Posted: March 1st, 2011 | Author: Jolie O'Dell | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: mainstream, News, nobel prize, Political, wikileaks | Comments Off
WikiLeaks is among the 241 Nobel Peace Prize nominees this year. The nominees come from 53 organizations and are greater in number than in any previous year.
Other nominees include the European Union, former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, Russian rights group Memorial, Afghan rights advocate Sima Samar and the Internet. That’s right — the Internet as a whole has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
The controversy surrounding WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is sure to make the discussion around the nomination heated, to say the least. Assange, we learned several days ago, is to be extradited to Sweden (ironic location, given the Nobel nod) for prosecution brought about by sexual assault charges from two women.
Still, Assange’s legal troubles stand separately from the work WikiLeaks has done in releasing information to the world — actions that have sometimes put the organization in extremely hot water, politically speaking. In fact, the organization pleaded with American media to ask conservative politicos and pundits to stop inciting Assange’s murder.
Geir Lundestad, a non-voting member of the Nobel panel, told Reuters, “Looking at the long term, we can say interest in the prize is strong and growing along with the number of candidates.”
These 241 nominations will be considered by the Nobel Committee, which will create a short list of nominees. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a committee of five people chosen by the Norwegian parliament president. The prizes will be presented on December 10 in Stockholm.
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Posted: February 25th, 2011 | Author: Radhika Marya | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: crowdsourced, Film, libya, News, one day on earth, Political, social media, trending | Comments Off
“One Day On Earth,” an online project designed to capture video footage of life around the world
on a single day — October 10, 2010 — is now turning into a host for videos and photos documenting current events in Libya. The country, which has become a hotbed of violence amidst a
revolt against leader Muammar Gaddafi, is largely closed off from foreign media outlets, meaning submissions from Libyan members of the
“One Day On Earth” community provide unique perspectives of what’s taking place within the country’s borders.
Executive producer Brandon Litman says those behind “One Day On Earth” reached out a couple of weeks ago to community members in areas of conflict, asking them to report back with any information they could provide.
“Literally within 30 minutes of engaging the community, we heard back,” Litman says. “And we started getting information in within a couple of hours.”
Litman has blogged some of the footage that has come out of Libya so far. This includes a conversation between those organizing the Libyan uprising, images and video (embedded below) of a mass burial in the nation’s capital, Tripoli, and additional images of violence. The “One Day On Earth” team has used its media connections to its advantage, feeding some of the videos and images it receives to various outlets.
“We were in touch with a number of news sources as we were producing the 10-10-10 event,” Litman says, adding that the crew had contacts at the likes of Reuters, the BBC, CNN and more. “I actually saw the [Tripoli mass burial] clip on CNN’s [Anderson Cooper 360°].”
In fact, Litman says the burial footage has received the most traction out of the photos and clips “One Day On Earth” has sent to the media — based on the number of hits the blog post received, it seems that people in at least 93 countries have viewed the clip. And now, more people are signing up to join the site. In a February 24 e-mail, Litman said, “In the past 24 hours, we have had people from over 30 countries sign up to the ‘One Day On Earth’ community.” He feels this is a sign that the platform is going to evolve into a community where people share perspectives and stories on a more regular basis — not just stories that take place within the same 24-hour period.
Litman and his team are staying in touch with Libyan contributors through a variety of means, including via telephone and the Internet. They’re also trying to get satellite connections.
“I would say that the success ratio is about 50 to 1 for every attempt to actually get through. But we’re staying vigilant in making sure we’re in touch every single day in getting information about what’s happening,” Litman says, adding that they’re expecting more uploads and encouraging Libyan community members to continue feeding information and videos as long as they can do so safely. He also says it’s interesting that social media is usually first to knock down the walls placed in front of traditional media outlets.
“Social media, local filmmakers and citizens armed with cameras are a key source of information in today’s media, especially in situations like what is happening in Libya and the Middle East,” Litman says. “With filmmakers and video enthusiasts in every country in the world, we are uniquely positioned to help break that wall down when it comes up.”
