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Technology Review Vol ADVENTURES IN TRACKING ONLINE ANONYMITY VOL. 118 NO. 1 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 $6.99 troll hunters page 50 JF15_cover.indd 1 12/5/14 11:33 AM Fuel SUPER powerful advances. Biotech is more than just a job. It’s a mission to feed, fuel and heal the world. And there’s no better place to connect with biopharma’s top people and most innovative technologies than at BIO 2015 in Philadelphia, June 15 - 18. The ideas and information shared at BIO go beyond professional development. You’ll experience powerful business partnering, benefit from invaluable education sessions and have the chance to network with 15,000 of the industry’s best and brightest from 65 countries around the world. Learn more at convention.bio.org #BIO2015 Untitled-3 2 12/9/14 5:07 PM SUPERcharge your BIO experience. convention.bio.org Untitled-3 3 12/9/14 5:07 PM MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW VOL. 118 | NO. 1 TECHNOLOGYREVIEW.COM From the Editor in “the troll hunters” (page 50), a marketplace of ideas are mostly com- Adrian Chen writes, “Old-school hate is fortable with such a limited constraint. having a sort of renaissance online, and But others are not so comfort- in the countries thought to be furthest able (see “Q&A: Shanley Kane,” page beyond it. The anonymity provided by 26). Threats are seldom prosecuted, the Internet fosters communities where because words are slippery things and people can feed on each other’s hate.” anonymous trolls cannot be found eas- Chen reveals the scale of näthat ily. More, the harm principle is not (“Net hate”) in Sweden, a country known simply extended to harassing speech for its tolerance, where anonymous post- that seeks to oppress or silence minori- ers to websites nonetheless rage against ties and women. Activists would like to immigrants who (racists believe) are see a wider legal definition of harm, or destroying “Swedish culture.” As in broader intolerance for harassment. the United States and elsewhere in the Chen’s feature describes one con- world, Internet trolls in Sweden also troversial approach in Sweden, where persecute women, often just for the “a group of volunteer researchers called strange satisfaction of frightening them. Researchgruppen, or Research Group, Trolls must be moved by bitter has pioneered a form of activist jour- resentments they cannot otherwise nalism based on following the crumbs express and liberated by the heady unac- of data anonymous Internet trolls leave countability of anonymity. Harassing behind and unmasking them.” Research comments found on websites are sincere Group scraped the comments of a expressions of how a portion of human- right-wing publication named Avpix- ity really feels. Some people hate other lat, and matched the encrypted e-mail people, and technology amplifies the addresses of commenters against a data- expression of views that (at least since base of publicly available addresses. The the end of World War II) were mostly researchers gave the names of many of whispered in private or shouted at rallies Avpixlat’s most prolific commenters to of ineffectual political movements (see Expressen, a Swedish tabloid, which “Free Speech in the Era of Its Technolog- then reported that dozens of prominent ical Amplification,” March/April 2013). Swedes, including politicians from the But what can be done about trolling far-right Sweden Democrats, had posted in open societies like Sweden and the racist and sexist comments. Some politi- United States is a vexed question about cians and officials resigned. which citizens ardently disagree. Research Group’s public shaming Both the United States and Swe- of trolls was controversial in Sweden. den have set high bars for criminaliz- MIT Technology Review readers may ing speech: speech is presumptively free also feel troubled: they might want to unless it violates the “harm principle.” distinguish between real threats to indi- In America, speech can be banned if it is viduals and the expression of views that, a “real threat,” either because it consti- however reprehensible, have a tenuous tutes an incitement to hurt someone or connection to immediate harm. But the (as Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote data journalists of Research Group were in 2003) to protect people “from the fear responsible for an innovation: they put of violence” and “from the disruption a cost to trolling. By