Pervasively Distributed Copyright Enforcement

In an effort to control flows of unauthorized information, the major copyright industries are pursuing a range of strategies designed to distribute copyright enforcement functions across a wide range of actors and to embed these functions within communications networks, protocols, and devices. Some of these strategies have received considerable academic and public scrutiny, but much less attention has been paid to the ways in which all of them overlap and intersect with one another. This article offers a framework for theorizing this process. The distributed extension of intellectual property enforcement into private spaces and throughout communications networks can be understood as a new, hybrid species of disciplinary regime that locates the justification for its pervasive reach in a permanent state of crisis. This hybrid regime derives its force neither primarily from centralized authority nor primarily from decentralized, internalized norms, but instead from a set of coordinated processes for authorizing flows of information. Although the success of this project is not yet assured, its odds of success are by no means remote as skeptics have suggested. Power to implement crisis management in the decentralized marketplace for digital content arises from a confluence of private and public interests and is amplified by the dynamics of technical standards processes. The emergent regime of pervasively distributed copyright enforcement has profound implications for the production of the networked information society

Morality, responsibility and risk: Gay men and proximity to HIV. London

Network analysis and network theory have emerged in various strands of research on HIV. Epidemiological research has used network analysis to map and predict the course of the HIV and STI epidemics among Gay men (Doherty et al. 2005; Piqueira et al. 2004). It constitutes an advance on cruder epidemiological models of random mixing (see Keeling & Eames 2005). Social network analysis and social attachment have been important concepts in informing more recent HIV prevention interventions (see Fernandez et al. 2003; Latkin and Knowlton 2005) and have had specific applications in the case of disadvantaged communities such as injecting drug users and sex workers (Latkin et al. 2003; Rhodes et al. 2005). Moreover, network analysis has been useful in understanding social support of disadvantaged groups living with HIV such as African migrants and ethnic minority women (Hough et al. 2005; Asander et al. 2004; Sivaram et al. 2005). Considering a Gay man as part of a social network involves engaging with the social and cultural factors that shape his experience. Rather than thinking of his relationships as essentially random, we characterise them as being profoundly influenced by his social environment; an environment made up by other individuals who share common understandings and social norms. This social network is generally self-perpetuating and limited. Individuals come into contact and hence derive friends and partners from this finite network. Network analysis is especially valuable when examining a population that is highly heterogeneous and made up of individuals who enter that population as autonomous adults. Gay men are such a population being made up of socially mobile individuals deriving from a range of social, ethnic and geographical backgrounds. Social networks are central to our understanding of the dynamics of HIV risk among Gay men. The nature and density of social networks have been found to be connected to sexual risk practices and susceptibility to HIV infection in Gay men (Smith et al. 2004). Moreover, networks influence Gay men’s perceptions and understandings of the HIV epidemic (Grierson 2005). In addition, social networks may have a role in influencing an individuals’ knowledge and understandings of, and access to new technologies such as PEP (see Dodds & Hammond 2006; Korner et al. 2005). Social norms have been found to be important in influencing Gay men’s attitudes towards safer sex and risk-taking especially among groups that have been traditionally disempowered or marginalised such as young Gay men (see Amirkhanian et al. 2005a) and Black/ethnic minority Gay men (see Wilson et al. 2002; Peterson et al. 2003; Zea et al. 2005). Finally social network analysis has been useful in describing social support for Gay men living with HIV and their carers (Shippy et al. 2003; White and Cant 2003; Cant 2004; Zea et al. 2005). A range of HIV prevention interventions have been based around social networks and innovation diffusion theory (see Amirkhanian et al. 2005a). Such interventions would seem to have most salience with disadvantaged groups of Gay and Bisexual men and have achieved some success (see Amirkhanian et al. 2005b). Other authors point out the limitations of network interventions in reaching men at relatively low risk or stress limitations in their efficacy over time (see Martin et al. 2003). Findings from the 2003 Gay Men’s Sex Survey (GMSS) highlight the importance of proximity to HIV. That is, men in certain social and cultural networks had limited experience of HIV in their social network and these men tended to have greater HIV prevention need (see Reid et al. 2004). GMSS 2003 established a range of indicators to measure personal and social proximity to the epidemic. These included: • Having tested for HIV. • Not having tested positive, but believing you are or could be infected. • Being in or having had a sero-discordant relationship. • Personally knowing someone with HIV. At the population level proximity to HIV was mediated by a range of demographic factors. • Area of residence: Men resident in London had greater proximity than men resident elsewhere, although men with low proximity to HIV were present in every city and town and in every area of the UK. • Age: Men in their 30's and 40's had greater proximity than either older or younger men. • Ethnicity: Black men and White men of ethnicities other than British had greater proximity than men in other ethnic groups. • Education: Better educated men had greater proximity (even though less well educated men were more likely to have HIV). • Income: Men in higher income brackets had greater proximity than men in lower income brackets. • Gender of sexual partners: Exclusively homosexually active men had greater proximity to HIV than men who were behaviourally bisexual. • Numbers of male partners: Men with greater numbers of partners had greater proximity than men with fewer partners. While these differences are important it is essential to note that they denote difference at the population level. In fact, there are men with low proximity to HIV in every city and town in the UK (including London); in every age group and ethnic group; with every level of formal education and at every income level; and with a range of sexual identities and sexual practices. These population differences in proximity to HIV present an interesting health promotion dilemma. Those men with greatest proximity have less unmet needs but are more likely to be involved in HIV exposure. Those with less proximity have the greatest unmet need and will therefore be vulnerable if they do come into contact with HIV (either knowingly or unknowingly) but they are probably less likely to do so. In response, the original research recommends “a diverse portfolio of interventions that are encountered by men with a wide variety of relationships to HIV” (Reid et al. 2004). The study presented in this report is in response to these findings. That is, a qualitative examination of social proximity to the epidemic among Gay men. However, we must start with a caveat. Neither GMSS nor this study measures actual proximity to HIV, that is the numbers of social and sexual contacts an individual has who are actually HIV positive, or the percentages of a social network who are actually positive. Rather, GMSS sets up a range of proxy markers to indicate proximity (such as testing history, beliefs about one’s own status and beliefs about the HIV status of social and sexual partners). Likewise, this study measures perceptions of proximity to the epidemic rather than actual proximity (to study actual proximity would require an ambitious network analysis where we recruited all the social and sexual contacts of respondents and asked them about their actual or known HIV status). Studying men’s perceptions of their proximity to the epidemic allows us to examine the ways in which men’s perceptions of their social surroundings influence how they experience and negotiate sexual risk. Moreover, an individual’s perception of the world around him influences the types of information and messages he is likely to notice. The purpose of this study is to inform the nature of interventions targeting men based on their perceived proximity to the epidemic. We will do so by exploring how their perceptions of proximity influence management of HIV-related sexual risk among men who assume or know themselves to be HIV negative

