The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Technology works both ways.

Internet may help or hinder mass movements – and not all mass movements are good.

Key mobile network operators, such as Vodafone, Mobinil and Etisalat, honored the government request and suspended service.

However, other telecommunication companies helped the protesters circumvent the ban. Internet service providers outside Egypt, for example, helped Egyptians use the Speak 2 Tweet function, an application created by Google, Twitter and SayNow that turns voice calls into Twitter updates.

Unrest in Kenya was divided along ethnic and tribal lines. Text messaging was used not necessarily to rally unity, but to broadcast “hate speech” messages, inciting violence against members of opposing tribes.

When Kenyan authorities moved to stop the messages, telecommunications companies refused to comply with the government order.

And the governmental access/control is a dicey thing, eh?

4 Replies to “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”

  1. I predate the invention of ‘objects’ in computerese.
    In fact, I predate all but the oldest computers – and probably everyone else on this site.
    🙂


    Perfect logic on bad data yields bad results.
    All data is questionable.
    By making mistakes in logic, I stand some chance of being right.

  2. Garbage In, Garbage Out.


    Perfect logic on bad data yields bad results.
    All data is questionable.
    By making mistakes in logic, I stand some chance of being right.

  3. that’s been the point I’ve been trying to make. The cyber-utopians see it as a 100% good. It isn’t.

    Bad decisions make good stories.

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