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Inside Search :: We aim to provide a great experience for our users and have developed over 200 signals to ensure our search algorithms deliver the best possible results.
Starting next week, we will begin taking into account a new signal in our rankings: the number of valid copyright removal notices we receive for any given site.
Announcement by Amit Singhal, insidesearch.blogspot.de
HT: Liz Gannes, AllThingsD: "In Self-Imposed Alternative to SOPA, Google Will Ding Repeat Copyright Offenders in Search Results"
TorrentFreak :: Contrary to the endless lobbying and subsequent defending of the now-dead SOPA and PIPA frameworks, a leaked report shows that earlier this year the RIAA’s Deputy General Counsel admitted that the legislation was “not likely to have been effective tool” for dealing with music piracy. All efforts are now being put behind the “six strikes” plan – but could disconnections for repeat infringers still be on the agenda?
A report by Enigmax, torrentfreak.com
This post opens a January mini blog post series devoted to 2012 social tech trends. Even though old divisions (when it comes to time, as well as geography) are of less and less appliance in the modern (tech) world, 2012 already seems to be critical for various tech-driven decisions of global importance.
In a series of posts this week, we will be exploring the near future of web design, as well as the mobile trends; we will also call out a few #protips for going greener technology-wise.
This post was supposed to be, only and as much as, an invitation for staying tuned to our Net2 channels, and taking part in discussions around emerging nptech trends. However, the recent SOPA and ACTA developments brought yet another thing to our attention.
Both regulations address the intellectual property issues, and are considered a threat to the freedom in the Internet (freedom of access, and freedom of speech). I will not go into the details of SOPA and ACTA here. Instead, I would like to look at the social response to the proposed regulations. For these interested, I provide additional links to reliable information sources on the topic on the bottom of the post.
Last week in the US was marked with a series of websites blackouts -- a widely spread digital protest joined by many local and international and local domains. By blacking out the Internet US citizens 2.0 provided their authorities with a feedback of a strength and reach never seen before.
On the same week that the Internet went black in the US, the Polish government announced that on January the 26th it will sign the international ACTA agreement. For the past three years ACTA has been negotiated in secret by 39 countries, some of them (including the US) already signed the regulation. Civil society, developing countries, as well as the Internet users has been excluded from the conversation, as they were in the case of SOPA.
In response to the Polish government declaration, an online community of hackers via their Twitter profile (AnonymousWiki) called to action: “POLAND NEEDS A REVOLUTION. Government signing on the 26th!”. By 2:00 AM many government and public institutions’ sites got blocked and blacked out. The protest included a popular prime minister’s daughter blog on fashion and make up. Instead of the usual lipstick & hairstyle photos the site would reveal a note: “Tell Your Dad He Won’t Win With Us. Stop ACTA” ("Powiedz Tacie, że z nami nie wygra. STOP ACTA") -- check out the print screen image on the right.
Anonynmous called hacktivists to put the protests on hold until the Minster of Administration and Digitization, Michał Boni, speaks to the prime minister. Due to the protests the meeting has been scheduled for today (Monday, Jan the 23rd). It is very likely that the rapid online response to the threat of signing ACTA without any serious social consultations will block the process for the time being.
I wanted to write about SOPA and ACTA protests in the context of the 2012 Look Ahead, because it speaks to a very important global trend. It has been said during the Arab Spring, that Social Media gave Arab people the voice, and empowered them to act. It seems to me that SOPA and ACTA are a somewhat similar case. As the opponents of the acts claim, governments and corporations have been systematically limiting people’s freedom, and despite numerous protests have often remained unpunished. The last month has shown that citizens 2.0 have tools and motivation to feedback government actions, and to fight back at these they find oppressive.
The question of methods, as applicable to radical activists’ and (h)activists’ initiatives, constitute a problem here: how should we fight back, and what will be considered crossing the line? Does the immorality of one side justify the attacks of the other? And finally: what does the democratic potential of the Internet really translate into?
These questions are the ones to ask now, and during the following months. I won’t say that 2012 will bring all the answers, but will definitely force us into taking a stand.
