Evidence for the prosecution: Analysis of more than 2.5m Twitter messages relating to the riots in England has cast doubt on the rationale behind government proposals to ban people from social networks or shut down their websites in times of civil unrest. A preliminary study of a database of riot-related tweets, compiled by the Guardian,…
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You can only push “austerity cuts” so far and not expect payback
The rioting in Britain has shocked Britain and the world but it really should not. Is this about payback for years of police mistreatment, a powerful statement from those who feel ostracised from mainstream England or criminal looters? A little bit of everything. The Guardian expands on the social media aspect: In October 1985, on…
Internet won’t bring real democracy in Egypt (pass it on)
No kidding (and such news should be given to Western journalists who love talking about a “Facebook/Twitter revolution” in the Arab world): Egyptians who turned to Facebook and Twitter to galvanize their revolt against Hosni Mubarak are starting to wonder whether faith in social media as the key to Egypt’s democratic future might be a…
Internet turning into tool of national security state
We see evidence for this everywhere, in both democracies and repressive nations alike. But how many of us in Western states recognise that tools like Facebook can be utilised for both “good” (connecting friends and family) and bad (surveillance)? Freelance journalist Inga Ting interviewed me for this piece in Crikey yesterday: Yet the problem may…
US official; we love the internet (as long as views approved by State Dept)
Let me get this straight. A web evangelist, working for the US government, admires the ability of the internet to assist Arab revolutions and compares its power to Che Guevera, a man the establishment regards as a terrorist. I guess backing real freedom in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain is a bridge too far for this…
Gazans heart Facebook to connect with the world
Per capita, the largest number of Facebook users in the world is in Gaza.
Our tax dollars used to back Facebook pages urging war and liberation
How much money is spent by our governments to support the noble wars fought in our name? Michael Hastings is a leading American investigative journalist who likes nothing more than uncovering the lies and spin told by US officials to back conflicts globally. In a recent interview with US magazine Guernica, he further uncovers these…