Posts Tagged ‘ filter bubble ’

How wired is your life? (by Santiago Zabala)

October 8, 2012
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AlJazeera recently featured an excellent article by Santiago Zabala, ICREA Research Professor of Philosophy at the University of Barcelona in its opinion section. In his article Zabala emphasizes that in our digital world, in which the internet and social networks have become as common as “the air we breathe,” critical thinking is more important than ever. Some quotes from the full article: It is interesting to notice how often this question is answered simply by noting the amount of time we spend online (following the US presidential campaign or admiring MOMA‘s online collection) rather than by qualifying our ability to interpret the…

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Tracking the trackers (TED lecture by Gary Kovacs)

May 27, 2012
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As you surf the internet, information is being collected about you. Web tracking is not 100% evil — personal data can make your browsing more efficient; cookies can help your favorite websites stay in business. But, says Gary Kovacs in this TED lecture, it is your right to know what data is being collected about you and how it affects your online life. He unveils a Firefox add-on to do just that.  Gary Kovacs is the CEO of the Mozilla Corporation, where he directs the development of Firefox.  [I am] not even two bites into breakfast, and there are already nearly…

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The vision for Microsoft’s search engine

May 3, 2012
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The vision for Microsoft’s search engine

As we have previously written about the Internet Filter Bubble it is worth keeping an eye on its latest developments and notice that Microsoft is apparently determined to step up the game.  A recently surfaced Microsoft patent application reveals its next generation search engine, equipped with advanced content and context comprehension capabilities to read Facebook status reports and Twitter tweets. Using tracking cookies, direct search engine entry pattern recognition, and so on, this system is capable of picking up advanced user information, such as mood, interests, and even the person’s education level and his or her comprehension of specific topics. The search…

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The internet filter bubble

January 7, 2012
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Thanks to Google’s search engine we now have the ability to retrieve instantly a massive amount of information on virtually any topic or any question we might have. On the surface, it seems that we are all better informed and more knowledgeable as a result of Google.  But are we? Consider the fact that Google recognizes  users and collects information on their digital behavior–their favorite searches, articles they have read on Google news, and even their choice of words.  Everything is recorded, the pattern is analyzed, and a user profile is created. Then, when you perform a search, Google tries to find…

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