Media

Can we retain privacy in the era of Big Data?

Our society is collectively creating, storing and communicating information at nearly exponential rates of growth. Most of this data is personally identifiable, and third parties control much of it. This personal data will be archived online forever and be instantly searchable, and few appreciate...
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Should We Ditch the Idea of Privacy?

A growing number of people argue that the notion of having a private life in which we carefully restrict what information we share with others may not be a good idea. Instead, sharing our intimate, personal information with others would benefit us individually and...
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What Happened to ‘Yes we can’?

Whatever happened to the “we”? We haven’t heard about it since the 2008 victory. “They built the largest online community in the history of the presidency,” says Andrew Rasiej, founder of Personal Democracy Media, which tracks the intersection of technology and politics. “But then...
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Kony 2012: Rethinking Global Problem Solving

The 'Kony 2012' director who was found naked in the street will remain in the hospital for several weeks. Danica Russell, Jason Russell's wife, attributed her husband's "reactive phsychosis" to the "sudden transition from relative anonymity to worldwide attention -- both raves and ridicules,...
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Liberal Convention Coverage Round Up

This weekend I had the pleasure of addressing the Biennial Convention for the Liberal Party of Canada, Canada’s historical party. After three consecutive defeats, the Liberals are faced with the opportunity to reinvent themselves and become Canada’s first 21st century political party. Here are...
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20 Ideas for 2012, Part 3

In many countries civic engagement by young people has been growing for years, but as evidenced by the November 2010 Federal Elections in the United States, around the world voting among young people is declining. Governments and democracy run the danger of becoming...
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Part Two: My 20 Big Ideas for 2012

In Egypt and Tunisia we saw a revolution in how to foment revolutions. Now we need to reinvent how to build democracies. Enabled by social media, anti-government leadership in these two countries came from the people themselves rather than a traditional vanguard.
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20 Big Ideas for 2012

What will happen in 2012? In the spirit of the aphorism “The future is not something to be predicted, it’s something to be achieved,” let me suggest 20 transformations (which Reuters will publish in four groups of five)
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Canada’s Online Beehive

In an age of media fragmentation and balkanization, critics may suggest that the need for the CBC is reduced and that cutting funding would be an easy way for Ottawa to save money. But the reality is that Canada needs a 21st century public...
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Looking Back on My 2011 Projections

One thing pundits rarely do is review their own prognostications.  A year ago I published “10 big themes for 2011” – related to how the digital revolution changes business and society.  It’s helpful to review what actually occurred.  Below are my projections and some...
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Reuters: Cutting Out the Banker Middleman

The financial services industry has always been the antithesis of P2P collaboration. Hierarchy is deeply entrenched in this industry, for good reasons such as security, auditing, and regulatory compliance. But we are now seeing the rise of three types of P2P activities in this...
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Collaborating for Change in Healthcare

Despite the advancements of modern medicine, our basic approach to healthcare has remained unchanged for centuries. It assumes that physicians are smart and patients aren’t. Doctors wait in their office or hospital for sick people to come to them in order to be told...
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Empowering Change Through Collaboration

I’m enthusiastic about taking on the role of “Curator” for social media week. Between now and my kickoff speech Feb 13 to cities around the world, I’ll be writing a series of articles to stimulate thinking and discussion in our global community.
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Three Principles For a New Wall Street

Protesters set up the “Occupy Wall Street” base camp in New York a month ago because the location epitomizes the economic forces that control the U.S. and global economies. As one sign read: “This is not a recession. It’s a robbery.” To many it...
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