Datafication / Development

EULAs & Mixed Reality: Complexities in the Global South

In this past few weeks, we have introduced end user license agreements (EULAs) and discussed their role in ensuring fairness in emerging technologies in the Global North. Through these explorations, we have revealed that these agreements can provide certain rights, privacies and protections to users and consumers, but that these are only upheld if countries have laws and enforcement agencies to do this. We have also touched on the role of watchdog groups, which can play a critical role in bringing privacy and data concerns to light and forcing officials to act. This week, as a wrap up to this …

Development

Real-World Consequences of Biases in Technology

Hello and thank you for joining! Today we feature a discussion revealing the catastrophic real-world consequences that biases in technology can have. Our panel reviews a report published by independent consultancy and auditor: Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), in which they look at Meta and their handling and misguiding censoring of Palestinian activists’ online activities. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/facebook-censorship-palestinians/)   Listen or read the transcript below!   Podcast transcript: Kristina: Welcome everyone. Welcome to the Big Data, Big Responsibility podcast. Allow me first to introduce our guests. We have present Annika, Maja, Jenny, Francisco, and myself, Kristina, as the moderator of today’s discussion. …

Datafication

EULAs: A Global North Perspective

In last week’s post, I broke down the basics of End User License Agreements (EULAs). As previously explained, EULAs lay out an agreement between consumer and provider. They are not written to protect the user, but they can act as a first line of defense for consumers by outlining what they agree to when they use a product. The effectiveness of which is highly dependent on the laws and enforcement in different localities. In this week’s post, we will look at ongoing privacy disputes in mixed reality technology in the global north, specifically in Germany/EU where I am currently living. …

Datafication / Development / Social Media

Just Click Accept: A introduction to the EULA.

In the past, an End User License Agreement (EULA) may have been referred to as “the fine print” in contracts. Also known as a User Agreement, Terms of Service, or License Agreement (or any other of the many other names it goes by), a EULA is designed to give a person/consumer the permission to use/license a proprietary software or hardware. In exchange, a consumer grants the owner of the software or hardware, be it a company or other organization, any number of considerations, from monetary compensation to private information. So, what is it that we usually find in this fine …