Before doing anything online, it’s worth remembering that the Internet never forgets. Our electronic networks that make so much information available to us are also quietly gathering information about us…and making that available, too. As a growing rank of people bitten by the Internet can attest, going online may forever change what the world […]
The Growing Dangers of Blogging
Posted April 27th, 2010 at 1:27 pm (UTC-4)
Media advocacy groups say the Internet is becoming the new battleground for press freedom as authoritarian governments around the world crack down on growing expressions of dissent on the web. From China to Iran, bloggers have provided voices of dissent in places where few, if any, were heard before. But a group of U.S. congressmen […]
Democracy Advocates and Digital Challenges
Posted April 23rd, 2010 at 1:31 pm (UTC-4)
The power of digital devices, such as mobile phones equipped with cameras, was seen in protests that followed the disputed Iranian election in June, 2009. Postings on such websites as Facebook and Twitter brought thousands to the streets, and digital images from Tehran fueled sympathetic protests around the world. A recent conference in Dallas looked […]
Blogs As Journalism In Iran
Posted April 13th, 2010 at 3:37 pm (UTC-4)
Iran is home to one of the most vibrant and active blogging cultures in all the Islamic world. This in a nation whose government has an ambivalent relationship with bloggers – at best. VOA’s Doug Bernard has this look at how the Internet is changing the way Iranians learn about the world – and how […]
Enemies of the Internet
Posted April 6th, 2010 at 1:25 pm (UTC-4)
The Internet…we’ve been jumping on and off the information super-highway now for almost 20 years. But is every lane of this cyber-roadway open to all? No – in a number of countries, access to and use of the Internet is heavily restricted. And in many more, the ‘net isn’t as free as you might think. […]
Cyber-Slander and Online Libel
Posted April 6th, 2010 at 1:14 pm (UTC-4)
In the digital age, anyone with a connection to the Internet can make themselves a writer, a poet, a commenter…or a critic. The language can be harsh, and the treatment rough. And writers can do all of this cloaked in anonymity. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing…or more likely, some combination of […]