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By bringing up the challenges of transparency and democracy we kicked off the 2012 blog series from the very top -- meta level -- of the tech pyramid. Tech driven reality has many layers, and we will be diving right into them during the next couple of days. Tomorrow, we will look at the 2012 trends in web design. Stay with us! Important trends we are missing in our little 2012 Look Ahead Series? Share yours -- we will welcome all your adds.
Forbes :: There has been lots of great analysis of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the potential side effects its enactment would have for Internet providers and content distributors. But the dramatic showdown yesterday has larger implications for brands and intellectual property owners. The balance of power has shifted from traditional lobbyists to social media activists, from IP creators to users and from brands to their consumers. The odd fact is that, with a few exceptions, this should be a good thing for brands.
Continue to read David Vinjamuri, www.forbes.com
The Times of India :: Twitter users are being tricked into joining Anonymous cyber attacks on the US government, and could be jailed for the cybercrime, security experts have warned. They said a hacker group Anonymous is trying to trick its 249,000 Twitter followers by sending them links, which makes their computers a part of its denial of service attacks launched on US government sites.
Continue to read timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Shirky.com :: Writing in his blog on the New York Times yesterday, David Pogue, one of the Times’ tech columnists, advises toning down the alarmist rhetoric over SOPA, suggesting that opponents of the bill (and its Senate cousin PIPA) should Put Down the Pitchforks. He takes particular issue with people who have criticized SOPA without actually understanding the text of the bill. Then, after this preamble, Pogue proceeds to offer an explanation of SOPA that makes it clear that he does not understand the text of the bill.
Continue to read Clay Shirky, www.shirky.com
A controversial article by David Pogue, I post here for further discussion.
New York Times :: You might have been made aware of SOPA/PIPA, these proposed bills Wednesday, when Wikipedia and other Web sites “went dark” in protest. But I’ve also been a little alarmed. Of the millions joining in outraged protests, I’ll bet that only a few have actually read the proposed bills. Everyone else is, no doubt, swept away by the Web sites’ shock language.
[David Pogue:] For the record, I think the movie companies have approached the digital age with almost slack-jawed idiocy. ... It should occur to these movie studios that if you don’t give people a legal way to buy what they want, they’ll find another way to get it.
David Pogue: Put down the pitchforks on SOPA.
Continue to read David Pogue, pogue.blogs.nytimes.com
Guardian :: Has SOPA, the draconian copyright legislation under consideration by the American Congress, been firmly put to rest? You might imagine that, while the dust settles from a series of mini-explosions this week in the copyright arena, as a bill that once seemed certain to be enacted has stalled. But you would be mistaken to think it's dead. The powerful interests backing SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), which proponents say is aimed to stop the worst of the worst infringers, are unhappy with this week's events, but they have not remotely given up. And they still have time and money on their side.
Continue to read Dan Gillmor, www.guardian.co.uk
CNET :: In the aftermath of Wednesday's SOPA/PIPA blackout protests, the Internet community amassed quite a bit of goodwill, flexed its muscles in a friendly, humorous, civil-disobedience kind of way, and, remarkably, even managed to change quite a few minds. Just 24 short hours later, Anonymous legions nuked that goodwill and took cyber security into thermonuclear territory. The real question now is: were they played?
Continue to read Molly Wood, news.cnet.com
paidContent :: Yesterday, via the YourAnonNews twitter feed, Anonymous said that more than 5,000 people were joining in their Distributed Denial of Service attack on web sites. But now the attack has gone viral: the number earlier today updated by Anonymous to more than 9,000 (according to a tweet by Anonymous). Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is still not working, but the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is. Universal Music is still offline, but BMI is back, as is Warner Music are back on.
Continue to read Ingrid Lunden, paidcontent.org
Politico :: House and Senate leaders abandoned plans to move on PIPA on Friday — the surest sign yet that a wave of online protests have killed the controversial anti-piracy legislation for now and maybe forever. SOPA sponsor Lamar Smith, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said his committee won’t take up the bill as planned next month — and that he’d have to “wait until there is wider agreement on a solution” before moving forward.