stripping away the that fear engenders.” Citizens who value cloak of anonymity, they demonstrated free speech and believe it necessary for that while speech is free, it is not always democracy, individual expression, and without consequences. VITTIGUIDO 2 JF15_editor.indd 2 12/9/14 5:06 PM Who will make “searching for a signal” a thing of the past? You and NI will. The wireless industry is rapidly evolving. To keep pace with increasing standards and help usher in the next generation of 5G technology, NI offers fast, flexible RF hardware powered by intuitive LabVIEW software. See how this combination adds clarity to communication at ni.com. ©2014 National Instruments. All rights reserved. LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, and ni.com are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. 18586 18586 YNIW-RF_8.1875x10.5.indd 1 9/26/14 9:19 AM Untitled-1 1 12/8/14 2:47 PM MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW VOL. 118 | NO. 1 TECHNOLOGYREVIEW.COM Contents Front Back 2 From the Editor BUSINESS REPORT 8 Feedback 59 Cities Get Smarter VIEWS How technology can make urban centers more efficient, 10 MOOCs’ Teachable Moment better places to live. How online education can help erase the skills gap. REVIEWS 10 Fixing Autism Research 68 For starters, we can stop Do MOOCs Actually Work? College survived. But online searching for a “cure.” courses are still worthwhile. 11 The World Needs Anonymity By Justin Pope It’s not always a bad idea to 72 keep your identity to yourself. The Aura Apps Do digital filters change the 12 On Creativity meaning of the “past”? A newly unearthed, previously By A. D. Coleman unpublished essay by science 79 fiction great Isaac Asimov. Google Glass Is Dead This wearable computer isn’t a hit, but the vision lives on. UPFRONT By Rachel Metz 15 An End-Around for Consumer Genetics DEMO The FDA has stymied 84 23andMe, but tests live on. Coal Plant Buries Its Own Greenhouse Gases 20 The Mystery of Autism Can coal be clean? Showing that carbon One problem: nobody agrees p. 84 sequestration can be done. on how to diagnose it. By Peter Fairley 21 Voice Recognition for the January / February 2015 Internet of Things 45 YEARS AGO Getting your thermostat to 88 recognize your voice. Education by Machine 28 | Can Japan Recapture Its Solar Power? When the teacher is a 22 Ultrasound Gets Small A lesson in the political vulnerability of renewable energy. computer, learning can get How a new chip could upend By Peter Fairley personalized. diagnostics. 24 Will a Breakthrough Solar 36 | Solving the Autism Puzzle ON THE COVER Technology See Daylight? A new approach to finding the genes behind autism A startup’s record-breaking shows promise. By Stephen S. Hall cells meet economic reality. 44 | Desalination out of Desperation Q+A Severe droughts are making researchers rethink how we 26 Shanley Kane can get fresh water. By David Talbot Is Silicon Valley hopelessly sexist? 50 | The Troll Hunters Illustration by R. Sikoryak Exposing thugs, bullies, and racists on the Internet seems based on Tintin in Tibet, like a good thing. Can it go too far? By Adrian Chen by Hergé, 1960 PHOTOGRAPH BY JENN ACKERMAN AND TIM GRUBER TIM AND ACKERMAN JENN BY PHOTOGRAPH 4 JF15_TOC.indd 4 12/10/14 3:41 PM Discover how technology will change the world for the better. Join us. Exclusive Content Full access to print and digital content, including exclusive videos, interviews, features, Business Reports, and special publications. Unique Experiences Exclusive discount offers and opportunities, like preferred seating, speaker meet-and-greets, and private networking sessions. Impassioned Community The premier community of leaders and innovators who seek to understand and influence technology in the world around them. technologyreview.com/GetInsider ad.insider.world.full.indd 1 12/8/14 11:50 AM MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW VOL. 118 | NO. 1 TECHNOLOGYREVIEW.COM Editor in Chief and Publisher CORPORATE ADVERTISING SALES CONSUMER MARKETING Jason Pontin President Director of Advertising Sales VP, Consumer Revenues and Marketing Kathleen Kennedy James Friedman Bruce Rhodes EDITORIAL [email protected] Chief Financial Officer Director of Marketing and Communications Editor 617-475-8015 David Rotman Rick Crowley David W.M. Sweeney Midwest Sales Director Chief Operating Officer Deputy Editor Maureen Elmaleh MIT ENTERPRISE FORUM, INC. 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