Image courtesy of One Day On Earth
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Posted: February 25th, 2011 | Author: Lauren Indvik | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bradley manning, bradley manning support network, courage to resist, News, paypal, Political, social media, wikileaks | Comments Off
PayPal has lifted its ban on the account of Courage to Resist, an organization that has raised a substantial portion of the funds needed for the legal defense of Bradley Manning, the 23-year-old former U.S. army private accused of leaking classified U.S. information to WikiLeaks in 2010.
In a blog post, PayPal declared that the original suspension had nothing to do with the organization’s support of Bradley Manning. Rather, the account had been suspended because it had failed to comply with a stated policy that requires non-profits to link a bank account to their PayPal account.
“Upon review, and as part of our normal business procedures, we have decided to lift the temporary restriction placed on their account because we have sufficient information to meet our statutory ‘Know Your Customer’ obligations. The Courage to Resist PayPal account is now fully operational,” Anuj Nayar, PayPal’s director of communications, wrote.
The explanation was posted in response to a widely circulated blog post on the Bradley Manning Support Network’s website Thursday, which accused the payment service of suspending the account because of its fundraising efforts on Manning’s behalf.
Manning has been held in solitary confinement in Quantico, Virginia, since June 2010, and is not expected to face court martial until October 2011. His legal defense is estimated to cost more than $100,000.
The ban on WikiLeaks’s PayPal account remains in place.
Image courtesy of Wired
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Posted: February 24th, 2011 | Author: James P. Steyer | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Channels, features, op-ed, Opinion, Political, privacy, social media, Social Media Lists, Social Network Lists, web | Comments Off
This post reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Mashable as a publication.
James P. Steyer is CEO and Founder of Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization that provides education and tools for parents and kids about the media and technology in their lives. You can follow them on Twitter at @commonsensenews, on Facebook, and read reviews and advice at commonsense.org.
Most kids today live their lives online, immersed in a mobile and digital landscape. While the Internet is a platform for innovation and provides rich resources for entertainment and learning, the nature of digital interaction creates deep concerns about the privacy of children. Parents fear that their children will inadvertently make personal information public, potentially damaging their own reputations and those of their friends. But they also have profound — and justified — concerns that what their children say and do in the digital world is being tracked by marketers and information aggregators who aim to profit from their personal information and online activities.
Children’s online privacy involves two key concepts: our fundamental right to privacy and our need to protect our children from potential harm. At the moment, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which prohibits the collection of “personally identifiable” information from kids ages 12 and under without parental consent, is the cornerstone policy protecting children’s online privacy.
But COPPA was written before 1998, long before the advent of social networks like Facebook, information aggregators like Google, social game sites like Zynga and geolocation announcers like Foursquare. These sites all have business models that are based on following online activities. It’s no wonder these companies and their competitors oppose legislation that would in restrict their access to information — even if it means not protecting the privacy of kids.
Recently, congressional leaders introduced a “Do Not Track” bill, which would build on the principles of the national “Do Not Call” registry, and set clear standards for how and when a consumer’s personal information can be collected. It also would enable users to opt out of online tracking.
But this legislation may not end up addressing the issue of tracking of minors. Kids should not have to opt out of something in order to protect their privacy. Both sides of the political aisle should agree on that point, but to truly protect our kids, we need a comprehensive approach, and one that includes these important components.
Ground Rules
Children and teens should not have their online behavior tracked or any other personal information about them profiled by or transferred to third parties. Companies — whether Internet service providers, social networking sites, third-party application providers, data mining companies or advertising networks — should not be permitted to sell or transfer that personal information.
Without parents or kids knowing it, companies collect, store, and sell information about what kids do online and on mobile phones. Companies can track which websites kids visit, what searches they conduct, which videos they download, who they “friend” on social networking sites, what they write in e-mails, comments or instant messages, and more. This type of tracking is what needs to stop.
