The magic of television, courtesy of the internet. Speaking of which: The Internet is simply a means of communication, like the telephone, but that has not prevented attempts to demonize it — the latest being the ludicrous claim that the Internet promotes terrorism. Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut is trying to pressure YouTube to pull…
Showing all posts tagged Google
“Do no evil”, indeed
Clearly not satisfied with assisting the Chinese regime with its internet repression, Google now provides information to Indian authorities: …a 22 year-old Indian IT worker has been charged under two sections of the Indian Penal Code for posting obscene content online, comments made about political leader Sonia Gandhi, and now faces up to five years…
Talking past the gate-keepers
YouTube announces a Citizen News channel, specifically designed to bolster the already-growing online community of citizen journalists reporting from the far corners of the globe. Professional reporters need not apply:
Kill your TV
Media usage may be fragmenting but traditional mediums remain (far too) powerful: Americans — including “young people” — still get their political news from TV, according to a new study published by TV trade pub Broadcasting & Cable, and conducted by market-research firm Crawford, Johnson & Northcott, whose clients include… several TV stations. According to…
Growth + power = abuse?
My following article appears in the Amnesty International Australia’s Uncensor campaign about human rights in China: China’s rapid growth is often forgotten when analysing the country’s human rights record, but these issues should not be ignored in the rush for super-power status, writes Antony Loewenstein. Amidst all the current stories about China and the Beijing…
Just what can a multinational do?
First Google willingly signs up to assist the Chinese regime to censor the internet. Now, it’s possibly breached national security: China is to investigate Google and other websites for allegedly breaching state secrecy laws and showing “illegal” maps of the country. According to Min Yiren, vice head of the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping,…
Human rights, boycotts and nationalism
My following article appears in the Amnesty International Australia’s Uncensor campaign about human rights in China: With only 100 days until the Beijing Games, human rights activists are continuing to pressure the Chinese regime and authorities may be starting to feel the pressure, writes Antony Loewenstein. After months of criticism of its human rights record,…
The online conundrum
Taking the internet and putting it in the real world: German publishing giant Bertelsmann plans to publish the world’s first reference book based on entries gathered from Wikipedia, the mammoth online encyclopedia written by volunteers. Bertelsmann believes some people who would rather leaf through a hands-on, printed book than surf through the Internet. The company…
What is Google?
The internet is not universal: Some 80 per cent of European Union web surfers now have fast-speed broadband connections, but nearly 40 percent of all EU citizens still do not use the internet at all, an EU study published Friday found. According to the European Commission’s latest Information and Communication Technologies Progress Report, the use…
All hail the internet giants?
Google has been chosen as the world’s most powerful brand. (Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Chinese arm has been happily drumming up nationalistic fervour.)