Turkey to censor tweets with ‘malicious’ content
Twitter might not be banned in Turkey anymore, but the country’s government isn’t quite done putting it through the censorship wringer yet. In fact, Turkish Communications Minister Lütfi Elvan just released a written statement that says: “We [Twitter and Turkey] have reached a consensus to ‘neutralize’ malicious content that is the object of court decisions by pixelating.” He didn’t expound on what he means by “pixelating,” but it’s typically associated with the mosaic-like classic approach to censorship. If Turkish authorities can indeed blur out tweets, then this saga might have taken an even crazier turn. Since that’s bordering on the absurd, though, it’s possible that “pixelating” might have just been the term Lütfi used for Twitter’s Country Withheld Tool, which the website uses to hide tweets and accounts from a whole nation.
The minister says the decision was made during back-to-back meetings between Turkey’s telecommunication authority (called TIB) and Twitter’s execs who’ve reached a consensus to “neutralize malicious content.” Twitter also gave the TIB super-tagging powers (after deleting over 200 offending tweets, that is), allowing officials to flag posts and accounts that they want to be censored ASAP.
For those who haven’t been following this crazed roller-coaster ride closely, it all started when Turkish authorities blocked access to Twitter hours after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened to do so. Erdogan, who’d previously called social media “the worst menace to society,” claimed his detractors were using the social network as a platform to spread lies that he was corrupt. A few days later, the ban was overturned after the country’s court deemed it a violation of people’s right to free speech, and just recently, Erdoğan vowed to go after Twitter for tax evasion. It’s now unclear if he’ll follow through, as the two entities have promised to “keep in touch,” but let’s not forget that the prime minister called Twitter a “scourge” once in the past.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Hurriyet Daily News
Twitter’s new Windows Phone beta ties into your photo collection
A handful of those eager to install the Windows Phone 8.1 preview just got an additional perk for being early adopters. NokiaNewsIreland has discovered an unannounced (and now unavailable) open beta for Twitter’s Windows Phone 8.1 app that makes much better use of Microsoft’s mobile OS than the regular client. For a start, it now ties into the Photos Hub — it’s now easy to browse the pictures you’ve tweeted, even if they didn’t come from your phone.
The test build also ties into your Me tile by launching Twitter when you want to post an update, and app-based sharing is once again functional. It even addresses a longstanding annoyance by jumping to your latest mentions rather than making you wade through past replies. Twitter hasn’t said when the new features will reach the officially sanctioned release, but the apparently polished state of the beta suggests that Windows Phone owners may not have to wait much longer.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Via: NokiaNewsIreland.com, WPCentral
Source: Windows Phone Store
It’s not just you: Terms of Service agreements really are confusing, study finds
You know that page with a check box you haphazardly agree to on the way to signing up for various online services? The one with the hundreds (or thousands) of words of legal mumbo jumbo? Yeah, we do the same thing — it’s okay. It’s because those pages, the Terms of Service, are boring, lengthy, and probably meaningless. Right? Right?!
Not necessarily. And a new study from Georgia Tech of the “top 30 social and fan creation sites” (from Facebook to Daily Motion) backs that up. Well, first things first: yes, Terms of Service agreements really are difficult to read. Of the 30 sites surveyed, an average reading level of college sophomore was required for comprehension of the TOS. To put it another way, around 60 percent of working age adults in the US (25 – 64) don’t understand what they’re agreeing to. “It is likely that users may not know what rights they are granting,” the study says.
So, back to the question at hand: are these documents meaningless? Like so many answers in the realm of law, the answer really depends on how that law applies to you. What freedoms do you value in the content you create and/or host online?
Georgia Tech examined the freedoms we’re giving up when agreeing to these documents. Most of that involves giving away whatever content is added to the service (so-called “royalty-free use”), but also includes duplicating said content elsewhere (“non-exclusive use”). In plain terms, of course, those translate to “you won’t get paid for the content you add here” and “we can publish what you add here anywhere else we want” (respectively). A small fraction of the sites studied even granted the site advertising rights on user content.
A handful of more specific stats are in the chart below. To find out whether or not your favorite site’s TOS are agreeable, the latest version should be readily available from the home page. And remember: the best defense against restrictive TOS agreements is taking the time to read and understand the document.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Facebook
Source: Georgia Tech
Sky now lets you watch or record TV directly from Twitter
Twitter’s cosy with many broadcasters that wish to connect with their audiences better, and in the UK, Sky’s previously partnered with the social network for tweeting footy highlights in near real-time. Today, the two have teamed up again on Twitter embeds that allow Sky subscribers to watch or record content from within tweets by way of Twitter’s mobile apps. Two buttons in these style of tweets, that will feature on several of Sky’s accounts, send you either to the Sky Go app if you can’t wait another second to indulge, or set your Sky box to record the TV show, film or sporting event via the Sky+ app. It’s basically the same agreement Twitter has with Comcast in the States, as the microblogging platform moves to bridge the gap between the second screen and, well, screen.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Via: The Telegraph
Source: Sky
Twitter’s latest acquisition turns tweets into a commodity
Twitter announced today that it has bought Gnip, a social data company that has packaged and sold data from Twitter to other companies for the past four years. Gnip is one of a few firms that has access to Twitter’s “fire hose” of data — a history of tweets that date back to the company’s beginnings in 2006 — and is one of Twitter’s longest-lasting data partners. Such data is tremendously valuable, as Twitter mentioned in a blog post regarding the acquisition:
“These public tweets can reveal a wide variety of insights — so much so that academic institutions, journalists, marketers, brands, politicians and developers regularly use aggregated Twitter data to spot trends, analyze sentiment, find breaking news, connect with customers and much more.”
