Inklings #19: Machine Readable Me - Zara Rahman (ebook)
Inklings #19: Machine Readable Me - Zara Rahman (ebook)
As we go about our day-to-day lives, digital information about who we are is gathered from all angles via biometric scans, passport applications, and, of course, social media. This data can never fully capture our complex, fluid identities over decades of our lives. Yet, this data populates numerous databases we may not even be aware of that can make life-or-death decisions such as who is allowed access to welfare benefits or who is granted food parcels as they pass war-torn borders.
A joy of humanity is being able to decide who we are and how we represent ourselves publicly and privately. Thanks to an over-reliance of government bureaucracy upon systems which assume that digital avatars are representative enough, data about our identities can restrict the paths available to us in life, professionally and personally, often strengthening systemic inequalities along the way.
Machine Readable Me considers how and why data that is gathered about us is increasingly limiting what we can and can’t do in our lives and, crucially, what the alternatives are.
Instructions for using your 404 Ink ebooks:
1) You will need to download your purchased ebook in the zipped folder to a desktop computer and extract the ebooks. You cannot open a zipped folder on your mobile to immediately access the ebook.
2) Your purchase includes a PDF, a .mobi (this is the Kindle version) and a .epub (for any e-reader device that isn't a Kindle). Once you have identified which file is best for your use, you will need to manually upload the relevant file to your device. For Kindle, attach the file to an email, send it to your Kindle's email address (with any subject, and nothing in the body of the email), and it should appear on your Kindle shortly. You can also drag and drop the file onto your Kindle if you attach the device to your PC with a USB cable. You can manually add an .epub to your device also via cable or through emailing it to an address accessible via your device to download from there.
3) You should now be able to enjoy your ebook. We know this isn’t the most user-friendly way to use our ebooks and we hope to find a better solution soon. They are also available on Amazon and Kobo - searching the title on your chosen store should bring up the book for purchase for you.
