OPINION
Internet blacklists invisible but powerful
Washington Post Nov 29, 08 10:54 AM CST
(Newser)
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With spam running rampant across the net, in-boxes have become heavily armed fortresses against the unsolicited hordes. Unfortunately, we’ve overdone it, writes James McGrath Morris in the Washington Post . Morris recently discovered that spam filters would gobble up the latest issue of his newsletter, the Biographer’s Craft, because of references to "young adult" books, "hot" authors, and “nasty” lawsuits.
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Users must be photographed for national database of Web surfers
Times (UK) Oct 17, 08 6:29 AM CDT
(Newser)
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China has resumed a strict crackdown on Internet users less than two months after the Olympic Games, ending the more relaxed regulations that accompanied the international spotlight, reports the Times of London. All visitors to Internet cafes in Beijing will be required to have their photograph taken, reports the Times of London. All photos and identity cards will be scanned into a database maintained by China's Cultural Law Enforcement Task Force.
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GLOSSIES
Beijing completely misses 'crass value of cultivating the press'
Atlantic Monthly Oct 16, 08 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
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It’s no secret that China is moving into position as a global superpower, writes James Fallows in the Atlantic , and this only further highlights its leaders’ baffling inability to understand how the country is viewed from the outside—and how to change those opinions for the better. Officials just don’t understand “the crass value of cultivating the press,” he writes.
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Web-based game, where aim is to 'wipe out the Muslim race,' hard to regulate
Guardian (UK) Sep 11, 08 3:24 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Muslim Massacre , a Web-based game where players aim to “wipe out the Muslim race,” has earned widespread condemnation from Islamic groups, the Guardian reports. In the game, the US has declared war on Islam and the unnamed “American hero” slaughters terrorists and civilians alike to face Osama bin Laden, Muhammed—and ultimately Allah.
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After violent protests, state hopes to quash 400 sites that threaten 'national security'
Guardian (UK) Sep 3, 08 12:08 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Thai authorities are trying to shutter 400 websites, the Guardian reports, in the wake of anti-government demonstrations in Bangkok that led the prime minister to declare martial law yesterday. The move targeted sites that were said to have “disturbed the peaceful social order and morality of the people, and/or which were considered detrimental to national security.”
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OPINION
Osama not up on his Facebook, YouTube; US should exploit populist backlash
New York Times Jun 26, 08 9:07 AM CDT
(Newser)
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At its height, al-Qaeda had mastered how to amplify the effect of real-world attacks with virtual representations—videos, audio recordings, and articles reproducing its mayhem online. But as the Web has transformed into a more social entity, the terrorist organization is " stuck in 1.0," writes analyst Daniel Kimmage in the New York Times . If America and its allies want to win the war on terror, they should look to YouTube.
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Political crackdowns especially harsh in Egypt, Iran and China
Ars Technica Jun 16, 08 10:49 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The number of blogging "citizen journalists" arrested worldwide in political crackdowns tripled in 2007 from the previous year, Ars Technica reports. Over half of last year's 36 arrests occurred in Egypt, Iran, and China, according to a new survey, which sorted arrests into six categories, most related to stirring up political controversy.
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ANALYSIS
Despite push for openness, Chinese law appears to allow much room to maneuver
Ars Technica May 8, 08 2:37 PM CDT
(Newser)
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China apparently will continue to censor the Internet during August's Olympics, but says the international press will have the access it needs to function, Jacqui Cheng writes on Ars Technica. Officials said they would guarantee as much access “as possible,” but “controls on some unhealthy websites” would continue. In defense, they said, “every country limits access to some websites.”
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'Philanthropic dynamo' took '05 donation from shady Internet firm
Los Angeles Times Apr 13, 08 11:56 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Hillary Clinton's strong public stance against the crackdown in Tibet flies in the face of her husband's past fundraising ties in China, reports the LA Times . At the crux is a 2005 speech the former president gave for which he received an undisclosed donation to his charitable foundation—from Internet giant Alibaba.
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OPINION
Recent move isn't enough to meet IOC's request for openness
Ars Technica Apr 7, 08 1:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
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It's good for Chinese Internet users that the government has lifted bans on Wikipedia and Blogspot, but the move isn't the great breakthrough it may seem to be. If the policy change was intended to fulfill requests from the International Olympic Committee for an open internet, it falls well short of any actual freedom of information, writes Jacqui Cheng for Ars Technica.
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But topics such as Tibet, Tiananmen remain off limits
Reuters Apr 5, 08 11:12 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Prodded by the International Olympic Committee, China has seemingly eased restrictions on the English-language version of Wikipedia, Reuters reports. But authorities continue to block access to articles related to sensitive topics such as Tibet and Tiananmen Square. Users in Shanghai and Beijing, the site of the summer Olympics, reported being able to view some pages on the popular web encyclopedia.
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Todou.com is among those warned, 25 sites closed
Reuters Mar 20, 08 8:25 PM CDT
(Newser)
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China shuttered 25 video-sharing websites today and warned numerous others, as authorities moved to enforce stricter controls on online content announced late last year, Reuters reports. Chinese video heavyweight Tudou.com was among those that received a warning to eliminate pornographic and political material. "We're working hard to upgrade our systems to catch everything that needs to be caught," said Tudou’s VP.
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Measure takes aim at the 'Great Firewall
of China'; would inject web into trade talks
Ars Technica Feb 28, 08 2:33 PM CST
(Newser)
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The EU is out to hack down the Great Firewall of China, Ars Technica reports. A new proposal would classify the web censorship China and other oppressive regimes employ as a trade barrier, an approach its creator calls “unusual, but effective.” The measure already sailed through the European Parliament 571-38, and now awaits European Council confirmation.
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Anti-Islamic video
prompts government crackdown
Associated Press Feb 24, 08 4:25 PM CST
(Newser)
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Pakistan has blocked the country’s YouTube access over anti-Islamic videos on the site, the AP reports. One official conceded that a particular video offended authorities: a trailer for an upcoming film by Dutch legislator Geert Wilders. The filmmaker has said that his piece paints Islam as a fascist religion that glorifies violence against homosexuals and women.
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