The Industry Standard for All Privacy Should Be Opt In — Especially for Kids
Companies and operators should not collect or use personal information unless users give explicit prior approval. The opt in standard is fundamental to our ability to control our personal information. If online companies, services and applications want to collect and use personal information, they should get permission beforehand by asking people to opt in to the service.
Most sites and networks achieve this through a terms of service agreement, or a privacy policy, which users must agree to before signing up for an account. The trouble is, many policies are extremely long and complex, and few people actually review them before hitting “I agree.” While this is ultimately the responsibility of the user (or the user’s parent, in this discussion), it’s in the industry’s interest to simplify these agreements (see below). Additionally, if any changes are made to the policy after a user registers, the user should be notified and required to review and agree to the new terms — especially when it comes to minors.
Privacy Policies Should Be Clear and Transparent
Privacy policies need to be easy for users to find and understand and should be carefully monitored and enforced. Any significant privacy policy changes should require a clear new opt in by the user or the parent, depending on the age of the child. Most privacy policies today are lengthy legal documents written at a college level or beyond. Instead, companies should use icons and symbols that would be easy to understand and would clearly convey how personal information will be used.
Parents and Children Should Be Educated About Online Privacy
Kids and their parents need to do their part to protect their online privacy and the privacy of their friends. We need a large-scale, multi-year public education campaign to help them learn how to do so effectively. I believe that it should be funded by the industry. Young people need to learn to protect their own privacy and to respect others’ privacy. There should be a digital literacy curriculum in every school in this country with privacy as an essential component.
Privacy Protections Should Apply Across All Online and Mobile Platforms
Current privacy regulations need to be clarified and applied to all online and mobile services and platforms. Social networking sites shouldn’t be able to collect or sell kids’ private information, and neither should third-party apps on those sites. Location-based services shouldn’t be allowed without prior parental consent to a clear and understandable privacy policy, regardless of whether the service is provided by a non-FCC carrier.
Conclusion
After years of complaints from consumers, industry leaders have finally begun to acknowledge the enormity of the privacy issue. Now it is time to step up and make it easier for parents and kids to protect themselves. Through a combination of legislative action and advocacy, we can make the web safer for kids.
More Social Media Resources from Mashable:
- 4 Effective Tools for Monitoring Your Child’s Online Safety
- 6 Valuable Social Networks for Parents
- School Tech: 6 Important Lessons From Maine’s Student Laptop Program
- 8 Educational Gadgets That Make Learning Fun
- 10 Free Online Resources for Science Teachers
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, RBFried, and Flickr, loop_oh, Franklin Park Library
More About: childrens privacy, kids privacy, op-ed, Opinion, privacy, social media
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Posted: February 24th, 2011 | Author: James P. Steyer | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Channels, childrens privacy, features, kids privacy, op-ed, Opinion, Political, privacy, social media, Social Media Lists, Social Network Lists, web | Comments Off
This post reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Mashable as a publication.
James P. Steyer is CEO and Founder of Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization that provides education and tools for parents and kids about the media and technology in their lives. You can follow them on Twitter at @commonsensenews, on Facebook, and read reviews and advice at commonsense.org.
Most kids today live their lives online, immersed in a mobile and digital landscape. While the Internet is a platform for innovation and provides rich resources for entertainment and learning, the nature of digital interaction creates deep concerns about the privacy of children. Parents fear that their children will inadvertently make personal information public, potentially damaging their own reputations and those of their friends. But they also have profound — and justified — concerns that what their children say and do in the digital world is being tracked by marketers and information aggregators who aim to profit from their personal information and online activities.
Children’s online privacy involves two key concepts: our fundamental right to privacy and our need to protect our children from potential harm. At the moment, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which prohibits the collection of “personally identifiable” information from kids ages 12 and under without parental consent, is the cornerstone policy protecting children’s online privacy.
