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

Tue Sep 7 15:42:27 EDT 2010

On 9/7/10, Eric Dierker <cogitoergosum at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> No matter what: Marketing is education and education is marketing. Knowledge
> and
> wisdom come from discerning what something teaches us.  It does not come
> from
> deciding if it is true or reliable.  Data must be taken in context just like
> the
> words we use.  If you learn something from a free advertisement, one can
> only
> hope you have the intelligence to know that you did not just learn exactly
> what
> the ad said, but rather something about the product or service that is
> helpful
> to making informed decisions.  "juicy fruit" is neither it is a gum. But we
> learn from the ad and marketing that juicy and fruit are what the sellers
> want
> us to think about their product --- so do we buy it because it is a juicy
> piece
> of fruit -- no,,  but because we like the jingle and it was displayed well
> -- we
> know that.
>
> Please get off the notion of protecting us from ourselves.

OK Eric, you are showing that you are smart enough to distinguish an
advertising message from the truth of the matter.  This is the
distinction that I'm pointing to, and you yourself demonstrate an
application of it.  That being said, there are much more subtle and
difficult applications of the principle when the data is not in the
form of an obvious jingle, but is, for example, economic data provided
by a government as supposedly objective data, or corporate economic
forecasts that can emanate from cooked books.  I stipulate that  you
are also aware of risks there, but this is a topic for legitimate
public education, and you were not born knowing these things.
Therefore I do not agree that people are 'stupid' if they need to
either be taught these things or reminded of them.  Nor is it fair to
say this is "protecting us from ourselves", instead it is enabling
each individual to think for themselves and to question sources of
data and/or authority, because "open" data does not necessarily mean
accurate and truthful data, nor does open data mean that our hard won
knowledge is something we can actually do something about, because we
may lack realistic remedies.  Effectiveness comes in three parts:

1.  Transparency (gaining information, as in a clean, transparent
windshield allowing us to see)

2 . Knowledge (good analysis of the data obtained via some form of
transparency - a subject for ongoing education)

3.  Remedies (ability to apply knowledge in an effective way via the
courts or publicity or other means in order to alter the external
environment in a beneficial way)

Paul Lehto, J.D.

> ________________________________
> From: Paul Lehto <lehto.paul at gmail.com>
> To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; Michael Gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com>
> Cc: Rui Correia <correia.rui at gmail.com>
> Sent: Fri, September 3, 2010 9:25:58 AM
> Subject: Re: [governance] FW: Blogpost: Open Data: Empowering the Empowered
> or
>
> "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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>>
>> --
>>
>> _________________________
>>
>> Rui Correia
>> Advocacy, Human Rights, Media and Language Consultant
>> Angola Liaison Consultant
>> 2 Cutten St
>> Horison
>> Roodepoort-Johannesburg,
>> South Africa
>> Tel/ Fax (+27-11) 766-4336
>> Mobile (+27) (0) 84-498-6838
>> _______________
>> àáâãçéêíóôõúç
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Paul R Lehto, J.D.
> P.O. Box 1
> Ishpeming, MI  49849
> lehto.paul at gmail.com
> 906-204-2334
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-- 
Paul R Lehto, J.D.
P.O. Box 1
Ishpeming, MI  49849
lehto.paul at gmail.com
906-204-2334
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