Cait's Blog

Thoughts on Blockchain

domain@service.tld — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 16:09:16 -0400

My thoughts on blockchain are very difficult to convey. I see both pros and cons to using it. This extends from blockchain the data structure to blockchain the currency. I will present what I believe to be the pros and cons below.

Pros

I think blockchain has a lot of potential for federated tasks like voting and moderated content. For voting, I appreciate the way each node can “vote” for the correct chain if a bad block is injected into the chain. This validation was used in several states (and even countries) for voting in past elections. I also see other federated utilities like currency being a very likely path. Blockchain currency (called cryptocurrency) is making a lot of progress with rich investors and some countries starting to recognize and regulate it. This is huge for places where the official currency is inflated or the government is too invasive in their citizen’s activity.

Reflection on Privacy Discussions

domain@service.tld — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 16:19:40 -0400

Our privacy discussions were fascinating, but I did not hear anything new. I am well informed on online privacy and security. For the sake of simplicity, I will divide this reflection into two parts: the class discussion and the TED talk video.

Class Discussion

The class discussion did not surprise the class. At I looked at my fellow classmates, it was as if all of us were hearing the same exact words we are accustomed to hearing. If I learned anything completely new about privacy, it is that companies are willing to decorate their privacy policy with happy colors and images in order to steer the reader’s attention away from the text. I have heard about making the privacy policy vague or hard to find, but decorating the privacy policy is a new tactic that I have not seen before.

Reflection on Citizen Four

domain@service.tld — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 15:22:38 -0400

I discuss my opinions of the Citizen Four documentary