Posts tagged internet
There is so much happening on the Internet during a year that it’s impossible to capture it all in a blog post, but we’re going to give it a shot anyway. How many emails were sent during 2012? How many domains are there? What’s the most popular web browser? How many Internet users are there? These are some of the questions we’ll answer for you.
To bring you these answers, we’ve gone to the ends of the web – wherever that is – and back again, and compiled a list of truly fascinating facts about the year that was. Some of the numbers are snapshots taken during the year, others cover the entire period. Either way, they all contribute to giving us a better understanding of Internet in 2012. Enjoy! Read the report here »>
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The smartphone is predicted to become a mass market phenomenon this year, with annual shipments soaring to 1bn globally for the first time.
However, research in several countries suggests one in five owners of these sophisticated portable computers rarely or never connect to the web. Hundreds of millions may not even bother to subscribe to a data package from their mobile network.
These devices will not be idle, but their owners will use them for the traditional mobile activities of text messaging, voice calling and taking the occasional photo. read more »>
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Freedom House: Governments Grow Increasingly Repressive Online
Brutal attacks against bloggers, politically motivated surveillance, proactive manipulation of web content, and restrictive laws regulating speech online are among the diverse threats to internet freedom emerging over the past two years, according to a new study released today by Freedom House. Despite these threats,Freedom on the Net 2012: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media found that increased pushback by civil society, technology companies, and independent courts resulted in several notable victories.
The battle over internet freedom comes at a time when nearly one third of the world’s population has used the internet. Governments are responding to the increased influence of the new medium by seeking to control online activity, restricting the free flow of information, and otherwise infringing on the rights of users.
Freedom on the Net 2012, which identifies key trends in internet freedom in 47 countries, evaluates each country based on barriers to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights.
The study found that Estonia had the greatest degree of internet freedom among the countries examined, while the United States ranked second. Iran, Cuba, and China received the lowest scores in the analysis.
Several downgrades, particularly in the Middle East, reflected intensified censorship, arrests, and violence against bloggers as the authorities sought to quell public calls for reform. In Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, and China, authorities imposed new restrictions after observing the key role that social media played in the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
At the same time, 14 countries registered a positive trajectory, with Tunisia and Burma experiencing the largest improvements following dramatic political openings. The remaining gains occurred almost exclusively in democracies, highlighting the crucial importance of broader institutions of democratic governance in upholding internet freedom.
Countries at Risk: As part of its analysis, Freedom House identified a number of important countries that are seen as particularly vulnerable to deterioration in the coming 12 months: Azerbaijan, Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka.
To view the full report, click here.
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Redefining Internet Privacy and Security
A new tool under development by Oregon State computer scientists could radically alter the way that communications work on the web. Through browser extensions, Privly allows you to post to social networks and send email without letting those services see “into” your text. Instead, your actual words get encrypted and then routed to Privlys servers (or an eventual peer-to-peer network). What the social media site “sees” is merely a link that Privly expands in your browser into the full content. Of course, this requires that people who want to see your content also need Privly installed on their machines.
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In a deal that surely gives the middle finger to Google, Twitter has signed a deal with Russian search giant Yandex to provide access to its full feed of public tweets — its Firehose — allowing the company to deliver tweet search results in its Blog Search results.
Similar to Google’s Social Search — before it was dropped after Google refused to license Twitter’s full data feeds last year — Yandex will also deliver a dedicated Twitter search engine at twitter.yandex.ru, showcasing messages posted in Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian or Kazakh, and top feeds in any other language in its results.
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U.S. Congress pulls SOPA legislation
The much maligned Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) bill that prompted a wave of high profile Internet protests this week has been pulled by its author, Texas Congressman Lamar Smith, ahead of a scheduled vote, according to Reuters. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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PIPA vote delayed
Majority Leader in the U.S. Senate, Harry Reid via Twitter: In light of recent events, I have decided to postpone Tuesday’s vote on the PROTECT IP Act #PIPA
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- 2.1 billion – Internet users worldwide.
- 800+ million – Number of users on Facebook by the end of 2011.
- 225 million – Number of Twitter accounts.
- 100 million – Number of active Twitter users in 2011.
- 70 million – Total number of WordPress blogs by the end of 2011.
- 39 million – The number of Tumblr blogs by the end of 2011.
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