Thursday, March 31, 2011

Nixon Library Opens a Door Some Would Prefer Left Closed; New York Times, 3/31/11

Adam Nagourney, New York Times; Nixon Library Opens a Door Some Would Prefer Left Closed:

"The unveiling ended a nearly yearlong struggle between national archivists and the Richard Nixon Foundation, a group of Nixon loyalists who controlled the former president’s papers until ceding them to the National Archives four years ago. The fight was over how to portray the scandal that led to Nixon’s resignation."

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Google's FTC Settlement Over Privacy Breach Makes History; HuffingtonPost.com, 3/30/11

Bianca Bosker, HuffingtonPost.com; Google's FTC Settlement Over Privacy Breach Makes History:

"Google's settlement is unprecedented, not only because it marks the first time the FTC has accused a company of violating privacy rules spelled out under the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework, but also because it is the first settlement requiring a company to institute a "comprehensive privacy program" as part of the agreement, according to the FTC.

Google will also have to submit to regular, independent privacy audits once every two years for the next 20 years and will be required to obtain "affirmative consent" from users before changing how it shares their personal data with third parties."

Monday, March 28, 2011

Nickelodeon launches anti-bullying campaign; Associated Press, 3/28/11

David Bauder, Associated Press; Nickelodeon launches anti-bullying campaign:

"Half of young people ages 14-24 said they had been the victim of cyberbullying, according to a survey conducted in late 2009 for The Associated Press and MTV."

Doctors Should Ask Kids: Are You On Facebook?; NPR, 3/28/11

NPR; Doctors Should Ask Kids: Are You On Facebook? :

"If the pediatrician wants to know if your kids are on Facebook, it's not because she wants to friend them.

The question about Facebook, and other queries about a child's life online, should be part of the medical history doctors take of kids in the age of social media, according to recommendations just out from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Parents should find out, too."

Ethical Quandary for Social Sites; New York Times, 3/27/11

Jennifer Preston, New York Times; Ethical Quandary for Social Sites:

"Ebele Okobi-Harris, the director of the business and human rights program at Yahoo, which owns Flickr, said that the case involving Mr. el-Hamalawy’s photos illustrated the challenges of balancing the existing rules and terms of service for users with the new ways that activists are using these tools.

“Flickr was set up as a community for people who love photography to share their photographs,” she said."

Sunday, March 27, 2011

It’s Tracking Your Every Move and You May Not Even Know; New York Times, 3/26/11

Noam Cohen, New York Times; It’s Tracking Your Every Move and You May Not Even Know:

"In the United States, telecommunication companies do not have to report precisely what material they collect, said Kevin Bankston, a lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who specializes in privacy. He added that based on court cases he could say that “they store more of it and it is becoming more precise.”

“Phones have become a necessary part of modern life,” he said, objecting to the idea that “you have to hand over your personal privacy to be part of the 21st century.”"

A Girl’s Nude Photo, and Altered Lives; New York Times, 3/26/11

Jan Hoffman, New York Times; A Girl’s Nude Photo, and Altered Lives:

"Around the country, law enforcement officials and educators are struggling with how to confront minors who “sext,” an imprecise term that refers to sending sexual photos, videos or texts from one cellphone to another.

But adults face a hard truth. For teenagers, who have ready access to technology and are growing up in a culture that celebrates body flaunting, sexting is laughably easy, unremarkable and even compelling: the primary reason teenagers sext is to look cool and sexy to someone they find attractive."

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Paper Admits to Plagiarism by Reporter; New York Times, 3/16/11

Tanzina Vega, New York Times; Paper Admits to Plagiarism by Reporter:

"The Washington Post published an editor’s note on its Web site Wednesday apologizing for two articles by a longtime Post reporter who used material from The Arizona Republic without crediting that newspaper or citing it as a source."

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

"Huckleberry Finn" and the N-word debate; CBS 60 Minutes, 3/18/11

CBS 60 Minutes; "Huckleberry Finn" and the N-word debate:

""Are you censoring Twain?" correspondent Byron Pitts asked Randall Williams, co-owner and editor of NewSouth Books, publishers of the sanitized edition of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn that replaces the N-word with the word "slave."...

It's aimed at schools that already ban the book, though no one knows how many have. Williams says they are not trying replace Twain's original, N-word included.

