January 30, 2006
Staff Rewrite Wikipedia Entry
Members of US Representative Martin Meehan's staff have admitted to deleting unflattering information about a broken campaign promise from Wikipedia. Is this just one of many cases of Congressional staff edits?
Read More: Meehan staff are said to admit rewriting data, Excised mention of broken pledge An Investigation by the Lowell Sun has found that this is one of more than 1,000 cases of Congressional staffers making changes to Wikipedia entries in the last six months. Read more: Rewriting history under the dome
http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_3444567
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 27, 2006
No Beer for China
In the wake of Google's announcement of the launch a new search engine for its Chinese users, a CNET news investigation reveals more than political dissent is being censored online at the behest of the Chinese government.
When Google initially bowed to pressure to the Chinese government to launch Google.cn as a"self-censoring" search engine that would omit certain inaccessible sites from their search results, we assumed this meant political issues, such as sites advocating democratic reform for China. On the contrary--the CNET study revealed that sites related to alcohol, teen pregnancy, sexuality and drug use, among others, are all omitted by Google searches. Compared to Yahoo and Microsoft search engines, Google is much stricter. CNET also accuses Google of failing to reveal that some results had been omitted, as the company claimed it would.
We have to wonder: Is Google taking its corporate motto of "Don't be evil" too seriously...or not seriously enough?
Posted by Buzz Webster at 04:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 25, 2006
Censorship of Chinese Internet Escalates
US-based tech companies choosing to cooperate with Chinese authorities' attempts to curb web-based dissent is nothing new. Now Google has announced plans for a new search engine in China that censors material deemed objectionable by authorities there.
Google claims that its users will prefer limited access to content to no access. The new Google.cn will include notes at the bottom of results pages that disclose when content has been removed. Senior policy council Andrew McLaughlin has publicly pronounced the company's desire to comply with the Chinese government's regulations, adding "In deciding how best to approach the Chinese - or any - market, we must balance our commitments to satisfy the interest of users, expand access to information and respond to local conditions." Google's actions seem to be in keeping with the previous precedent set by American tech companies operating in China: Like Google, both MSN and Yahoo have come under attack by bloggers and human rights activists alike for censoring the Chinese versions of their sites, including blog tools and email services.
Reporters Without Borders (RWB), an international human rights organization, argues that Google's revised search engine is "making it easier for Chinese officials to filter the internet themselves," and called the company's actions immoral. A handful of American politicians have also jumped into the fray, threatening to pass laws restricting US companies from cooperating with the Chinese government on censorship.
What do you think? Are Google and the other tech companies operating in China right in taking a "when in Rome" approach to censorship? Or are they missing out on a crucial opportunity to protect the free Internet abroad?
For more information, see Silicon.com's article "Google Slammed for Censoring Chinese Sites."
Posted by Buzz Webster at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 23, 2006
Gore Attracts Blogosphere's Attention
The latest buzz in the blogosphere centers around Al Gore and his stance on wiretaps, spying and a "constitutional crisis." Read what the bloggers are saying on the left and the right...
The big news on the blogs this week was the return of Al Gore. In a Monday speech the former vice president accused the current President Bush of breaking the law by authorizing warrantless wiretaps and called for a special prosecutor to look into "criminal issues."
http://www.startribune.com/562/story/195839.html
Posted by Buzz Webster at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 20, 2006
Washington Post Closes Reader Comments on Blog
The Washington Post stopped accepting reader comments on one of its blogs yesterday. The paper claimed the blog had attracted too many personal attacks, profanity and hate mail.
The majority of the attacks were inspired by writer Deborah Howell's editorial about Jack Abramoff. The New York Times reported today that the incident marks the second time in recent months that a major newspaper has stopped accepting feedback from readers in a web forum. According to Executive Editor Jim Brady, " The article quoted Brady as saying, "Transparency and reasoned debate are crucial parts of the Web culture, and it's a disappointment to us that we have not been able to maintain a civil conversation, especially about issues that people feel strongly (and differently) about...We don't have an obligation to keep every one of those avenues open if we run into problems like we did yesterday."
