Fitness trackers are an increasingly popular tool for tracking one's health and physical activity... more Fitness trackers are an increasingly popular tool for tracking one's health and physical activity. While research has evaluated the potential benefits of these devices for health and well-being, few studies have empirically evaluated users' behaviors when sharing personal fitness information (PFI) and the privacy concerns that stem from the collection, aggregation, and sharing of PFI. In this study, we present findings from a survey of Fitbit and Jawbone users (N=361) to understand how concerns about privacy in general and user-generated data in particular affect users' mental models of PFI privacy, tracking, and sharing. Findings highlight the complex relationship between users' demographics, sharing behaviors, privacy concerns, and internet skills with how valuable and sensitive they rate their PFI. We conclude with a discussion of opportunities to increase user awareness of privacy and PFI.
Abstract We live in an information society, and, resultantly, significant attention is devoted to... more Abstract We live in an information society, and, resultantly, significant attention is devoted to ensure “information-based rights” are protected among other essential human rights. Fostering and protecting information-based rights is essential to human well being, and the traditional strategies to support these rights focus on ensuring free and unfettered access to information, such as the right to education, the freedom to read, or providing for fair use of copyright-protected works.
Until recently, most scholarly research on Web search engines have been technical studies origina... more Until recently, most scholarly research on Web search engines have been technical studies originating from computer science and related disciplines. The preceding chapters reveal, however, the growing interest—and importance—of studying Web search from a variety of disciplinary approaches. Significant progress has been made to understand Web searching from within social, cultural, and philosophical perspectives, to utilize political, legal, and economic theories, and to place Web searching within information behavioral frameworks.
Web search engines are not just indispensable tools for finding and accessing information online,... more Web search engines are not just indispensable tools for finding and accessing information online, but have become a defining component of the human condition and can be conceptualized as a complex behavior embedded within an individual's everyday social, cultural, political, and information-seeking activities. This book investigates Web search from the non-technical perspective, bringing together chapters that represent a range of multidisciplinary theories, models, and ideas.
The freedom to move through both physical and intellectual space resonates within many of the fun... more The freedom to move through both physical and intellectual space resonates within many of the fundamental values and aspirations of American culture, including free and open inquiry, personal autonomy, and liberty. These values are articulated in various spheres where freedom of mobility–both physical and intellectual–is typically enjoyed, ranging from the open highways, public libraries, and the Internet.
While intended to enhance intellectual mobility, this dissertation will reveal that the quest for... more While intended to enhance intellectual mobility, this dissertation will reveal that the quest for the perfect search engine is actually a Faustian bargain: While designed to foster increased navigation within our spheres of mobility, the search for the perfect search engine also empowers the widespread capture of personal information flows across the Internet.
In the summer of 2003, I visited the White House with a group of young scholars and met with memb... more In the summer of 2003, I visited the White House with a group of young scholars and met with members of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and other White House technology advisors. We were introduced to Nuala O'Connor Kelly, the recently appointed Chief Privacy Officer for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Ms.
Abstract Today, many libraries are at a crossroads: several of the services they have traditional... more Abstract Today, many libraries are at a crossroads: several of the services they have traditionally provided within their walls are increasingly made available online, often by non-library, commercial entities. For example, Web search engines provide easy access to millions of Websites, online databases provide convenient gateways to news and scholarship, and book-scanning projects make roaming the shelves seem antiquated.
In their article,'Studying Cyborgs: Re-examining Internet Studies as Human Subjects Research,'Ulr... more In their article,'Studying Cyborgs: Re-examining Internet Studies as Human Subjects Research,'Ulrike Schultze and Richard Mason set out to provide the information science community a better understanding of the ethical challenges of online human subjects research, and to develop a framework to help guide researchers and ethics committees determine when an online research project deals with a human subject, and not just a digital text or representation.
Originally designed to provide keyword access to web pages, search providers have steadily expand... more Originally designed to provide keyword access to web pages, search providers have steadily expanded their searchable indexes to include a wide array of online information, such as images, news archives, blogs, PDFs, and video files. Additionally, search engine providers have begun digitizing the 'material world', adding the contents of popular books, university libraries, maps, satellite images, and even the surface of the moon to their growing indexes.
Abstract Web search engines have emerged as a ubiquitous and vital tool for the successful naviga... more Abstract Web search engines have emerged as a ubiquitous and vital tool for the successful navigation of the growing online informational sphere. As Google puts it, their goal is to “organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful” and to create the “perfect search engine” that provides only intuitive, personalized, and relevant results.
