Associated Workshops

The Fifth Workshop on the Social Implications of National Security

Theme: The Social Implications of Location-Based Services and Other Emerging Technologies

Workshop Organizers: Katina Michael, M.G. Michael

Hosted by the Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention, Faculty of Law at UOW, in conjunction with the School of Information Systems and Technology, Faculty of Informatics at UOW

10th June 2010, iC

http://ctcp.uow.edu.au/index.html

Workshop Overview

9:30 - 9:50
Registration, ITAMS Building, 233.115

9:50 - 10:00
Welcome by Director of CTCP, Professor Andrew Goldsmith

10:00-11:00
Keynote: The Quest for RoboEthics: A Survey by Professor Rafael Capurro

11:00-12:00
Open Forum Q&A: Location-Based Services and RFID Implants: What’s All the Fuss About by Mr Amal Graafstra

12:00-12:30
The Application of Location Enabled Body Worn Technologies In The Education Sector by Mr Alexander Hayes

12:30-1:30
Sit Down Buffet Lunch @ iC Terrace

1:30-2:00
SMART Mobility Digital Ecosystem by Professor Peter Eklund

2:00-2:30
The Social Implications of the National Location-Based Emergency Services in Australia by Mr Anas Aloudat

2:30-3:00
Location-based Services (LBS) Regulation in Australia: Preliminary Findings from Stakeholder Consultation by Ms Roba Abbas

3:00-3:30
Coffee and Tea Break

3:30-4:00
Social Media Mining by Ulrike Gretzel

4:00-4:30
Policing’s New Visibility by Professor Andrew Goldsmith

4:30 Close

* Reflecting on Novel Methodologies Used to Collect Data from the Field: A Look Back at Five Years of Research on Location Based Services in the Faculty of Informatics by Associate Professor Katina Michael, Dr M.G. Michael (possible presentation)

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The Quest for Roboethics: A Survey

Professor Rafael Capurro, Distinguished Researcher in Information Ethics, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA

Rafael Capurro was born in 1945 in in Montevideo, Uruguay. He holds a licentiate in Philosophy from Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1970). In 1978 he received his Dr.phil. in Philosophy from Düsseldorf University and he completed his postdoctoral teaching qualification (Habilitation) in Practical Philosophy (Ethics) from Stuttgart University in 1989. Between 1987 and 2004 he was a lecturer at the Institute of Philosophy Stuttgart University and then between 1986 and 2009 he was a Professor (em.) of information management and information ethics at Stuttgart Media University, Germany.
His recent publications include: Localizing the Internet. Ethical Aspects in Intercultural Perspective by Rafael Capurro, Johannes Frühbauer, Thomas Hausmanninger (Eds.), Munich 2007; The Public / Private Debate. A Contribution to Intercultural Information Ethics by Makoto Nakada and Rafael Capurro. In: Rocci Luppicini and Rebecca Adell (Eds.): Handbook of Research in Technoethics, Hershey PA: IGI Global, 2009, 339-353; and Ethics and Robotics (R. Capurro & Michael Nagenborg, Eds.), IOS Press, 2009.

Abstract

Ethics and robotics are two academic disciplines, one dealing with the moral norms and values underlying implicitly or explicitly human behavior and the other aiming at the production of artificial agents, mostly as physical devices, with some degree of autonomy based on rules and programmes set up by their creators (Capurro and Nagenborg 2009). Since the first robots arrived on the stage in the play by Karel Čapek (1921) visions of a world inhabited by humans and robots gave rise to countless utopian and dystopian stories, songs, movies, and video games. Human-robot interaction raises serious ethical questions right now that are theoretically less ambitious but practically more important than the possibility of the creation of moral machines that would be more than machines with an ethical code. The term ‘roboethics” was coined by the engineer Gianmarco Veruggio (Veruggio 2006). The aim of this paper is give a brief account of subjects, projects, groups and authors dealing with ethical aspects of robots. I first start with recent research on roboethics in two EU projects namely ETHICBOTS (2005-2008) and ETICA (2009-2011). I report on the activities of Roboethics.org and particularly of the Technical Committee (TC) on Roboethics of the IEEE and list some ethical issues and principles currently discussed. I also report briefly on the Machine Ethics Consortium. In the second part I present some views on robotics and robots as discussed particularly in Japan leading to what I call intercultural roboethics, i.e., to an in-deep analysis of the way(s) in which robots are perceived in different cultures with different social and moral backgrounds, values and principles. An intercultural ethical analysis should make possible to be aware of these differences as a basis for a comparative normative ethics of robots (genitivus obiectivus) that is still in its infancy (Capurro and Nagenborg 2009). In the third part I briefly discuss the relationship between roboethics and digital ontology. In the conclusion I point to some topics and questions for a future agenda of intercultural roboethics.