What do you think? Was the Post right to close the blog down? Where does the right to a free forum stop?
Posted by Buzz Webster at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
January 19, 2006
PBS Launches New Blog MediaShift
MediaShift is a weblog that will track how new media—from weblogs to podcasts to citizen journalism—are changing society and culture.
The site contains an actual blog, considered the main meat of the matter, which will dig deeper into issues, interview important minds, and showcase intelligent sources as well as the readers themselves. In addition, readers have the chance to add their comments to each post. Alongside the blog is the site's "Top 5" feature, which keeps a running tally of important new people, trends and technologies. Finally, a section called "Your Take" will allow users to give their two cents on an important media-shifting question of the week. MediaShift aims to set itself apart from the standard blog by providing users with more content to explore and comment on. http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/info/
Site creator Mark Glaser writes: "In 2006, I am ready to turn my life over to the blog. I hope it doesn’t eat my wife and son, chew through my assorted leisure activities, and gnaw on my dreams at night. It helps that PBS.org — bless their souls, Preacherman! — has offered to finance my vision. When I first was pitching the idea of the MediaShift blog, one pitchee told me, 'Mark, why don’t you think outside the blog?' It had a nice ring to it, and I had to agree. So MediaShift will try to think outside the blog, by offering you more — and serving you more.
The Top 5 will be a very unscientific Intelligent Designed look at trends, people and technology that won’t leave us alone. And each week, I’ll pose a more pointed question to you all to get Your Take. The following week, I’ll do a roundup of the best of what you’ve offered to share with us. And once per week, I’ll do a feature called Digging Deeper that will include deeper thinking and even interviews. Eventually, I’ll start a weekly podcast, add audio and video to the site, and do more stories that include you in a two-way conversation. And I hope that together we can break the bonds of traditional blogging and journalism."
Posted by Buzz Webster at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 18, 2006
Blogger Buys Wesley Clark's Call List
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America blogger John Aravosis purchased Gen. Wesley Clark's cell phone records, in an attempt to reveal a dangerous loophole in state privacy laws.
The Chicago Sun-Times printed a revealing article on January 13 that analyzes the growing phenomenon of web-based phone brokers. Top political blogger John Aravosis of AMERICAblog purchased the cell phone records of former 2004 Democratic primary candidate General Wesley Clark. Aravois sought to demonstrate the growing privacy concerns Clark responded to Aravois's muckraking, saying in an interview with the Sun Times that legal remedies are needed to stop companies from selling telephone records. The article further reports that California and New York are the first states to begin considering legislation to combat the loophole in state privacy laws that is allowing this to take place.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 16, 2006
DNC Flatters RNC With Plagiarism?
Did the Democratic National Committee web site copy its privacy policy from the RNC site? Former RNC e-campaign director Michael Turk compares the two policies over at GOPbloggers.org.
http://www.gopbloggers.org/mt/archives/002894.html
Posted by Buzz Webster at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 13, 2006
You be the Judge – Alito Hearings Online
The good news for Samuel Alito is that he has survived intense questioning before a Senate panel, leading him one step closer to a seat on the Supreme Court’s bench. The bad news is that the questioning doesn’t stop at the senate or with the MSM – Alito faces further scrutiny online by bloggers and everyday citizens.
Blogs left and right are weighing in and checking facts on Alito. During Samuel Alito’s confirmation hearings blogs have commanded attention rivaling their mainstream media counterparts. There are blogs dedicated solely to Alito such as this one at Human Events Online http://www.humaneventsonline.com/alitoblog.php and the Samuel Alito blog http://samuelalito.blogspot.com/. For an overall picture of what the blogosphere is saying check out the Washington Post’s Best Blog Commentary on the Alito Hearings http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/campaignforthecourt/2006/01/best_blog_comme.html
The GOP has given bloggers invited to a blogger’s row of the Alito hearings VIP treatment – including personal appearances by top party officials and insider’s access to the confirmation hearings.
