Twitter's Meltdown: Blame the Russians?

(NEWSER) - The Georgian blogger who was taken offline in the cyberattack that shut down Twitter on Thursday believes Moscow is the culprit, he tells the Guardian. The economics professor, who goes by the online name Cyxymu, says he believes Russian authorities targeted him with the denial-of-service attack because of his persistent criticism of the country's conduct in its war over the disputed South Ossetia region. More»

Says volume of feedback would be impossible to monitor

(NEWSER) - The British government has tried to harness the power of the Internet, but for Gordon Brown, the Web’s been prickly: a video of him picking his nose, for example, has been viewed far more often than recent policy address. Now the prime minister’s team has disabled comments on its YouTube portal, saying that moderating them would be a mammoth task, the Times of London reports. More»

(NEWSER) - San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom made his candidacy for California governor official today with nary a word, the Chronicle reports—except on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Though Newsom plans to publicize his run with in-person appearances, an adviser called the old sort of announcement “passé.” The state’s Democratic convention is just days away, with many potential office-seekers still unannounced. More»

Lamar Smith seems unfazed by powerful opponents to piracy bill

(NEWSER) - Rep. Lamar Smith, author of the fiercely controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, doesn't sound like he's bothered much by the heated opposition from e-powerhouses such as Facebook, Google, Reddit, and Twitter. "It is amazing to me that the opponents apparently don't want to protect American consumers and businesses," the Texas Republican tells Reuters . The SOPA bill, which would authorize the government to seek federal injunctions against foreign-based websites suspected of piracy, is still in committee hearings and could reach the House floor in a few weeks. More»

Crowdsourced thriller 'Inside' issues online casting call

(NEWSER) - Social media meets Hollywood thriller in online movie project Inside, billed as the first "social film." Star Emmy Rossum wakes up in a locked room with no way to communicate with the outside world except a laptop, which she uses to communicate with her social network—played by real users of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The film's website invites users to audition via YouTube, reports the Guardian. More»