"If you can have the discussion and you're comfortable havin' the discussion, have it. Have it with it in there. But if you're not comfortable with that, then here's an alternative for you to use. And I would argue to you that it's still powerful," Williams said.""

Gains, and Drawbacks, for Female Professors; New York Times, 3/21/11

Kate Zernike, New York Times; Gains, and Drawbacks, for Female Professors:

"Despite an effort to educate colleagues about bias in letters of recommendation for tenure, those for men tend to focus on intellect while those for women dwell on temperament.

“To women in my generation, these residual issues can sound small because we see so much progress,” said Nancy H. Hopkins, a molecular biologist who instigated the first report. “But they’re not small; they still create an unequal playing field for women — not just at universities, and certainly not just at M.I.T. And they’re harder to change because they are a reflection of where women stand in society.”"

Saturday, March 19, 2011

[Editorial] A New Internet Privacy Law?; New York Times, 3/18/11

[Editorial] New York Times; A New Internet Privacy Law? :

"This week, the Obama administration called for legislation to protect consumers’ privacy. In the Senate, John Kerry is trying to draft a privacy bill of rights with the across-the-aisle support of John McCain."

Friday, March 18, 2011

[Podcast] Tracing The 'Immortal' Cells Of Henrietta Lacks; NPR's Fresh Air, 3/18/11

[Podcast] [Interview originally broadcast on February 2, 2010.] NPR's Fresh Air; Tracing The 'Immortal' Cells Of Henrietta Lacks:

"For the past 60 years Lacks' cells have been cultured and used in experiments ranging from determining the long-term effects of radiation to testing the live polio vaccine. Her cells were commercialized and have generated millions of dollars in profit for the medical researchers who patented her tissue.

Lacks' family, however, didn't know the cell cultures existed until more than 20 years after her death."

Corbett ignores opinion polls on taxes and budget cuts; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/18/11

Luara Olson and Tracie Mauriello, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Corbett ignores opinion polls on taxes and budget cuts:

"Scranton architect Michele Dempsey suggested that a tax could help pay for unforeseen problems caused by drilling.

"Where is the accountability if and when something goes wrong? If something should go awry, where is the accountability?" she asked."

[Editorial] The U.C.L.A. Video; New York Times, 3/17/11

[Editorial] New York Times; The U.C.L.A. Video:

"Universities have long wrestled with this issue, with many adopting hate-speech codes that punish speech victimizing minorities and women...

The codes are useful tools against real harassment, but they should not be used to abridge the principle of free speech. That would be a far greater threat to education and to a strong democracy."

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

U.C.L.A. Student’s Video Rant Against Asians Fuels Firestorm; New York Times, 3/15/11

Ian Lovett, New York Times; U.C.L.A. Student’s Video Rant Against Asians Fuels Firestorm:

"Robert Hernandez, a professor of Internet journalism at the University of Southern California, said Ms. Wallace’s story served as a reminder of the need to be aware of your “digital footprint” in the Internet age. “People feel a false sense of privacy on the Internet that isn’t there,” he said."

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Facebook Users Who Are Under Age Raise Concerns; New York Times, 3/11/11

Matt Richtel and Miguel Helft, New York Times; Facebook Users Who Are Under Age Raise Concerns:

"Victoria’s father, Brian Lai, an airline mechanic, said young people “have to have experience using the Internet. It’s the future.” He said Victoria told him she was going onto the sites, and he told her: “It’s not good to lie, but you can make an exception.”

Jerry Ng, Victoria’s 14-year-old cousin, agreed. “It’s one thing to lie to a person,” he said. “But this is lying to a computer.”"

Monday, March 14, 2011

[Press Release] Restrictions on library e-book lending threaten access to information; American Library Association (ALA), 3/14/11

[Press Release] American Library Association (ALA); Restrictions on library e-book lending threaten access to information:

"As libraries cope with stagnant or decreased budgets, the recent decision by publisher HarperCollins to restrict the lending of e-books to a limited number of circulations per copy threatens libraries’ ability to provide their users with access to information...

The Equitable Access to Electronic Information Task Force (EQUACC) and the ALA will soon launch a website dedicated to developing a model for e-book lending."