Fitness trackers are an increasingly popular tool for tracking one's health and physical activity... more Fitness trackers are an increasingly popular tool for tracking one's health and physical activity. While research has evaluated the potential benefits of these devices for health and well-being, few studies have empirically evaluated users' behaviors when sharing personal fitness information (PFI) and the privacy concerns that stem from the collection, aggregation, and sharing of PFI. In this study, we present findings from a survey of Fitbit and Jawbone users (N=361) to understand how concerns about privacy in general and user-generated data in particular affect users' mental models of PFI privacy, tracking, and sharing. Findings highlight the complex relationship between users' demographics, sharing behaviors, privacy concerns, and internet skills with how valuable and sensitive they rate their PFI. We conclude with a discussion of opportunities to increase user awareness of privacy and PFI.
Abstract We live in an information society, and, resultantly, significant attention is devoted to... more Abstract We live in an information society, and, resultantly, significant attention is devoted to ensure “information-based rights” are protected among other essential human rights. Fostering and protecting information-based rights is essential to human well being, and the traditional strategies to support these rights focus on ensuring free and unfettered access to information, such as the right to education, the freedom to read, or providing for fair use of copyright-protected works.
Until recently, most scholarly research on Web search engines have been technical studies origina... more Until recently, most scholarly research on Web search engines have been technical studies originating from computer science and related disciplines. The preceding chapters reveal, however, the growing interest—and importance—of studying Web search from a variety of disciplinary approaches. Significant progress has been made to understand Web searching from within social, cultural, and philosophical perspectives, to utilize political, legal, and economic theories, and to place Web searching within information behavioral frameworks.
Web search engines are not just indispensable tools for finding and accessing information online,... more Web search engines are not just indispensable tools for finding and accessing information online, but have become a defining component of the human condition and can be conceptualized as a complex behavior embedded within an individual's everyday social, cultural, political, and information-seeking activities. This book investigates Web search from the non-technical perspective, bringing together chapters that represent a range of multidisciplinary theories, models, and ideas.
The freedom to move through both physical and intellectual space resonates within many of the fun... more The freedom to move through both physical and intellectual space resonates within many of the fundamental values and aspirations of American culture, including free and open inquiry, personal autonomy, and liberty. These values are articulated in various spheres where freedom of mobility–both physical and intellectual–is typically enjoyed, ranging from the open highways, public libraries, and the Internet.
While intended to enhance intellectual mobility, this dissertation will reveal that the quest for... more While intended to enhance intellectual mobility, this dissertation will reveal that the quest for the perfect search engine is actually a Faustian bargain: While designed to foster increased navigation within our spheres of mobility, the search for the perfect search engine also empowers the widespread capture of personal information flows across the Internet.
In the summer of 2003, I visited the White House with a group of young scholars and met with memb... more In the summer of 2003, I visited the White House with a group of young scholars and met with members of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and other White House technology advisors. We were introduced to Nuala O'Connor Kelly, the recently appointed Chief Privacy Officer for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Ms.
Abstract Today, many libraries are at a crossroads: several of the services they have traditional... more Abstract Today, many libraries are at a crossroads: several of the services they have traditionally provided within their walls are increasingly made available online, often by non-library, commercial entities. For example, Web search engines provide easy access to millions of Websites, online databases provide convenient gateways to news and scholarship, and book-scanning projects make roaming the shelves seem antiquated.
In their article,'Studying Cyborgs: Re-examining Internet Studies as Human Subjects Research,'Ulr... more In their article,'Studying Cyborgs: Re-examining Internet Studies as Human Subjects Research,'Ulrike Schultze and Richard Mason set out to provide the information science community a better understanding of the ethical challenges of online human subjects research, and to develop a framework to help guide researchers and ethics committees determine when an online research project deals with a human subject, and not just a digital text or representation.
Originally designed to provide keyword access to web pages, search providers have steadily expand... more Originally designed to provide keyword access to web pages, search providers have steadily expanded their searchable indexes to include a wide array of online information, such as images, news archives, blogs, PDFs, and video files. Additionally, search engine providers have begun digitizing the 'material world', adding the contents of popular books, university libraries, maps, satellite images, and even the surface of the moon to their growing indexes.
Abstract Web search engines have emerged as a ubiquitous and vital tool for the successful naviga... more Abstract Web search engines have emerged as a ubiquitous and vital tool for the successful navigation of the growing online informational sphere. As Google puts it, their goal is to “organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful” and to create the “perfect search engine” that provides only intuitive, personalized, and relevant results.
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