InfoEtica is an electronic bulletin that selects and synthesizes international press opinion articles about issues related to ethics of science and technology. In order to serve society, it is disseminated among persons and potentially interested parties.

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This Issue's Highlights

A new page in Facebook privacy

Mark Zuckerberg, Washington Post, 24-05-10

The author, owner of Facebook explains that the social network was built up six years ago based on very simple ideas: to bring people from all over the world together, because people wanted to share and stay in touch with their friends. But it has grown a lot, with 400 million people signed up to the service. The latest thing they have seen is that people want to have simpler control over their information. The controls they provided until now were too complicated and they’ve been working to improve them. People have also told them that they don’t really have a clear idea about how the information they give Facebook is used, that’s why they already provide ways for people to control how much of their personal information is visible to others. They have never given or sold any information and they shall continue to keep Facebook a free service for everyone.

How we created the first synthetic cell

Craig Venter; Daniel Gibson, Wall Street Journal, 26-05-10

In 1995 we sequenced the first two cellular genomes. Obtaining and storing in a database the sequences of a genome, which contain the genetic instructions for an organism, can thus be done as a matter of routine. Now we have done the reverse: the DNA information of a bacterium has been brought to life. The process of synthesising a cell began in a computer. We have not created life from nothing, but we have synthesised a modified version of the genome Mycoplasma mycoides. Although scientists have been developing genetically modified cells for years, for the first time the natural, genetic material of a bacterium has been replaced by a complete set of synthetic genes. This could be very useful in solving many problems associated with health, the environment and poverty. However it also represents a serious risk. Responsible use of this new technology needs to be guaranteed.

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