In the most recent issue of the Economist, in an article and an opinion piece, the British weekly suggests that the new EU data protection regulation may turn out to be a good thing, not because of new individual rights, but because of how it standardizes and professionalizes processes of using personal data, citing Professor Mayer-Schönberger.
In its latest Special Report, The Economist tackles the interplay between technology and politics. In previous US presidential election years, much has been made of the supposedly leveling and rebalancing effect of the Internet: from the ability to fund a grass-roots campaign without the need for “big money” to the utilization of Big Data to customize political messaging and to enhance “get out the vote” (GOTV) activities. In the context of the 2016 US presidential elections, lead author Ludwig Siegele takes another, more thorough look and arrives at a much more nuanced conclusion. He leads into the story with a quote from professor Mayer-Schönberger, who already more than 15 years ago Information Power that has stood the test of time fairly well.
The Economist reports on the Internet Governance Forum meeting in Nairobi, and asks who should run the Internet. They conclude by citing Professor Mayer-Schönberger’s suggestion that what’s important is less who runs the Internet rather than what values guide and constrain that actor’s behavior.
This week, the Economist wrote about the select workshops and meetings of the elite of Internet geeks, and what they discuss. Prominently featured is the Oxford Digital Data Dialogue (OD3), an initiative started by Professor Mayer-Schönberger, to bring together a select group of geeks working on Big Data and discuss pressing policy issues in the data-driven economy. The write-up also mentions the Oxford Internet Institute’s ten year ceremony which the OD3 participants attended as well.