Half of worldwide citizens risk missing out on governments' digital services boom due to privacy worries, EY study cautions

LONDON, March 4:Governments pushing ahead with increased online services run the risk of alienating large numbers of their citizens due to concerns around data privacy, according to How can digital government connect citizens without leaving the disconnected behind? a new EY survey of 12,100 respondents across 12 countries. Conducted by Ipsos MORI, the survey further reveals a roadmap for governments attempting to deal with the increased digitization of services brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past year, the pandemic has increased the need for governments to offer more services remotely, and in some cases they have been delivered entirely online. This has resulted in the generation of much larger volumes of citizens' data which is then collected by governments. Yet more than half (53%) of respondents say that privacy and security risks around how their data is shared outweigh the benefits. Forty-six per cent think data should not be shared between the public and private sector, with only 29% saying that it should be shared. And 41% think data should not be shared within the public sector, while only 33% believe that it should be shared. Almost three-quarters of respondents (72%) are opposed to governments selling their personal data to a private sector company, even where the objective is to fund better public services or tax cuts. Arnauld Bertrand, EY Global Government & Public Sector Consulting Leader, says: "The survey findings should be a wake-up call for governments across the world. The benefits of a more digital state, including increased efficiency, better value for taxpayers and better quality of service for citizens, will be significantly reduced if large segments of the population aren't convinced of them and are at risk of disengaging from increasingly digitized public services. Many individuals could potentially be alienated, which could quickly become a dangerous problem for citizens, governments and society as a whole." Technological optimism tempered by mistrust While the survey reflects optimism that technology improves quality of life (according to 72% of respondents), there are significant concerns about its broader impact. Many believe that increased use of technology will potentially widen social inequalities, with 32% stating that technology will lead to greater social inequality and 34% stating that technology gives more power to those who are already rich and powerful. There are further concerns around the impact of increased reliance on technology as a means for communication on social cohesion. Globally, 32% of citizens believe technology will make people feel less connected to their communities. However, demand still exists to further develop people's digital skills. Sixty-one per cent say they would be likely to use government training schemes that improve their digital skills if they were available. Bertrand says: "Digitization is here to stay, and during this crisis many have experienced its amazing potential to improve public services, maintain social connections and keep countries working. But there is clearly a long way to go in communicating these benefits to citizens and addressing their concerns. In a more connected world, some of the most vulnerable groups are at risk of becoming more isolated through the loss of physical support networks. Governments should demonstrate that they can be trusted to deliver safe, secure and improved digital services that will benefit all citizens. Just as importantly, they need to bring their citizens with them; access and skills are just as vital as the services being available in the first place." Seven personas that governments must reach The survey segments respondents into seven personas: Aspirational Technophiles, Capable Achievers, Diligent Strivers, Tech Skeptics, Privacy Defenders, Passive Outsiders and Struggling Providers. These categories offer insights into how governments should consider working with different societal groups. For example, the survey indicates that Aspirational Technophiles, Capable Achievers and Diligent Strivers are more comfortable with sharing their data to access a service or perform a transaction online, and with their data being shared. But there is a lack of support among Tech Skeptics, Privacy Defenders and Passive Outsiders about governments and businesses gaining access to their data. These personas also give key insights into the perspectives of certain demographics around fundamental issues, such as immigration, climate change and globalization.

variednews: Survey Shows Details of Immune Defense Guidance Ne...

variednews: Survey Shows Details of Immune Defense Guidance Ne...: NEW YORK, March 3: At the beginning of an immune response, a molecule known to mobilize immune cells into the bloodstream, where they h...

