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“Hey Siri, are you sharing my private data”: A commentary on the impact virtual personal assistants have on surveillance capitalism and user information consumption

“Hey Siri, are you sharing my private data”: A commentary on the impact virtual personal assistants have on surveillance capitalism and user information consumption

For a digitally immersed society driven by technological developments and innovations, personal voice-controlled virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple Siri have become a crucial component to task completion, user interaction, and information consumption. Virtual personal...
Is Evgeny Morozov’s The Syllabus the real Google antidote?

Is Evgeny Morozov’s The Syllabus the real Google antidote?

In the autumn of 2019, technology critic and writer Evgeny Morozov launched the online information-service “The Syllabus”: a curated expert guide to the digital public sphere, containing a constantly updated selection of books, academic articles, podcasts and videos on...
As Cookies Crumble, Publishers Come Out to Play

As Cookies Crumble, Publishers Come Out to Play

Introduction: In January 2020, Google announced that web browser Chrome would be dropping third-party cookies by 2022. According to Google, blocking third-party cookies is meant to “enhance privacy” for end-users and “to support publishers.”So, with the end of third-party...
Ecosia, the search engine for a sustainable future

Ecosia, the search engine for a sustainable future

What is it ? And why is this so cool ?  Ecosia is a search engine, created by the German entrepreneur Christian Kroll in 2009 and was subsequently nominated the first B Corporation of the country. As a corporation this status...
A Rhetoric of WeWalk-ing. Smart Canes and “feeling of freedom” in the urban environment

A Rhetoric of WeWalk-ing. Smart Canes and “feeling of freedom” in the urban environment

The new uses of smart technology are being constantly introduced, and unlike a cat selfie device or a cute planter that aim to add some fun to our humdrum existence, WeWALK smart cane attempt to make a difference. This...
Google Stadia: A new player has joined the platform wars

Google Stadia: A new player has joined the platform wars

You either die an information utility, or live long enough to adopt the politics of platforms. Imagine video games no longer being tied to the hardware boxes they’re designed for, but instead being playable anywhere, on any device. We...
AI Fact Checking: Artificial? Yes. Intelligent?

AI Fact Checking: Artificial? Yes. Intelligent?

The phenomenon of ‘Fake news’ is now a household discussion, journalists and fact-checking platforms working solely to analyze and debunk these false pieces of information are now becoming increasingly visible. While it’s becoming harder than ever to tackle the...
Curing your smartphone addiction: There’s an app for that

Curing your smartphone addiction: There’s an app for that

Two hours forty-five minutes is the average time per day I spent on my Google Pixel 2 XL smartphone for the past 30 days. The question here is, do you know exactly how long have you spent on your...
Autonomous Cars Are The Future – But For Whom Are They The Future For?

Autonomous Cars Are The Future – But For Whom Are They The Future For?

  Autonomous cars have been hailed as the next leap for mankind in automotive transportation and infrastructure, offering not only advancements in private and public transport, but addressing difficulties in health infrastructure, emissions, road collisions, and government overheads on...
New Google Feed: What about privacy?

New Google Feed: What about privacy?

In July of this year, Google Inc. delivered a new feature for its Google app called Feed.  This addition transforms the front page of the app into a news and information feed, where news articles and suggestions are presented...
Is Apple our Online-Privacy Vigilante?

Is Apple our Online-Privacy Vigilante?

Abstract: Apple purports that its new Intelligent Tracking Prevention Technology integrated in Safari browser prevents 3rd-party cookies from collecting users’ data, therefore, reducing online ads, and ultimately protecting users’ privacy. This paper challenges this by arguing that ITP’s functionality...
Henry (or How VR will Undermine the Cinematic Experience)

Henry (or How VR will Undermine the Cinematic Experience)

On September 8th, Henry, a short film about a hedgehog who loves to cuddle, won an Emmy for “Outstanding Original Interactive Program,” making it the first original virtual reality film to win a major award. Video 1: Henry’s Premiere...
Decapitation? Here’s a wise old lady who knows better

Decapitation? Here’s a wise old lady who knows better

Changing the minds of IS-fighters-to-be while they are searching for IS-related material on YouTube sounds like a contradiction, but Google found a subtle way to do so. This month, Google’s think-tank Jigsaw is launching an unconventional project called the...
Can Google Search Solve the Most Topical Issue in Fashion Right Now?

Can Google Search Solve the Most Topical Issue in Fashion Right Now?

There’s one thing that most of us have in common: We all Google. So when the tech giant decides to break into the Fashion Industry, it seems to be providing an alluring set of qualities that deserve our attention....
Want to join ISIS? Google it!

Want to join ISIS? Google it!

So, let’s say that you are interested in becoming an ISIS terrorist. What are you going to do? Probably Google it, like you would in any other situation.   The Redirect Method Over the last year Jigsaw, an Alphabet...
Spy me, please!

Spy me, please!

A project, brought to you by Afra Suci Ramadhon, Alina Niemann, Kimberly Leerkes, Kyra Teklu and Radina Teodosieva The exhibitionist beginning Several weeks ago we were presented with an assignment ­- to create a new media project, intervening an...
G is for Google, F is for friendly and I is for innocent

G is for Google, F is for friendly and I is for innocent

The 11th of August this year Google announced a big change; Google from now on will be part of a new parent company Alphabet which will cover all of Google’s activities. For some this might be a surprising move as Google...
Google: Art Project

Google: Art Project

The ‘Googlised’ Indsutries We live in the age of information, in the digital age, maybe we can say we live in the age of Google if we think of the term ‘googlisation’, on the other hand this is not...
Unplugging the cyborgs

Unplugging the cyborgs

While this week’s tech-press has devoted much space to the launch of yet another better, bigger and more amazing set of consumer electronics, it was a seemingly unexciting object with the looks of a humble notebook-charger passing by the...
Cyborg Unplug – Counter-Surveillance Device or Product to profit of Fear?

Cyborg Unplug – Counter-Surveillance Device or Product to profit of Fear?

For everyone being paranoid that strangers could spy on them using drones, cameras, microphones or even Google Glasses – finally, a solution has arrived, which is going on pre-order on September 30, 2014. Cyborg Unplug is a gadget no...
GOOGLE SYNDROME: A Psychological Perspective

GOOGLE SYNDROME: A Psychological Perspective

Usually Google needs no introduction. But what it stands for is quite relative and as all things in life, it’s in the eye of the beholder. Thus, for my mum Google is the whole internet (!), for some tech...
The BB.Suit: Wearable Tech as Fashion’s New Playground

The BB.Suit: Wearable Tech as Fashion’s New Playground

Borre Akkersdijk’s BB.Suit combines built-in technology with 3D printed fabrics offering an aesthetic approach to electronics that challenges the notion of wearable technology. This high tech jumpsuit is a collaboration between the University of Technology in Eindhoven, 22Tracks, CRISP,...
[Thesis] Google Art

[Thesis] Google Art

A new view on museum and virtual museum traditions Although this MA thesis was submitted  last semester, it remains  relevant for how we peruse our cultural heritage today.  I would like to share the abstract with you.     Abstract...
Google Spreads Its Wings: Will Flutter Soar or Burn?

Google Spreads Its Wings: Will Flutter Soar or Burn?

Flutter. The name implies flight, but it is actually described as to wave or fly rapidly in an irregular manner or to flap the wings without flying. However, a third way to describe flutter is that it’s the name...