· May, 2013

Stories about Technology from May, 2013

Oz Cyber Security Czar Ignorant of Tor

  31 May 2013

IT website Delimiter reports what would seem inconceivable to most people with an interest in Internet security: a senior Australian public servant responsible for cyber security policy has confessed to not being familiar with the Tor encryption service.

Trinidad Startup Weekend

  27 May 2013

Left & Right: “It was so clear, at that moment, that I had joined a community in a way that can only be described as becoming part of a family.”

Indonesia: Gamelan DJ Musical App

  27 May 2013

Developed by Yogyakarta-based Kowplink Studio, the Gamelan DJ mobile application “mix and mash tight beats, harmonies and melodies of saron.” In addition, “by touching beats pad mix with acapella & making lead with saron gamelan.” The app is listed one of the best start-ups in Indonesia. Gamelan is Indonesian musical...

South Koreans Petition to Throw out Active X

  26 May 2013

Over 6,200 South Koreans have joined a online petition calling [ko] on the government to stop employing Active X control. A long-term monopoly of Active X and digital certificate-based authentication system have been accused for meddling with the user's privacy setting and making the entire nation vulnerable to hacking attacks.

A President for the Internet?

  24 May 2013

According to [es]a recent poll [es] by Taringa! in Latin America, around 10 % of Internet users say it is not necessary to have a president for the internet, 8% nominated themselves for the job and Megaupload creator Kim Dotcom got third place. Meanwhile 82% say that learning to do...

Trinidad & Tobago: Invented E-mails or Political Demise?

  23 May 2013

Monday's sitting of Trinidad and Tobago's Parliament saw the Opposition Leader quoting from several e-mails, which, he alleged, implicate key government ministers, including the Prime Minister, in attempting to cover up her administration's actions surrounding the Section 34 controversy. Netizens have been debating whether the e-mails are even real and what it could mean politically if they are...or are not.

Video: Mapping North Korea

  22 May 2013

Several months earlier, Google debuted its new crowd-sourced map of one of the most reclusive countries in the world, North Korea. Martyn Williams shared a video on his Youtube channel where Google Maps’ vice president talks about mapping North Korea.

How Social Commerce Tightens China's Grip on the Internet

  22 May 2013

A deal between e-commerce firm Alibaba Group and Sina Weibo, China's most popular microblogging service, has been heralded as a jump-start to the era of social commerce in China. But it could also enable the authoritarian state to tighten its grip on the Internet.

Indian Army is now on Facebook

  20 May 2013

Prasant Naidu at Lighthouse Insights reports that after a successful start on Twitter, the Indian Army has recently joined Facebook. This is a welcome move as last year the Indian Army had issued orders asking all personnel — both officers and other ranks — to stop using social networking sites...

TEDxSão Tomé: More speakers confirmed

  19 May 2013

Another two speakers [pt] have been confirmed for the event TEDxSão Tomé, in the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, in 20 June. Mark Richard Shuttleworth [en], a South African founder of the company Canonical Ltd, which develops free software like Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu, Xubuntu and Lubuntu and Guilherme Alves...

Saudi Mobile Company Seeks Privacy Advocate's Help to Spy on Clients

Saudi Arabia's second largest telecommunication company, Mobily, has reached for a privacy advocate's help to surveil encrypted communication applications. The advocate went public with the request, publishing email exchanges online, and causing an outcry on social media, where Saudi netizens calls for laws to protect people's privacy and punish those spying on the people.

Online Journalism In Nepal To Be Regulated

  15 May 2013

Online journalism and news portals are gaining popularity in Nepal as evident in Surath Giri's list of 20 online newspapers. However, according to reports, the Ministry of Information and Communications of Nepal has recently formed a five-member committee to register, regulate and manage online news.

WeiboSuite: New Tool to Analyze Sina Weibo

  14 May 2013

WeiboSuite is a new toolbox for journalists and netizens. Created by data journalists from the University of Hong Kong, WeiboSuite provides English translations of censored materials on Weibo and tools to translate textual images.