Future Agenda

More on Privacy - Google and Facebook

After the recent future of privacy event, interesting to see how quickly the mainstream coverage of consumer data privacy issues is accelerating. The highly public Facebook and Google U turns of the past week are causing many to start to question what is being done with their data and how it could impact their lives. For me the way in which Google are reported to be planning to roll out their facial recognition technologies across multiple platforms shows just how quickly the world of Blade-Runner and Minority Report is taking shape around us. By comparison the collection of personal data from non-secure wifi networks by the Google Street-View team is blatantly wrong. The Facebook errors of judgement are however simply taking too many liberties and the retrenchment back to a sensible policy will hopefully come pretty soon. The leader in this week's Economist eloquently sums it up:

"The worst thing is Facebook’s underlying prejudice against privacy. Sign up and it assumes you want to share as much data as possible; if not, you have to change the settings, which can be a fiddly business. The presumption should be exactly the opposite: the default should be tight privacy controls, which users may then loosen if they choose. If Facebook fails to simplify and improve its privacy policy, it will justly risk the wrath of regulators—and many more Facebook suicides."

Future of Media

Planning all on course for London Future of Media event next week. Just a few final participants to invite to what should be a great discussion. The draft Next Media 2020 Scenarios on the Future of Media from Finland have just arrived for comments and so they are adding some interesting twists on the topics we are going to be looking at.

Candidate Topics for Section 2 of Book

As first section of write up on the four certainties nears completion, have now got all candidate topics for section 2 of book grouped and ready for detailing over next few weeks. This is the section that looks as what will probably happen under six clusters of health, wealth, happiness, security, mobility and locality. Lots of content to collate but around 60 really good future insights now in the frame and being linked together. Book cover also now pretty well agreed and in hands of designers.

Privacy Lunch

Great combination of expertise today for lunch in DC. Lots of views on where privacy is heading, what are the primary moves taking place and where it might go. Many areas of agreement but also a few alternative perspectives. Mostly a US centric debate but quite a few comments regarding leapfrog opportunities in fast developing economies. Write up coming shortly.

In DC for Privacy Event

Good future of food focused discussions yesterday in Chicago and now in Washington ready for tomorrow's deep dive on the future of privacy. Great combination of experts coming together to look at this pivotal issue which has emerged right to the top from the Future Agenda programme so far. Update on that session tomorrow..

Off to US for the Week

Time for some more US workshops so Chicago, Washington and NYC this week to discuss food, privacy and energy. Given everything going on at the moment, should be an interesting few days.

Book Progress

Introduction and half of section 1 now complete. Hope to have all of first section done by this time next week for sharing across team. Lots of content to accommodate so aiming for concise but coherent summaries. Had good catch up with Rebecca at Infinite Ideas last week on schedule so all going to plan right now.

Website Scoping

Another good meeting at CI KTN scoping out the shared website structure. Looking very positive in terms of both ease of navigation and content access. Challenge is to make sure we have consistency between book and website now that both are well underway.