Luncheon Presentation: The Democratization of Information
Our speaker will be Jim Campbell, Board Member of the Maine Freedom of Information Coalition and
Chair of the Intellectual Freedom Committee, Maine Library Association. Campbell is also host of “Notes from the Electronic Cottage,” a program that deals with information technology and its effects on our everyday lives. If you have questions, please reply to this post and we will share them with Jim.
jonippolito 6:31 pm on November 12, 2010 Permalink |
Jim’s claim that the Maine state Web site exposes social security numbers is scary. Again, it seems like a key issue regarding transparency is whether the information being disclosed is by the powerful about the powerless or vice versa.
sunny_hughes 6:44 pm on November 12, 2010 Permalink |
QUESTION FROM JOLINE BLAIS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF NEW MEDIA: Who is using information in Maine and what meanings are being constructed? Where do we need to go? Trends? Issues?
Jim Campbell:
-“One of the biggest issues emerging in the state is the balance point between access to information and privacy… It’s a very difficult problem.”
-Identity theft is big issue.
-The Maine Freedom of Access law has so many more exemptions than you can imagine. The federal FOIA law only has 9. The state law focuses on particulars.
-Aggregation has complicated the balance between privacy and access.
sunny_hughes 6:48 pm on November 12, 2010 Permalink |
If you would like to see how the Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project rated Maine’s FOIA laws, you can visit the site by clicking here.
Katherine 7:11 pm on November 12, 2010 Permalink |
Sometimes we forget just how much information is out there in the world….I am a historian and sometimes I examine old books from various libraries….every so often I come across an old book with names and social security numbers listed in the back. Not that long ago, one’s library ID number (social security number) was written on a physical card for records purposes. When the book was returned the card was placed back in the book.