Curated, labeled, high-quality data is a valuable commodity for tasks such as business analytics and machine learning. Open data is a common source of such data—for example, retail analytics draws on open demographic data, and weather forecast systems draw on open atmospheric and ocean data. Open data is released openly by governments to achieve various objectives, such as transparency, informing citizen engagement, or supporting private enterprise. Critical examination of ongoing social changes, including the post-truth phenomenon, suggests the quality, integrity, and authenticity of open data may be at risk. We introduce this risk through various lenses, describe some of the types of risk we expect using a threat model approach, identify approaches to mitigate each risk, and present real-world examples of cases where the risk has already caused harm. As an initial assessment of awareness of this disinformation risk, we compare our analysis to perspectives captured during open data stakeholder consultations in Canada.
Asexuality is a deeply misunderstood and little-known sexual orientation. This is partly due to misconceptions and marginalization of asexual people, and partly by a lack of information about the orientation. This paper outlines the misconceptions of the ‘causes’ of asexuality, namely Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), abuse, and religious abstinence. These causes are shown to be invalid due to the key element of self-identification in determining an orientation.; nevertheless, they persist in society because little is known about the nature of asexuality. The facets of the asexual orientation are then discussed: levels of sexual attraction, sexual desire, and romantic orientation, displaying the complex attempt to define asexuality, made even more difficult by a lack of sources concerning these facets.. Finally, the tension between the LGBTQ+ community and asexuals is discussed in terms of the debate about including asexuals in this community, with the groups often speaking at cross-purposes. It becomes clear that being asexual requires a complex navigation of territory, and this problem is exacerbated at every step by a lack of information. It is therefore crucial that this informational gap is addressed at each of these three critical areas in order to build a more complete societal grasp of asexuality, and to create a vibrant, open community for those who identify as asexual.
Expanding access to open data, such as government data and research data, requires that we consider how citizens and stakeholders can best access the value these data hold. Should individuals rely on an intermediary to create information products from the data, or should they dive in and work with raw data? Building on previous work defining a core set of data literacy skills, we convened a workshop with 34 open data professionals to define the core set of skills for working with open data: "open data literacy". Analysis of their perspectives reveals a focus on non-technical skills, like creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking, as a priority over technical skills like coding and visualization. We describe their perspective in detail, and reflect on the significance of our findings for information professionals.
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