitors to share their experiences and story […]