901am

New Media News Every Morning

Will Iran shut down Internet on its election day?

By

internet-ban.gifNothing is more annoying than shutting down Internet service. And when it comes to this subject, China and some countries in the Middle East are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Now, NYT reports that the Iranian government plans to block Internet access during its Election Day on March 14, 2008. Though Iran is notorious for its Internet censorship, this is the biggest move it will ever take to curb the flow of online information.

However, the real reason is quite vague since the information from 2 Iranian news outlets that covered this matter is not consistent.

Daily newspaper Etemad Melli claims this will “depend on security plans and on the Ministry of Telecommunications” while ISN news agency has reported this move guarantees unhampered Internet service for the government.

As always, the biggest losers are the ordinary citizens who rely heavily on the Internet to gather information about politics and other matters.

Originally posted on March 4, 2008 @ 9:28 am

Aussie farmers want better internet and cellphone service

By

atsign.gifOverall, 81% of Australians are generally happy with their Internet and mobile phone service. More than that, about 60% said they will not switch to other Internet service providers.

Unfortunately, Australian farmers do not share the same sentiment. In the latest study by Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), this group is less satisfied about these services compared to small to medium business owners.

Poor speed is to blame why about a quarter of Aussie farmers are dissatisfied with Internet service. Given the growing importance of Internet, 70% say broadband access is a very essential service in the future.

On the other hand, 35% are not happy with mobile phone services due to drop-outs, poor call quality and interference. It’s worse in Western Australia where 44% of the farmers are complaining about this service.

Via The Age

Originally posted on February 28, 2008 @ 11:49 am

Online surveillance in Germany gets green light

By

german-flag.gifSpying days are not yet over for the Germans. Now, it gets more advanced as Germany’s highest court decided to allow limited Internet surveillance in situations where lives are in danger or possible attacks to the country.

Based on the decision of the Constitutional Court, a judge must first approve any plans of online surveillance to suspected individuals or groups. It also prohibits any intelligence agencies to use information if it is connected to private lives.

This decision has reversed the law used in the western state of North-Rhine Westphalia in 2006 which allow the government absolute power to hack the computers of suspected terrorists.

Though this is less severe than the previous law, there are still concerns about abuse of privacy considering the dark past of Germany such as the Nazis and the communist rule. Another problem very visible here is the drafting of “clear guidelines” which could open up multitude of debates.

Originally posted on February 28, 2008 @ 11:24 am

Google joins consortium to build transpacific cable

By

google-logo2.gifThe beast of Mountain View is not happy with dominating the search, online advertising and wireless industry. Now, Google is embarking on a different territory with its investment to build a 6,200-mile transpacific fiber-optic cable estimated to cost about $300 million.

This so-called “Unity cable” will connect Los Angeles to Chikura, Japan at 2,000 feet below the surface. The explosive surge of Internet communication between the U.S. and Asia though video, text and voice are the main drivers of this expansion plan. The project will be completed in 2010.

This is the first time an Internet company will put money on this kind of venture. Google will join the consortium composed of six companies including SingTel (Singapore), Bharti Artel (India), and deep-sea fiber-optic cable network operator Pacnet.

According to a news article, the ulterior motive behind this move is to give Google the opportunity to “lock in a low-cost price on some of the bandwidth it needs” since Internet companies are now playing bigger roles in connecting people in different ways.

Originally posted on February 26, 2008 @ 8:55 am

Why Japan’s new high-speed Internet satellite sucks

By

kizuna.gifThe whole world is talking about the launch to orbit of “Kizuna”, Japan’s experimental Internet satellite specifically developed for high-speed data transmission of about 1.2 gigabytes per second.

More importantly, this communications satellite will help lower cost of Internet service in Japan and other 19 other places in Southeast Asia. It was launched to orbit last Saturday evening by the country’s cutting edge H-2A rocket.

Though this is indeed very good news for Japan and its neighboring places, there’s still a catch. It will operate for five years but it is not intended for commercial use! Too bad, P2P and video-streaming communities will definitely love about this super-fast Internet connection.

Photo via AP

Originally posted on February 25, 2008 @ 10:05 am