 

Location-Based Services and RFID Implants: What’s All the Fuss About?

Amal Graafstra, Amal.net, Author of RFID Toys

RFID Toys author Amal Graafstra, is the owner of several technology and mobile communications companies and a double RFID implantee. Amal loves thinking up interesting ways to combine and apply various technologies in his daily life.
Since learning about RFID technology used in cats and dogs for identification, Amal wanted to leverage that technology himself. Getting implants meant there was no need to carry an RFID access card around and he could implement his own RFID access control systems instead of buying expensive off-the-shelf products. Soon after getting his first implant and posting some pictures of the process for a few friends, word quickly spread over the Internet and soon he found himself talking to everyone from industry players to clergy to book publishers about RFID technology and its possibilities.
Amal has been interviewed about his adventures in RFID by television, print, and online news media from around the world, including the Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet program. He uses his RFID implants to log into his computer, access his front door and opening his car door.

 

The Application of Location Enabled Body Worn Technologies In The Education Sector

by Alexander Hayes, PhD Candidate, School of Information Systems and Technology, University of Wollongong

Alexander Hayes is an educator and artist living in Orange, New South Wales Australia. Since graduating from his Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1995, he has been involved in national and international professional learning communities that have given him opportunities to participate, facilitate and manage a praxis of networked and technology assisted projects. More recently, his role as Operations Manager and co-Director of EDUPOV Pty Ltd. requires him to provide service to a diverse client portfolio including some of Australia's leading secondary, vocational and tertiary education sectors.

Abstract

The rapid uptake of body worn, location enabled, mobile network accessible solutions for rich media creation and connection  in extreme sports, military and medical sectors  is now also challenging the mobile learning / distance education stereotype. The re-purposed application of these technologies in the education & training sector is now opening up new domains for connecting learners with educators, which in turn  poses substantial challenges for organisations as they grapple with the implications that this technology imbues.

This participatory research will  engage a diverse array of  organisational, development and community user groups from the Australian education sector  in critical and investigative research of  learning settings where it is critical or desirable to:

• remain hands free;
• have  the ability to record evidence using rich media;
• be  remotely accessed / connected to trainers and assessors  in the field as a desirable service delivery attribute;
• submit data sets that accompany the 'human' connection as a validation of  participation in a learning experience;
• augment existing available  authenticated sources for an individuals prior learning ( experiential ) validation

 

SMART Mobility Digital Ecosystem

Professor Peter Eklund, Director of the Centre for Digital Ecosystems, School of Information Systems and Technology, University of Wollongong

Peter Eklund is Professor of Information Systems and Technology at the UoW. In 2007 Peter was on industry secondment to Objective Corporation - an ASX listed Enterprise Content Management company - as Principal Research Scientist. Peter is Director of the Centre for Digital Ecosystems.
Peter is founder of the Knowledge, Visualization and Ordering Laboratory and an ACS Fellow. Before joining The University Wollongong (his alma mater), Peter was variously Chair of the Queensland Studies Authority Subject Advisory Committee for Computer Studies, Research Leader in EDST CRC, Foundation Chair of Information Technology at Griffith University, and consultant to the Australian and US Department's of Defence. Peter has held Visiting Professorial appointments at INRIA's Acacia Group in France and Hosei University in Japan.   Peter was a graduate student at IDA in Linköping, Sweden where he completed his PhD in 1991.

