Meg Leta Jones

Can (and should) Hello Barbie keep a secret

The growing proliferation of connected devices in various environments offers an increasing number of opportunities for minors to create and share personal data. Our analysis looks specifically at the privacy of children interacting with Hello Barbie. Hello Barbie is a new smart toy from Mattel, controversial because of its ability to collect, store, and process the information of children. We assess Hello Barbie across three fronts. First, we de-black box the technology by testing its interactive capabilities - can Hello Barbie keep a secret? Will she respect privacy when asked or suggest otherwise? How is the information presented in the online dashboard for adult oversight? In order to situate Hello Barbie in the larger and ongoing conversation surrounding child privacy, we next discuss Hello Barbie in relation to three other toys designed for childrens interaction: Teddy Ruxpin, Elf on the Shelf, and Furby. Finally, we will ask whether Hello Barbie should be able to keep childrens information private and why. Based on our discussion, we answer the question as to whether, in the case of products specifically geared toward children, higher or different standards should be established for the collection, safeguard, and use of data.

Ready to forget: American attitudes toward the right to be forgotten

ABSTRACT This study uses an experimental design to examine whether and under what circumstances Americans support the so-called “right to be forgotten”—a legal right that allows citizens to petition to have information about them taken down from the Internet. Findings indicate people are most concerned about who will be in charge of executing such a right. Framing effects are also found for opinions regarding age of information and whether the law should apply only to minors. The results offer insights to help scholars, national policymakers, and international relations organizations to understand public attitudes in a dynamic sociotechnical policy landscape.

Forgetting made (too) easy

Considering the implications of digital data removal implementations.

Robots and Socio-Ethical Implications [Guest Editorial]

The articles in this special section focus on the social implications of robotics and artificial intelligence. From lifelike androids to virtual assistants, industrial machines to drones, today’s robot creations, including those in automation, are used to perform any number of specific tasks. These undertakings are repetitive in nature and suggest that we are still a long way from manufacturing “all-purpose” utility robots. History teaches us much about technological innovation and the perils of over-promising.

Silencing Bad Bots: Global, Legal and Political Questions for Mean Machine Communication

As digital automation expands across social contexts, the way in which legal systems respond when algorithms produce lies and hate presents a pressing policy problem. Search results, autofill suggestions, and intelligent personal assistants generate seemingly objective information for users in order to be helpful, efficient or fun but, as social technologies, can also produce prejudicial and false content. Chatbots and trending lists have made headlines for quickly being transformed from sweet to spiteful and political to inaccurate. As humans progressively engage with and rely on machine communication, the legality of algorithmically created information that harms the reputation or dignity of an individual, entity or group is a policy question posed and answered differently around the world. This article compares various defamation and hate speech laws through the lens of algorithmic content production – mean machine communication – and presents a set of outstanding issues that will require international and interdisciplinary attention.