[AISWorld] Cyber-crime - sociotechnical lecture May 5th 6.15pm

Tue May 3 06:03:57 EDT 2011

Room: HRM215

London Venue: 

Marylebone Road. (Opp. Baker Street Station, and Mme Tussauds)

Time: 6.15pm - 8.00pm including questions. Cost: Free.  Coffee and biscuits provided. All welcome! Especially PG students.

Directions from Security

To ensure a place, register as soon as possible with: coakese at westminster.ac.uk

Past lectures on www.bcs.org/sociotechnical <http://www.bcs.org/sociotechnical>  and updates on the group's activities

Look for further details nearer the time on www.bcs.org/sociotechnical <http://www.bcs.org/sociotechnical> 

======================================================

Panel Description:

Over the past decades society has become aware that information and communications  technology poses threats as well bringing new opportunities.  The socio-technical world has become more complicated.  Nevertheless academic researchers as well as practitioners (and consultants) have responded to the new complexities in a reactive rather than understanding way.

The panel has been set up to explore this new world.  Each panellist will have 10 minutes to introduce their themes. Followed by audience and panel discussions.  The panellists will then have an opportunity to discuss the implications the topic for society, and in particular for socio-technical research

Frank Land will set the scene noting that some of the most innovative and successful entrepreneurs  in the ICT arena do not share the values which represent the 'good' society.

Tony Bryant will follow putting the increasing complexities into the context of sociologists view on modernity and helping in this way to understand  the diversities of practices and the values which drive them.

Andy Phippen and Tim Davies will   illustrate some of the issues by looking at specific socio-technical domains.  

The Panel will be chaired and moderated by Elayne Coakes from  Westminster University.

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Panel contribution Antony Bryant- Professor of Informatics, Leeds Metropolitan University

Network Society:  The Liquid & The Digital

Zygmunt Bauman's view of ethics in the age of liquid modernity is that there are no fixed points, and no certainties.  He contrasts this with the ideas of Emmanuel Levinas who argued that ethics is founded on the idea of 'being for others' in an unconditional sense.  What Bauman terms 'liquid love' is based on self-regard, charaterized by relationships that are transient and contractual.

Our current context also is characterized by erosion of the private/public distinction; which in many senses lies at the heart of generally understood ideas about the nature of modernity and civil rights.  

Thus in the age of the internet, which appears to offer new and virtually unlimited ways in which people can be in touch with each other, the reality seems to be centred on suspicion, self-regard, and transience.  It has clear that there is a dark side to these rapid and far-reaching technological developments - exemplified for instance in the 3rd volume of Manuel Castells' trilogy with its chapter on the internet and organized crime; also the ways in which the 'adult entertainment' industry (!) took a lead in the development of on-line interations and tranasactions - graphics, on-line credit card payments etc.

But rather than lamenting the ways in which promise has turned to peril with regard to the internet, it is more fruitful and important to begin to grasp the many-sided nature of digital existence in its liquid modern context.      

 Bio

Antony Bryant is currently Professor of Informatics at Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK.  His current research includes investigation of the ways in which the Open Source model might be used more widely, and in particular how it can be developed as a contributory feature for the re-constructed financial sector in the wake of the economic melt-down; coining the term Mutuality 2.0 and developing the concept in various contexts - e.g. 

http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/email/mutuality-2-0-open-source-the-financial-crisis <http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/email/mutuality-2-0-open-source-the-financial-crisis> . 

He has developed and taught a wide range of post-graduate courses in The Netherlands, South Africa, Malaysia, and China.   He is currently ASEM Professor at the University of Malaya, and Visiting Professor at the University of Amsterdam.

Panel contribution: Andy Phippen - Professor of Social Responsibility in IT at Plymouth Business School.

Filesharing is often held up as one of the evils of the Internet. The US prosecution and closure of Napster and, more recently, the Digital Economy Act in the UK have highlighted industry and legislator's fears regarding such practices and attempts to shut it down. However, one might argue that firstly trying to close or legislate against what is essentially a benign technological concept is entirely fruitless and, secondly, perhaps file sharing practices are challenging what one might suggest are unethical business practices themselves. The recording industry has had the monopoly on the production and distribution of recorded  music for around 50 years, with artists tied into exclusive contracts and tight copyright control. Prior to Internet based file sharing this was arguably the best option for an artist wishing to distribute their music. However, is this still the case? Is file sharing killing the music industry, or is it putting the control of an artist's gifts back into their hands, rather than allowing corporate business to own "talent"?

Bio
He has researched and commented upon many aspects of the social impact of technology for over 15 years, having carried out major studies into trust and engagement of online services, young people and identity, and sexting practices among the youth of the UK. He is a research partner with the UK Safer Internet Centre, and is a regular media commentator on the use of Internet technologies by children and young people. He has published extensively in both academic and industry sources, and has given evidence to a number of Parliamentary committees on aspects of technologies social impact. 

Panel Contribution: Tim Davies - Researcher, developer and consultant focussed on the impact of technologies in the public and third sectors. 

Bio

He has worked extensively on the use of social media as a tool for engagement and participation in the youth work and informal education sector, leading a series of action learning programmes and writing guidance on creating safe and effective social network site applications. He blogs at http://www.timdavies.org.uk <http://www.timdavies.org.uk/>  and tweets as @timdavies.

=====================

Coming June 22nd

Willy Coupar 

Director: Bayswater Institute

Room: CG72

London Venue: 

Marylebone Road. (Opp. Baker Street Station, and Mme Tussauds)

Time: 6.15pm - 8.00pm including questions. Cost: Free.  Coffee and biscuits provided. All welcome! Especially PG students.

Directions from Security

To ensure a place, register as soon as possible with: coakese at westminster.ac.uk

Past lectures on www.bcs.org/sociotechnical <http://www.bcs.org/sociotechnical>  and updates on the group's activities

Look for further details nearer the time on www.bcs.org/sociotechnical <http://www.bcs.org/sociotechnical> 

Elayne Coakes (Dr)
Senior Lecturer in BIMO,WBS
CG70 x3338

Editor-in-Chief: the International Journal for Sociotechnology and Knowledge Development: 
www.igi-global.com/IJSKD 
Book Series Editor: Advances in Sociotechnology and Knowledge Development, 
Editor: Knowledge Development and Social Change through Technology: Emerging Studies (due Jan 2011) IGI Global Publications: Hershey
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