Yeah, it's Wednesday. I know that. This one's a good one, though:
In a nutshell: There was a recent attempt to hack gmail accounts of prominent human rights activists in China coming from China. Based on Google's investigations, the attack was most likely by the Chinese government. In retaliation, Google will no longer be filtering searches on google.cn, and may pull out of China all together.
We'll have to see if Google actually follows through with these threats, but if so, this is fantastic. The Chinese government has been horribly restrictive about what information circulates from the internet to citizens. By no longer supporting these actions, Google can deal a major blow to censorship in one of the most populous nations in the world.
Showing posts with label free speech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free speech. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Hell yeah!
Anyone who follows this blog (anyone? Bueller?) knows how I feel about IP bandwidth caps. They're awful.
In a nutshell, imagine hitting a ceiling in the amount of bandwidth you could use in a month (see: running out of cell phone minutes) and then getting charged out the ear for each megabit you use after that. Now imagine how it would change your use of the web when browsing high-bandwidth sites (especially YouTube.)
Factor in how important the web has become as a way to spread information when information is under attack (anyone? Iran?). Conclusion: bandwidth caps are a terrible idea.
Apparently, New York Congressman Eric Massa agrees.
In a nutshell, imagine hitting a ceiling in the amount of bandwidth you could use in a month (see: running out of cell phone minutes) and then getting charged out the ear for each megabit you use after that. Now imagine how it would change your use of the web when browsing high-bandwidth sites (especially YouTube.)
Factor in how important the web has become as a way to spread information when information is under attack (anyone? Iran?). Conclusion: bandwidth caps are a terrible idea.
Apparently, New York Congressman Eric Massa agrees.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Iran and the Internet
Yes, I'm a bad blogger. I've now finished 2/3 of the travel/conference season, and it's taken a toll on my blog frequency. I returned to Los Alamos last night at midnight from my second trip to find that my lawn had grown twice as fast as it should have. Oh, the sounds of a choking push mower...
I did want to take a quick opportunity to comment on the uprising in Iran- particularly the role that the web has played so far. Apparently, demonstrators have used Twitter to help organize their movement, and despite the Iranian government's work to block certain sites, key video and pictures of what is unfolding have made it to the outside world. After apparent DDoS attacks on Mir Hossein Moussavi's websites, counter DDoS attacks have been organized-- and not just by Iranians, either.
The results thus far have been stirring (from here):
Sure, the internet gives a mouthpiece to some of the greatest whackos ever, but the limitless speech and information it provides has become a key tool for the free world.
I did want to take a quick opportunity to comment on the uprising in Iran- particularly the role that the web has played so far. Apparently, demonstrators have used Twitter to help organize their movement, and despite the Iranian government's work to block certain sites, key video and pictures of what is unfolding have made it to the outside world. After apparent DDoS attacks on Mir Hossein Moussavi's websites, counter DDoS attacks have been organized-- and not just by Iranians, either.
The results thus far have been stirring (from here):
Sure, the internet gives a mouthpiece to some of the greatest whackos ever, but the limitless speech and information it provides has become a key tool for the free world.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
China is at it again.
How about I open up the real posts with a rant?
I have become a passionate defender of free speech. Open forums to share ideas are paramount to the advancement of society -- especially in science. China doesn't think so. It appears that youtube has been blocked again, the last time being the ban during the Tibet riots.
An initial, and perhaps well-founded, reaction to this story may be, "so what?" So what if the Chinese are cut off from youtube poop edits of Billy Mays and fifteen-year-olds proclaiming that high school problems really matter? A large percentage of youtube is dedicated to crap. Even though it's funny crap, of what importance is it?
As it turns out, there are youtube videos dedicated to serious debate, the proliferation of ideas, and good ol' fashioned, healthy free speech. Take as an initial example the Beauty in the Universe channel, which is dedicated to exploring knowledge of the Earth and nature. Or, more importantly, DonExodus, who works diligently to educate people on the origins and diversity of life on Earth, all the while fending off the onslaught of creationists who insist on poisoning the well of knowledge. These are only two of many contributors who submit material that educates viewers
and challenges worldviews. They make people think. This cannot be underestimated.
Now put this into the present context. During the Tibet riots, youtube was banned in China to keep citizens in the dark about what was happenin, to preserve positive views of the Chinese government. It is a method of control. It is subversive. The internet is more than jokes and porn, it serves as a medium to distribute knowledge of the world around this. To choke it off is deplorable. And it is happening again.
It just started snowing at PO Box 1663. This should make for an exciting weekend.
I have become a passionate defender of free speech. Open forums to share ideas are paramount to the advancement of society -- especially in science. China doesn't think so. It appears that youtube has been blocked again, the last time being the ban during the Tibet riots.
An initial, and perhaps well-founded, reaction to this story may be, "so what?" So what if the Chinese are cut off from youtube poop edits of Billy Mays and fifteen-year-olds proclaiming that high school problems really matter? A large percentage of youtube is dedicated to crap. Even though it's funny crap, of what importance is it?
As it turns out, there are youtube videos dedicated to serious debate, the proliferation of ideas, and good ol' fashioned, healthy free speech. Take as an initial example the Beauty in the Universe channel, which is dedicated to exploring knowledge of the Earth and nature. Or, more importantly, DonExodus, who works diligently to educate people on the origins and diversity of life on Earth, all the while fending off the onslaught of creationists who insist on poisoning the well of knowledge. These are only two of many contributors who submit material that educates viewers
and challenges worldviews. They make people think. This cannot be underestimated.
Now put this into the present context. During the Tibet riots, youtube was banned in China to keep citizens in the dark about what was happenin, to preserve positive views of the Chinese government. It is a method of control. It is subversive. The internet is more than jokes and porn, it serves as a medium to distribute knowledge of the world around this. To choke it off is deplorable. And it is happening again.
It just started snowing at PO Box 1663. This should make for an exciting weekend.
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