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

Wed Sep 8 22:43:55 EDT 2010

On 9/8/10, Eric Dierker <cogitoergosum at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> I think we know that as for WHOIS data and Name Transferring Policies and
> gTLD
> selection none of the above is a priority or requirement for ICANN.  So I
> assume
> you are saying that ICANNs' data is unreliable, untrustworthy and bordering
> on
> completely bad?

Under the three necessary parts of Transparency (information),
Knowledge (analysis), and Remedies (empowered action based on analyzed
knowledge), if we accept Eric's factual assiessment on all three,
especially on the lack of transparency in the very first step, does it
mean that ICANN's data is unreliable, untrustworthy and bordering on
completely bad?

ANSWER:  You're proposing a meta-analysis of ICANN data, which
presumes at least partial transparency exists, yet it is not fully
transparent.  Unless the partially transparent data set you are
suggesting a critique for is able to be isolated reliably from the
non-disclosed data (thus making it effectively transparent for the
limited purpose of its own analysis), the non-disclosed data casts  a
big shadow over what is disclosed, because that data could change the
meaning, context or even the results of using the limited data that
was disclosed.

Step Two (knowledge/analysis) is primarily the independent right or
duty of each user of a given piece of data, except to the extent that
a disclosing organization can make data more user-friendly without
prejudice to other ways of analyzing the data that is fine  (for
example, it might be thought that producing a pdf is user friendly
transparency, but if the pdf is of data originally in an excel
spreadsheet then producing a pdf is making analysis more difficult).
Also a disclosing organization may and sometimes must provide its own
analysis of the data which should also be transparent, but not without
also disclosing the data so that others can independently do their own
analysis and come to their own conclusions.

ICANN's nontransparency raises serious questions about the reliability
of partial data that is released.  Whether I can pronounce it "bad"
without resort to more facts than those in this thread?  No, not
without more facts and analysis (which I'm sure exist, but not in this
thread)

Paul Lehto, J.D.
> ________________________________
> From: Paul Lehto <lehto.paul at gmail.com>
> To: Eric Dierker <cogitoergosum at sbcglobal.net>
> Cc: governance at lists.cpsr.org; Michael Gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com>; Rui
> Correia <correia.rui at gmail.com>
> Sent: Tue, September 7, 2010 12:42:27 PM
> Subject: Re: [governance] FW: Blogpost: Open Data: Empowering the Empowered
> or
>
> 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
> ____________________________________________________________
> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
>     governance at lists.cpsr.org
> To be removed from the list, send any message to:
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>
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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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