Digital Enlightenment Yearbook 2014

Tracking the evolution of digital technology is no easy task; changes happen so fast that keeping pace presents quite a challenge. This is, nevertheless, the aim of the Digital Enlightenment Yearbook. This book is the third in the series which began in 2012 under the auspices of the Digital Enlightenment Forum. This year, the focus is on the relationship of individuals with their networks, and explores “Social networks and social machines, surveillance and empowerment”. In what is now the well-established tradition of the yearbook, different stakeholders in society and various disciplinary communities (technology, law, philosophy, sociology, economics, policymaking) bring their very different opinions and perspectives to bear on this topic. The book is divided into four parts: the individual as data manager; the individual, society and the market; big data and open data; and new approaches. These are bookended by a Prologue and an Epilogue, which provide illuminating perspectives on the discussions in between. The division of the book is not definitive; it suggests one narrative, but others are clearly possible. The 2014 Digital Enlightenment Yearbook gathers together the science, social science, law and politics of the digital environment in order to help us reformulate and address the timely and pressing questions which this new environment raises. We are all of us affected by digital technology, and the subjects covered here are consequently of importance to us all.

The value of personal data has traditionally been understood in ethical terms as a safeguard for personality rights such as human dignity and privacy. However, we have entered an era where personal data are mined, traded and monetized in the process of creating added value - often in terms of free services including efficient search, support for social networking and personalized communications. This volume investigates whether the economic value of personal data can be realized without compromising privacy, fairness and contextual integrity. It brings scholars and scientists from the disciplines of computer science, law and social science together with policymakers, engineers and entrepreneurs with practical experience of implementing personal data management.The resulting collection will be of interest to anyone concerned about privacy in our digital age, especially those working in the field of personal information management, whether academics, policymakers, or those working in the private sector.

There have been many inevitable transformations in society due to digitization - the introduction of digital technology, including communication technology, through the Internet and its use via the Web. This book is the first Yearbook of the Digital Enlightenment Forum. Whilst it cannot cover all the many aspects which the forum encompasses, the book gives an impression of the broad spectrum of the forum and a clear picture of the multi-disciplinary nature of the issues at stake. The first paper in the book is a contribution from the father of the Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, and Harry Halpin. They pose the question of whether the opportunity to participate in the empowered connected society should be protected, and conclude that urgent action is needed to promote and defend the Internet and the Web. Other papers explore topics such as legal issues and the rights of the citizen, privacy protection and international cooperation in the fight against cyber crime. The book ends with a number of scientific and technical papers as well as descriptions of practical problems and their possible solutions. Although the book addresses only the tip of a very large iceberg of problems, issues and possible technologies, it provides an excellent picture of the many challenges which must be faced in the years to come, and will be of interest to all those working towards the development of society in the spirit of enlightenment.

People now view digital services and applications as an essential part of their lives and as carriers of great benefits. Nevertheless, because they provide a new space for criminals, terrorists and others with malicious intent, digital technologies also present significant threats. How can we maintain the freedom and benefits offered by the digital ecosystem while also building into that system safeguards against attacks? The Digital Enlightenment Forum (DigEnlight) takes the view that the new regulatory and legal safeguards required for our digital world must be developed within a framework that incorporates what they call 'digital ethics'. This White Book attempts to draw together the various strands which have emerged from the intense debate within DigEnlight over the last three years. It focuses on how we can negotiate the changing emergent behavior and ethical issues that arise at the heart of debates about the digital world, covering areas such as national security, internet governance, and approaches to privacy and trust, as well as making recommendations to help realize a global social compact for digital security and privacy based on ethical principles. The book represents a meaningful contribution to the ongoing efforts to deal with these important issues, and will be of interest to all those with concerns about the future of our digital world.

This provocative new introduction to the field of digital sociology offers a critical overview of interdisciplinary debates about new ways of knowing society that are emerging today at the interface of computing, media, social research and social life. Digital Sociology introduces key concepts, methods and understandings that currently inform the development of specifically digital forms of social enquiry. Marres assesses the relevance and usefulness of digital methods, data and techniques for the study of sociological phenomena and evaluates the major claim that computation makes possible a new ‘science of society’. As Marres argues, the digital does much more than inspire innovation in social research: it forces us to engage anew with fundamental sociological questions. We must learn to appreciate that the digital has the capacity to throw into crisis existing knowledge frameworks and is likely to reconfigure wider relations. This timely engagement with a key transformation of our age will be indispensable reading for undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in digital sociology, digital media, computing and society.

Digitalization of societies has important ramifications for citizens and businesses. The digital landscape is rapidly changing, whereas at the same time there are growing concerns about how market access in the EU’s digital market as well as fundamental rights can be sufficiently safeguarded in the shadow of ‘big data’ and algorithms. This timely and important book presents expert analyses of how digitalization raises questions of the future role for general principles of European Union (EU) law, including the foundational principles of the EU’s fundamental economic freedoms and EU competition rules. Examining a number of issues revolving around the internal market, the digital single market, competition law, intellectual property, data protection, democracy and the rule of law, the contributors provide deeply informed insights of the challenges as to: effects of the technological disruption on the doctrine of general principles; the resilience of general principles in the digital society; the need to rely on new general principles in the digital society; the realization of the digital single market; the safeguarding of fundamental rights and the rule of law. The contributors are highly esteemed scholars from major European universities. A common theme is the need for judicial evolution of EU fundamental rights law in the digital era, alongside penetrating analyses of recent Court of Justice of the European Union case law on the impact of digitalization. Dealing as it does with an area of European law of particular complexity and rapidly growing importance, the anthology provides insights and knowledge about the ways in which digitalization is rapidly changing EU law. Are general principles of EU law as developed in an ‘analogue world’ sufficiently resilient to withstand the rapid and often disruptive developments taking place in the digital marketplace? The fresh look at the concept of ‘general principles’ taken by the various contributors helps to clarify the actual application in EU law in areas related to the ongoing digitalization of our society. It will be greatly appreciated by practitioners, policymakers and academics active in any of the many fields of law affected by the digital revolution.

This book explores the ways in which communities are responding today's society as government policies are increasingly promoting privatisation, deregulation and individualisation of responsibilities, providing insights into the efficacy of these approaches through key policy issues including access to food, education and health.

The subjects of this volume are more relevant than ever, especially in light of the raft of electoral scandals concerning voter profiling. This volume brings together papers that offer conceptual analyses, highlight issues, propose solutions, and discuss practices regarding privacy and data protection. It is one of the results of the twelfth annual International Conference on Computers, Privacy and Data Protection, CPDP, held in Brussels in January 2019. The book explores the following topics: dataset nutrition labels, lifelogging and privacy by design, data protection iconography, the substance and essence of the right to data protection, public registers and data protection, modelling and verification in data protection impact assessments, examination scripts and data protection law in Cameroon, the protection of children's digital rights in the GDPR, the concept of the scope of risk in the GDPR and the ePrivacy Regulation. This interdisciplinary book has been written at a time when the scale and impact of data processing on society – not only on individuals, but also on social systems – is becoming ever starker. It discusses open issues as well as daring and prospective approaches, and will serve as an insightful resource for readers with an interest in computers, privacy and data protection.