Looks like we’ll have to fight for a truly free internet: So Google and Verizon went public today with their “policy framework” — better known as the pact to end the Internet as we know it. News of this deal broke this week, sparking a public outcry that’s seen hundreds of thousands of Internet users…
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Google and CIA work together
Just what the world needs: The investment arms of the CIA and Google are both backing a company that monitors the web in real time — and says it uses that information to predict the future. The company is called Recorded Future, and it scours tens of thousands of websites, blogs and Twitter accounts to…
Google and Beijing get back into bed together
Sadly, Google has caved to Chinese demands and will once again censor some online content. Principles are clearly flexible for the web giant: Google, the US internet search… company,… has agreed to submit to official Chinese censorship. The Chinese government, on its… part,… announced the renewal of Google’s licence to operate in the country. The government’s decision came after…
Your mobile phone can be used to kill
Foreign Policy features an article about the “geo-politics of the iPhone”. Perhaps the most revealing section: The business: If you thought military procurement was all about snapping up hardware like guns and tanks, think again. Increasingly, companies like Raytheon and Knight’s Armament are developing smartphone applications for the armed services. Apple and Google are marketing…
Israel and Iraq questions provide double whammy in Auckland
I’m currently at the Auckland Writer’s Festival. Wonderful event. Speaking to hundreds of people every day – mainly about the Middle East but also on the importance of alternative voices online – and the one message that keeps on coming up is how rarely dissenting Jewish perspectives or those critical of Israel appear in the…
How many Australians want their government to filter online content? Hint: not very many
Last night in Sydney I successfully debated with some other colleagues that governments should not censor the internet. One of my co-speakers, Google’s Ross LaJeunesse, has an article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald arguing against Australia’s proposed mandatory internet filter. I agree and it looks like many Australians do, too (via ABC Radio’s PM tonight):…
We’re Jews and we love other Jews being close to us
Here’s a classic clip from the “shooting yourself in the foot” department. A bunch of Israelis shoot a video called “I’m a Jew” but instead of celebrating the country’s racial diversity – namely, that not only Jews live in Israel – they talk about serving in the military (something Palestinians are unable to do). The…
Debating why the internet should not be censored
The following article by Erik Jensen appears in today’s Sydney Morning Herald: Governments should not censor the internet. The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, disagrees and the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, broadly supports his position. But two journalists and the head of government affairs for Google in Asia strongly agree with the proposition. “We have to…
Iranian autocrats will have a harder time blocking material
Whenever any repressive regime tries to censor online content, rest assured somebody somewhere will find a way around it (Western governments also take note): While the Iranian government has intensified its aggressive efforts to expand Internet filters, Austin Heap, a young programmer in the U.S., says he has developed software that would enable Iranians to…
Google opens the door (slightly) on its filtering process
A welcome sign of transparency by Google – and far better than most other web companies – but there’s a long way to go. For example, what are the cosy deals between Google and governments who simply don’t like certain material and want it removed from YouTube? Google Inc. has set up a new tool…