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First POST: May Day

BY Miranda Neubauer | Tuesday, May 1 2012

May Day protests Tuesday in Egypt. Photo: Gigi Ibrahim

May Day

Putting a paws to negative campaigning

  • The Washington Post looks at the increasingly prominent role that the Obama family dog, Bo, is playing in the Obama campaign, particularly online.

  • Restore our Future, the Super PAC supporting Mitt Romney that heavily targeted Newt Gingrich, has deleted most of its negative ads from YouTube.

  • An EPA official has resigned over a YouTube video in which he suggested that polluters should be "crucified." Republican Senator James Inhofe's staff had discovered the YouTube video of his comments, and posted a clip on the senator's Web site, the Washington Post reported.

  • Microsoft released a statement saying it still supports CISPA.

Around the web

  • The New York Times reports that the Google engineer engaged in collecting data from WiFi has been identified. "On his LinkedIn page, Mr. Milner lists his occupation as 'hacker,' and under the category called 'Specialties,' his entry reads, 'I know more than I want to about Wi-Fi," the Times reports.

  • Alexis Madrigal explores the copyright issues behind the cute animal pictures used on BuzzFeed.

  • Former MoveOn and Media Matters official Ilyse Hogue, and David Donnelly, executive director of the Public Campaign Action Fund, say they are forming a hybrid PAC and Super PAC, to call attention to the need for campaign finance reform.

  • A Democratic Congressional candidate in New York's Hudson Valley released an online map to show that almost 78 percent of his donations come from within his newly drawn district.

  • Comscore evaluated the partisan affiliation of visitors to several political news sites, and found that Politico had the most balanced audience.

  • Internet users in 36 countries, including China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan were able to view sensitive information about U.S. weapons technology for 15 days because a Georgia Institute of Technology course for federal employees and contractors on infrared technology was uploaded to servers instead of to a DVD, Bloomberg reported.

  • George Zimmerman's legal defense has established an official social media presence for its client, and the suspect in the Trayvon Martin case has a new fundraising website.

  • The burning of a Koran by controversial preacher Terry Jones, livestreamed online, was not widely announced and did not seem to attract a lot of attention, but was criticized in Iran.

  • The Columbia Journalism School will be funding new short-term research projects that focus on developing best practices in digital journalism with the aim of benefiting quickly evolving newsrooms.

  • New York City has released its guidelines for use of social media in schools.

    Teachers will be told in no uncertain terms that their interactions with students online will be monitored. Employees "have no expectation of privacy" when using social media, the guidelines say. Principals or other supervisors are expected to keep a list of all school-related social media accounts, monitor them regularly and report any "questionable" behavior....The Department of Education also is considering asking parents to sign consent forms before children participate in social-media activities and before their children's work or pictures appear online, and informing parents about how social media is being used in schools.

  • A convent in Maine is using the Internet and social media to attract more recruits.

  • Reports about a rally at Citi Field of Haredi Orthodox Jews against the influence of technology and the Internet have sparked calls for a counter-demonstration, at least on Facebook. Among the reasons to protest the protest, so to speak: Women are not allowed to attend.

  • An Australian Bishop called on Catholics to take advantage of Facebook and Twitter to spread the message of the church.

  • A judge ruled that Facebook likes aren't protected by the First Amendment in a case related to an election campaign for sheriff.

  • Two Tor developers are working on a software tool that collects data on interference with a network connection, data that can then be used to illustrate how the web is being blocked in different places. Forbes' Andy Greenberg notes that Palestinian news agency Ma'an used the service to expose blocking by the Palestinian Authority, leading to the Communication Minister's resignation.

  • Over 3,000 shops on Etsy are planning to close down in a day of silent protest on May 10, saying the site is failing keep non-handmade products out.

  • Blogger and entrepreneur Anil Dash criticizes the state and focus of technology news coverage.

  • In the New York Times, Randal Stross wrote in favor of increased electronic prescriptions.

