ABC Nightlife computers – who owns your data?

For November’s ABC Nighlife we look at how digital rights management can affect you.

radio programs for techonology, web, social media, cloud computing and computer advice

Paul Wallbank joins Tony Delroy to discuss how technology affects your business and life. For the November segment we look at the perils of digital rights management.

If you missed the spot, the podcast is available from the ABC Nightlife website and the answers to listeners’ questions is available in the following post.

We all value our collections of CDs, books and photos, but what happens when we completely lose the digital equivalents? Tonight on the Nightlife we look at who really owns e-books and computer programs.

Last month a story appeared on the Internet where Linn, a Norwegian lady, lost her entire collection of eBooks from her Kindle reader when Amazon decided she had breached their conditions.

  • What happened to Linn and her ebook collection?
  • How did Amazon respond when she complained?
  • So who actually owns those ebooks?
  • Is this shutting down of accounts common?
  • At their big event a few weeks back Apple focused their iPads and iBooks on education, could this happen to schools?
  • It’s not just ebooks though, can this happen with other online services?
  • Is this a problem with cloud computing services?
  • What about the data you’ve saved, do you lose that if the account is shut down?
  • What about businesses and all the work they go to build a Facebook or Pinterest following, are those online friends the business’ property?

We’d love to hear your views so join the conversation with your on-air questions, ideas or comments; phone in on the night on 1300 800 222 within Australia or +61 2 8333 1000 from outside Australia.

Tune in on your local ABC radio station or listen online at www.abc.net.au/nightlife.

You can SMS Nightlife’s talkback on 19922702, or through twitter to @paulwallbank using the #abcnightlife hashtag or visit the Nightlife Facebook page.

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Author: Paul Wallbank

Paul Wallbank is a speaker and writer charting how technology is changing society and business. Paul has four regular technology advice radio programs on ABC, a weekly column on the smartcompany.com.au website and has published seven books.

2 thoughts on “ABC Nightlife computers – who owns your data?”

    1. Yep, you’re absolutely right Kal. A listener raised the Bruce Willis story which, to be quite honest, I’d forgotten. Unfortunately it’s difficult to dial up the interwebs in the middle of a radio program but the details are here.

      http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2012/sep/03/no-apple-bruce-willis

      While Charles Arthur, the Guardian’s computer correspondent, can be abrasive at times he’s absolutely right to get cranky about the media regurgitating stories without checking their veracity.

      Thanks for correcting the record.

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