UK Gags Guardian, but Twitter Airs Suppressed Story

Dissidents fear losing free-speech tool

(NEWSER) - Twitter's controversial decision to allow censorship of tweets on a country-by-country basis has won praise from two of the countries with the busiest censors. In Thailand—ranked 153rd in the world for press freedom because of its strict laws against offending the monarchy—the country's information minister called the move a "welcome development," adding that the government has already received "good co-operation" from Google and Facebook. Thais can be jailed just for clicking "like" on a page deemed offensive to the monarchy, the Guardian notes. More»

Celebs making up to $50K per month pitching products to fans

(NEWSER) - American celebrities are raking in up to $50,000 a month for tweeting on behalf of brands. A single shout-out from 50 Cent or Snoop Dogg, for instance, can earn them $5,000, finds the Sun . The pay-per-tweet model is now heading across the pond, and UK celebs won't be required to use "spon" or "ad" to mark paid tweets. A government official urged the country's famous folk to tweet responsibly: "If people don't reveal a tweet is paid for it could undermine fans' trust," he warns. (Click here to find out how not to be a jerk on Twitter.) More»

Trafigura offers deal to Africans sickened by toxic sludge

(NEWSER) - A British multinational has offered a multimillion-dollar payout to settle a case involving toxic pollution in the Ivory Coast, the Independent reports. A contractor working for oil trading firm Trafigura dumped hundreds of tons of toxic sludge around Abidjan in 2006, sickening tens of thousands. Some were permanently disfigured, and the dumping has been linked to 15 deaths. More»

(NEWSER) - Pakistan has decided it's had about 139 characters too many of Twitter, yanking the microblogging site over material it says is offensive to Islam, reports al-Jazeera . The material in question was promoting a Facebook contest to post images of the prophet Mohammed—which are considered blasphemous, even those framed in positive terms. "We have been negotiating with them [Twitter] until last night, but they did not agree to remove the stuff, so we had to block it,'' says the country's telecommunications chief. No word on how long Twitter will be down. More»

David Cameron wants you to have to 'opt in' with your ISP

(NEWSER) - British Prime Minister David Cameron is considering a move forcing Internet service providers to block all porn unless users specifically request it, the Guardian reports, in a move likely to be vigorously opposed by the ISPs, free speech groups, and teenagers sneaking onto their parents' computers. Cameron will consult on the options for filtering out porn in the coming weeks. The push comes following a parliamentary inquiry into the harmful effects of online pornography on children. More»