[Koha-devel] Social Engineering, was: How to gather better popularity data?

[Ian Walls]

I talked with MJ a bit in Koha IRC yesterday to get a better understanding
of his concerns.  While there are theoretical exploits of the data found in
libwebcats, I don't feel as though the site is putting anyone at particular
risk.  As Owen points out, most of this info can be found on many libraries
websites, so it's already out there.  And the legitimate uses of this
information far exceed the potential exploits.

ANY information can be used for evil.  In my opinion, the responsibility for
the ethical usage of knowledge rests not with the content provider, but with
the individual his/herself.

Marshall, thank you for your work on libwebcats.  It's a valuable tool.
There are still some improvements to be made, from my perspective, but it's
definitely better that it exists than not.

Cheers,


-Ian

On Thu, May 26, 2011 at 8:28 AM, Owen Leonard <oleonard at myacpl.org> wrote:

> 2011/5/25 Robin Sheat <robin at catalyst.net.nz>:
> > Breeding, Marshall schreef op wo 25-05-2011 om 15:13 [-0500]:
> >> It feels odd to be criticized for efforts that I believe provide
> >> benefits to the broader library community.  Including a disclaimer
> >> does not imply that the data are being used unethically.
> >
> > This particular risk is always present in any situation where you have
> > something that says "person/organisation A is using software X."
> > Personally, I think the benefit far outweighs the risk.
>
> The Nelsonville Public Library was the first public library in the US
> to use Koha. I considered it a privilege to be able to tell others
> about our experience and encourage them to make the same switch.
> Having that information available to all was a benefit to us and to
> Koha.
>
> Anyone can usually find out what automation system a library is using
> by going to their web site. I don't see how eliminating lib-web-cats
> listings is going to make anyone safer.
>
>  -- Owen
>
> --
> Web Developer
> Athens County Public Libraries
> http://www.myacpl.org
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-- 
Ian Walls
Lead Development Specialist
ByWater Solutions
ALA Booth 732
Phone # (888) 900-8944
http://bywatersolutions.com
ian.walls at bywatersolutions.com
Twitter: @sekjal
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