Continue to read Jennifer Martinez, www.politico.com
Can online protests make a difference? In the past, they've had mixed success but with enough people pushing against the twin anti-piracy bills, SOPA and PIPA, the U.S. Congress was forced to pay heed. They have now put off bringing the bills to a vote, while contemplating rewrites and changes to the bills. Google alone collected more than 7 million signatures online for a petition against the bills. So what was your experience on Wednesday during the day of protest? Were you moved or unmoved? Did you take action or did life go on as normal? Share your experience in the comments below, and vote in our poll.
What do you think about the anti-SOPA protests?
For more on the protests, check out these recent stories on MediaShift:
> Mediatwits #34: SOPA Protests Make a Difference; Yang Out at Yahoo
> Your Guide to the Anti-SOPA Protests
This is a summary. Visit our site for the full post ».
The best stories across the web on media and technology, curated by Lily Leung
1. House and Senate leaders postpone SOPA/PIPA bills (paidContent)
2. Anonymous goes on Megaupload revenge spree (Gizmodo)3. How journalists can use Pinterest (Poynter)
4. Facebook expands Timeline, promotes 60 lifestyle apps (Online Media Daily)
5. Apple says consumers not harmed by alleged privacy violations (Online Media Daily)
6. How Storify came to be (Poynter)
This is a summary. Visit our site for the full post ».
Welcome to the 34th episode of "The Mediatwits," the weekly audio podcast from MediaShift. The co-hosts are MediaShift's Mark Glaser and Rafat Ali. This week the show is mainly focused on the huge day of protest online Wednesday against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) before the U.S. Congress. After Wikipedia, Reddit and other sites went black, and millions signed petitions and called lawmakers, at least 40 representatives and Senators said they wouldn't support the bills in their current form. It was a breathtaking display of online organization that got results.
Special guest Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Watch discussed the role that Google played in educating people and helping them take action. Plus, Sullivan created one of the more creative memes by sending a telegram to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) because she didn't have an active Twitter or Facebook page. (Click the image above-left to see the telegram at full size.) In other news, Chief Yahoo and company co-founder Jerry Yang announced he was stepping down as Yahoo tries again to turn the tanker around. Special guest Eric Jackson, an activist investor in Yahoo, talks about the brightened prospects for the web giant now that Yang has departed.
Check it out!
Subscribe to the podcast here
Subscribe to Mediatwits via iTunes
Follow @TheMediatwits on Twitter here
Intro and outro music by 3 Feet Up; mid-podcast music by Autumn Eyes via Mevio's Music Alley.
Here are some highlighted topics from the show:
Intro
1:10: Rafat is going away to get married and to take a long honeymoon trip
3:00: There are more serious issues that should get this much attention
5:00: A clear explanation of the SOPA and PIPA bills before Congress
7:15: Rundown of topics on the podcast
Huge day of protesting SOPA online
8:00: Special guest Danny Sullivan
11:10: Sullivan: Big media companies should make content easier to find, buy
13:00: Should be an easier way to pull down infringing sites
15:10: Sullivan explains why he did the telegram for Sen. Feinstein
19:00: Obama comes out against the bills in their current form
Yang out at Yahoo
20:20: Special guest Eric Jackson
22:40: Jackson: Investors have shied away from Yahoo stock
25:40: Jackson is heartened by new CEO Scott Thompson
28:00: Jackson: Shareholders could get a special dividend
SOPA protest by the numbers: 162M pageviews, 7 million signatures at Ars Technica
Your Guide to the Anti-SOPA Protests at MediaShift
Put Down the Pitchforks on SOPA at NY Times
Where Do Your Members of Congress Stand on SOPA and PIPA? at ProPublica
Protect IP Act Senate whip count at OpenCongress
Senator Ron Wyden To The Internet: Thank You For Speaking Up... But We're Not Done Yet at TechDirt
With Twitter, Blackouts and Demonstrations, Web Flexes Its Muscle at NY Times
Google Blackens Its Logo To Protest SOPA/PIPA, While Bing & Yahoo Carry On As Usual at Search Engine Land
Protests lead to weakening support for Protect IP, SOPA at CNET
Jerry Yang's Departure Means Major Transformations for Yahoo! at Forbes.com
Yahoo's Yang is gone. That was the easy part at CNET
With Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang departed from board, Yahoo seeks a new course at Mercury News
Don't forget to vote in our weekly poll, this time about the anti-SOPA protests:
What do you think about the anti-SOPA protests?
