Why Russian trolls may be more excited that the NFL is back than you are

Posted by & filed under Censorship, Civil Liberties, Cyber Security, Ethical issues, IT and Politics, IT Security.

Millions of Americans are looking forward to the return of Sunday NFL football this weekend. And somewhere in St. Petersburg, a group of Russian trolls likely is too. The same Kremlin-linked group that posed as Americans on social media during the 2016 US presidential election has repeatedly exploited the controversy surrounding the NFL and players… Read more »

Will tech firms challenge China’s ‘open’ internet?

Posted by & filed under Censorship, China, Civil Liberties, Ethical issues, Facebook.

China has been smart and ruthless in its control of the internet within its borders. It blocks some foreign sites altogether and it censors – heavily – what Chinese are allowed to see.  Nonetheless the big idea at this gathering is openness.  There wasn’t much openness about the “great firewall” that keeps out Twitter, Facebook, Google and… Read more »

Russian troll sites kept online by American companies

Posted by & filed under Censorship, Civil Liberties, Ethical issues, Facebook, Fake News.

The use of American companies to push Russian propaganda goes beyond social media sites like Facebook. Russians also used American internet services to keep their websites up and hide their true owners, according to internet records and two executives at internet routing companies interviewed by CNN. Source: CNN Technology News Date: October 26th, 2017 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2017/10/25/media/itl-green-floid-cloudflare-russian-sites/index.html Discussion 1)… Read more »

Social media and censorship in China: how is it different to the West?

Posted by & filed under Censorship, Ethical issues, IT and Politics.

China has disrupted WhatsApp in a censorship drive ahead of the government’s Communist Party meeting next month.  It has only been accessible through virtual private networks (VPNs) at times – but even some of them are being blocked.  Other social media platforms, which people in the West use every day, are also banned in mainland China.  Instead they’re replaced by… Read more »

Investigative reporter for CBS News continues to fight government electronic surveillance

Posted by & filed under Censorship, Civil Liberties, Cyber Security, Electronic Surveillance, Ethical issues, IT and Politics.

As an investigative reporter for CBS News, Ms. Attkisson was responsible for investigating and reporting on national news stories. Between 2011 and 2013, she investigated and prepared various high-profile news reports, including ones related to the “Fast and Furious” “gunwalking” operation and the attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya… In 2011——at the… Read more »

Sextech as a necessity?

Posted by & filed under App Economy, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Crowdsourcing, Entertainment, Ethical issues.

Note: the video in this article contains graphic language.  Viewer discretion is advised.   Entrepreneur Cindy Gallop is hellbent on bringing “sextech” out of the fringes.  You’re probably thinking: Does the world really need more connected vibrators or smart kegel trainers?  But Gallop defines “sextech” as any technology venture designed to innovate and enhance human… Read more »

Facebook made China censorship tool

Posted by & filed under Censorship, China, Civil Liberties, Consumer Technology, Cyber Security, Ethical issues.

Facebook worked on special software so it could potentially accommodate censorship demands in China.  Since 2009, the only way to access Facebook in China has been via a virtual private network – software designed to “spoof” your real location and avoid local internet restrictions.  Facebook, which has 1.8 billion active users, is aggressively looking to… Read more »