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The Europe Roundup: Twitter to Hire a Team in Germany

BY Antonella Napolitano | Monday, January 23 2012

Photo: EPSI platform / Flickr.
  • Germany | Twitter to Hire a Team in Germany

    Yesterday, at the DLD conference in Munich, Twitter chairman Jack Dorsey announced that the company is about to add another European staff in Germany.
    The team will be the third one for Twitter in Europe, after ones in London and Dublin.

    There are many strategic reasons for the choice of the country, writes Martin Bryant at The Next Web:

    A focus on Germany is interesting as it was mentioned on-stage by Schmidt that usage levels in the country [is] as high as in some other parts of Europe.
    Still, Twitter has a strong connection with the country – some of its earliest code was written there by original team member Florian Weber. Weber, who is now CTO and co-founder of hot Berlin startup Amen, worked on Twitter code in Germany for three months before he returned to the US.

    Berlin is also considered the place to be for European startups right now, because of its relatively cheap rents and the peculiar position between Western and Eastern Europe that help foster cultural and technology exchange.

    But Germany is also known for the strict positions of its government on privacy and citizens' data protection, sensitive topics that Twitter will have to keep in mind when developing its strategy.
    Other companies are already doing this: back in September, Richard Allan, director of policy in Europe at Facebook, and German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich announced that Facebook will sign a voluntary code of conduct in Germany to protect users' data.

  • France | The State of Open Data

    French NGO LiberTIC recently published a map showing the state of open data in France.
    This is the fourth map of this kind, the first one being published in August 2010.

    Flickr Epsi platform

    The map has been created by LiberTIC with the contribute of people pointing out interesting local initiatives, which now appear present at all levels of government.
    In early December the French government also unveiled a national data portal.

    The organization also shares concerns about the lack of shared procedures for these initiatives:

    [...] the shape of this map also reveals its limitations, namely its inability to demonstrate the quality of procedures for the provision of data, that varies greatly from one initiative to another. The Open Data project in the village of Brocas (we welcome the interest in the subject) reflects such a problematic use of the term for an Open Data initiative that does not take into account the criteria of the movement. 

    To resolve this problem, we will publish in the coming days a classification of open communities based on quality initiatives. In the meantime, you can already visit the open data interactive map developed by contributors during the Open Data Hackathon of Nantes. The interactive map is not yet presented to date but she already identifies some criteria for the differentiation initiatives. 

  • UK | A Local Wikipedia in Wales

    A town in Wales is about to have its own Wikipedia: Monmouth, a town with about 9,000 inhabitants, is the source of a local online sub-project called Monmouthpedia.
    The local county council is sponsoring the project, and some expenses will be covered by Wikimedia UK.

    The town has a great historical value — BBC News notes that it is named in the Domesday Book of 1086. Wikipedia and the project's leader, John Cummings, hope that local people will contribute to the wiki with articles and historical photographs.
    Headstar.com reports more on the initiative:

    Online resources will be linked to real places using “QRpedia codes”, a type of QR or Quick Response square barcode read using a smartphone camera with an enhanced ability to detect the language used by the phone and offer information in that language, if available. Codes will be presented in a range of formats from ceramic or metal plaques to stickers inside buildings or biodegradable plastic labels for objects such as trees. Articles will also feature map co-ordinates or “geotags” to allow browsing by digital mapping and systems and “augmented reality” software.

    Monmouthpedia will be made available in several languages, including Welsh, and will let people take a virtual tour of the town.
    Monmouthpedia authors claim this is the first Wikipedia project to cover a whole town. Similar initiatives can be found in France, though related to bigger areas: examples can be found in the west of France, in Manche and in the Brest area (Pays de Brest).

Plus

  • The Monmoutshire County Council is also accepting Freedom of Information requests made via Twitter.
  • The French Internet agency La Netscouade lists the top 20 French institutions on Twitter. The first is @francediplo, the account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with more than 121,000 followers. @Elysee, the account of the French presidency comes only second with 70,000 followers.