  • The Chronicle of Higher Education published its special report on the Digital Campus looking at open education, open courseware and online education around the world, among other subjects.

  • Over the weekend, the German Pirate Party voted for its new leadership at a party convention. Both the A.P. and Reuters also reported on its growing popularity in the country, as it looks forward to upcoming state elections and possible upcoming representation in the Bundestag. The party is also slowly becoming more popular in Serbia, Romania, Croatia and Greece.

  • The British campaign group FairPensions has launched a web tool that allows individuals to complain to companies where they feel executive pay is to high.

  • Nicolas Sarkozy says he will file a complaint over a left-wing online news site's claim that Moammar Gadhafi offered to finance his previous campaign.

  • CNN reported on how a rap by Jay-Z and Kanye with a racial slur in its title is still helping Francois Hollande.

  • Google is being sued in France over auto-complete suggestions by an anti-discrimination group related to the appearance of the term "Jewish" in connection with prominent people.

  • A court ruled that British Internet service providers must block access to the Pirate Bay.

  • British Foreign Secretary William Hague is promising 1.5 million pounds in support of freedom of expression online.

  • The BBC examines what a cyberwar would look like.

  • A Facebook application is aiding voter registration for a EU referendum in Ireland.

  • Nordic countries are becoming more and more popular locations for data centers.

  • China is not only deleting references online to blind activist Chen Guangcheng, who managed a high-profile escape from house arrest, but also to the "Shawshank Redemption", to which his escape is being compared, the term "blind person" and to "UA898" a flight from Beijing to Washington D.C, an assumed reference to his possible U.S. asylum.

  • Several news organizations, including the BBC, the A.P., CNN, the New York Times and Reuters looked at the efforts of U.S. forces to hunt down Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony. Uganda has accused Sudan of backing Kony.

  • The New York Times India Ink blog examined the difficulties that an Indian tablet project for students ran into.

  • The New York Times profiled an activist who helped found an early online newsletter that sought to get around North Korea's information blackout.

News Briefs

RSS Feed friday >

Organizing for Action Says It Can’t Move Climate Change Legislation In Congress

Beleaguered on one side by pressure to take a stand on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline and hoping, on the other, to hang on to the activist energy of the president's progressive base, Organizing for Action leadership and partners aren't holding out much hope for the power of grassroots organizing to motivate action in Congress. GO

Code for America Launches International Partnerships in Mexico, Germany and the Caribbean

Code for America today announced the launch of its first official international partnerships in Mexico, Germany and the Caribbean. After several years of recruiting technologists to spend a year in city halls across America, the organization will bring programmers and designers into close contact with governments in each of those three places to work on a specific problem area. GO

Top Russian Social Network VKontakte Briefly Banned "By Mistake"

The most popular social network in Russia worked its way onto a blacklist this Friday, allegedly “by mistake,” according to the state communications regulator. However, Pavel Durov, the founder of VKontakte, has had run-ins with the authorities in the past for allowing activists to organize protests on the platform. Some interpret this supposedly accidental blocking as a warning shot.

GO

thursday >

Anthony Weiner Launches NYC Mayoral Campaign Online With An Image of Pittsburgh

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner waxed lyrical about New York City in a YouTube video as he launched his bid to be the city's next mayor on Wednesday, but he did it against a backdrop that turned out to be the skyline for Pittsburgh, as a sharp-eyed observer on Twitter first noted Wednesday afternoon. GO

Revamped Data.gov Includes API Catalog

Federal officials are now offering a list of all APIs that have been released across the federal government as part of the Digital Government Strategy and a new data catalog that allows users to more easily search, sort and tag datasets, according to a post by Hyon Kim, deputy program director at the U.S. General Services Administration. With the announcements, the team behind Data.gov, a central public repository of machine-readable federal government data, is marking its fourth anniversary and the one year anniversary of the release of the Digital Government Strategy. GO

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

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