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Ask Slashdot: How To Both Mirror and Protect Crowdsourced Data?

Posted by timothy on from the pick-any-one dept.

New submitter cellurl writes "I run wikispeedia, a database of speed limit signs. People approach us to mirror our data, but I am quite certain it will become a one-way street. So my question is: How can I give consumers peace of mind in using our data and not give up the ship? We want to be the clearing house for this information, at the same time following our charter of providing safety. Some thoughts that come to mind are creating a 'Service Level Agreement' which they will no doubt reject, or MySQL-clustering, or rsync. Any thoughts, (technically, logistically, legally) appreciated."

5 of 76 comments (clear)

  1. Be the best and stop trying to "own" data by BitZtream · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You'll only be THE clearing house if you are the best source. Second, it's public data, stop trying to own it, you can't, it's not yours to own in the first place.

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    1. Re:Be the best and stop trying to "own" data by dyingtolive · · Score: 4, Informative

      Well, I mean, the alternative is that you insist that it IS an e-peen contest. If that's what you're going for, then by all means, build an API, license it out, but most importantly, PATENT THE MECHANISM YOU HAVE FOR COLLECTING DATA. Seriously. The more extraneous words you can add in, the better. If you need help on that, just let me know. I have a friend; this guy is amazing. He has this thing called a thesaurus. Neither me nor my MBA friends are entirely sure what exactly it is or does, but we know that when he uses it, it makes RoI improve 23% and IPOs, on average (cause we're professionals) improve by 62%, on average, by volume.



      Seriously though, to anyone reading this, I'm trashed, full of shit, banned from posting on the forums I normally frequent, and too uncoordinated to start an emulator. Do not mod this up. Do not encourage the OP.

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  2. Thats why API's were invented by muphin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    create an API and provide an interface where your client base can interface with the data.
    there are a lot of places out there that does this, as its considered Intellectual Property.

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  3. Not much you can do. by king+neckbeard · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is a compilation of public data, with the legwork being done by others. You've got no real legal option in protecting the data, at least in regards to the US. You could perhaps try some technical means of controlling the data, but that would greatly reduce the utility. I would also consider in unethical to try and 'own' the results of work done by other unpaid volunteers. If you wish to be the center of this data collection, than make it as useful as possible.

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  4. Silly copyright notice by FaxeTheCat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    From the home page "the sign you capture is copyrighted with your name since you found it".

    How on earth can you copyright a speed sign, and even if you could, how can that copyright be relevant to anything?

    The location and speed limit of a speed sign is a fact. How can that be copyrighted? How can it limit the rights of others who observer the sign to publish its location and speed limit?

    If anybody were entitled to copyright a speed sign, it would be the authorities that put it there and who actually own it. How can the location of other peoples property be copyrightable? Looks like somebody took the concept one step too far...