Abstract

Passenger information systems can be achieved when there is a single integrated transport authority.  Such systems are more difficult to implement when combined across multiple companies, transport types and providers. Even more challenging is the provision of services in a ticketless transport network. In the Digital Bus, connecting services, details of the next bus or train, local shops, businesses, hotels and other traveller-related information, are made available via GPS, wireless networks and personal mobile devices as well as in traditional forms such as signs and audible signals. In this seminar, I explain the challenge of planning services in a ticketless transport network using the Gong Shuttle and free University shuttle services as a case study for research on location-based transport services.

 

Location-based Services (LBS) Regulation in Australia: Preliminary Findings from Stakeholder Consultation

Roba Abbas, PhD Candidate, School of Information Systems and Technology, Faculty of Informatics, UOW

Ms Roba Abbas graduated with first class honours in Information and Communication Technology (majoring in Business Information Systems) from the University of Wollongong Australia in 2006, earning a place on the Faculty of Informatics Dean's Merit List. She is currently a PhD candidate in the School of Information Systems and Technology at the University of Wollongong, working on an Australian Research Council (ARC)-funded project in the field of location-based services regulation. Ms Abbas has lecturing and tutoring experience in the Faculty of Informatics, and over five years industry experience in product management, corporate IT strategy, information architecture, consulting, and all aspects of web design and development.

Abstract

Location-based services (LBS) are presently being deployed in Australia in a range of industries and for a variety of purposes, such as emergency management, employee monitoring, through to consumer navigation and social functions. However, literature and research reveal that the associated regulatory environment has not been adequately studied. This is partly due to the complexities involved in the provision of LBS to the end user, through the LBS value chain of operational and non-operational entities. Essentially, a complex value chain exists due to the need for cooperation and partnership between vendors in order to successfully deliver a service. Based on the notion of collaboration, in addition to socio-technical and policy development principles, a consultation process is being conducted with the intention of encouraging stakeholders across the value chain to be involved in the design and conceptualization of ethically-sound LBS. The stakeholder consultation seeks to identify social (and other) implications associated with the deployment of LBS, while specifying possible means of addressing such implications. Preliminary findings from the consultation process indicate that a pragmatic approach is necessary, in which the benefits associated with the deployment of LBS are acknowledged, while the possible concerns are categorized in terms of severity or potential impact. Based on such categorization, the documented risks can be addressed using a variety of mechanisms, relative to the situation and the associated level of concern. Stakeholders suggest techniques such as the development of industry codes/standards, the use of privacy impact assessments, and the integration of relevant technical safeguards into the location-based service itself. Stakeholders also recognize that existing legislation require review, to address both apparent inconsistencies and provide adequate coverage of LBS. However, any suggested mechanism, regulatory or otherwise, must accommodate a number of competing interests that were expressed thus far. Namely, the need to manage user and other stakeholder concerns, while simultaneously ensuring technological innovation in the LBS industry is not unnecessarily prohibited. Insights into the stakeholder consultation are presented, and a roadmap for future research is introduced.

 

The Social Implications of the National Location-Based Emergency Services in Australia

Anas Aloudat, PhD Candidate, School of Information Systems and Technology, Faculty of Informatics, UOW

Mr Anas Aloudat is a PhD candidate in the School of Information Systems and Technology at the Faculty of Informatics at the University of Wollongong. His thesis is investigating user acceptance of location based services in emergency management within Australia. Mr Aloudat holds a Master of Science in Computing from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Mu'tah University in Karak, Jordan. He is presently a sessional tutor at the University of Wollongong where he has taught topics in eBusiness and location based services. Between 2000 and 2002 Mr Aloudat was also a computer lab assistant in the Faculty of Science at Mu’tah University. He was recently made a member of the Cellular Emergency Advisory Service Association (CEASA), and has been a member of the Research Network for a Secure Australia since 2006. He is also a reviewer of the Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research (JTAER).

