Evidence-informed regulatory practice: an adaptive response, 2005‑15

Overview: In this occasional paper, the ACMA reflects on its regulatory practice over the past 10 years; specifically, the role of research in evidence-informed decision-making and regulation. It looks at how the ACMA has used research in an environment of ongoing change to document and build evidence, inform public debate about regulation, and build capability among our stakeholders to make communications and media work in Australia’s national interest

I Spy: Addressing the Privacy Implications of Live Streaming Technology and the Current Inadequacies of the Law

This Note argues that live-streaming technology has implicated several important legal rights held by various parties, from the freedom of expression rights of the videographers/streamers themselves, to privacy rights of inadvertent participants in a third party’s live stream. Part I briefly discusses the types of streaming currently available, focusing on an explanation of live-streaming and the transition from archived content applications to live-streaming applications, and then moves on to examining the trajectory of the laws governing live-streaming technology. Additionally, Part I discusses parts of the body of both state and federal privacy laws which could apply to live-streaming. Part II of this Note applies the framework established in Part I to Facebook Live, comparing the live-streaming service to more traditional broadcasting, and discussing the rights and liabilities of live-streamers, those who may inadvertently find themselves included in a live stream, and select third parties. Part III discusses past solutions to privacy issues raised by media activities, and Part IV examines why the advent of social media live-streaming presents novel questions. Part V concludes this Note by discussing potential policy implications and asking the question: where do we go from here

You Watch, You Give, and You Engage: A Study of Live Streaming Practices in China

Despite gaining traction in North America, live streaming has not reached the popularity it has in China, where livestreaming has a tremendous impact on the social behaviors of users. To better understand this socio-technological phenomenon, we conducted a mixed methods study of live streaming practices in China. We present the results of an online survey of 527 live streaming users, focusing on their broadcasting or viewing practices and the experiences they find most engaging. We also interviewed 14 active users to explore their motivations and experiences. Our data revealed the different categories of content that was broadcasted and how varying aspects of this content engaged viewers. We also gained insight into the role reward systems and fan group-chat play in engaging users, while also finding evidence that both viewers and streamers desire deeper channels and mechanisms for interaction in addition to the commenting, gifting, and fan groups that are available today.Comment: Published at ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2018). Please cite the CHI versio

New Interactions: The relationship between journalists and audiences mediated by Google Glass

From the first studies of wearables inside MIT’s Media Lab decades ago to the smartwatches and smartglasses sold these days as consumer devices, wearables provide clues to better understand new paths to record and distribute information. Google Glass was one of the first immersive products, allowing users to capture and stream information to the Web, creating screen-based micro-interactions displayed in front of the user’s eye or sent to their smartphone. The first-person perspective is not new, but network-enabled Glass creates a novel state of streamed information and images, potentially making the journalist an avatar of the audience. Possibilities also lay in the development of Glass-specific ambient or calm communications—providing users with seamless information updates. Our study explores how Glass, attached to the head of the journalist-broadcaster, creates alternative behaviours in those captured due to its almost-invisible camera. These and other aspects of Glass will be explored during this paper, recalling experiences made across multiple test beds in the United Kingdom, Porto Alegre, Brazil and the Sahara Desert. The lessons acquired from these experiences allow us to understand not only new ways to inform, but new relationships between journalists, newsrooms and the public

Hardware, Heartware, or Nightmare: Smart-City Technology and the Concomitant Erosion of Privacy

Smart city technology is being adopted in cities all around the world to simplify our lives, save us time, ease traffic, improve education, reduce energy usage and keep us safe. This article discusses smart city projects being utilized in crime prevention and investigations. Specifically, this article highlights examples of gunshot detection devices and surveillance that have led to improvements in public safety in Cape Town, Chicago and Atlanta, and discusses their impacts to privacy

Use of creative tools, technologies, processes and practices in the sectors of Art, Media, and Architecture: State-of the-Art and desired future scenarios

The aim of the paper is to analyse and present the preliminary findings of the EU FP7 funded CRe-AM project for the Art, Media, and Architecture sectors. This project bridges communities of technology providers and innovators with the creative industries, with the aim to build sector-specific dynamic roadmaps for the future of the European creative industries by examining the current state-of-the-art tools, technologies, processes, and practices supporting the creative process against the future scenarios envisioned by stakeholders in these sectors.This work was carried out as part of CRe-AM project, which is supported by European Commission (grant agreement n°612451)

The Future of Connection : Serendipity and Control in Interpersonal Communication Tools

This foresight project explored the contemporary trends and tensions inherent in people's experiences with and using interpersonal communication tools. A standard foresight process was overlaid with an experiential lens in order to provide technology designers with useful insights. The outcomes of this project include four tools intended for designers of interpersonal communication applications. These tools include a map of experiential tensions, a landscape of contemporary behaviour, a set of four future scenarios and implications of each, and finally a set of ten reflection questions intended to provoke critical thought about the choices designers make about the balance between serendipity and control in interpersonal communication tools

Hardware, Heartware, or Nightmare: Smart-City Technology and the Concomitant Erosion of Privacy

Smart city technology is being adopted in cities all around the world to simplify our lives, save us time, ease traffic, improve education, reduce energy usage and keep us safe. This article discusses smart city projects being utilized in crime prevention and investigations. Specifically, this article highlights examples of gunshot detection devices and surveillance that have led to improvements in public safety in Cape Town, Chicago and Atlanta, and discusses their impacts to privacy