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Dr. Jonathan A. Obar is a Canadian assistant professor and research associate. Obar is currently holding a position at the department of Communication studies at York University. He is also a research associate at the Quello Center for Telecommunication Management and Law at Michigan State University. Additionally to his career, Obar has written a number of entries based on topics related to communications. A portion of Obar's work includes journal articles, conference papers, reports, book reviews, and scholarly books further leading him to receive honours and awards for his efforts. He has co - edited the book Strategies for Media Reform: International Perspectives along with Cheryl Martens, Robert W. McChesney, and Des Freedman. The textbook analyzes media reform: it's importance for social justice and strategies that may lead to effective use of media reform.

Teaching and Research
Professor Obar has been teaching since the year of 2009 and primarily focused on teaching courses that are related to Information and communication policy, and the relationship between digital technologies, civil liberties and the inclusiveness of public culture. His most recent research focuses on big data and privacy, internet routing and NSA surveillance, network neutrality, and digital activism. Some of Obar's most notable presentations include the topics related to boomerang routing, privacy policy, and  digital activism.

Obar began working as an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, during that time he was referenced to three articles based on the topics of Communication Law and Policy, Journalism studies, and Broadcasting and Electronic Media. In 2011, Obar had started working as an SSHRC postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Professor David Skinner. There he was granted forty-three thousand dollars for his contributions to research at the faculty of communication studies at York University. Obar had also begun senior advising and Wikipedia education program coordination for the Wikimedia Foundation in 2011. Leading Obar to attend a number of presentations regarding Wikipedia as well as write about Wikipedia, how to edit the wiki, and the wiki's effect on society. In 2012, Obar had started committing his time to a couple of fellowships. During that time, Obar had worked as a Media Policy Fellow for the Institute of open technology in the New America Foundation and as a Politics of surveillance Post-Doctoral Fellow at the faculty of information for the University of Toronto, Obar had written a number of publications on information about Wikipedia as well as a predictive analysis on Target Predicts Pregnancy with web tracking. Obar had also worked as a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media at Michigan State University during that time. In 2014, after finishing his work as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, Obar had begun working as a full - time Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities in the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. In 2014, Obar was also promoted to a Research Associate position at the Quello Center and is still holding this status today. Following his time at the University of Ontario, Obar had begun working for York University in the Department of Communication Studies as an Assistant Professor. Since beginning his work as an Assistant Professor, Obar had written/ assisted writing six articles and four journal articles relating to various topics in communication, privacy and surveillance, and information policy.

The IXmaps project and Boomerang Routing
Obar had joined Andrew Clement, Colin McCann, Antonio Gamba, Dawn Walker, and Jenette Weber forming the project team for the IXmaps project in 2008. The project is considered an "internet analysis and visualization tool" and was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC), and the  Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA).

The IXmaps project's emphasis is based on the fact that the internet is not a cloud. (there is no dedicated circuit between the two ends of communication). Instead, internet communication is pushed through packets, these packets break into a number of parts and are transmitted to its destination through various routes. This process is widely known as packet switching. The fact that various packets might be routed to American locations and Canadian data may be seen by the NSA was a concern for Obar and the rest of the team devoted to the IXmaps project. For this reason, the team had developed an interactive mapping tool and had started assisting the users of the tool with the tracking of their own internet routes. With this tool, the team had made the revelation that internet traffic that is started in Canada usually passes through the United States before being terminated in Canada. The three main data points that usually intercept Canadian internet traffic are National Security Agency (NSA) posts. Further making it a vital topic of concern in regards to Canadian privacy.

The team had also begun yearly reports on privacy transparency ratings of internet providers (https://www.ixmaps.ca/about.php).

Privacy Policy
Obar has written a number of articles relating to privacy policy, one of Obar's most notable works is called "Big Data and The Phantom Public: Walter Lippmann and the fallacy of data privacy self-management". The article discusses Lippmann's "The Phantom Public" relating Lippmann's mystical fallacy of democracy to what Obar considers the fallacy of data privacy self-management and examines the role of the digital citizen. Obar's discussion leads to conclude that privacy and safety are wanted by digital citizens and that although citizens desire the freedom to pursue the ends of digital production, digital citizens are not able to complete the requirements for its protection. Obar also discusses the similarities between the fallacy of democracy and the fallacy of data privacy self-management further leading Obar to the solution of representative data management for the ensuring safety of personal data while simultaneously giving digital citizens freedom.

Social Media, Telecommunications policy, and Activism
Social Media is a variety of mediums used by gentiles in a society in order to interact with one another over a database that is run on a platform. Obar's work also relates to Telecommunications Policy, he had written a 21 page special issue article with professor Steven S. Wildman called "Social Media Definition and the Governance Challenge: An introduction to the Special Issue" on July 22, 2015. In this article, it is shown that social media is shared by four distinct commonalities. These include the fact that social media services are web 2.0 based, based on user-generated content, individuals use profiles to interact between one another whilst maintaining a social media service on an application or website (for example, your Facebook account), and social media services use cookies and other forms of dossier tracking to connect an individuals profile to other individuals or groups that have the same interests. Obar and Wildman wrote about the rapid change in the internet and the emergence of user-generated content being immersed in the world wide web, starting a new world of opportunities for individuals wishing to connect within their social network, start a business, or display public discourse. This emergence was displayed after the falling costs for online data storage further giving users access to numerous usercentric spaces. The authors also talk about transformative communication technologies and its connection to regulatory innovation such as the Radio Act of 1912, safe - harbor hours, the fairness doctrine, and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act further relating regulatory innovation to the emergence of social media. Relating to the millennials emergence with the world wide web, Obar had commenced a content analysis based on advocacy organizations' use of social media and the understanding of benefits that social media can provide in 2014. After surveying 63 organizations operating in Canada, it was revealed that the quantitative results (usage) of social media usage were a few times per week or more. The qualitative results (believed benefits) of social media display a higher possibility of "strengthened outreach efforts, enabled engaging feedback loops, and an increase in the speed of communication". These possibilities displayed the advocacy groups enthusiasm for the use of social media in Obar's analysis. Obar also emphasized the fact that although these organizations are enthusiastic about social media, they are also cautious with the platforms because of its possibility of changing the course of action away from strategies known to work for them.

Articles
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Books
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