Showing posts with label media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media. Show all posts
Monday, October 22, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Somebody’s Watching Me – and You
Published 13 April 2012 at RoundTree7.com:
If it sometimes feels like you’re being watched, that just might be because you are.
A recent article at Alternet lists 13 Ways You Can Be Tracked By The US Government. Among them:
Toronto journalist Nora Young goes into detail on these matters in her new book, The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering The World Around Us.
Whenever you use your cellphone, you’re revealing a little about yourself. Same with when you surf the web on your Mac or PC.
It’s not all bad, as some of the data can be used for the public good. For example, Rwanda’s government used cellphone location data to determine where public latrines were most needed – an important matter in a country with serious public health concerns.
But it also means a little more opportunity for unseen parties to track what we’re doing and where we’re going.
Much of your data trail is left “passively” (i.e., without you thinking about it and giving permission); other times, you are actively and knowingly surrendering information.
When you post a “status update” or click a “like” button on Facebook, for example, that’s data someone might throw into a pile for market research.
There’s usually nothing personal about it; your data is but a drop in a vast sea of ones and zeros. Nevertheless, the watching is real and it raises serious concerns about privacy and information control.
Young closes her book with a kind of call to action. “Data activists” can unite, she says, to see that their info is employed for good more than bad.
She seems optimistic that data activists can set things right. Perhaps a little too optimistic.
Wouldn’t those data activists, after all, often be going up against very rich and powerful interests that tend to get their way? And isn’t it rather difficult to enforce rules in the modern-day Wild West that is the Internet?
I really wish I could feel more optimistic, but I’ve noticed too many instances of the powerful getting away with abusing the rights of the masses.
If it sometimes feels like you’re being watched, that just might be because you are.
A recent article at Alternet lists 13 Ways You Can Be Tracked By The US Government. Among them:
- The NSA sifts through an enormous number of emails, text messages and phone calls daily.
- Law enforcement agencies routinely track cellphone use with technology that can determine where you are, when.
- There’s a database called TIDE that includes info on more than 700,000 people, though Washington insists only a tiny percentage of them are U.S. citizens.
- The FBI, by its own admission, has GPS tracking devices on thousands of automobiles in the U.S.; the vehicles’ operators don’t know.
Toronto journalist Nora Young goes into detail on these matters in her new book, The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering The World Around Us.
Whenever you use your cellphone, you’re revealing a little about yourself. Same with when you surf the web on your Mac or PC.
It’s not all bad, as some of the data can be used for the public good. For example, Rwanda’s government used cellphone location data to determine where public latrines were most needed – an important matter in a country with serious public health concerns.
But it also means a little more opportunity for unseen parties to track what we’re doing and where we’re going.
Much of your data trail is left “passively” (i.e., without you thinking about it and giving permission); other times, you are actively and knowingly surrendering information.
When you post a “status update” or click a “like” button on Facebook, for example, that’s data someone might throw into a pile for market research.
There’s usually nothing personal about it; your data is but a drop in a vast sea of ones and zeros. Nevertheless, the watching is real and it raises serious concerns about privacy and information control.
Young closes her book with a kind of call to action. “Data activists” can unite, she says, to see that their info is employed for good more than bad.
She seems optimistic that data activists can set things right. Perhaps a little too optimistic.
Wouldn’t those data activists, after all, often be going up against very rich and powerful interests that tend to get their way? And isn’t it rather difficult to enforce rules in the modern-day Wild West that is the Internet?
I really wish I could feel more optimistic, but I’ve noticed too many instances of the powerful getting away with abusing the rights of the masses.
Rogers Calling
Published in Manitoba's Northern Experience, 2011:
Randy McKay has been an MTS cellular customer in Thompson for more than 15 years. He’s been happy with the service, but he’s glad to see an alternative now that Rogers is in town.
“I think it’s good having competition, and that’s for both sides – not even just for Rogers, but for MTS,” says McKay, who owns a General Motors dealership on the city’s east side. “Both are going to benefit from this because competition is good. It’s better for the buying public, too. We’ll at least be able to make a choice now.”
Rogers Communications launched its expanded 3G+ wireless voice and data network across Manitoba on March 31. That’s exciting news for cellphone users in Thompson, Flin Flon, The Pas and other northern communities where Rogers Wireless was previously unavailable.
It used to be that Rogers Wireless coverage in the province went no further north than Swan River. MTS Allstream had a monopoly in wireless services north of that town.
“We're pleased to offer a new network to new customers that switch to Rogers and existing customers that will enable them to connect to what matters to them, anywhere within our new coverage area, anytime, on any device,” says Laura Kwiatkowski, general manager for Rogers in Manitoba.
Kwiatkowski notes that the two telecom firms remain competitors while partners in the HSPA network. “It is a joint venture regarding the build of the network expansion, so we’re sharing the infrastructure,” she says. “But as competitors we will continue to have our own billing, our own devices – everything else is separate.”
Consumers stand to benefit substantially from the competitive partnership. “A few things are going to happen now in northern Manitoba,” Kwiatkowski says. “The first thing, the most obvious thing, is that people now have a choice in the carrier that they choose to go with.
“They’ll definitely experience faster network speeds on their devices. They’ll actually be able to experience Internet surfing at a speed comparable to DSL. And they’ll have a very wide selection of devices to choose from.”
The network means “3G+” or “3.5G” wireless service – simply put, far faster and more powerful service than was available to northerners before – is now available to every major community in Manitoba, at a peak connection speed of about 21 megabits per second.
“This is a network that will give customers an upgrade to surf the Internet and not get frustrated waiting for a response when they’re trying to download, whether it’s something from YouTube or it’s a webpage about the weather or whatever it is,” Kwiatkowski remarks. “They’ll be able to do that in very quick order.”
