2016-01-08

Tripadvisor se hoërskoolopstelressensie-probleem

Baie van ons gebruik van tyd tot tyd Tripadvisor. In die afgelope tyd het berigte begin verskyn oor die probleem van onegte resensies op Tripadvisor en indien 'n mens in gedagte hou dat sowat 260 miljoen mense dit elke maand gebruik, dan kan 'n mens verstaan waarom daar 'n besigheid is in onegte resensies. Dink eenvoudig daaroor: wie gaan 'n resensie plaas? Sekerlik in die eerste plek mense wat 'n slegte ervaring gehad het. Amper niemand met 'n doodgewoon goeie ervaring gaan op Tripadvisor skryf, tensy hulle ly aan gevorderde restourantressensent-waan nie. Gewoonlik doen mense sulke goed op Facebook!

Ek het vinnig gaan kyk na die Tripadvisor-opmerkings vir 'n restourant in Pretoria (daar in die top-10) wat ek ken. Die lofsange van mense wat oënskynlik net één ressensie op Tripadvisor het, is opvallend. Dit lees ook soos hoërskoolopstelle: "[t]hey cater for young and old and they have a play park for kids with supervision." Die een hier regs lyk ietwat meer eg en minder generies maar daar is sekerlik baie maniere om hierdie te reël... Die hoofprobleem is dat daar amper geen insentief is om 'n normaal-positiewe resensie te skryf nie, tensy 'n mens geweldig verveeld is. Ek sou amper so ver gaan om myself to probeer oorreed om geen aandag aan goeie resensies te gee nie en slegs te kyk na die slegtes. Miskien is daar wel 'n gepaste markmeganisme om hierdie uit te sorteer maar solank mense vrywillig ressensies skryf of plaas (en skaars hoef aan te toon dat hulle eers wel by 'n plek was), gaan daar probleme wees. 

2016-01-04

The US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act applies to YOU

I am researching an article about data and/as crime and the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is an important part of this. This Act was passed in 1986 and fairly clearly (then) attempted to limit its application to computers used by the US government or US financial institutions or computers affecting interstate commerce or communication in the USA. At the time, this would have been a very small fraction of the world's computers but if you are reading this online, it now applies to YOU since any device (all of them are computers, really) that is connected to the Internet is assumed to be covered by the definition of scope
‘the term “computer” means an electronic, magnetic, optical, electrochemical, or other high speed data processing device performing logical, arithmetic, or storage functions, and includes any data storage facility or communications facility directly related to or operating in conjunction with such device, but such term does not include an automated typewriter or typesetter, a portable hand held calculator, or other similar device;’
in the Act.  But it was clearly the intention of Congress to exclude devices in everyday use by the public and I think it would have been consistent with this wording to now restrict the Act's application to ‘high speed’ devices by which one would mean a small subset of general purpose computing devices.

To be clear: if you access someone's iPhone without there permission, you are committing a felony in the USA because that device is a ‘protected computer’ under this act. It specifically applies to anyone who ‘intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access, and thereby obtains... information from any protected computer.’ The sad case of the late Aaron Swartz who was arrested at MIT for downloading academic papers involved this (now) draconian law.