Web 2.0: Managing the Risks

Chris Adie, Information Services, University of Edinburgh

Let’s all head for the promised land!

2.0

Clouds

What Risks?

• Confidentiality

• Security

• Reliability

• Usability

• Data Protection

Reliability

• Your Web 2.0 service provider goes bust/gets bought

• The nature of the service changes under your feet

Data Protection Risks

• Your institution is prosecuted under Data Protection legislation– Is the Web 2.0 SP a “Data Processor”?– Can users maintain their privacy?– Are personal details sent outside EEA?– Can you delete information?– Have you clarified what you are doing?

Biggest risk of all

• Doing nothing

What should we do?

Formality spectrum

Increasing institutional engagement

Institutionaladoption

Topicaladoption

Recommend/suggest

Veryinformal

Formality Magnifies Risk!

Very Informal Use

• Encourage literacy in– Online safety– Online responsibility– Data protection

• Institution ignores it

Institutionaladoption

Topicaladoption

Recommend/suggest

Veryinformal

Recommend/suggest

• Identify “good” sites

• Support locally

Institutionaladoption

Topicaladoption

Recommend/suggest

Veryinformal

Topical adoption

• Insource

• User education

• Risk analysis

• Legal input

Institutionaladoption

Topicaladoption

Recommend/suggest

Veryinformal

Institutional adoption

• Outsource

Institutionaladoption

Topicaladoption

Recommend/suggest

Veryinformal

Futures

Some trends

• Authentication

• Desktop applications moving to the web

• Live Mesh

What about Web 3.0?

• Web 1.0: “Centralised Them”

• Web 2.0: “Distributed Us”

• Web 3.0: “Decentralised Me”

Over to you!