A Phenomenological Study of Acceptability of Preexposure Prophylaxis Therapy within the Lived Experiences of HIV Negative Male-to-Female Transgender Young Adults

The male-to-female transgender (MtF-TG) are individuals assigned a male gender at birth but self identify as female. MtF-TG young adults experience discrimination, stigmatization, isolation, and homelessness as a result of gender identity and gender expression. The transgender populations are linked to high rate of new HIV infection. The use of Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) therapy demonstrated a decrease in HIV infection risk ranging from 42% to 73% among sexual minority individuals. The goal of this three-part study was achieved through concept analysis, data collection, and analysis. The following aims were addressed; analyze the concept of transgender, explore currently used HIV prevention practices and knowledge of PrEP therapy, explore the potential of acceptability of PrEP therapy, and explore facilitators and barriers to acceptance of PrEP therapy. The findings resulted in three manuscripts: Transgender: Concept Analysis focused on analysis of the concept of transgender; A Phenomenological Study of Acceptability of Preexposure Therapy within the Lived Experiences of HIV Negative Male-To-Female Transgender young Adults utilized in-depth semi-structured interviews of 15 self-identified HIV negative MTF-TG young adults and Colaizzi\u27s seven steps of data analysis to identify related themes; It\u27s Deal Breaker: Safe Sex Practices Among Homeless Male-To-Female Young Adults focused on thematic findings of secondary results of primary study. Thematic findings were attributes of MtF-TG, essence of life as MtF-TG, motivators and barriers for PrEP acceptability. Findings have potential to inform practice, policy changes, and future research. Key Words: male-to-female transgender (MtF-TG), phenomenology, transgender, gender dysphoria, transwomen

Urban Low-Income African American Men, HIV/AIDS, and Gender Identity

This article explores the sociocultural meanings attached to sexual behaviors and conceptions of masculinity among low-income African-American males. The author argues that HIV/AIDS prevention programs should incorporate strategies to help this population achieve a more healthy gender identity

iObjectify: self- and other-objectification on Grindr, a geosocial networking application designed for men who have sex with men