Survey Shows Details of Immune Defense Guidance Network

NEW YORK, March 3: At the beginning of an immune response, a molecule known to mobilize immune cells into the bloodstream, where they home in on infection sites, rapidly shifts position, a new study shows. Researchers say this indirectly amplifies the attack on foreign microbes or the body's own tissues. Past studies had shown that the immune system regulates the concentration of the molecule, sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P), in order to draw cells to the right locations. The targeted cells have proteins on their surface that are sensitive to levels of this molecule, enabling them to follow the molecule's "trail," researchers say. S1P concentration gradients, for instance, can guide immune T cells to either stay in lymph nodes, connected glands in which these cells mature, or move into blood vessels. For the first time, researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine showed in mice experiments that S1P levels in lymph nodes increase as the immune response mounts. Such activation of immune cells can cause inflammation, swelling, and/or death of targeted cells. While past work had shown that S1P is produced by cells attached to lymph nodes, the new study found that monocytes, circulating immune cells, also produced it when mice were infected with a virus. This in turn may influence the migration of T cells, a set of white blood cells that expands rapidly in response to infection, say the study authors. Publishing in the journal Nature online March 3, study results showed that T cells left mouse lymph nodes less than half as fast when S1P levels rose, while mostly immature cells escaped when S1P levels were not spiking. "Our research shows a larger role for sphingosine 1 phosphate in coordinating immune defenses in response to infection and inflammation," says study lead investigator Audrey Baeyens, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at NYU Langone and its Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine. "While further testing is needed, our findings raise the prospect of controlling levels of S1P to either boost or diminish the body's immune response, as needed." Moreover, the researchers found that when lymph node levels of S1P went up, it signaled T cells to remain in lymph nodes. Such "trapped" T cells, with longer time to mature and become fully armed in the node, increase in their toxicity. These mature T cells can attack cells infected by viruses, or healthy cells as part of autoimmune diseases. Indeed, medications that block S1P, preventing immune cells from leaving the lymph nodes, are used to curb unwanted and autoimmune inflammation related to inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis, a disease for which fingolimod (Gilenya) is one of the few approved treatments. Researchers say their findings could also explain why multiple sclerosis patients can experience severe disease relapse immediately after ceasing fingolimod treatment, as T cells held long in lymph nodes are then freed to attack the body's nerves, a key trait of the disease. "Now that we have a better understanding of sphingosine 1 phosphate inhibition, we can work on finding new uses for this class of medications, perhaps by manipulating the time T cells spend in the lymph nodes," says study senior investigator Susan Schwab, PhD. Schwab is an associate professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Langone and Skirball. For the study, S1P levels were measured in mice bred to develop symptoms of multiple sclerosis, a disease involving severe inflammation of the brain and spine. They also measured S1P levels in mice exposed to viral genetic material to mimic the inflammation that occurs in infection. Schwab says the team next plans to study how different S1P levels affect T cell maturation, and how these different maturation times strengthen or weaken the overall immune response to infection. Funding support was provided by National Institutes of Health grants R01 AI085166, R01 AI123308, P30 CA016087, and S10 RR023704. Besides Baeyens and Schwab, other NYU Langone researchers involved in this study are Sabrina Bracero, BS; Venkata Chaluvadi, BS; Alireza Khodadadi-Jamayran, MS; and Michael Cammer, MFA, MAT.

variednews: Clarivate Unveils Novel Visualization Equipment fo...

variednews: Clarivate Unveils Novel Visualization Equipment fo...: LONDON, March 1: Clarivate Plc , a worldwide pioneer in furnishing trusted information and insights to expedite the speed of innovat...

Clarivate Unveils Novel Visualization Equipment for Multi-Dimensional Individual Researcher Performance

