William H. Dutton

Online Identities: Part of a Bigger Picture The issues surrounding identities online are complex and critically important, but they need to be addressed in relation to the larger ecology of issues in which they are embedded. Changes in the ways identity is handled on the Internet can have unintended consequences, such as jeopardizing the value [...]

The diffusion of so-called ‘three-strikes’ initiatives adopted by the copyright provisions of the UK’s Digital Economy Bill, and policies of other European nations, is going to be a serious set-back for privacy and freedom of expression. This is not the intention of lawmakers. To their credit, politicians of all parties in Britain, for example, believe [...]

This year’s Guardian Activate Summit (2010) will be entitled ‘Technology, Society and the Future: Changing the World through the Internet’, and be held on Thursday 1 July 2010, in London. It is not purely an academic conference, but some key academics are among the key speakers, such as our Web Science colleague, Professor Nigel Shadbolt. [...]

Anna Bradley, Chair of Ofcom’s Communications Consumer Panel, is visiting the OII on 6 May 2010. She will give an informal talk, from 16:30-17:30, in the OII Seminar Room at 1 St Giles. The panel has been active in a variety of issues, such as in focusing attention on actual versus advertised broadband speeds. Anna [...]

HM Treasury recently organized a consultation on the ‘implementation of the new Landline Duty to help fund the roll-out of Next Generation Access to 90 per cent of Britain by 2017.’ I’ve been critical of this proposal, which arose from the Government’s June 2009 Digital Britain White Paper. The idea was to impose a tax [...]

The Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania has teamed up with the IE University to hold an international forum on political communication that will bring together scholars and practitioners. This is orchestrated by Professor Monroe Price at the Annenberg School’s Global Communication Studies Centre, Magdalena Wojcieszak at IE and others, including colleagues at from [...]

The OII has posted a new Policy Briefing written by our Visiting Associate Tony Wales, former General Counsel of AOL International, responsible for the company’s worldwide legal affairs outside the US. He offers his insights on issues arising from the UK Government’s Digital Britain report (June 2009) and Digital Economy Bill, focusing in particular on [...]

Journal of Information, Communication & Society (iCS) Brian D. Loader Since 1997, the journal of Information, Communication & Society (iCS) has been charting the global diffusion and implications of digital media, communication and information technologies for individuals, households and society at large. The ubiquity of such media is a striking testimony to their influence in [...]

The Internet enables you to watch television on your computer. This is no longer the dream of a futurist. As Web TV continues to unfold, Internet users will have increasingly worldwide stores of programs accessible at anytime from anyplace. Long-held visions of on demand television might well be realized in the near-term. However, this convergence [...]

The Internet and the Future European Information Society: Key Issues Behind the Development of Guiding Principles A position paper prepared for submission to the European Commission’s public consultation on post-i2010: priorities for new strategy for European information society (2010-2015). INFSO-Post-i2010@ec.europa.eu Contributors to this response include the following participants in the European Alpbach Forum Seminar 09: [...]