Google turning over Street View information to European authorities. After gathering personal information, instead of public information, from Wi-Fi users, Google initially refused to hand over that information to German investigators. Those investigators wish to discover the depth of what Google insists was an oversight, not a purposeful transgression.
Google claimed that German privacy laws kept it from immediately handing over the information, although it might look to some like a stall. The PR has been bad enough without specific examples of emails and photographs that might have found their way onto Google servers.
However, Google CEO Eric Schmidt today announced that they would be turning over that information to European data protection authorities within the next two days, according to the Financial Times.
Schmidt also said that Google would publish an external audit of the system that led to the collection of personal information.
Russian blogger arrested. Leonid Nikolaev has been arrested. Nikolaev posted a video of a man attacking government cars. The issue of government officials using lights normally reserved for police and ambulance, in order to avoid traffic laws, has gotten many in Russia furious. I mean bucket-on-the-head furious.
Website editor facing 50 year sentence in Thai court. The trial of Chiranuch Premchaiporn, the editor of the Prachatai website, is currently taking place in Bangkok. “She is facing up to 50 years in prison for failing to act with sufficient speed to remove ‘offensive’ comments about the monarchy posted by visitors to the site.”
Bangladesh blocks Facebook. Bangladesh blocked the entirety of Facebook, to censure the Everybody Draw Mohammed Day page. Not coincidentally, they also complained of satirical materials aimed at the country’s rulers being hosted there. Previously, Pakistan had also blocked Facebook, for the same reason. Pakistan, however, removed the block when Facebook apologized and excised the material. Nice way to set precedent, Facebook.
60 journalists arrested on Gaza flotilla. There is no indication that bloggers and web journalists were among those arrested on the Gaza relief flotilla. However, it seems highly likely that they were there. RSF is quite right in noting, whether of traditional or new media, “the journalists were there to do their job, which was to cover what happened. They should not be confused with the activists.”
Manacle photo by Captain Orange
Bangladesh photo by Ahron de Leeuw
