Restoring civility in politics could be central ...
Internet and Everyday Life
Social Media and the Post Office Scandal
Social Media Might Have Saved Many from the Post Office Horizon Scandal From 2000 to 2014, Post Office Ltd, a publicly owned company, accused over 700 hundred sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses, the individuals running small local post office operations in the UK, of false accounting and theft of revenues. An inquiry has determined that the evidence … Continue reading Social Media and the Post Office Scandal
Robots: Commentary by A. Michael Noll
REIN IN THE CLOUD REJOICE IN THE ROBOTS [The following commentary is authored by A. Michael Noll, and posted with the permission of the author. It illustrates the disagreement among experts on the social implications of new technologies, such as robotics, AI, cloud computing, and the Internet, demonstrating the value of continued research on the … Continue reading Robots: Commentary by A. Michael Noll
Get Back to the Classroom
Get Back to the Classroom Given continuing uncertainties about the COVID pandemic and its variants, it is understandable that many universities are not in a position as yet to commit to in-person, face-to-face, teaching and a return to normality on college and university campuses. This is particularly the case for those individuals – teachers and … Continue reading Get Back to the Classroom
Participating in an Advisory Board: Five Principles
Having created and served on advisory boards in a number of organisations and countries, I've begun to see some principles that can guide others serving on an advisory board. I am not a management consultant nor an expert on advisory boards, but as I try to think through my own experiences on boards, I thought … Continue reading Participating in an Advisory Board: Five Principles
Private Emails Are Not (Yet) a Thought Crime
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
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
The Democratic Value of the Filibuster
The Democratic Value of the Filibuster The filibuster was not invented to serve some lasting and critical role in democratic governance, but unintentionally, it does perform that function. The filibuster is a structure – one rule of the game in American politics - that plays a powerful role in supporting more stable democracy. And it is … Continue reading The Democratic Value of the Filibuster
Value Tradeoffs for a Cashless Society
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
Social Media Could Have Prevented the UK’s Post Office Scandal
Over seven hundred (736) ‘sub-postmasters’ were charged – many if not most unjustly – with criminal offenses from 2000-2013 because of discrepancies in their accounts, leading to charges of theft, fraud, and false accounting (Meddings 2021). Had they been siphoning money from their accounts? We have learned that many of these discrepancies were due to the … Continue reading Social Media Could Have Prevented the UK’s Post Office Scandal