INTRODUCTION With the increasing popularity of ubiquitous computing and context-aware services, the privacy challenges posed by such technologies remain one of the biggest concerns. Several research efforts have been aimed at better understanding the privacy concerns, preferences, and management systems in the context of ubiquitous computing [1-4]. Most research on privacy in general and on ubi...

The rise of smart mobile devices created new opportunities for electronic and mobile participation. These devices provide means to sense the current environment citizens are situated in, which can be then used to carry out targeted opinion polls. The context-aware polling system FlashPoll takes advantage of this notion and enables the conduct of short and fast context-specific polls which are m...

In the studies reported here, we conducted longitudinal analyses of preelection polling data to test whether an Ebola outbreak predicted voting intentions preceding the 2014 U.S. federal elections. Analyses were conducted on nationwide polls pertaining to 435 House of Representatives elections and on state-specific polls pertaining to 34 Senate elections. Analyses compared voting intentions bef...

The contrast between the predictability of presidential elections and the variability of early polls has come to be viewed as evidence that campaigns provide crucial information to voters. We argue that unmotivated survey respondents offering minimally acceptable answers (i.e., satisficing) offers an additional explanation for the classic conundrum of why the polls vary when the election outcom...

We propose a new mix network that is optimized to produce a correct output very fast when all mix servers execute the mixing protocol correctly (the usual case). Our mix network only produces an output if no server cheats. However, in the rare case when one or several mix servers cheat, we convert the inputs to a format that allows “back-up” mixing. This back-up mixing can be implemented using ...

In this article, we examine the relationship between metrics documenting politics-related Twitter activity with election results and trends in opinion polls. Various studies have proposed the possibility of inferring public opinion based on digital trace data collected on Twitter and even the possibility to predict election results based on aggregates of mentions of political actors. Yet, a sys...

There are numerous reasons why meat and milk products from clones and their progeny should be labeled as such. First, numerous polls show consumers are clearly concerned about this technology and demand labeling. Let me cite the two most recent polls. In June, 2007, the Consumer Reports National Research Center polled over 1,000 people nationwide on various food labeling issues; some 69% of tho...

In 1925, the German biologist and philosopher Hans Driesch published a booklet entitled The Crisis in Psychology. It was originally published in English and was based on lectures given at various universities in China, Japan and the USA. The "crisis" in psychology of that time, in Driesch's opinion, lies in the necessity to decide about "the road which psychology is to follow in the future". Th...