Rather than regard Facebook as a social network, it makes more sense to view the company as being in the business of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
All posts by Jesse Hirsh
Toronto Public Library System of 2042
A glimpse into the Toronto Public Library System of 2042
Motorcycle lane splitting: Better for riders, better for drivers, and safer than sitting in traffic
Motorcycle lane splitting: Better for riders, better for drivers, and safer than sitting in traffic
Recent research has confirmed what many motorcycle riders have known for years. “Lane splitting” – or riding in between lanes of traffic – obviously saves riders a lot of time, but it’s also considerably safer than sitting in traffic and acting like a car, as long as it’s done within certain guidelines, and contrary to what many drivers think, it actually speeds up traffic for everyone else on the road. Riders, please pass this information on to the drivers in your lives.
PDF of “Safety implications of lane-splitting among California motorcyclists involved in collisions”
Gamers as an extremist ideology
Gamers as an extremist ideology
I play video games, but I would never identify myself as a gamer. Even worse, I argue that enough of those who do are turning the identity and adjacent ideology into a dangerous kind of extremism. I spoke with Matt Galloway, host of CBC’s Metro Morning about the subject.
Prediction of crime using twitter data
Melissa Tobin and I discuss the prediction of crime using twitter data and the role this data could play in police planning, public policy, and public service delivery.
A Review of the Data Broker Industry: Collection, Use, and Sale of Consumer Data for Marketing Purposes
The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s inquiry sought answers to four basic questions:
- What data about consumers does the data broker industry collect?
- How specific is this data?
- How does the data broker industry obtain consumer data?
- Who buys this data and how is it used?
Based on review of the company responses and other publicly available information, this Committee Majority staff report finds:
- Data brokers collect a huge volume of detailed information on hundreds of millions of consumers.
- Data brokers sell products that identify financially vulnerable consumers.
- Data broker products provide information about consumer offline behavior to tailor online outreach by marketers.
- Data brokers operate behind a veil of secrecy.