[governance] FW: Blogpost: Open Data: Empowering the Empowered or

[Paul Lehto]

"Open data" is a public good, but unless it is "open and honest" data,
the public is in effect being manipulated rather than manipulating
honest data.  I'm inclined to support open data but with a major
caveat.

Hard won data and knowledge, such as professional knowledge, IP, etc.,
tends to be hoarded on the stated grounds of recovering investment &
profiting from innovation. If it is initially protected data/knowledge
and then liberated to be open, it is more likely reliable or honest
data or knowledge.  When it is provided for free in the first place,
since most data has at least a nominal cost and some of the best data
is hard to come by, it raises the question of whether open data is
open and honest data.

Advertising is always free to us, and the advertising industry stands
as a trillion dollar proof of the eagerness to provide us with free,
open data in order to manipulate us in the direction of the data
provider's will.

Paul Lehto, J.D.

On 9/3/10, Michael Gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com> wrote:
> Sorry Rui, the context is the on-going and extremely interesting discussion
> around "open data" (follow the links below...
>
> Several of those involved in this list are also involved in issues around
> "open data/knowledge" although I'm not really sure there is a direct
> connection to Internet Governance.
>
> "The open data  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Data> movement in the
> area of access to public (and other) information is a relatively new but
> very significant, and potentially powerful, emerging force.  It has now been
> widely endorsed by among others
> <http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_berners_lee_the_year_open_data_went_worldwide.
> html> Tim Berners-Lee the Father of the Internet. The overall intention is
> to make local, regional and national data (and particularly publicly
> acquired data) available in a form that allows for direct manipulation using
> software tools as for example, for the purposes of cross-tabulation,
> visualization, mapping and so on."
>
> Mike
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rui Correia [mailto:correia.rui at gmail.com]
> Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 7:17 AM
> To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; Michael Gurstein
> Subject: Re: [governance] FW: Blogpost: Open Data: Empowering the Empowered
> or
>
>
> Mike
>
> What exactly do you mean by data and access to data?
>
> Rui
>
>
> On 3 September 2010 14:46, Michael Gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> Perhaps a wee bit off topic, but there may be an interest.
>
> Mike
>
>
> Efforts to extend access to "data" will perhaps inevitably create a "data
> divide" parallel to the oft-discussed "digital divide" between those who
> have access to data which could have significance in their daily lives and
> those who don't. Associated with this will one can assume, be many of the
> same background conditions which have been identified as likely reasons for
> the digital divide-that is differences in income, education, literacy and so
> on.  However, just as with the "digital divide", these divisions don't
> simply stop or be resolved with the provision of digital (or data) "access".
> What is necessary as well, is that those for whom access is being provided
> are in a position to actually make use of the now available access (to the
> Internet or to data) in ways that are meaningful and beneficial for them.
>
> http://gurstein.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/open-data-empowering-the-empowered-
> <http://gurstein.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/open-data-empowering-the-empowered
> -%0Aor-effective-data-use-for-everyone/>
> or-effective-data-use-for-everyone/
>
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-- 
Paul R Lehto, J.D.
P.O. Box 1
Ishpeming, MI  49849
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