In The News

Free-Wheeling Web Commentary Challenges Media's Traditional Power

Nayef Al-Rodhan March 31, 2015
The internet revolutionized politics, trade and social interactions. Blogs contribute so much to that revolution, and in 2007 author, philosopher, neuroscientist and geostrategist Nayef Al-Rodhan referred to them as the “fifth estate.” The designation of “estate” for media is often “contested simply because the media does not implement policy or mandate particular activity, yet these criticisms...

Only Net Neutrality Can Protect the Internet From Becoming Like TV

Malkia Cyril February 27, 2015
The US Federal Communications Commission ruled 3 to 2 that the internet is a utility and should be regulated as such. The rules have yet to be written; appeals and litigation are expected. “Internet Service Providers want to break the internet into fast and slow lanes that sell public voice to the highest bidder,” writes Malkia Cyril in an opinion essay for the Guardian. A multi-tier system could...

Google's Vint Cerf Warns of “Digital Dark Age”

Pallab Ghosh February 18, 2015
Creators of all types, whether in businesses or universities, rely on computers for storage of countless documents and images. But computer hardware and software quickly become obsolete, warns Vint Cerf, a Google vice president, and many items could be lost before their value is even recognized. Users often neglect to make backup files, and viruses could destroy documents, too. “Vint Cerf is...

There’s No Such Thing as Anonymous Data

Scott Berinato February 13, 2015
Analysis of huge datasets offers the potential for lifesaving health care, productive economies and workplaces, and smooth highway traffic. Yet consumers must assume that every electronic transaction could be compromised, suggests Scott Berinato for Harvard Business Review. Berinato reports on a paper published in Science by Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye showing how “anonymous credit card data can...

Apple Lets Down Its Asia Users

Vanson Soo February 5, 2015
Apple’s Asian fans may soon rethink their commitment to iPhones and iPads. “Apple Inc. has caved in to Chinese demands for security inspections of its China-made devices including iPhones, iPads and Mac computers,” reports security consultant Vanson Soo for Asia Sentinel. “If only Apple users managed to chuck away their cult mentality and come to their senses about their privacy and security...

China Further Tightens Grip on the Internet

Andrew Jacobs January 30, 2015
An open internet nurtures innovation as well as dissidence, yet regulations fail to discern between the two. Chinese attempt to block sites that allow privacy and select sharing could backfire, actually instigating more protests by frustrating China’s most productive users. “By interfering with Astrill and several other popular virtual private networks, or V.P.N.s, the government has complicated...

Cellphones Can Spark Change in North Korea

Christopher Mims January 5, 2015
North Korea has about 2 million cell phones, accessed by the wealthiest in the urban centers. “In a 14-month span between 2012 and 2013, the number of mobile-phone subscribers in North Korea doubled to two million from one million, and it now may exceed 2.5 million, according to Orascom Telecom Media & Technology Holding of Egypt, which provides cell service to North Korea in a joint venture...