Cyberbullying — anonymously posting abusive and malicious attacks on someone online — has become such a problem in South Korea that the government has clamped down on it with a new law.
Under the “Internet real name system,” South Korean bloggers on major Web and media portal sites must give operators their names, Social Security numbers and other personal information before they’re allowed to post messages.
What do you think, WE Bloggers? With cyberbulling on the rise in the United States, too, are we in need of such safeguards?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Google’s Street View program is raising privacy questions by providing up-close, street-level surveillance photos of life in major cities, including shots of unsuspecting people going about their lives, picking their noses, etc.
There’s a definite creepiness factor here.
These street level views are fascinating and potentially useful, but they also reflect the dramatic increase in surveillance techniques of all kinds in our society.
Americans assume a certain anonymity to public life, but that’s fast disappearing. And Big Brother, it turns out, is just as likely to be a private company as the government.
One privacy group this week rated Google the worst offender among some 20 major Web sites on privacy issues, citing the company’s “aggressive use of invasive or potentially invasive technologies and techniques,” including Google’s practice of keeping a massive database of every users’ search descriptions.
How much is too much? Do the advantages of Street View outweigh the privacy concerns? What do you think, bloggers?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The Internet can be a threatening place for women, according to a Washington Post article, which found many women reporting online harassment and sexual threats.
In response, “women have censored themselves, turned to private forums or closed comments on blogs. Many use gender-neutral pseudonyms. Some just gut it out. But the effect of repeated harassment, bloggers and experts interviewed said, is to make women reluctant to participate online — undercutting the promise of the Internet as an egalitarian forum.”
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The Pew Research Center recently surveyed Americans regarding their knowledge about public affairs and found that even with the explosion of information technology over the past 20 years, the level of knowledge has not increased.
As a matter of fact, only 69 percent of those surveyed could recall the name of Dick Cheney, the current vice president, whereas in 1989, 74 percent came up with the name of Dan Quayle. The most informed age group was older than 65, while the most uninformed age group was 18-29.
What does this say about the Information Age? Whatever its government does, the next generation may be too involved in YouTube and MySpace to notice.
Posted by Patrice Hein
Viacom is suing YouTube and its parent company, Google, for “massive intentional copyright infringement.” Since the complaint, YouTube has voluntarily removed Viacom content — more than 100,000 video clips. But more clips keep appearing.
The effort to maintain a hold on copyright law when dealing with the Internet appears futile. But is there a way to embrace the technology yet still be able to pay writers, musicians, artists and other creatives for their work?
Posted by Patrice Hein