censorship

(By Daniel Nour) This article will probably annoy you. Telling the truth about Egypt, speaking frankly – not appropriately, or prudently, but just plain honestly – is fraught with danger. Doing so will place me in one of two equally awkward scenarios. One the one hand, I shall be called a traitor to Egypt, a […]

censorship

Google’s Larry Page: We can’t Have NSA Spying and a Functioning Democracy

Juan Cole

Google’s Page says US online spying threatens democracy (via AFP) Google co-founder Larry Page on Wednesday condemned US government snooping on the Internet as a threat to democracy. His comments came during an on-stage chat at a prestigious Technology Entertainment Design gathering, where a day earlier fellow Google… ——- Related video: Bloomberg News: “What […]

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The Decline and Fall of the Turkish Model

contributors

(By Erdağ Göknar for IslamiCommentary) Erdağ Göknar Most observers agree that Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has mishandled the current political crisis. The AKP, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, once aspired to civil society and pluralism, but has recently embraced a strain of single-party authoritarianism. The government has sought increased control […]

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The Deep State is Vulnerable to People Power

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) My remarks below were published at Bill Moyers’ site this weekend. They came in response to Mike Lofgren’s important essay, “Anatomy of the Deep State” . Lofgren is a former congressional staffer. Mike Lofgren’s long experience on the Hill has given him a small window, he might say only an aperture, into […]

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Tens of Thousands on Twitter Drop Turkey’s President over Internet Censorship Law

Juan Cole

(Via AFP) Turkey president loses Twitter followers over web law (via AFP) Turkish President Abdullah Gul has lost tens of thousands of Twitter followers after signing into force a controversial law voted in by parliament that would tighten controls over web use. Gul, a frequent user of social media, lost almost 80,000 followers… —— […]

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Court Upholds Making fun of NSA, DHS, slaps Down their Nuisance Suit

Juan Cole

VOA reports, ‘The U.S. National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security suffered a legal defeat Tuesday as a feisty T-shirt designer reaffirmed the right to ridicule these large and powerful federal agencies. As VOA’s Jim Randle reports, the issue concerns satire, free speech, and the process of democracy.’

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Sen. Al Franken: Comcast-NBC / Time Warner Merger Concentrates Media, Hurts Consumers

Juan Cole

CNN: “Sen. Franken: We need more cable competition” Karl Bode writes in a similar vein at TechDirt: Comcast: Allowing Us To Get Immensely, Inconceivably, Ridiculously Massive Is ‘Pro Consumer’ (via Techdirt) Comcast has confirmed reports that the company will be acquiring Time Warner Cable in a deal estimated to be worth around $45 billion. With […]

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Donkeys on the Nile: The Egyptian Gov’t’s Problem with Journalists

contributors

(By Jonathan Moremi) “While Cairo was exploding, Egypt’s State TV aired pictures of a donkey pulling its cart peacefully along the banks of the river Nile” Three years after the revolution, the donkey seems to have become the metaphor for how Egypt’s military rulers spell the word ‘truth’ and intend to tell the story of […]

censorship

Turkey’s Ruling Party enacts “Orwellian” Web Censorship

Juan Cole

(Via AFP) Turkey lawmakers adopt ‘Orwellian’ Internet curbs (via AFP) Turkish MPs late Wednesday adopted new Internet legislation roundly criticised as a fresh assault by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on freedom of expression, access to information and investigative journalism. The proposals come amid parallel moves… ——— Related Video: Euronews reports, “Turkey approves new […]