In Germany, Uproar Over a Doctoral Thesis; New York Times, 3/14/11

Michael Kimmelman, New York Times; In Germany, Uproar Over a Doctoral Thesis:

"...Mr. Guttenberg’s crime doesn’t seem so bad to many in a generation of samplers and aggregators. Last year a teenage German author, Helene Hegemann, published a novel that became a finalist for the Leipzig Book Fair prize, despite plagiarism charges against her...

The widespread expectation now is that Mr. Guttenberg, whose popularity has not dimmed but increased, according to the latest polls, will retreat for a while, and, like Mr. Clinton, after an obligatory period of remorse, come back. First he will have to contend with prosecutors, who the other day announced they had opened an investigation. Plagiarism entails breach of copyright crimes here."

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Defense Minister Guttenberg Resigns; Spiegel International, 3/1/11

Spiegel International; Defense Minister Guttenberg Resigns:

"By the end of last week, it had become clear that Guttenberg's dissertation contained dozens of passages that had been copied word-for-word from previously published works without adequate citation. He also included several pages from research notes he requested from parliamentary research assistants. It is not allowed for parliamentarians to use Bundestag research assistants for private business."

Facebook is rewriting its privacy policy; San Jose Mercury News via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/13/11

Mike Swift, San Jose Mercury News via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Facebook is rewriting its privacy policy:

"Facebook's intent to simplify its privacy disclosures, and to create interactive software tools to allow users to see how Facebook and application developers access their data, has drawn praise from some privacy advocates. But, "until Facebook tells its 600 million members what it tells its major advertisers and marketing partners -- on how to configure its system to generate data and other desired ad responses -- it is failing to protect user privacy," said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. "We intend to push the FTC and Congress to force Facebook to come clean about its data privacy practices.""

Thursday, March 3, 2011

A $20 Loan, a Facebook Quarrel and a Fatal Stabbing; New York Times, 3/1/11

Al Baker and Tim Stelloh, New York Times; A $20 Loan, a Facebook Quarrel and a Fatal Stabbing:

"The war of words escalated over Facebook. In capital letters, at 8:52 p.m., Ms. Richards said that she would have the last laugh. Ms. Henriques replied within seconds: “We will see.”...

“Like so many things these days, elements of this case emerged on Facebook,” Mr. Browne said.

To the victim’s relatives, it seemed unreal that the Facebook entries could foreshadow such violence. In fact, Ms. Richards did not consider the exchange she had with Ms. Henriques serious, said her sister, Schneiqua Henry, 20.

“She didn’t pay it any mind,” Ms. Henry said. “She thought it was just another argument.”"

Internet Cheating Scandal Shakes Japan Universities; New York Times, 3/1/11

Martin Fackler, New York Times; Internet Cheating Scandal Shakes Japan Universities:

"While it is unclear whether more than one person was involved, the episode has become a national scandal, raising questions about how to monitor the grueling exams, the main route to success in Japan, in an era of smartphones and instant Internet access.

It also touched a nerve in a proudly egalitarian nation that has struggled to come to terms with its growing economic and social inequalities. Many here are wondering aloud whether admission to top universities — a ticket to a top corporate or government job — remains as merit-based as it used to be, or whether some young people are unfairly getting a leg up, in this case from misuse of new technologies."

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Plagiarism in Dissertation Costs German Defense Minister His Job; New York Times, 3/1/11

Judy Dempsey, New York Times; Plagiarism in Dissertation Costs German Defense Minister His Job:

"The University of Bayreuth, which conferred the doctorate in 2007, revoked Mr. Guttenberg’s academic title, saying he had “seriously violated” the institution’s standards.

Conservatives had hoped that his apology would quell the controversy, but last weekend more than 20,000 scholars from Germany and other parts of Europe sent an open letter to the Chancellery saying that Mrs. Merkel’s continuing support of Mr. Guttenberg was a “mockery” of all those who “contribute to scientific advancement in an honest manner.”

“If the protection of ideas is no longer an important value in our society, then we are gambling away our future,” the statement said."

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Where Freedom of Expression Runs Headlong Into the Impulse to Censor; New York Times, 2/28/11

Clyde Haberman, New York Times; Where Freedom of Expression Runs Headlong Into the Impulse to Censor:

"“The principle of free speech is easy when the speech is something that’s popular and noncontroversial,” Mr. Siegel said. “The real test is when you disagree with the content of the speech and you still defend the right of someone to articulate the message.”"