This is a clear example of a government trying to control the information flow with old techniques (only one CD for all journalists) and how the Internet comes into play to provide electoral information. Interesting to compare vs the 2008 US elections, where pundits and commentators could get info from various sites. Can the Internet change results?

UPDATE ON GOOGLE VS CHINA. Will redirect users to google.com.hk

"Let us all renounce the harsh rhetoric about the POTUS [president of the U.S.]. Several, including myself, hv used inappropriate language. Let's remain civil! #tcot." See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/dCqW2m

Very interesting article on Hollywood vs. downloads and ISPs. 

Mexico will hold presidential elections in 2012. Eight years after it lost the presidential seat to the conservative party PAN, the PRI (which held the "perfect dictatorship" by staying 71 years in power), is gaining momentum and seems to be the clear front-runner. The party has conducted many efforts to engage young voters (those who grew up hearing about the absolutist years of the PRI) with its political agenda. In Mexico. the money that parties invest in campaigns is prone to debate and finger-pointing. How will efforts like this Twitter account be accounted for? Is social media an investment? 

The White House will now archive its tweets. Wonder what role Twitter will play in the not-so-far-away 2012 US presidential campaign. If Obama runs for re-election... will he start the race ahead?

Who's a villain and who's not? "Villain"? That's like a comics term..... Lex Luthor better not have Facebook.... "Bought 300 grams of kyyptonite today..."

Much has been said and written about Obama's online success during the 2008 US presidential election. But what are the numbers? This is an interesting report that sets the stage for the 2012 elections, which are not that far away. Interesting findings not only concerning the candidates, but also in the role played by the Internet in the voting experience itself. 

Why does everyone get so worked up with the word "censorship"? In some cases, like with child porn, if a medium is used to violate a human right or indeed foments a crime, then there should be some sort of control. Why look at it from a b&w perspective when there are so many grey areas?

EMI can't sell Pink Floyd singles online. Could be a precedent for other copyright/authorship cases. 

Two of the three richest men in the world derive their fortunes, in large part, from the information business: Carlos Slim (king of Mexican telecommunications) and Bill Gates (well, we all know what he does). How much power do these two hold over the architecture, policies and whereabouts of the web?  NOTE: the fact that the richest man in the world comes from a country with 80 million poor people is in itself a worthy discussion topic. 

Apple has taken down two apps from German media, as they were considered offensive. This moves towards censorship could extend to a larger control of editorial content. Do media have to comply? 

Google wants to install Google Fiber in some small US cities. These Googlevilles, although experimental and in a small scale, could foreshadow some potential repercussions of the digital divide. Would you like to live in Googleville?

If users are to blame, who should provide media literacy programs?

Wonder what statistics service providers such as Nielsen will think about this...

Interesting interactive chart showing the number of Internet users in different countries from 1998 until 2008. Notice the discrepancies between developed and underdeveloped countries. Still skeptical of the digital divide?

The government at the Mexican state of Sinaloa will send SMS messages to warn citizens in the event of an earthquake. 

Google launches an application to find people affected by the Chilean earthquake. Note disclaimer.  "PLEASE NOTE: All data entered will be available to the public and viewable and usable by anyone. Google does not review or verify the accuracy of this data."