Here you will find some answers: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2322082 . I also recommend to read the FuturICT blog and the paper FuturICT - The road towards ethical ICT.

Best regards, Dirk Helbing

Dirk, it might well be that the information specialists at GCHQ and NSA have some interesting answers to this question. I wonder, do they have secret information management projects running (besides operations) or are they just catching up on Big Data studies?

As scientists, we should trust what we have evidence for. That's why I think a sufficient level of transparency is needed to ensure a high quality of information systems, and confidence in them. What makes science superior to other kinds of gaining insights is not just the systematic method of verifying or falsifying assumptions, but also that we expose our insights to public criticism. This is the driving force of advancing our insights, and avoids that particular interests and perspectives may lead to biases and blind spots, often unintentionally so. For example, security is not just a function of the crime and terrorism prevented, but also of the resilience of our society to perturbations, which requires freedom and the ability to contradict and innovate.

I'm very much aware of the scientific method, which serves gaining knowledge and improving practices. In the past, securing your privacy was a matter of personal precaution. In the light of Snowden's revelations it is a lot more today to do, involving ISPs and other service providers that control (or seem to control) our more and more Web based data.

There might have to be a multi-tiered data management strategy guided by the relevance, importance and sensitivity of Big Data involved. As you see on social network services, people can choose different levels of anonymity (or data security). Currently Big Data seem to be prone to disclosure to US and British agencies whatever security measures we take. So, the basis for confidence in current IS is simply inappropriate.

Well done, Dirk! No doubt, we urgently need a new Apollo program and a mutual collaboration between disciplines, theories and methods, as well as building up strong (smart) human capital, inclusive social capital and resilient institutional capital. Of course, getting inspiration from nature's networks and human immune system is of utmost importance. By relying solely on technology (or technological solutionism), we are not helping the users (citizens) and we run the risk of degrading humanism, democracy and freedom. Hence, information management must arguably involve collective values and the fundamental liberal principles of co-creation, co-emergence, co-evolution, and collective intelligence. In contrast, optimization, administration, control and prediction rather pertain to collective stupidity (Amos Tversky). Many congrats, keep up the groundbreaking work!

Best regards, Charalambos Tsekeris