News Briefs

RSS Feed today >

French Authorities Want to Tap (and Tax) Skype Calls

In spite of repeated requests from the French telecommunications authorities ARCEP, Skype has refused to classify itself as an electronic communications operator in France, which would require them to route emergency calls and allow the French police to intercept conversations. ARCEP has informed the Paris public prosecutor of Skype's refusal, and criminal charges might be brought against the company for failing to comply. This is yet another instance in recent months of France making things difficult for tech companies. Some worry that the overzealous government is discouraging technological progress in France, hindering business and economic growth.

GO

New Online Platform for Crowdsourced Videos About Human Rights Issues

Anyone with a phone and an Internet connection can be a citizen journalist, as was made clear in the hours and days after the Boston Marathon Bombings. Citizen journalism has its pros and cons, but it has popped up where most needed: after natural disasters or in war torn regions where career journalists might be barred. A new human rights initiative seeks to link citizen reporting in the form of online videos with mainstream media, governments and other policy makers. The online platform, called Irrepressible Voices, will both document human rights issues and work on solutions as a community.

GO

wednesday >

Facebook Becomes Full Member of Global Network Initiative

Facebook announced today that it has opted to become a full member of the Global Network Initiative, a group founded by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo to address the challenges technology companies face when dealing with governments about issues like freedom of expression and data privacy. GO

Russia's OGP Concerns Show That Transparency Matters

Last week, Russian officials announced they have withdrawn their letter of intent to join the Open Government Partnership. The Moscow Times has a statement to the Russian paper Kommersant from a presidential spokesman, saying, "We are not talking about winding up plans to join, but corrections in timing and the scale of participation are possible." So Russia may still be in. Just not soon. And maybe never. Confused? You're not alone. I actually find it fascinating that the Kremlin acts like "openness" and transparency matter. Here's why. GO

In Denmark, Online Tracking of Citizens is an Unwieldy Failure

Six years after Denmark passed a law mandating that telecommunication companies retain and store their customers' personal data for up to two years, local advocacy groups and the telecom industry are pushing for immediate changes to the legislation. The practice of keeping records of private citizens' Internet use is an unjustifiable invasion of privacy, they say. The police, meanwhile, have concluded that requiring telecoms to store subscriber data has not helped them track criminals, which was the the ostensible purpose of the practice. But the Danish government still wants to postpone an evaluation of the law for another two years. GO

"Accidental" Blocking of Australian Websites Raises Concerns About Government Censorship

An Australian government agency admitted last week to unintentionally blocking more than 1,200 perfectly legal websites in the process of shutting down one allegedly fraudulent site. In their defense, they pointed out that they have successfully blocked a number of websites in the past nine months without such digital collateral. This assertion came as no consolation to Australian netizens concerned about Internet censorship, especially opaque and hazily legal censorship.

GO

tuesday >

Honda Campaign Rolls Out Endorsements From Asian American Stars

Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) rolled out several additional endorsements from Asian American leaders and celebrities Tuesday, with one of them vouching for his high-tech bona fides. GO

Here Are The People President Obama Hopes Will Repair American Elections

The Presidential Commission on Election Administration established by President Obama after problematic 2012 elections now has a web presence at SupporttheVoter.gov. Obama established the commission by executive order on March 28 "to identify best practices in election administration and to make recommendations to improve the voting experience." GO

After Oklahoma Disaster, Neighbors Look Online for Ways To Help

In echoes of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast, social media sites and small business websites in and around tornado-wracked Moore, Okla., are full of offers of help, questions about missing pets and loved ones, and evidence that neighbors are willing to reach out to help one another in a disaster. On a single Facebook group, there's a Mexican restaurant in Oklahoma City promising free meals to first responders or people hit by the tornado; a mother a few hours' drive from Moore offering to open her door for children who might need a place to stay; a resident sharing a picture of a found dog and contact information for the owner to get in touch. GO

Change.org Lands $15 Million From Omidyar

Change.org capped an extraordinary few years of growth Tuesday with the announcement that it has landed a $15 million investment led by the Omidyar Network. GO

