Turkey backtracks on controversial internet filtering plans
Turkey’s communications regulator has postponed the introduction of mandatory internet filtering until November, reacting to growing public concern about the new regulation.
RIM helps police inquiries into London riots
BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) have stated that they will “co-operate fully” with Home Office and UK police force investigations into the London riots this week, which are rumoured to have been facilitated by the encrypted BlackBerry Messenger service.
Baidu shuts down Twitter-like service
Baidu, China’s dominant search engine company, will close its micro-blogging platform Baidu Talk in August. Despite attracting 1m users in its first three months, the platform faced stiff competition from Sina’s Weibo among other domestic products. Facebook and Twitter are blocked within China.
India: Legal case prompts fears for intermediary liability
The Spicy IP blog reports on a recent decision in the Delhi High Court which held MySpace liable for copyright infringement: “The most significant implication of such a ruling… is that it recognises that the IT Act does not protect intermediaries against copyright infringement claims”.
Dutch journalist fears criminal charges after exposing flawed technology
A Dutch journalist who demonstrated flaws in chip technology used by the Dutch public transport system on national radio and television earlier this year has said that fears he may come under criminal investigation are preventing him from reporting further on security issues. Trans Link Systems, which represents the companies who run the Dutch public transport system, have filed a criminal complaint against the journalist, Brenno de Winter, with the Dutch public prosecutor.
Russia: New legislation against online extremism
The Global Voices RuNet Echo project highlights reports that the Russian Duma is considering new legislation that would punish the online distribution of extremist content with up to five years in prison. The legislation would bring requirements of online distribution channels such as blogs in line with those imposed on the mainstream media.
“Making fun of Wikipedia is so 2007”
This New York Times report from the seventh Wikimania conference held in Haifa, Israel last week highlights a new film about the world’s largest reference work and focusses on the challenges Wikipedia faces, including how its citation policy is blocking its ability to document oral cultures.
Report | Film
The future of the internet updated: interview with Jonathan Zittrain
John Battelle interviews Jonathan Zittrain and asks how his views on the future of the generative internet have changed in the years since he wrote “The Future of the Internet (and How To Stop It)”.
The war on web anonymity
This Der Speigel feature examines the cases for and against anonymity and pseudonymity on the web.
“Anonymous and LulzSec need to focus their chaos”
This extended post for Wired’s Threat Level blog provides a glimpse at the security communities fears about Anonymous and Lulzsec. It reports on a panel of security experts at last week’s DefCon conference who urged hacktivists Lulzsec and Anonymous to concentrate their work on “significant” issues but expressed their fear of reprisals for speaking out against the groups.
The Barefoot Technologist 