To cries of protest, Twitter announced last week that it will take a country’s laws and culture into account in conducting country-specific censorship. Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who is also the second largest shareholder in News Corp., recently invested $300 million in Twitter. -db From the Courthouse News Service, January 27, 2012, by Adam Klasfeld. Full story
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are set to file an appeal concerning the U.S. government’s attempts to obtain Twitter records in their investigation of WikiLeaks. The ACLU and EFF are seeking to prevent the government from sealing records of their efforts to obtain private information of Internet users without a warrant. -db From a press release by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, January 20, 2012. Full release
As the social media becomes a useful tool for teachers to contact students about work or to help reluctant or shy students, abuses have surfaced with teachers making inappropriate contact leading in some cases to sexual abuse. Citing free speech issues, a Missouri judge recently threw out a new law banning contact on the social media between teachers and students, but the need for boundaries remains as school districts struggle to balance free speech and
A Kansas high school student refused to accede to a demand from her prinicpal to apologize to Governor Sam Brownback for a derogatory tweet made during his speech. The Governor had ratted her out to the principal. After the Governor apologized for telling on her, the student raised the ante by saying the apology was inadequate. -db From a commentary in the Newser, November 29, 2011, by Mary Papenfuss. Full story
With the Chinese government employing more than 50,000 censors to monitor the Internet for politically deviant opinion, bloggers are using humor and satire to get their message across before the censors close in. There is always a strong element of fear and uncertainty for the bloggers as they never know where the line is between the acceptable satire and a criminal offense. -db From a feature in The New York Times Magazine, October 26, 2011,