Rogers has been offering wireless phone service in Canada since 1985, in Manitoba since 1988. But until now that service hasn’t extended to northern hubs such as Thompson and Flin Flon. This new development means Rogers 3G+ coverage is available to 96 per cent of Manitobans.
The new network’s fast download speeds give gadget fiends the chance to get the most out of leading-edge smartphones, tablets and mobile broadband devices available at Rogers stores.
“There’s a wide selection of devices that we have to offer,” declares Kwiatkowski. “I would encourage people to have a look at our website or stop by a Rogers store, have a look at the really big selection of devices that we have.” That selection includes android-powered devices such as the Xperia PLAY and the HTC Magic phones, and the BlackBerry PlayBook and other popular tablets.
“We have great prices on devices,” says Kwiatkowski. “We also have a new data-sharing plan that is exclusive to Rogers. I think this is something that will interest people, especially in the new markets.
“Data sharing allows people to seamlessly share a bucket of data across multiple devices. So you can have a smartphone as well as a netbook and/or a Rocket Stick, and that bucket of data can be used across all of those devices. It makes it more affordable, and it makes things more flexible as well for users.”
A Rocket Stick is a small device you can plug into your laptop to access the Internet when you’re away from home.
Here’s what may be the best part of this story: Northerners will get a truly fair deal, as Rogers won’t be charging them way more than it charges Winnipeggers for wireless service.
“It definitely will be a blanket fee,” Kwiatkowski told Flin Flon’s Reminder newspaper in February. “We’ll have similar pricing throughout the entire province.”
That news, too, must bring a smile to Randy McKay’s face.
Randy McKay has been an MTS cellular customer in Thompson for more than 15 years. He’s been happy with the service, but he’s glad to see an alternative now that Rogers is in town.
“I think it’s good having competition, and that’s for both sides – not even just for Rogers, but for MTS,” says McKay, who owns a General Motors dealership on the city’s east side. “Both are going to benefit from this because competition is good. It’s better for the buying public, too. We’ll at least be able to make a choice now.”
Rogers Communications launched its expanded 3G+ wireless voice and data network across Manitoba on March 31. That’s exciting news for cellphone users in Thompson, Flin Flon, The Pas and other northern communities where Rogers Wireless was previously unavailable.
It used to be that Rogers Wireless coverage in the province went no further north than Swan River. MTS Allstream had a monopoly in wireless services north of that town.
“We're pleased to offer a new network to new customers that switch to Rogers and existing customers that will enable them to connect to what matters to them, anywhere within our new coverage area, anytime, on any device,” says Laura Kwiatkowski, general manager for Rogers in Manitoba.
SPEED AND POWER
The expansion is made possible by an agreement Rogers inked with MTS in 2009 for a shared High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) wireless network. HSPA is broadband technology that improves the ability of wireless devices to upload and download data.Kwiatkowski notes that the two telecom firms remain competitors while partners in the HSPA network. “It is a joint venture regarding the build of the network expansion, so we’re sharing the infrastructure,” she says. “But as competitors we will continue to have our own billing, our own devices – everything else is separate.”
Consumers stand to benefit substantially from the competitive partnership. “A few things are going to happen now in northern Manitoba,” Kwiatkowski says. “The first thing, the most obvious thing, is that people now have a choice in the carrier that they choose to go with.
“They’ll definitely experience faster network speeds on their devices. They’ll actually be able to experience Internet surfing at a speed comparable to DSL. And they’ll have a very wide selection of devices to choose from.”
The network means “3G+” or “3.5G” wireless service – simply put, far faster and more powerful service than was available to northerners before – is now available to every major community in Manitoba, at a peak connection speed of about 21 megabits per second.
“This is a network that will give customers an upgrade to surf the Internet and not get frustrated waiting for a response when they’re trying to download, whether it’s something from YouTube or it’s a webpage about the weather or whatever it is,” Kwiatkowski remarks. “They’ll be able to do that in very quick order.”
Rogers has been offering wireless phone service in Canada since 1985, in Manitoba since 1988. But until now that service hasn’t extended to northern hubs such as Thompson and Flin Flon. This new development means Rogers 3G+ coverage is available to 96 per cent of Manitobans.
The new network’s fast download speeds give gadget fiends the chance to get the most out of leading-edge smartphones, tablets and mobile broadband devices available at Rogers stores.
“There’s a wide selection of devices that we have to offer,” declares Kwiatkowski. “I would encourage people to have a look at our website or stop by a Rogers store, have a look at the really big selection of devices that we have.” That selection includes android-powered devices such as the Xperia PLAY and the HTC Magic phones, and the BlackBerry PlayBook and other popular tablets.
“We have great prices on devices,” says Kwiatkowski. “We also have a new data-sharing plan that is exclusive to Rogers. I think this is something that will interest people, especially in the new markets.
“Data sharing allows people to seamlessly share a bucket of data across multiple devices. So you can have a smartphone as well as a netbook and/or a Rocket Stick, and that bucket of data can be used across all of those devices. It makes it more affordable, and it makes things more flexible as well for users.”
A Rocket Stick is a small device you can plug into your laptop to access the Internet when you’re away from home.
Here’s what may be the best part of this story: Northerners will get a truly fair deal, as Rogers won’t be charging them way more than it charges Winnipeggers for wireless service.
“It definitely will be a blanket fee,” Kwiatkowski told Flin Flon’s Reminder newspaper in February. “We’ll have similar pricing throughout the entire province.”
That news, too, must bring a smile to Randy McKay’s face.
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