Archive for August, 2010
Biometric waste in Iraq
The US military has been collecting millions of biometric samples from Iraqi citizens, both good guys and bad guys. Now that the US is leaving, what should be done with the biometric waste? There are real risks that the records could be used to determine who worked with the US forces during the occupation, or to identify members of rival tribes. And can the new Iraqi government be trusted to use the records properly?
As the war draws down, however, the collection of so much personal information has raised questions about how data gathered during wartime should be used during times of peace, and with whom that information should be shared.
via Questions arise about use of data gathered in Iraq war – The Boston Globe.
Posted: August 31st, 2010 under Security & privacy.
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Canadian universities making little from licencing
Michael Geist has an interesting article on the income that Canadian universities are making from licencing intellectual property. He questions whether an open distribution model might be better than the current traditional commercialization model.
The latest report is based on survey data from 2008 which finds that the total IP income (primarily from licencing) at reporting Canadian universities was $53.2 million. The cost of generating this income? The reporting institutions employed 321 full-time employees in IP management for a cost of $51.1 million. In other words, after these direct costs, the total surplus for all Canadian universities was $2.1 million.
Posted: August 31st, 2010 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none |
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