LONDON, March 1: Clarivate Plc , a worldwide pioneer in furnishing trusted information and insights to expedite the speed of innovation, unveiled a novel interactive equipment that showcases the array of a researcher's publication and citation influence in a single visualization. The Web of Science™ Author Impact Beamplots will allow users of research metrics to engage more actively with data and furnish new scopes to conduct research evaluation in a responsible manner. Unlike single-point metrics, a beamplot reveals the volume and citation impact of an individual's publication portfolio through time and provides context for comparison with a broad range of data. The information provided should be considered alongside contextual information such as working location, role, nature of collaborative projects and type of research involved. Each paper's citation count is normalized (i.e., benchmarked against other similar publications) and measured as a percentile and therefore avoids some of the bias present in other researcher metrics. Lutz Bornmann and Werner Marx of the Max Planck Society first introduced and developed the use of beamplots for scientometric data in 2014 and Clarivate has continued to emphasize the importance of profiles over metrics1, which draws attention to the information that is lost when data about researchers and their institutions are squeezed into simplified metrics. Lutz Bornmann, sociologist of science at the Max Planck Society said: "Beamplots combine more information than the popular h-index output and impact data (of single scientists) by showing the data for single papers and in aggregate form. I look forward to seeing how beamplots facilitate more successful research evaluation." Martin Szomszor, Director at the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI)™ said: "Individual researcher evaluation can be done in a responsible manner when appropriate quantitative and qualitative indicators are considered together. Presenting the data in this way allows deeper insights into an individual's publication portfolio." Joel Haspel, SVP Strategy, Science at Clarivate said: "Everything we do at Clarivate centers around improving the researcher experience and supporting the integrity of the research community. This alternative evaluation tool will enable researchers, universities and funders to step away from oversimplified, problematic metrics and towards a more responsible and successful approach to research evaluation, to offer a fairer and more accurate assessment system for all." Notes About Clarivate Clarivate™ is a global leader in providing solutions to accelerate the lifecycle of innovation. Our bold mission is to help customers solve some of the world's most complex problems by providing actionable information and insights that reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing inventions in the areas of science and intellectual property. We help customers discover, protect and commercialize their inventions using our trusted subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise.

variednews: FlowBank places worldwide markets at investors' fi...

variednews: FlowBank places worldwide markets at investors' fi...: GENEVA, March 1: Utilizing the recent financial expertise, FlowBank has unveiled an app that links investors of all sorts and levels o...

FlowBank places worldwide markets at investors' fingertips

GENEVA, March 1: Utilizing the recent financial expertise, FlowBank has unveiled an app that links investors of all sorts and levels of experience to the worldwide financial markets in an intuitive way. Offering fractional shares plus access to bitcoins, clients can presently make more out of their money. For experienced and professional traders, the FlowBank app adds to their existing access to FlowBank Pro (formerly known as FlowOne), one of the most sophisticated yet user-friendly multi-asset-trading platforms on the market. Transparent but with a strict focus on privacy and security The app's innovative approach to banking does not compromise clients' expectations of a bank account. "As a Swiss bank, we impose the highest standards in terms of security and privacy on ourselves. We want to give our clients the peace of mind they deserve when it comes to their money," Charles-Henri Sabet, founder and CEO of FlowBank, explains. This promise also entails the full protection of deposits up to CHF 100,000 as foreseen by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). And as knowledge is the key to navigating the financial markets confidently and securely, FlowBank's clients benefit from educational webinars held by proven investment professionals, as well as from daily market insights provided by FlowBank's own experts. A smart way to invest in fractional shares and bitcoins Combining Swiss banking performance and this digital innovation, the app takes users' banking experience to the next level. Access to a wide universe of financial products globally enables these users to unlock new ways to invest their money via this quick and easy tool. Further, thanks to fractional shares, investors can now profit from the performance of well-known and expensive stocks such as Amazon, Tesla or Berkshire Hathaway, for example, without having to break the bank. Similarly, FlowBank clients can invest in bitcoin for less than CHF 100, benefiting from the democratization trend within investing. In addition, FlowBank offers competitive exchange rates and low commissions, allowing clients to minimize their costs. For a limited time, major Swiss stocks (SMI) as well as US shares can be traded at zero commission. By creating stock watch-lists, clients can also plan their next move. If they are unsure which companies to invest in, thematic lists curated by FlowBank—ranging from value opportunities to sustainable investments to Swiss quality—provide actionable insights. "It is truly exciting how simple investing is with FlowBank," Elina Svitolina, the current number five in women's tennis, says. "Finally I can get a complete overview of my finances in one single place. Managing and investing my money has never been this seamless." Next on the horizon for the bank is the FlowBank Card, which will accompany clients in their everyday purchases. Plus, with FlowBank Office, it will expand its offering to a private-banking platform specifically targeted at corporate and institutional clients, including banks, asset managers, brokers and fintechs. About FlowBank FlowBank, an online bank headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, employs around 100 specialists. Founded by Charles-Henri Sabet, FlowBank aspires to reinvent the online investor experience. FlowBank SA is licensed by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) and a member of esisuisse.