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New Google algorithm restricts access to left-wing, progressive web sites
The company said in a blog post that the central purpose of the change to its search algorithm was to give the search giant greater control in identifying content deemed objectionable by its guidelines. It declared that it had “improved our evaluation methods and made algorithmic updates” in order “to surface more authoritative content.”
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Surveillance: The mainstream media’s dismay with the tool of coercion
The article discusses surveillance in today’s capitalist society with a reference to a recent revelation that the German intelligence agency spied upon scores of foreign journalists.
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Resisting Wholesale Electronic Invasion of the Fourth Amendment
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) Foundation for Criminal Justice dinner, Denver, Colorado, July 24, 2015 A few months ago, I spoke to a group of lawyers in Los Angeles. I talked about legal ethics. I mentioned Henry Drinker, author of ABA ethical rules, author of a book that was the basis for the […]
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Who Is Reading Syrian Opposition Web Sites?
E.g., Syrian Revolution 2011 Fidaaldin Al-Sayed Issa, the Swedish administrator of the Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page (11 May 2011): “We have analyzed the IP addresses of our users and about 35% are Syrian residing in Syria, 50% are from the Syrian Diaspora around the world and the remaining 15% are other Arabs in other […]
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Tweets from Syrian Opposition Conference Held at Semiramis Hotel in Damascus
27 June 2011 Luay Hussein: This is the first time we meet in front of our people so we have huge responsibilities. Luay Hussein: Those meeting here are not advocates of violence. Fadi Salem: Media was allowed in the first session and Syrian local Radio Cham is broadcasting live. Munther Khaddam: Who would have […]
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Iran’s Islamist Bloggers Divided over Khamenei vs. Ahmadinejad
It appears from Iranian Islamist blogs that the honeymoon between Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Islamic Republic’s Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is finally over. Some reject Ahmadinejad in favor of the Supreme Leader while others show unwavering support for Ahmadinejad. It all started when President Ahmadinejad accepted the resignation of the Iranian Minister […]
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Day of Anger on Friday in Saudi Arabia
Cyber activists have created a group on Facebook calling for a “Day of Anger” on Friday in the eastern Saudi region, following the arrest of a Muslim cleric.
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Mubarak Addresses the Egyptian People
Mubarak: Leave, stay, leave, stay, leave, stay. . . . God damn you, Zine Ben Ali. May you burn in hell. It’s impossible to fix things now. Damn it. I think I’ll go make a speech — maybe things will quiet down a little.
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Egypt: Mubarak Shuts Down Internet, But Struggle Is Still Online
Carlos Latuff is a Brazilian cartoonist. See, also, <twitter.com/3arabawy/status/30662957587234817> and <twitter.com/3arabawy/statuses/30747797716209664>. | Print
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The Diary of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Former Tunisian President
Mubarak to Ben Ali: “I’m coming to stay with you in a few days. Get me reservations at a good place.” Le journal du ZABA / يوميات زين العابدين بن علي The videos above were released by Kharabeesh on 19 January 2011, 27 January 2011, and 3 February 2011. For more information about Kharabeesh, […]
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YouTube Censors CubaDebate
No more censorship on YouTube! Restore CubaDebate! Iván Lira is a Venezuelan artist. This cartoon was published in Rebelión on 16 January 2011. Translation by Yoshie Furuhashi (@yoshiefuruhashi | yoshie.furuhashi [at] gmail.com). Cf. Javier Rodríguez, “Censura de Youtube a Cubadebate desató movimiento solidario” (CubaDebate, 13 January 2011); Ellery Biddle, “Cuba: Cubadebate’s YouTube Channel Taken […]
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WMG, Motorola, and YouTube: Censoring Palestinian Solidarity Flash Mob Video
December 22, 2010 Dancing and singing to a parody of Lady Gaga and Beyoncé’s “Telephone,” more than forty members and friends of the St Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee (STL-PSC) serenaded holiday shoppers at Best Buy and AT&T stores in Brentwood, MO. They urged patrons to join the boycott of Motorola products because of the […]
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A Land Called Paradise
In December 2007, over 2,000 American Muslims were asked what they wished they could say to the world. This is what they said. Lena Khan is an independent filmmaker. Music by Kareem Salama. You can vote for this film at the Web site of Women’s Voices Now, “a not-for-profit social enterprise,” which is holding […]
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Order Reigns on the Internet
Scarcely a day after the WikiLeaks disclosures of U.S. State Department cables the U.S. political establishment went ballistic. Some called for the assassination of WikiLeaks’ spokesperson, Julian Assange, whereas others wanted to amend the 1917 Espionage Act to target the website. Targeted “denial of service” attacks shut down the web site, and then the political […]
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Vice President of Bolivia Makes WikiLeaks Cables Available on His Web Site
Bolivian Vice President Álvaro García Linera: The empire, in the name of diplomacy, is committing third-class espionage — lamentable for a serious country, and lamentable and decadent for an empire. The reason [for making the WikiLeaks cables available] is to show the public the quality of an empire which — there’s no doubt about it […]
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Dilma Adventure!
Only a few days left for the second round of the 2010 elections, our mobilization continues. To energize the activists for Dilma some more, here is a game made for the presidential election, in which we can get Dilma to the Palácio do Planalto. The idea comes from Professor Alex Leal, in the Digital […]
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“Net Neutrality” Is Vital to Free Speech in the Internet Age
The mass media remains, in the 21st century, one of the most powerful forces blocking social and economic progress. It is because of the mass media that tens of millions of Americans are convinced that budget deficits are more important than the lives ruined by unemployment, or that Social Security won’t be there for them […]
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Unlikely Emcees
Sukina Abdul Noor and Muneera Rashida, born in Bristol and based in London, are the hip-hop duo Poetic Pilgrimage. For more information about Poetic Pilgrimage, visit <www.myspace.com/poeticpilgrimage>. | Print
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The Courts Can’t Take Away Our Internet
Today’s ruling for Comcast by the DC Circuit Court could be the biggest blow to our nation’s primary communications platform, or it could be the kick in the pants our lawmakers need to finally protect it. Either way, the future of the Internet, the fight for Net Neutrality, and the expansion of broadband is […]
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Leading Iranian News Website Editors Appeal to Western Journalists
Dear Colleague, Eight months after the June 12 presidential elections in Iran, coverage by Western media like yours prompts us to pose the following questions based on common standards of journalism. 1. Most journalists who travel to Iran stay at hotels located in affluent north Tehran, but you convey their observations as “demands of the […]