Last week the 20th ACM Conference on Computers, Freedom and Privacy was held in San Jose. CFP is comprised of privacy advocates, computer professionals, scientists lawyers and others focused on defining and promoting security and privacy in the digital age. The focus over the past couple of years, and the theme of this year’s conference is the “networked society”. No doubt the stumbles of Facebook, Google, AT&T and other lesser players were the “buzz” of the conference.
CFP has been pushing for years for a “bill of rights” to define acceptable behavior in the digital world. The final document, which was passed with only one dissenting vote, is officially known as the “Social Network Users’ Bill of Rights”. Much like the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution (aka the US Bill of Rights), the CFP Bill of Rights spells out how we would like service providers (social networks, ISPs, et al) to behave in our pursuit of “life, liberty and happiness” in the digital age. Unlike the US Bill or Rights, CFP’s version has no legal basis to enforce these rights we hold so near and dear. But in the end they “may” help shape future security and privacy legislation (some areas are already covered by internal laws). Short of that, the CFP version has little teeth. READ MORE »
