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Law & Technology

Securitized Copyright Income Streams: The New School Bond?

The ownership of academic work has been controversial for some time. One DC-area school district wants to simplify things:

A proposal by the Prince George’s County Board of Education to copyright work created by staff and students for school could mean that a picture drawn by a first-grader, a lesson plan developed by a teacher or an app created by a teen would belong to the school system, not the individual.

The measure has some worried that by the system claiming ownership to the work of others, creativity could be stifled and there would be little incentive to come up with innovative ways to educate students. Some have questioned the legality of the proposal as it relates to students.

I expect to see more of these “InstaGrab” style ownership claims in the future, as tax revolts and billionaire-funded political movements erode public support for education. The longer-term goal will be to push debt-financing down the educational ladder, from college to high school and beyond. If instability in the debt markets makes that less feasible, another solution is to securitize future income streams–be they wages after school or rents from IP created while in school. PG County may end up pioneering a whole new chapter in the financialization of education.
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Surveillance and Resistance in a Risk Society

There seem to be three responses to mass surveillance with varying degrees of interest from the populace:

1) Notice: U. Toronto professor Andrew Clement has offered $100 for a “privacy compliant” surveillance camera:

In some cases, it can be hard to tell who is responsible for a camera, which is itself a problem, according to Clement. “We have a right to know who’s collecting our information, that’s fundamental to our privacy legislation,” he said. “If you don’t see a sign, it’s clearly not compliant with privacy laws around informed consent.”

I’d add that the consent should be meaningful and actionable. The watched deserve some clear information on how to object to what may be wayward watchers (be they stationary or drone-enabled cameras).

2) Sousveillance: Tiny lifelogging cameras now cost about $300; the price is sure to decline over time. Even audio recordings can convey a good deal of injustice meted out by the authorized “watchers.” At a 2012 Diane von Furstenburg fashion show, models wore “Google Glasses” as they walked down the runway, filming the audience that observed them. With the right interface, such glasses may make their wearers’ “laser-focused, walking encyclopedias;” or not.
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