Cybersecurity

Raising Awareness of Social Media for Positive Social Change

Bill Dutton Arts and Humanities, Cybersecurity, eHumanities, Friends and Colleagues, General Interest, Internet and Everyday Life, MSU, Outreach, Research and Learning , ,

My colleagues and I involved with the World Internet Project (WIP) are looking for some inspiring initiatives in the use of the internet and social media for effecting positive social change. A thesis by Ms Emilia Askari in the College of Education at Michigan State University alerted me to this potential, and discussions within WIP … Continue reading Raising Awareness of Social Media for Positive Social Change

Private Emails Are Not (Yet) a Thought Crime

Bill Dutton Arts and Humanities, Cybersecurity, Digital Policy, eGovernment, General Interest, Internet Governance, Political Implications, politics, Social Issues , , , , ,

Private Emails? A Personal Perspective on Politicizing Norms of Communication In Orwell’s 1984, Winston Smith opens himself up to accusations of thought crimes for walking onto a street with a shop where he could buy pen and paper. In 2021, politicians and even the UK’s Information Commissioner wonder if ministers are guilty of some criminal … Continue reading Private Emails Are Not (Yet) a Thought Crime

Flawed Economics Behind Online Harms Regulation

Bill Dutton Cybersecurity, Digital Policy, General Interest, Internet and Everyday Life, Political Implications, Shaping the Internet, Social Issues , , , , , ,

The Flawed Economics of Online Harms Regulation I am not an economist,  but even I can see the huge flaws in a recently published “cost/benefit analysis of the UK’s online safety bill”.[1] My immediate reactions: The author, Sam Wood, of 'The Economics of Online Harms Regulation' in InterMEDIA, begins with an argument that the pandemic ‘[feuled] concerns … Continue reading Flawed Economics Behind Online Harms Regulation

Value Tradeoffs for a Cashless Society

Bill Dutton Cybersecurity, eGovernment, General Interest, Social Informatics, Social Issues , , , , ,

A recent news story (Sunday Times 6 June 2021) highlighted the potential for Sweden to lead the way to a ‘cashless’ future.[1] Not surprising in the context of so many observable trends moving in this direction. However, it reminded me of the early forecasts of a cashless society that were debated in the 1970s, and sense, … Continue reading Value Tradeoffs for a Cashless Society

Six Benefits of Academics Working with Government

Bill Dutton Cybersecurity, Digital Policy, Dissemination, General Interest, Outreach, Social Science Research, Universities , , ,

The Value of Academics Working with Government: Lessons from Collaboration on Cybersecurity  William H. Dutton with Carolin Weisser Harris  Six of the benefits of academics collaborating with government include realising the value of: 1) complementary perspectives and knowledge sets; 2) different communication skills and styles; 3) distributing the load; 4) different time scales; 5) generating … Continue reading Six Benefits of Academics Working with Government

Online Micro-Choices in Remote Seminars, Teaching, and Learning

Bill Dutton Cybersecurity, General Interest, Outreach, Research and Learning, Socio-technical Systems, teaching , , , , ,

Online Micro-Choices Shaping Remote Seminars, Teaching, and Learning The move to online education has been a huge shift, dramatically hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the existence of technical options, such as online meeting platforms like Zoom and Teams. For decades, handwringing and resistance over moves toward more online instruction, seminars, and lectures has collapsed … Continue reading Online Micro-Choices in Remote Seminars, Teaching, and Learning

Engaging Academia in Cybersecurity Research

Bill Dutton Cybersecurity, Dissemination, Outreach , , ,

Engaging Academia in Cybersecurity Research  Across most academic fields, researchers are increasingly focused on outreach to relevant practitioner and policy communities. It can sharpen their sense of the key questions but also enable their research to have greater application and impact. In contrast, within the field of cybersecurity, policy and practitioners from governmental, non-governmental organizations … Continue reading Engaging Academia in Cybersecurity Research

Publication of A Research Agenda for Digital Politics

Bill Dutton *OIINEWS, Cybersecurity, Digital Policy, General Interest, Internet and Everyday Life, Internet Studies, OII, Outreach, Political Implications, politics, Social Issues, Social Science Research, Socio-technical Systems , , , , , ,

A Research Agenda for Digital Politics  The publication of my most recent edited book, A Research Agenda for Digital Politics, is available in hardback and electronic forms at: https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-research-agenda-for-digital-politics-9781789903089.html From this site you can look inside the book to review the preface, list of contributors, the table of contents, and my introduction, which includes an outline of the … Continue reading Publication of A Research Agenda for Digital Politics

Zoom-bombing the Future of Education

Bill Dutton *OIINEWS, Cybersecurity, General Interest, Internet and Everyday Life, Research and Learning, Social Issues, Socio-technical Systems , , , , , ,

Zoom-bombing the Future of Education by Bill Dutton and Arnau Erola based on their discussions with Louise Axon, Mary Bispham, Patricia Esteve-Gonzalez, and Marcel Stolz In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, schools and universities across the globe have moved to online education as a substitute rather than a complement for campus-based instruction. While this … Continue reading Zoom-bombing the Future of Education