In The News

The Rise and Rise of Fake News

November 7, 2016
News spreads quickly via the internet, and research suggests that increasing numbers of US adults rely on social media for their news. “There are hundreds of fake news websites out there, from those which deliberately imitate real life newspapers, to government propaganda sites, and even those which tread the line between satire and plain misinformation,” reports BBC News. The purpose of some...

The Secret Eye Inside Mosul

Robin Wright November 2, 2016
The coalition fighting the Islamic State has reached the outskirts of Mosul, an Iraqi city seized in 2014. A clandestine blog, Mosul Eye, has documented life in Mosul under the terrorist group in terse lists and describes a city in ruins. Scholars suggest that the blog is written by someone in Mosul, providing details that could helpful coalition forces. ISIS has sent messages to the account,...

Internet of Things: Have We Bitten Off More Than We Can Chew?

Alyssa Newcomb and Jo Ling Kent October 28, 2016
Hackers commandeered web cameras and possibly other devices to launch an attack on internet service management company Dyn. The company reports that it fended off multiple attacks in recent weeks. All types of gadgets for homes, cars and offices are linked to the internet to allow remote monitoring by users and updates from makers, and one security expert suggests that any device with an IP...

Reuters: Ecuador Cuts Assange's Internet Access - WikiLeaks

Mark Hosenball October 19, 2016
The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry confirmed claims by WikiLeaks that the nation forced Julian Assange offline to prevent interference in the US election. The country has granted political asylum to the WikiLeaks founder in its London embassy since 2012, and asserts it will continue to do so to protect free speech. The episode reflects complicated relationships among Ecuador, Russia and the United...

Food for Thought

Nayan Chanda August 15, 2016
US presidential candidates, sensing anti-trade sentiment among voters, rely on populist strategies, much like Indian Prime Minister Modi’s “Make in India” campaign, encouraging manufacturers to create jobs close to home. “Even if protectionist urges dwindle after the election, anti-trade sentiment will linger to the detriment of export-dependent emerging economies,” writes Nayan Chanda in his...

Internet or Splinternet?

Joseph S. Nye August 11, 2016
The internet connects nearly half the world’s people, though political censorship and cybercrime could reduce public trust, explains Joseph Nye for Project Syndicate. He urges common rules to avoid fragmentation, based on a report from the Global Commission on Internet Governance. The report urges that openly developed standards, good user habits to discourage hackers, system design centered...

Smartphone Addiction: The Slot Machine in Your Pocket

Tristan Harris July 27, 2016
Smartphones and social media by their very nature are like slot machines, enticing users to check for updates and news, explains Tristan Harris for Spiegel Online, describing intermittent variable rewards and need for social approval. The technology, like magicians, gives users the illusion of choice. “Western Culture is built around ideals of individual choice and freedom,” Harris writes. “...