Abstract

The Australian Federal, States and Territories Governments announced in 2009 their future intentions to utilize location-based services under a national all-hazards emergency warning and alerting system. The location-based component should allow the system to disseminate warnings based on the physical location of the active mobile handset if the handset is in the vicinity of a defined emergency area. While the application of location-based government services is discerned as a valuable addition to the existing emergency management arrangements, a look is taken nonetheless into the social implications of the national introduction of these services in Australia. In particular, the issues the services wide utilization is expected to evoke, including concerns about privacy, location information control and people’s trust in these services during emergencies. To provide tangible recognition of the identified issues, results of a survey conducted to probe people’s opinions about the services are presented as well. Albeit the results markedly demonstrate people’s trust in the services and also their trust in the governments to act as proxies over their personal locational information during emergencies, concerns about privacy are still expressed as prominent issues that need further consideration in order to understand the future success of these services in Australia.

 

Social Media Mining

Assistant Professor Ulrike Gretzel, Director of the Laboratory for Intelligent Systems in Tourism (LIST), Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University

Dr. Ulrike Gretzel is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Intelligent Systems in Tourism (LIST) in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University. She received her Ph.D. in Communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds a Masters degree in International Business from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.
Her research focuses on persuasion in human-technology interaction, the representation of sensory and emotional aspects of tourism experiences, and issues related to the development and use of intelligent systems in tourism. Her research on social media is mostly concerned with questions of trust, impacts on travel planning and travel experiences, as well as motivations to generate contents and has been supported by TripAdvisor and the U.S. Travel Association.
Dr. Gretzel is an external lecturer at MODUL University, Austria and a Visiting Principal Fellow at the University of Wollongong, Australia.

Abstract

Social media and location-based services generate an incredible wealth of often very personal data. In this paper I present examples of technologies that are being developed to mine and also share data collected from users. I will discuss the business models and business rationales that drive these developments to illustrate how great the incentives to capitalize on this information are, and how little businesses will care about ethical concerns unless strict policies are put in place.

 

Policing’s New Visibility

Professor Andrew Goldsmith, Executive Director, Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention, Faculty of Law,
University of Wollongong

Andrew Goldsmith is Executive Director, Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention, and Professor of Law, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. He previously held academic posts at Flinders University, Monash University and the Australian National University, as well as in the United Kingdom. His main research interests are in transnational policing and counter-terrorism. His most recent book was Crafting Transnational Policing: Police Capacity-building and Global Policing Reform (edited, with James Sheptycki), published by Hart Publishing, UK (2007) within the Onati Socio-Legal Studies series.  He is on the board of various academic journals, including Policing and Society, Crime and Criminal Justice, and International Criminal Justice Review.  Among others, he has undertaken consultancies with the Open Society Justice Initiative, UNDP, the Victorian Ombudsman, the Australian Federal Police, and the Attorney-General’s Department (South Australia) on matters of police reform, police capacity-building, witness protection, and serious repeat offending.

Abstract

In this article, I argue, the conditions of choice open to police organizations and personnel in this regard have been eroded dramatically in recent years as a consequence of new communicative technologies and their social use. In short, the article examines the changing circumstances of policing’s in/visibility.  Pervasive new camera and video technologies and social networking practices are creating a new generation of media producers as well as consumers, contributing to a “disappearance of disappearances” (Haggerty and Ericson 2000), and thus to a “new visibility” in policing  (Thompson 2005).  In terms of both public perception and formal accountability, the police are losing their ability to “patrol the facts” (Ericson 1989). While many details remain unclear, it seems highly probable that that the new capacities for surveillance of policing inherent in these technologies may increase the police’s accountability to the public, while decreasing their account ability (Ericson 1995).  Much, if not all, of that accountability however is likely to take place in the court of public opinion rather than through courts of law and other institutionalized channels of public accountability.