Facebook and Apple a threat to Internet freedom In an interview with the Guardian, Google co-founder Sergey Brin warned that the "open" Internet is in danger from very powerful forces, including Facebook and Apple. "I am more worried than I have been in the past ... it's scary," he said Brin identified the serious threats to the open Internet as repressive governments trying to control access to the Internet, entertainment industry crackdowns on piracy and so-called "wall gardens" that maintain more strict control over what can be done on their technology platforms, citing Facebook and Apple. He said that Facebook and Apple are stifling innovation and risk Balkanizing the Web, and went as far as to say that Google would never have come into existence if Facebook were dominant. "You have to play by their rules, which are really restrictive. Of course, there is some self-interest and sour grapes in Brin's assessment.
How Yahoo Killed Flickr and Lost the Internet Google wouldn't exist if FB had been dominated the Internet Google would not have been able to develop its search engine if the Internet had been dominated by Facebook, the company’s founder Sergey Brin said in an exclusive interview with The Guardian. While several of his negative comments focused on the social networking company in the wake of its recent IPO, he actually showed more general preoccupation with web freedom. It is under threat for several reasons, he said. On one hand, authoritarian countries such as China and Iran are trying to control the Internet. On the other hand, the film and music industries are calling for restrictive legislation in the US. More generally, several tech corporations are challenging the web as we know it; according to Brin, walled gardens represent a serious menace to the open web. “There’s a lot to be lost [with walled gardens]. This led him to wonder whether or not it would be possible to create a company such as Google in the new online environment that is emerging:
Google Removes 1 Million Infringing Links Monthly | Threat Level Each month, Google removes more than 1 million links to infringing content such as movies, video games, music and software from its search results — with about half of those requests for removal last month coming from Microsoft. The search and advertising giant revealed the data Thursday as it released sortable analytics on the massive number of copyright takedown requests it receives — adding to its already existing data on the number of times governments ask for users’ personal data. The Mountain View, California-based company removes links to comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA requires search engines to remove links to infringing content at a rights holder’s request or else face liability for copyright infringement itself. The disclosure marks the first time a major internet search engine divulged its DMCA compliance numbers. Von Lohmann said the data could be useful as lawmakers debate laws aimed at combating online infringement.
Quebec Erupts 100. One hundred days have now passed since the “Printemps Érable” (“Maple Spring”)began in February 2012. Students have been protesting on the streets of Montreal each night against announced increases in their tuition fees, ordered by government of Jean Charest, the Canadian province’s premier. Fees would jump from $2,168 to $3,793 Canadian dollars a year by 2017, a rise of 75% in five years. While that might seem low in comparison to rates in the US, it is intolerable to a population who traditionally believe education should be financially accessible to all – if not free. Last week a special bill was passed following a debate that lasted some 21 hours. The bill has drawn the ire of the highly unionised workers of Quebec, helping spread the protests far beyond just the student world. This law was expected to bring order, but it is about to become the very purpose of the protests. Brutality Avis donné à la foule : #manifestation illégale, les gens doivent quitter immédiatement.
It starts in Quebec: Our revolution of love, hope and community In almost every report on the social movement now sweeping Quebec, including my own, words like conflict, crisis and stand-off figure prominently. Anger is omnipresent. The anger of protesters, the anger of government, the anger of those supposedly inconvenienced. Pundits scream about mob rule, anarchy in the streets and the dissolution of society as we know it. Don't get me wrong, there is anger, present of course. But that is not what you see if you take to the streets, or watch CUTV's live stream. As I write these words there are demonstrations going on in every neighborhood of Montreal. The prevailing question in the media is, how do we end this? As this movement goes on, and grows by leaps and bounds, it is increasingly clear that it is not a movement of anger, of rage or of hate. Perhaps the most lasting effect of this movement will be to build stronger, more connected communities. This is what Charest is afraid of. We walk past each other every day, but we do not smile.
Amnesty International seeks George W. Bush's arrest - Tim Mak The human rights group Amnesty International called on Canadian authorities Wednesday to arrest former President George W. Bush when he attends an economic summit in the province of British Columbia next week. The group accused Bush of “responsibility for crimes under international law including torture.” Continue Reading Amnesty International asked that Canada either prosecute or extradite Bush for violations that they allege took place during the CIA’s secret detention program between 2002 and 2009. “Canada is required by its international obligations to arrest and prosecute former President Bush given his responsibility for crimes under international law including torture,” Susan Lee, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said in a statement. The Canadian government responded to the request with critical words for Amnesty International. “I cannot comment on individual cases… that said, Amnesty International cherry picks cases to publicize based on ideology.
Fetishism of Digital Commodities and Hidden Exploitation: the cases of Amazon and Apple | Wu Ming Foundation Italiano – Français - Español . [The original version of this essay was published on Giap on 26 September 2011, which means several days before Steve Jobs died. The French version was published on Article XI on the eve of Jobs' death. Last week a Pennsylvanian daily newspaper, The Morning Call, published a long and detailed inquiry – entitled Inside Amazon’s Warehouse – on the appalling work conditions at Amazon warehouses in the Lehigh Valley. Jeff Bezos. Judging by online comments, many people were taken by surprise, finding out for the first time that Amazon is a mega-corporation and Jeff Bezos is a boss who – as bosses customarily do – seeks profits at the expenses of any consideration for dignity, justice, and safety. What I just wrote should be obvious, but it is not. iPhone, iPad, youDie Foxconn is a corporation in whose Chinese plants many digital devices are assembled, including iPads, iPhones and iPods. Fetishism, Subjugation, Liberation Heron's Aeolipile Steve Jobs with an iPad
Italian Wikipedia Shuts Down In Protest Of Proposed Law In the true spirit of online activism, the entire Italian Wikipedia website has voluntarily taken itself down in order to protest a bill being proposed to Parliament. The law (“DDL intercettazioni,” roughly translated as Wiretapping Act) would require every website to publish within 48 hours a correction or comment relating to any content an applicant has deemed “detrimental to their image,” as they put it. If that sounds vague, broad, and onerous, that’s because it is. If this law were passed, Wikipedia and other websites would have to post unedited and unsolicited “corrections” to any content deemed objectionable by any person. This content would have to be displayed without any review of the offending content or the “correction.” In case it isn’t clear, let me just sketch out an example. Wikipedia is careful to point out that the whole point of their service is to provide a free, comprehensive, and neutral encyclopedia that is open to input from all parties.