And for those who want to do a little investigative journalism of their own, AskSam has made a searchable database of Alito's legal decisions, transcripts from the confirmation hearing and published opinions. http://www.asksam.com/ebooks/Judge_Alito/
Related Articles:
GOP Puts Faith in Alito Bloggers
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/blog-detail.php?id=11553
Alito Junkies Can Get A Search Fix
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/topnews/wpn-60-20060110AlitoJunkiesCanGetASearchFix.html
Posted by Buzz Webster at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 11, 2006
Iranian Bloggers Petition for Political Prisoner
According to a blog post at Global Voices Online, Iranian bloggers have signed a petition asking to free a political prisoner.
Several Iranian bloggers have signed a petition (a letter) in which they asked freedom for political prisoner in Karaj Rejai Shahr Prison. Amnesty international, Red Cross and other humanitarian organisations have been asked to send delegations to this prison. We read in this petition:
“On the eighth week of the hunger strike of the political prisoners in Rejayi Shahr Prison, the government of Islamic Republic of Iran , has relocated the prisoners to facilities with harsher conditions, instead of assessing their demands.
Political prisoners in Iran live in the worst of conditions. Many of them have lost function in parts of their bodies as a result of the medieval tortures. The prisoners are constantly harassed, their cells raided and their belongings are looted regularly. Many political prisoners are kept in solitary confinements for prolonged periods. The Iranian government accepts no responsibility to provide food, medical care and even security for the lives of the political prisoners”.
Among bloggers who signed this petition, we see Zeytoun (Persian) an active Iran based blogger, Mr.Batebi, (Persian) a student who has spend several years in prison and more than twenty other bloggers out of 140 signatures in total.
Some bloggers talk about new military air plane crash which cost 13 lives including several revolutionary guards’ leaders. FM Sokhan ( Persian), an Iran based journalist and blogger, says Iran has just bought second hands Russian and Chinese airplanes. We must wait and see new crashes.
Zannevesht (Persian), Mrs Parastoo Dokohi from Iran, says we can not talk about conspiracy or technical problem concerning this crash. Because simply we have no access to information. NasimDasht (Persian), an Iran based blogger, says
“We must change our anti American policy and down with US slogans. Reality is that we need US to supply us airplanes or let European doing it“.
He adds Iran’s position has become weaker in the World and US is in our neighbourhood. It is time to change policy.
Caneh (Persian), an Iran based blogger, says he does not think about conspiracy to kill revolutionary guards. Many things simply don’t function in Iran because either nobody is right place or nobody cares about his/her job.
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/globalvoices/author/farid-pouya/
Posted by Buzz Webster at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 09, 2006
Representatives Keeping an Eye on You
CNET's continuing coverage on web site tracking reveals that dozens of U.S. Senators are tracking visitigs to their web sites even though they have publicly pledged not to.
Sixty-six politicians in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are setting permanent Web cookies even though at least 23 of them have promised not to use the online tracking technique, a CNET News.com investigation shows.
Congress' hands caught in the cookie jar
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6020711.html
Posted by Buzz Webster at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 05, 2006
MSN Closes Chinese Blog
Microsoft has admitted removing the blog of an outspoken Chinese journalist from its MSN Spaces site, citing its policy of adhering to local national laws.
Microsoft has admitted removing the blog of an outspoken Chinese journalist from its MSN Spaces site, citing its policy of adhering to local national laws.
The blog written by Zhao Jing, was removed from MSN servers on New Year's Eve, according to investigative journalist and former CNN reporter Rebecca Mackinnon. She claimed the blog was actively removed by MSN staff rather than being blocked by Chinese authorities.
A Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNet UK on Wednesday that the MSN Space located at http://spaces.msn.com/members/mranti/ was blocked to help ensure the service complied with local laws in China.
Read "Microsoft Censors Chinese Blogger
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/0,39020645,39245583,00.htm
Posted by Buzz Webster at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
