Metaviews

Thanks again to those who joined us for our salon this past Tuesday. One of the purposes in holding the salons, beyond the primary one which is to have smart conversations and connect fellow subscribers with each other, has been to play, learn, and experiment with OBS Studio. We published a Future Tools issue about it in October, and since then I’ve been slowly but steadily expanding my knowledge and proficiency using it. However I cannot learn in isolation, but require context and in some instance immersion, if I am to truly comprehend the value of a tool.

The relationship between algorithms and bias is both problematic and an opportunity. Problematic in that it has the potential to amplify and exacerbate entrenched biases and inequality. However it’s also an opportunity as we can now document and identify institutional or cultural bias in ways that were not previously possible.

Wifi Dabba is a fascinating story from India about innovation in broadband, even though the company happens to be based in Delaware, with offices in California, and is backed by major silicon valley venture capital. The company is focused on providing broadband Internet to the next billion users, and their plan begins in urban India.

Happy Thanksgiving to our American subscribers. Hopefully you’re spending it with your social bubble and connecting with extended family via the Internet?

This week the Canadian government introduced legislation titled the “Digital Charter Implementation Act” which proposes to upgrade the country’s privacy laws while also creating a new regulator, to govern both data and AI.

Given our recent discussions about surveillance, especially in the context of a pandemic, it makes sense to take a moment to examine open source surveillance systems. After all, surveillance is seductive. As it increases in accessibility and ease of use, more people will be tempted to use or play with such systems.