Grindr is a smartphone application for men who have sex with men (MSM). Despite its reputation as a ‘hook-up app’, little is known about its users’ self-presentation strategies and how this relates to objectification - this paper explores objectification on Grindr. The results of Study 1 showed that Grindr users objectified other men more than non-Grindr users. A content analysis of 1400 Grindr profiles in Study 2 showed that profile pictures with objectifying content were related to searching for sexual encounters. Finally, a survey of Grindr users in Study 3 revealed that objectification processes and sexualized profile pictures were related to some objectification-relevant online behaviors (e.g., increased use of Grindr, discussion of HIV status). Interestingly, the presence of body focused profile content was more related to sexual orientation disclosure (not being ‘out’) than to objectification. This paper presents evidence that Grindr usage and online presentation are related to objectification processes

Security Code Smells in Android ICC

Android Inter-Component Communication (ICC) is complex, largely unconstrained, and hard for developers to understand. As a consequence, ICC is a common source of security vulnerability in Android apps. To promote secure programming practices, we have reviewed related research, and identified avoidable ICC vulnerabilities in Android-run devices and the security code smells that indicate their presence. We explain the vulnerabilities and their corresponding smells, and we discuss how they can be eliminated or mitigated during development. We present a lightweight static analysis tool on top of Android Lint that analyzes the code under development and provides just-in-time feedback within the IDE about the presence of such smells in the code. Moreover, with the help of this tool we study the prevalence of security code smells in more than 700 open-source apps, and manually inspect around 15% of the apps to assess the extent to which identifying such smells uncovers ICC security vulnerabilities.Comment: Accepted on 28 Nov 2018, Empirical Software Engineering Journal (EMSE), 201

Attitudes and behaviors among older MSM in Ghana

This study was implemented by Boston University in collaboration with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with support from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Agency for International Development under Project SEARCH Task Order No. GHH‐I‐00‐07‐00023‐00, beginning August 27, 2010. The content and views expressed here are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of USAID or the U.S. Government.This report provides the findings of a qualitative study that explored vulnerability to HIV of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Kumasi, Ghana. It is the second of two related studies focusing on MSM. The first study, “Exploring the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of MSM engaged in substance use and transactional sex in Ghana,”1 focused on adolescent and young adult MSM aged 15 to 29 years. This companion study focused on ‘older MSM’, encompassing individuals aged 30 years and above. This research was conducted by a collaborative team comprised of researchers from Boston University’s Center for Global and Health and Development (CGHD) and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). The team conducted this research in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest urban center. It is a component of the ‘Operations Research for Key Populations in Ghana’ Program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We designed and carried out the study in collaboration with FHI 360, an organization based in the capital of Accra that operates programs targeting MSM and other high‐risk individuals in Ghana, as well as the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC). Reducing vulnerability to HIV infection among high‐risk populations in Ghana is a major goal for the National AIDS Control Program (NACP) and the GAC. MSM are highly stigmatized in Ghana, in part because male‐to‐male sex is illegal. This makes it extremely challenging to understand the challenges these men face and ensure that they have access to HIV‐ and AIDS‐related services. We designed this qualitative study to add to what is known about the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of older MSM in Ghana. We focused on two groups among older MSM: those aged 30‐39 years and those aged 40 years and above. Given the need for more data on these groups to better reach them with effective HIV prevention and treatment information, the study aimed to explore: 1) How older MSM find their sex partners; 2) Their views of HIV risk; 3) Their risky behaviors, including those situations in which they are most likely to engage in risky sex; 4) HIV‐related services they receive; and 5) What services would be most helpful to them. The broad goal of the study was to collect and analyze in‐depth data in order to improve the outreach and effectiveness of local programs that aim to reach older MSM with important HIV prevention and treatment information and with services appropriate to their needs.Support from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Agency for International Development under Project SEARCH Task Order No. GHH‐I‐00‐07‐00023‐00, beginning August 27, 201

Ecological effects of full and partial protection in the crowded Mediterranean Sea: a regional meta-analysis

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a cornerstone of marine conservation. Globally, the number and coverage of MPAs are increasing, but MPA implementation lags in many human-dominated regions. In areas with intense competition for space and resources, evaluation of the effects of MPAs is crucial to inform decisions. In the human-dominated Mediterranean Sea, fully protected areas occupy only 0.04% of its surface. We evaluated the impacts of full and partial protection on biomass and density of fish assemblages, some commercially important fishes, and sea urchins in 24 Mediterranean MPAs. We explored the relationships between the level of protection and MPA size, age, and enforcement. Results revealed significant positive effects of protection for fisheries target species and negative effects for urchins as their predators benefited from protection. Full protection provided stronger effects than partial protection. Benefits of full protection for fish biomass were only correlated with the level of MPA enforcement; fish density was higher in older, better enforced, and - interestingly - smaller MPAs. Our finding that even small, well-enforced, fully protected areas can have significant ecological effects is encouraging for "crowded" marine environments. However, more data are needed to evaluate sufficient MPA sizes for protecting populations of species with varying mobility levels