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Daily Archives: October 9, 2015

The Rise and Impact of Digital Amnesia

Kaspersky Lab – Why we need to protect what we no longer remember – “Key findings from the study include:

• Across the United States, the study shows that an overwhelming number of consumers can easily admit their dependency on the Internet and devices as a tool for remembering. Almost all (91.2%) of those surveyed agreed that they use the Internet as an online extension of their brain. Almost half (44.0%) also admit that their smartphone serves as their memory–everything they need to recall and want to have easy access to is all on it.

• In addition, many consumers are happy to forget, or risk forgetting information they can easily find–or find again- online. When faced with a question, half of U.S. consumers would turn to the Internet before trying to remember and 28.9% would forget an online fact as soon as they had used it.

• Although dependence on devices appears high, when asked, most participants could phone the house they lived in at 15 (67.4%) as well as their partners (69.7%), children (34.5%), and place of work (45.4%). They could not however call their siblings (44.2%), friends (51.4%), or neighbors (70.0%) without first looking up the number.

• Contrary to general assumptions, Digital Amnesia is not only affecting younger digital natives–the study found that it was equally and some times more prevalent in older age groups.

• The loss or compromise of data stored on digital devices, and smartphones in particular, would cause immense distress, particularly among women and people under 35. More than half of women (51.0%) and almost the same number of 25 to 34 year-olds (48.6%) say it would fill them with sadness, since there are memories stored on their connected devices that they would never get back. However, it caused the even younger participants the most fear. One in four women (27.1%) and 35.0% of respondents age 16 to 24 say they would panic: their devices are the only place they store images and contact information.

• Worryingly, despite this growing reliance on connected devices, the study found that consumers across America are failing to adequately protect them with IT security. Just one in three (30.5%) installs extra IT security, such as an anti-virus software solution on their smartphone and one in five (20.7%) adds any security to their tablet. 28.0% doesn’t protect any of their devices.”

IMF World Economic Outlook October 2015

IMF World Economic Outlook (WEO): Adjusting to Lower Commodity Prices, October 2015 “Global growth for 2015 is projected at 3.1 percent, 0.3 percentage point lower than in 2014, and 0.2 percentage point below the forecasts in the July 2015 World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update. Prospects across the main countries and regions remain uneven. Relative to… Continue Reading

2012 Economic Census Geographic Area Series Complete: Utilities Sector

“The 2012 Economic Census concludes the Geographic Area Series for the utilities sector.  The utilities sector includes establishments primarily engaged in electric power generation, transmission and distribution; natural gas distribution; and water, sewage, and other systems. Geographic Area Series data are presented for the nation, states, combined statistical areas, metropolitan statistical areas, counties and economic places. The Geographic Area Series provides detailed… Continue Reading

Emergency Preparedness Data: Flood-Affected Areas in South Carolina

“The Census Bureau produces timely local data critical to emergency planning, preparedness and recovery efforts. To that end, a wide variety of statistics profiling the flood-affected areas of South Carolina are now available. These include demographic and socio-economic profiles of the population, housing characteristics and a portrait of businesses. An 11-county area is profiled, including Berkeley,… Continue Reading

GAO Reports – Chemicals Management, Nonimmigrant Visas

Chemicals Management: Observations on Human Health Risk Assessment and Management by Selected Foreign Programs, GAO-16-111R: Published: Oct 9, 2015. Publicly Released: Oct 9, 2015: “We have repeatedly reported that EPA’s ability to fulfill its mission of protecting public health and the environment is critically dependent on credible and timely assessments of the risks posed by chemicals. In January 2009,… Continue Reading

Nuclear-Radiological Incident Public Affairs Guidance

Via Secrecy News: Nuclear-Radiological Incident Public Affairs (PA) Guidance, DoD Instruction 5230.16, October 6, 2015. “PURPOSE.  This instruction reissues DoD Directive 5230.16 (Reference (a)) as a DoD  instruction, in accordance with the authority in DoD Directive 5122.05 (Reference (b)), to establish policy and assign responsibilities for the prompt release of information to the public in the… Continue Reading

Report to the Director of National Intelligence on the Fort Hood and Northwest Flight 253 Incidents

Via Secrecy News: “In 2010, then-Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair convened a panel to review the November 2009 Fort Hood shooting committed by Army Maj. Nidal Hasan and the Christmas Day bombing attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab aboard Northwest Flight 253. A redacted version of the resulting panel report was finally declassified and released… Continue Reading

Mass Shooting Data Visualizations Around the Web

Aleszu Bajak, Storybench: “President Obama issued a rare challenge to news organizations last week when he responded to last week’s mass shooting in Oregon by asking them to do some data homework: “Tally up the number of Americans who’ve been killed through terrorist attacks over the last decade and the number of Americans who’ve been killed… Continue Reading