In The News

India’s NSA Announces Cybersecurity Cooperation With Private Sector

July 22, 2013
India is considering closer collaboration with the private sector and other nations on cybersecurity, reports The Hindu, which covers the report “Recommendations of Joint Working Group on Engagement With Private Sector on Cyber Security.” Indian officials suggest that the internet could be described as a global commons and that requires global cooperation. One official noted that India has “...

Egypt Arrests as Undersea Internet Cable Cut Off Alexandria

April 5, 2013
The pleasures and business of immediate global communications could have been threatened in Egypt. Authorities there have arrested three divers accused of cutting an underwater internet cable, which reduced connection speeds for Egypt and some other countries. Other cables were reported damaged during the previous week, though there is no evidence that the incidents are linked, reports the BBC...

Police Defend Probe Into Singapore Death

Christine Spolar February 22, 2013
The death of an engineer working on gallium nitride research in Singapore has many complexities – considering he had expressed concerns that his work at Singapore’s Institute of Microelectronics may be compromising US security. Shane Todd was found hanged in his home after his last day of work at IME. “After Todd’s death, the family found an external computer hard drive in his Singapore apartment...

Cuba First High-Speed Internet Connection Activated

January 29, 2013
Cuba is now connected to the global internet with high-speed cable, and that could invigorate public debate and political criticism. The country has delayed the rollout to control connections and also blamed the US trade embargo for failure to hook up to US cables. Venezuela shipped the $70 million cable nearly two years ago, reports BBC News. “Investments will first have to be made in Cuba'...

Al Jazeera Seeks US Voice Where Gore Failed

Brian Stelter January 9, 2013
The Al Jazeera network will acquire millions of new US viewers with its purchase of Current TV, founded by Al Gore, former vice president, and a business partner less than a decade ago, reports Brian Stelter for the New York Times. Current TV struggled with low ratings and distribution rules that limited online content. Al Jazeera newscasts will come from New York and Doha. “A decade ago, Al...

Assange Asylum Raises South America’s Ire

Alistair Burnett October 12, 2012
By fleeing to the Ecuadoran embassy in London, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, an Australian, escaped extradition to Sweden for charges of sexual assault and potentially being deported to the United States for spying. Intentionally or not, he also unleashed South American resentment over two centuries of domination, first by Europe and more recently by the US. Ecuador’s embassy in London, which...

China: Hard Power at Home, Soft Power Abroad

Frank Ching February 8, 2012
China’s hard-edged regime, struggling to wield soft power, is concerned by the dominating influence of Western media and culture. China’s government is taking steps to remedy the problem, explains journalist Frank Ching. One success story is the establishment of more than 300 Confucius Institutes, many linked with universities, teaching Chinese language and culture in nearly 100 countries....