Bringing Gnip in-house therefore means that Twitter will now be selling its data directly to third-party outfits like advertisers and brand managers. This lets the microblogging firm provide “more sophisticated data sets” and “better data enrichments” to interested third-parties, which in turn could mean more targeted ads for you and I. It certainly falls in line with a recent report that Twitter is working on 15 new types of ads, most of which will likely be mobile, according to Twitter’s VP of engineering and revenue at a VentureBeat Mobile Summit.
Right now, Twitter’s relationships with other data resellers like Datasift and Topsy (which was purchased by Apple late last year) will continue, as will Gnip’s analytics deal with other social media companies like Tumblr, Disqus and Facebook. However, due to the conflict of interests at play here, we don’t expect many of these to last.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet
Source: Twitter
Turkey’s prime minister accuses Twitter of tax evasion
For now, it’s difficult to tell whether or not the claims will amount to more than just talk. There isn’t an official case against Twitter at this stage. Also, Erdogan’s views don’t always mesh with those of Turkey’s judges — he believes the Constitutional Court is conducting “interference in politics” by upholding freedom of expression. When the politician has had success in banning YouTube, though, we wouldn’t be quick to rule anything out.
[Image credit: Myrat, Wikipedia]
Filed under: Internet
Source: AFP (Yahoo)
Twitter introduces pop-up notifications on the web
It’s been a week full of announcements from Twitter: first the social network debuted a new (arguably Facebook-like) profile design, and today it’s officially introducing real-time notifications on the web. We first saw the pop-up alerts in late January, but it appeared to be an experiment visible to just a handful of users. Now — or, more accurately, “over the coming weeks” — any time you’re logged into Twitter.com, you’ll see a notification window alerting you to any replies, retweets or other activities. Conveniently, you’ll be able to favorite, retweet and reply to interactions directly from notification windows. Of course, if your Klout score is through the roof and you receive a new notification every second, you’ll be happy to know that notifications can be disabled.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Twitter
US denies that ‘Cuban Twitter’ was developed to create political unrest
Last week, we brought you the story of ZunZuneo, an oddly-named startup that sought to launch a social network like Twitter in Cuba. The twist in the tale, is that it was built and funded by the United States Agency of International Development, allegedly as a way to slowly turn the island’s youth away from rum and cigars and toward a local version of the Arab Spring. Naturally, the agency denies this, posting a rebuttal online that says the project was designed to circumvent the “information blockade” to connect people who have been cut off from the outside world. At a hearing on Capitol Hill, USAID head Rajiv Shah publicly denied the allegations, saying that “working to improve platforms of communication is a core part of what USAID works to do.” We’re sure that this story is going to run and run, at least until it forms the plot of the next Jason Bourne movie.
Filed under: Internet
Via: Time
Source: USAID
Turkish ISPs make getting to YouTube a little easier, but haven’t unblocked it yet
Even after the unbanning of Twitter and a court ruling in Google’s favor, YouTube is still blocked in Turkey. Accessing the video streaming site did get a little easier today however, as the Wall Street Journal has confirmed residents can once again use DNS servers from Google, Level3 and OpenDNS that will route them around the block. More easily implemented than using a VPN, it finally reopens access via those servers after they were blocked ten days ago. There’s no public statement available from the ISPs or the Turkish government, but hopefully unrestricted access to the best YouTube has to offer is coming soon.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Daily Roundup: Twitter’s redesign, Lightroom mobile for the iPad, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Twitter’s new profile design kinda looks like Facebook
Today, Twitter got a facelift — and it looks a lot like Facebook. The revamp includes a larger header photo, the ability to filter between tweets with or without media and “pin” certain tweets to the top of your feed. All new accounts will launch with the design, but it’ll make its way to others “in the coming weeks.”
US Navy fine tunes seafaring laser weapon and unmanned robocopters
What’s better than a regular ole’ helicopter? A full-sized remote control helicopter, of course. The Navy’s latest robocopter can be piloted from a tablet after only 15 minutes of training and it automatically detects and avoids obstacles. In addition, the Armed Forces branch has a new laser which fires high-energy beams that cost around $1 per shot.
Lightroom mobile arrives for iPad with touch-friendly interface, realtime sync
Lightroom mobile for the iPad is here! Adobe’s latest companion app brings photographers most of the most of the funtionality found in the desktop version, and any changes you make will be pushed to your Lightroom cloud.
Neil Young on digital audio: You’re doing it wrong
Neil Young has a plan to serve up high-resolution audio, and it’s called Pono. But why would anyone spend $400 on a somewhat chunky media player and re-buy all of their music library in FLAC format? We sat down with the rock icon to find out.
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Filed under: Misc
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