What is the role of a Western internet multinational like Google in a country such as Iran? I’m currently researching this and related issues for my forthcoming book on the net in repressive regimes but Canadian blogger Nart Villeneuve has examined the apparent reality of US sanctions against the Islamic Republic starting to bite Iranian…
Showing all posts tagged Google
Futile censorship
Repressive regimes around the world are continually trying to block citizen’s access to the internet. But trust bloggers to fight back, designing proxies to allow anybody to freely access YouTube, Flickr, MySpace and many others.
It’s Mao, but not as he knew it
The Chinese government, announcing restrictions on the posting of videos online, explaining the “rules”: Those who provide internet video services should insist on serving the people, serve socialism … and abide by the moral code of socialism.
Persian web obsession
Iranian blogger Kamangir investigates the Iranian blogosphere and discovers, despite the best efforts of Western multinationals such as Yahoo and Microsoft to restrict access to services, a thriving scene of web activity.
Stealing dollars through censorship
The debate over Chinese internet censorship is only beginning. The role of Western multinationals operating in a country that forces filtering is both a human rights issue and, according to this group, something more economic: A California free speech group whose board of directors includes Google and Yahoo said on Monday it had asked U.S.…
Checking the watchers
Following Google/YouTube’s recent clumsy attempt to remove (or censor, it’s still unclear) the account of a prominent Egyptian blogger who had posted videos of policemen torturing prisoners, things have now returned to supposed normality: It looks as though Wael’s YouTube account has been restored, after being blocked several days ago. The reason given for the…
Two sides of the WWW
The New York Times unloads on the leading internet companies: Yahoo’s collaboration [against Chinese dissidents] is appalling, and Yahoo is not the only American company helping the Chinese government repress its people. Microsoft shut down a blogger at Beijing’s request. Google, Yahoo and Microsoft censor searches in China. Cisco Systems provided hardware used by Beijing…
Google avoids torture
Google’s YouTube has become an essential tool around the world in displaying unheralded truths. But the group has now removed many videos featuring Egyptian policemen torturing victims. The Egyptian blogsosphere has reacted with outrage. “This is by far the biggest blow to the anti-torture movement in Egypt,” one said.
Videos about fluffy dogs should stay
This is surely the right decision by YouTube: Video sharing website YouTube is refusing to filter out threatening material, despite calls for more restrictions in the wake of the school shooting in Finland. Pekka-Eric Auvinen, 18, used YouTube to publicise his plans to attack his high school in Tuusula, hours before he killed eight people…