In The News

NSA Spying: A Threat to US Interests?

Bruce Stokes December 5, 2013
Reports that the US National Security Agency has collected internet and telephone data in Europe could influence negotiations for a proposed Transatlantic Trade and Partnership and require new understanding on rules for the digital economy. Bruce Stokes, director of global economic attitudes at the Pew Research Center, reports on recent surveys: A majority of Americans suggest that it’s...

Globalization Helps Preserve Endangered Languages

Mark Turin December 3, 2013
Tools of globalization like the internet, so often blamed for homogenizing the world, are also encouraging diverse lingual communities to connect and even revitalize their endangered languages. “Linguists estimate that of the world’s remaining 6,500 languages, up to half will no longer be in regular use by the end of this century,” notes Mark Turin, linguist and anthropologist who directs the...

WikiLeaks Publishes Secret Draft Chapter of Trans-Pacific Partnership

Alex Hern, Dominic Rushe November 21, 2013
WikiLeaks, a website that exposes confidential government and corporate documents, has published a chapter on intellectual property rights from a proposed trade agreement negotiated by 12 Pacific Rim nations, most of which are democracies. “The 30,000 word intellectual property chapter contains proposals to increase the term of patents, including medical patents, beyond 20 years, and lower global...

US on Spying Scandal: “Allies Aren't Always Friends”

Marc Pitzke October 29, 2013
It was a rare moment when a national leader could empathize with ordinary citizens: German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted with fury to reports in Der Spiegel that her personal phone was a target of the US National Security Agency. Earlier, during the election campaign as reports dribbled out about mass monitoring by the NSA, she expressed less concern. US President Barack Obama denied claims...

Run Your Business From Overseas

Karen E. Klein October 28, 2013
Just as employees work remote, business owners can also operate a business from anywhere in the globe. Businessweek describes a man who ran a business that connects patients with affordable dentists in 27 nations, first from Mexico and then from Thailand. High-speed internet and free online tools like Dropbox or Skype aid remote management, explains Karen Klein. For some entrepreneurs, the move...

Anger Growing Among Allies Over US Surveillance

Alison Smale October 24, 2013
Allies who have long provided steadfast support to the US now question if the National Security Agency targeted communications of leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, as suggested by documents released by a former contract worker. The questions follow reports by Le Monde that the NSA collected millions of French...

China Employs 2 Million Microblog Monitors, State Media Say

Dong Le October 16, 2013
Blogs and social media sites are ideal for posting complaints, but China does not want discontent to spread. One group is assigned to monitor the trends in griping – the Chinese government employs more than 2 million as “internet opinion analysts,” to monitor internet posts and even delete problem posts, according to a report in Beijing News, as described by BBC News. The monitors struggle to...