What German Politicians Think of Google Glass

The German government led by Chancellor Angela Merkel has not had the easiest relationship with Google. The company launched a public campaign against a law backed by her coalition that would require search engines to pay to show news articles in search results, with mixed results. What's more, Google has long had to navigate the privacy waters in Germany and throughout the European Union. But that has not stopped her federal minister for economics and technology, Philipp Rösler, from giving Google Glass an enthusiastic test run as he leads a delegation of German technology companies and politicians on a trip to Silicon Valley this week as part of German Valley Week. GO

Crowdsourcing Waste Management Solutions in Montenegro

For once we aren't talking about the worldwide scarcity of toilets, just good old-fashioned household waste. Montenegro has a garbage problem so bad even the tourists are complaining about it. A new mobile app sponsored by the Agency for Environmental Protection, NGO Ozon and United Nations Development Programme in Montenegro will hopefully get citizens involved in reporting illegal garbage dumps. GO

monday >

Her Majesty's Government Wants to Monetize Open Data

A new paper from the chair of the U.K. government's Open Strategy Board outlines the best practices for the government's open data policies. The government-commissioned Shakespeare Review – after author Stephan Shakespeare – looks into ways to monetize open data, and recommends an all-encompassing National Data Strategy.

GO

Will Silicon Valley "Disrupt" Politics With a Candidate for Congress?

Sean Parker, of Napster fame and now executive general partner at venture capital firm Founders Fund, has invested in political startups before. But last week, he went a step further — co-hosting a fundraising event for a candidate for Congress. Parker and SV Angel co-founder Ron Conway organized a crowd of Internet industry luminaries to support Ro Khanna, a former assistant deputy secretary in Barack Obama's Commerce Department. Khanna is preparing a challenge to Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), whose newly redrawn congressional district encompasses Silicon Valley. GO

Burma's Upcoming Telecom Revolution Will Probably Not Bring Internet Freedom

Burma (Myanmar) is on the threshold of an Internet revolution, but Human Rights Watch has warned companies to proceed with caution or risk trampling Burmese citizens' rights. GO

friday >

Chilean Anti-Corruption Resource: A Crowdsourced Database of Social and Political Connections

In countries where a small minority of social circles have a majority of the political and economic power, personal relationships can affect major decision-making, a serious concern of anti-corruption activists. A new web platform stores personal profiles of key players in Chilean business and politics, complete with biographies and personal and professional connections through family, education, social circles, employers and coworkers, to make tracking social relationships and conflict-of-interest easier. Called Poderopedia (from the Spanish word for power), the project sounds kind of like LinkedIn, but the creation and management of profiles is being crowdsourced out to journalists, activists and concerned citizens.

GO

Middle Eastern Telecom Accused of Working With Saudi Arabia to Spy on Citizens

Mobily, an arm of the state-owned Middle Eastern telecom giant Etihad Etisalat, has been accused of working with Saudi Arabia to develop software that would allow the government to bypass protections for social media users. The exposé comes from Moxie Marlinspike (neé Matthew Rosenfield), an expert in a certain type of malicious Internet attack called MITM (man-in-the-middle), whereby attackers intercept and secretly alter private messages exchanged via email and other social media platforms. GO

Saudi Religious Leader Warns Twitter Users of Consequences in the Afterlife

In late March, Saudi Arabia's top religious cleric said Twitter was for clowns and corrupters. Earlier this week, he said anyone using social media, in particular Twitter, “has lost this world and the afterlife.” His comments might be laughable, if they did not come at a time when the Saudi government is looking into monitoring or blocking social media sites and eliminating user anonymity.

GO

thursday >

What The Other Silicon Valley Immigration Group Is Doing This Month

A bipartisan coalition of political advocacy, business and tech groups are moving ahead to launch a social media blitz next week designed to persuade members of the Senate to vote in favor of immigration reform legislation supported in Silicon Valley. "We're going to create a virtual digital storm," said Jeremy Robbins in a Wednesday ... GO

The New Yorker Hopes "Strongbox" Is a Wiretap-Proof Sieve for Leaks

The New Yorker yesterday became the first outlet to implement DeadDrop, a new system for sources to submit information to journalists online in a more secure and anonymous way than, for example, email. GO

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