In The News

Online Terrorists Prey on the Vulnerable

Gabriel Weimann March 5, 2008
Terrorists rely on state-of-the-art techniques from the advertising industry to attract suicide bombers. Rather than broadcast, or use one big message to attract a huge audience, the extremists “narrowcast,” targeting small groups with specific messages that exploit their vulnerabilities. The internet – anonymous and decentralized, reaching the alienated who desperately seek some inspiration or...

Struggling to Squelch an Internet Rumor

Samuel G. Freedman March 5, 2008
The internet has revolutionized the way information is passed, making mass communication possible with the click of a mouse. And yet, such power left unchecked can ease the spread of misinformation. Samuel Freedman, Columbia University journalism professor, cites an example at the University of Kentucky, in which confusion over an e-mail suffix from the UK, led to thousands of e-mails forwarding...

Pakistan Cuts Access to YouTube Worldwide

Brad Stone February 26, 2008
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, troubled by a YouTube video that criticized Islam, took steps to shut down the popular video website in Pakistan. The authority created a dummy site, leading viewers who expected YouTube to a blank site. Such tactics are not unusual in countries that practice censorship, but Pakistan announced its substitution site to a telecommunications partner based in...

My Saudi Valentine

Rajaa Alsanea February 14, 2008
Love is universal, but methods for finding it differ from culture to culture. Today, most Saudi relationships begin with the help of internet networking sites, cell phones or servants who act as intermediaries. In a society that strictly prohibits contact between the opposite sexes, let alone open displays of affection, starting any relationship relies on immense trust and some amount of daring....

Satellite Spotters Glimpse Secrets, and Tell Them

John Schwartz February 12, 2008
Throughout the world, knowledge about satellite activities and orbits is remarkably limited. Yet, as John E. Pike of the space and military watchdog group GlobalSecurity.org notes, the internet has spawned an “important demystification” as to information about satellites. Using websites to upload photos and find other hobbyists has helped a small contingent of “spotters” worldwide to connect,...

Japan Toughens Up on Internet Regulation

Chris Salzberg February 7, 2008
Creating and criticizing are part of a lively internet culture. Unfortunately, the internet is also used to promote fraud, copyright violation or other crimes. The Japanese government is moving toward more active monitoring and control of the internet within its borders. “Motivated by lofty goals — upholding the common good, preserving safety and security, compensating creativity – attempts to...

Wal-Mart in Global Online Push

Jonathan Birchall February 6, 2008
For some companies, the goal is cornering the market. Wal-Mart has announced intentions to offset slowing growth in the world’s leading consumer nation, the US, by promoting internet sales and delivery of groceries and other items throughout Asia and Latin America. For now, Wal-Mart is second only to Amazon, which began selling books online and then expanded to electronics and other products....