In The News

Fear of an American Internet

Markus Dettmer February 2, 2006
Despite millions of new internet users from all around the globe, US companies like Google continue to dominate the medium. These businesses invest heavily in research and design, and as a result continue to expand their reach of the internet. One ambitious new project that is raising eyebrows is Google Print, which is collaborating with some of the world’s top universities to publish their...

The Future of Outsourcing

Pete Engardio February 1, 2006
In recent years, the specter of outsourcing has haunted US business and labor. Much as competition from China and Mexico decimated the US manufacturing base, remote call centers and consulting firms flourishing in India and elsewhere in the developing world could put thousands of white-collar middle-class jobs in peril. Desperate to cut corners and costs, many leaders of US corporations became...

The Basics: How to Outwit the World’s Internet Censors

Tom Zeller Jr. February 1, 2006
While China’s censorship of the internet receives increased attention, less publicized are the system’s imperfections. Relying on loopholes, greater freedom can be sought, even in a restrictive environment. One way individuals subvert a watchdog government is by surfing the web through a proxy server, which dissociates computer addresses from visited websites. In China, an underground network of...

In Threat to Internet’s Clout, Some Are Starting Alternatives

Christopher Rhoads January 31, 2006
Since the advent of the commercial internet more than a decade ago, the US has overseen the administration of that global resource. Now, however, alternatives to the internet are emerging in other nations—a development that is in part a reaction to US control. As other nations push for a greater say in how the internet is run, competing networks start up for political, business, and cultural...

No Booze or Jokes for Googlers in China

Declan McCullagh January 27, 2006
By launching its search engine in China and following Chinese government censorship laws, Google has sparked controversy. But the controls seem more haphazard than just dictated by political consideration, according to a CNET News.com survey of the new search engine. Sites opposing the Communist government do not show up in Google searches, but can be reached through links and foreign-service...

E-Waste@Large

Elizabeth Royte January 27, 2006
Computer recycling is meant to keep hazardous materials out of incinerators and landfills, reusing components to avoid the pollution and energy use required to obtain new materials. But recycling is also expensive and hazardous. So many companies, rather than disassemble the machines, chose to export them to developing nations, where they are not repaired or sold, but dumped. Each month, 400,...

Let There Be Wi-Fi

Robert McChesney January 26, 2006
To most people, broadband is simply a faster internet connection than dial-up. When it comes to powering economies, however, broadband could be as essential an innovation as electricity. Soon, television, radio and the web will find their way into a person’s home as a result of a single broadband connection. In the largest sense, broadband is poised to become a vital part of economic, personal...