In The News

China and Google: Searching For Trouble – Part I

Jonathan Fenby January 19, 2010
Google’s recent dispute with China is not just about internet censorship; it’s also about China’s evolving role on the world stage, according to journalist and author Jonathan Fenby. It is unlikely Beijing will allow citizens to access banned Internet sites through Google – a condition the company demanded for staying in China. There are also concerns about Internet security in general, but the...

Software Makers See a Market in Censorship

Dan Levin January 19, 2010
Google may be considering pulling out from China but makers of software that allow Internet users to circumvent censorship are finding their business improving. Individuals in countries as diverse as China, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, even Australia – all of which ban or censor Internet sites to some degree – want the freedom to explore the online world. Virtual private networks (VPN), which...

Google Threat Jolts Chinese Internet Industry

Loretta Chao, Aaron Back January 13, 2010
Google’s decision to start offering uncensored searches in China at the risk of being barred from the country is likely to have broad repercussions. Google announced its decision as a result of cyber attacks, some of which sought to compromise Google’s Gmail accounts of human rights activists. Politically, the move could add further tension to the US-China relationship, as the attacks were...

How Europe's Discarded Computers Are Poisoning Africa's Kids

Clemens Höges December 9, 2009
Twenty years ago, the international community drew up the Basel Convention in order to prevent developed nations from dumping their computer scraps in the developing world. Yet, the last two decades have shown that enforcing such a treaty is difficult. Some countries, such as the US, still haven't ratified the treaty; meanwhile, those who have, such as Germany, still struggle to abide by it...

Is a US Brain Drain on the Horizon?

Vivek Wadhwa December 8, 2009
While a second Great Depression may have been averted, the unintended consequences of the Great Recession are just beginning to be felt. One such effect is reverse migration. As noted immigration researcher Vivek Wadhwa reveals, many foreign-born workers in high-tech industries are returning home or contemplating such a return. The reasons for this are many, including better economic prospects or...

U.S. Eases Grip Over Web Body

Christopher Rhoads October 1, 2009
The World Wide Web might symbolize globalization for many, but control of the architecture remains largely local. Domain names are controlled by the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) that reports to the US Commerce Department. The premise behind such a structure was that one body controlling web address suffixes like “.com” would ensure ease of use and universal...

In Dusty Turkish Village, Surfing the Web for Brides

Yigal Schleifer July 14, 2009
The arrival of the internet in Turkey’s rural southeast has had at least one surprising consequence: men in the village of Gokce have started using the web to seek second wives from abroad. Although in the past, Turkish men would travel to neighboring Syria, now they increasingly use Arabic chat websites to attract potential wives from Morocco. Moroccan women make appealing candidates because...