Mark Glaser is executive editor of MediaShift and Idea Lab. He also writes the bi-weekly OPA Intelligence Report email newsletter for the Online Publishers Association. He lives in San Francisco with his son Julian. You can follow him on Twitter @mediatwit. and Circle him on Google+
This is a summary. Visit our site for the full post ».
The internet has helped untold publics to form. Yesterday, the internet became a public.
Or rather, millions of people who care about internet freedom used the net to organize and defend it against efforts to control and harm it.
The SOPA-PIPA blackout got attention in media that previously all but ignored the issue, whether out of conflict of interest or negligence. More important, it got political action as legislators — especially Republicans — tripped over themselves to back away from the Hollywood bailout.
In the discussion about the movement yesterday, I heard someone in Washington quoted, saying that these geeks should hire lobbyists like everyone else.
No, we’re all lobbyists now, and that’s just as it should be. This movement didn’t need influence peddlers. It didn’t need political commercials. It didn’t need media. It needed only citizens who give a shit. Democracy.
I’m delighted that the discussion rose to the level of principles, a discussion I’ve argued has to take place if we, the internet public, are to protect our tool of publicness.
There’s much more going on under this battle: the disruption of media business models, a fundamental change in our view of the value of content, the undercutting of institutions’ power, the lowering of national boundaries. But for now, nevermind that and concentrate on what was born yesterday: a political movement, a movement whose cause is freedom.
What else can this movement do? Can it elect candidates? Should it? Or should it continue to hold politicians’ feet to the fire? I don’t think I want to see the formation of an internet party. I don’t want this movement to mimic the way power used to be traded. I don’t want it to become an institution. I also don’t think it’s possible. I prefer to see it continuing to mimic #OccupyWallStreet, organizing without organizations (pace Shirky), discerning through interaction its principles and goals.
After yesterday, the powerful are on warning that a public can rise up out of nowhere to protest and pressure, to fight and win. Dell Hell taught companies to behave, to respect and listen to their customers, and better yet to collaborate with them. The SOPA blackout taught politicians to hear citizens directly, without mediators. Now we’ll see whether they can learn to collaborate as well.
Today was an important day in the history of the Internet and activism. While the U.S. Congress expected to quickly pass two bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA), mounting opposition online has led them to reconsider. That all came to a head today when various sites such as Wikipedia and Reddit decided to black out their content, and others such as Google put up anti-SOPA messages on their sites. The following is a Storify aggregation of all those efforts, including explainers, stories, tweets, parody videos and more.
[View the story "A Guide to the Anti-SOPA Protests" on Storify]
Mark Glaser is executive editor of MediaShift and Idea Lab. He also writes the bi-weekly OPA Intelligence Report email newsletter for the Online Publishers Association. He lives in San Francisco with his son Julian. You can follow him on Twitter @mediatwit. and Circle him on Google+
This is a summary. Visit our site for the full post ».
TechCrunch :: The online uproar against the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in Congress is already causing some in Washington to abandon the SOPA ship. The tide began to turn this weekend when a hearing scheduled for today was canceled and the White House pushed back on some of the more controversial portions of the House bill and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act (PIPA).
Some screenshots taken today:
Continue to read Erick Schonfeld, techcrunch.com
TechCrunch :: The online uproar against the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in Congress is already causing some in Washington to abandon the SOPA ship. The tide began to turn this weekend when a hearing scheduled for today was canceled and the White House pushed back on some of the more controversial portions of the House bill and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act (PIPA).
Some screenshots taken today:
Continue to read Erick Schonfeld, techcrunch.com
"Tell the chef, the beer is on me."
"Basically the price of a night on the town!"
"I'd love to help kickstart continued development! And 0 EUR/month really does make fiscal sense too... maybe I'll even get a shirt?" (there will be limited edition shirts for two and other goodies for each supporter as soon as we sold the 200)