But COPPA was written before 1998, long before the advent of social networks like Facebook, information aggregators like Google, social game sites like Zynga and geolocation announcers like Foursquare. These sites all have business models that are based on following online activities. It’s no wonder these companies and their competitors oppose legislation that would in restrict their access to information — even if it means not protecting the privacy of kids.
Recently, congressional leaders introduced a “Do Not Track” bill, which would build on the principles of the national “Do Not Call” registry, and set clear standards for how and when a consumer’s personal information can be collected. It also would enable users to opt out of online tracking.
But this legislation may not end up addressing the issue of tracking of minors. Kids should not have to opt out of something in order to protect their privacy. Both sides of the political aisle should agree on that point, but to truly protect our kids, we need a comprehensive approach, and one that includes these important components.
Ground Rules
Children and teens should not have their online behavior tracked or any other personal information about them profiled by or transferred to third parties. Companies — whether Internet service providers, social networking sites, third-party application providers, data mining companies or advertising networks — should not be permitted to sell or transfer that personal information.
Without parents or kids knowing it, companies collect, store, and sell information about what kids do online and on mobile phones. Companies can track which websites kids visit, what searches they conduct, which videos they download, who they “friend” on social networking sites, what they write in e-mails, comments or instant messages, and more. This type of tracking is what needs to stop.
The Industry Standard for All Privacy Should Be Opt In — Especially for Kids
Companies and operators should not collect or use personal information unless users give explicit prior approval. The opt in standard is fundamental to our ability to control our personal information. If online companies, services and applications want to collect and use personal information, they should get permission beforehand by asking people to opt in to the service.
Most sites and networks achieve this through a terms of service agreement, or a privacy policy, which users must agree to before signing up for an account. The trouble is, many policies are extremely long and complex, and few people actually review them before hitting “I agree.” While this is ultimately the responsibility of the user (or the user’s parent, in this discussion), it’s in the industry’s interest to simplify these agreements (see below). Additionally, if any changes are made to the policy after a user registers, the user should be notified and required to review and agree to the new terms — especially when it comes to minors.
Privacy Policies Should Be Clear and Transparent
Privacy policies need to be easy for users to find and understand and should be carefully monitored and enforced. Any significant privacy policy changes should require a clear new opt in by the user or the parent, depending on the age of the child. Most privacy policies today are lengthy legal documents written at a college level or beyond. Instead, companies should use icons and symbols that would be easy to understand and would clearly convey how personal information will be used.
Parents and Children Should Be Educated About Online Privacy
Kids and their parents need to do their part to protect their online privacy and the privacy of their friends. We need a large-scale, multi-year public education campaign to help them learn how to do so effectively. I believe that it should be funded by the industry. Young people need to learn to protect their own privacy and to respect others’ privacy. There should be a digital literacy curriculum in every school in this country with privacy as an essential component.
Privacy Protections Should Apply Across All Online and Mobile Platforms
Current privacy regulations need to be clarified and applied to all online and mobile services and platforms. Social networking sites shouldn’t be able to collect or sell kids’ private information, and neither should third-party apps on those sites. Location-based services shouldn’t be allowed without prior parental consent to a clear and understandable privacy policy, regardless of whether the service is provided by a non-FCC carrier.
Conclusion
After years of complaints from consumers, industry leaders have finally begun to acknowledge the enormity of the privacy issue. Now it is time to step up and make it easier for parents and kids to protect themselves. Through a combination of legislative action and advocacy, we can make the web safer for kids.
More Social Media Resources from Mashable:
- 4 Effective Tools for Monitoring Your Child’s Online Safety
- 6 Valuable Social Networks for Parents
- School Tech: 6 Important Lessons From Maine’s Student Laptop Program
- 8 Educational Gadgets That Make Learning Fun
- 10 Free Online Resources for Science Teachers
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, RBFried, and Flickr, loop_oh, Franklin Park Library
More About: childrens privacy, kids privacy, op-ed, Opinion, privacy, social media
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