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Viodi View Newsletter - September 6th, 2006

Click here to learn more about the Technology of Local Content Workshop

Privacy and Security in a Wireless Silicon Valley
Seminar and Panel Discussion at Santa Clara University (SCU)

By Alan J. Weissberger

aweissberger at sbcglobal.net

Abstract:

On August 23, 2006, Wireless Silicon Valley Task Force – a project of Smart Valley that is part of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley’s Smart Valley initiative - organized a series of talks and a panel discussion at SCU on the important issues of “Privacy and Security in a Wireless World.” This event was jointly sponsored by: the Wireless Silicon Valley Task Force, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network (JVSVN), the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, and the Center for Science, Technology and Society at Santa Clara University. There were more than a hundred people in attendance.

The speakers included representatives from the ACLU, Atherton Police Force (a detective with an IT background), Next Web Wireless (a subsidiary of Covad - a network provider that did not bid on the JVSVN project), Stanford Law School Center for Internet and Society, Secure Content (a consultant to public schools), and the San Jose Public Library. The lively discussion was highlighted by divergent points of view on a number of issues, e.g. information collection and data retention. There was also a lot of uncertainty on other issues, e.g. what charging model or user identification should be used to include people who do not own a credit card. At the conclusion of the panel session, Seth Fearey – Director of the Silicon Valley Initiative- offered his closing remarks regarding the progress and time- table for the JVSVN roll out and deployment.

Summary, Conclusions, and Unanswered Questions

Quite an impressive set of issues were detailed by the speakers, with two competing pressures paramount:

1. Protection of user identity and preservation of free speech versus the
2. Provider need to track location of users and other information pertinent to advertisers and law enforcement.

Yet there was no agreement on how to balance these two critical issues. On one side of the fence, the ACLU wants to preserve user freedom to the greatest degree, without concern for how the service provider could afford to offer the network without going broke. On the other side, we have the Atherton Police Dept wanting the same law enforcement monitoring, tracking, and data retention tools that they could get with a wire-line network.

To view the rest of the coverage and read Alan J. Weissberger’s complete commentary, please purchase his report by clicking here.

As a bonus, Dr. Weissberger’s report, Municipal Wireless: Business Models, Privacy, and Missing Applications will be included at no extra charge.

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