Month: April 2010

Facebook privacy policy

Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Kurt Opsahl has gone spelunking in the history of Facebook’s privacy policies over the past 5 years, presenting a timeline that starts with something fairly moderate and reasonable in 2005 and moves to the current 2010 version which basically says, “By using Facebook, you agree to let us film your life 24/7, sell it to advertisers, ridicule it, or make a reality show from it.”

fighting the transparent society fight, eh facebook?

Automatic Contracts

What if we had the ability to automatically negotiate agreements based on various context available when the transaction is being completed? What do I mean by “context?”. Here’s a few examples:

  • because you’re a repeat customer I might offer an agreement without certain clauses that I would require of a new customer
  • I might offer you a lower price if you choose to forego indemnification in certain situations
  • based on the fact that you’re a male I don’t have to give you clauses regarding dangers to pregnancy
  • customers might be able to shop based own agreement terms rather than just price, shipping cost, etc.

In short, agreements could be generally less complex because they would not have to cover every conceivable problem.

will contracts move from one size fits all (19th century) to the 21st?

Shanghai Expo

Organizers of Shanghai’s World Expo have been holding trial runs this week. Officials now estimate the 6-month event, themed “Better City, Better Life”, will attract up to 100m visitors, 95% of them Chinese. Shanghai has spent $58.6b preparing for the Expo – more than was spent on the Beijing Olympics. Collected here are photographs of last-minute preparations in Shanghai as they prepare to welcome the world this weekend.

world expos are so weird. what is on display / sale here? competing 70s-era utopias?