retailcommon is a new concept in online retailing that is worth a look.  Click on the graphic at the top for a brief introduction to its features.

It will offer the sale of fashion/clothing to consumers, but with some unique twists.  Products are provided by retailers local to the consumer.  It will include social networking and video and promotion by fashion brands, including virtual showrooms. 

It is not yet operational, but its web site is now live and open to pre-registration, which means that if you give them an email address you will receive receive status updates. 

(Disclosure – our firm advises retailcommon)

From my Slaw post for today:

Fellow Slawer David Fraser points out that today is Data Privacy Day, being celebrated in the United States, Canada, and 27 European countries.

Intel’s privacy day page says:

Designed to raise awareness and generate discussion about data privacy practices and rights, Data Privacy Day activities in the United States have included privacy professionals, corporations, government officials, and representatives, academics, and students across the country.

One of the primary goals of Data Privacy Day is to promote privacy awareness and education among teens across the United States. Data Privacy Day also serves the important purpose of furthering international collaboration and cooperation around privacy issues.

And on a related note, the Federal Privacy commissioner has just released Guidelines for Processing Personal Data Across Borders

Update:  The Federal Privacy Commissioner has marked Data Privacy Day by posting about The Top 10 Ways Your Privacy is Threatened

Wired magazine has an article written about a man’s experiment with a location aware lifestyle.  He used an iPhone and various applications to see what would happen when location aware tools were used.  He used them to find things, to feed his location into social networking sites, and to see what info he could find about others.

Some of it was interesting and useful, but there was also a stalkerish aspect to it.  The potential consequences, for example, of others being able to follow your every move and know where you are (and just as important, where you aren’t).  And how much information he was able to find quickly about a random woman he noticed taking photos with her iPhone.

That aspect of it caught the attention of the Canadian Privacy Commissioner, who referred to the article in her blog.

For the London Free Press – January 26, 2009

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I’ve written before about how it is becoming too common in some countries for authorities to think that it is a crime for someone to simply take photographs.   In the UK, for example, there is a suspicion that if one is taking photographs of a public facility, you might be a terrorist.   There have been examples where people have been told it is illegal for them to take certain photographs, when that is not the case.   The photographer usually just complies to avoid the hastle, and avoid being arrested.

Take a look however at this post on the Photography is not a crime blog where some LA photographers recorded their discussion with security guards trying to stop them,   and these posts on the Photo Attorney blog  referring to the National Photograper’s rights association , and the National Press Photographers Association letter to Amtrak advising that Amtrak was trying to stop people taking pictures without any grounds to do so.

No point blogging on anything but Obama today.   Michael points to a video showing the TIGR team discussing how the US government should use technology and the web 2.0 tools we now have to better and more efficiently provide its services.

This is absolutely the right approach – one we should be taking here in Canada as well.   I wrote yesterday about Canada needing a CTO – but that was from the perspective of getting legislation and policy in tune with the times.  Both approaches are needed.

For the London Free Press – January 19, 2009

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Technology and its ramifications play an increasing role in our lives.

Unfortunately, governments don’t always understand the social and political impacts of technology, or how their decisions and new legislation affects innovation and our use of technology.

Canada should consider having a Chief Technology Officer to assist government to understand the trends and practical effects of technology.

In the United States, the Bush administration had a technology czar, who served mainly to defend against cyberattacks.

Barack Obama has made an effort to change and broaden that role. In late 2007, Obama introduced his idea of a chief technology officer, reflecting his pledge of more open decision-making in government.

Obama’s team has committed to embracing technology, because of the impact the Internet had on the election. His team’s plan is to employ online tools used during the campaign and lay the groundwork once his administration takes office.

It has been said that the Obama CTO’s mandate would be to create new levels of transparency and access to government agencies, and guide policies that stimulate growth, innovation, interoperability of key government functions, communication and, above all, security.

According to Obama’s official characterization of the role, the CTO would ensure “government and all its agencies have the right infrastructure, policies and services for the 21st century.

“The CTO will ensure the safety of our networks and will lead an interagency effort, working with chief technology and chief information officers of each of the federal agencies, to ensure that they use best-in-class technologies and share best practices.”

That role relates to delivery of government services. While that’s useful, the more fundamental role is to deal with how technology inter-relates with legislation and policy.

The general idea behind a Canadian CTO would be to have someone experienced and well-versed in science and technology issues, who understands current tools and trends in technology, where those trends may be headed, and how they may affect citizens and businesses.

Understanding that would lead to better legislation and policies on issues such as intellectual property, the Internet, new media, the environment, privacy and security.

The CTO also would be able to help government put lobbying efforts by various groups in context.

It also would help prevent the unintended consequences that can arise from legislation, and to avoid well-intentioned but misguided laws.

The CTO would help government interpret technology trends, understand how they affect practical issues, their ramifications and possibilities — then help create and implement policies that address and take advantage of those trends.

The aim would be for government to seek the CTO’s counsel on proposed legislation and policy of all types, help interpret it and put it in context.

Ottawa has yet to embrace this kind of approach. Canada needs to advance its position globally, become more innovative, and create its own leading-edge visions in technology. This is especially true in today’s economic climate.

That’s the title of my Slaw post today.

It Reads:

I made that comment as an aside in an earlier post. This thought also ties in with a couple of Simon’s posts, and another of mine.

This is true for not just legal documents, but for things like legislation, business and government policies, and processes.

The operating manual approach means being a slave to precedent documents, processes or decisions and applying or using them blindly without enough independent thought as to how it fits the current situation.

The context approach means figuring out what the facts are and what result is needed, then using precedent as a guide or checklist to get to the best result for the situation at hand.

“That’s the way we have always done that” can be a dangerous approach, and does not foster innovation, improvement, or the right result.

For example, it was not unheard of for organizations doing privacy audits when privacy laws first appeared to find that they were collecting certain information for no other reason that it was listed on a form.

I’m not suggesting precedent is not valuable – it is indeed valuable as a guideline, an issue list, a place to start, a timesaver, a collection of prior wisdom, and an indication of what might be expected. But that value is negated if the precedent drives the result, rather than the facts and the needs.

“Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.” (quote from W. Somerset Maugham)

David Fraser refers to an Edmonton Journal article stating “Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Joanne Veit ruled Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner Frank Work was wrong when he concluded the city can’t force pawnshops to upload personal client details to an outside company’s database.”

The Privacy commissioner thought the system to record details about those pawning goods crossed the privacy line.   The court felt it didn’t.

For the London Free Press – January 12, 2009

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