Alex Jones is going to war with Silicon Valley. As one of the internet's most controversial personalities, making outlandish claims and spreading conspiracy theories through his Infowars website and broadcast has made Jones a household name in political circles. Initially, it was for his baseless accusation that 9/11 was an inside job. But in the past several years, he's claimed survivors of a mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school were "crisis actors." (False.) He's claimed that the mass shooting of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary was a hoax. (False.) And he's claimed Hillary Clinton was involved in a child sex trafficking ring. (False.) Critics have cried foul, saying Jones' particular brand of unproven accusations whip his fans into a frenzy, after which they harass, threaten and intimidate. In one extreme case, the parents of a Sandy Hook Elementary shooting victim told The New York Times they receive so many death threats and harassing messages … [Read more...] about Alex Jones and Infowars test the limit of free speech on the internet
Languages used on the internet
DARPA: Nobody’s safe on the Internet
The following script is from "DARPA Dan" which aired on 60 Minutes Feb. 8, 2015. Lesley Stahl is the correspondent. Shachar Bar-On, producer. The recent cyber invasions of Sony studios and military Twitter feeds highlight how hacking has morphed from a commercial nuisance to a matter of national security. The man the Department of Defense has put in charge of inventing technology to fight this new Internet war is Dan Kaufman. He heads the software innovation division of DARPA - the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, tasked with maintaining our military technological superiority. It makes sense that DARPA is working on this: after all, it invented the Internet. But Kaufman is an unexpected choice: he's not a general or a scientist or engineer. He's a videogamer. Call him DARPA Dan. And he says it's only right that the agency that brought us the Internet find a way to secure it. Lesley Stahl: How common are attacks, cyberattacks, against the U.S. military? Dan Kaufman: … [Read more...] about DARPA: Nobody’s safe on the Internet
CBS News Logo Fact check: Is U.S. giving away the internet?
WASHINGTON Donald Trump’s campaign says a government plan to give up managing key operations of the internet poses a threat of outside censorship of online information. But such an outcome is highly unlikely. The upcoming Oct. 1 transition, which will result in no immediate discernible change for internet users, is the result of planning that started under President Bill Clinton in 1998 and continued largely unopposed during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The U.S. government’s role has diminished as the behind-the-scenes, technical administration has increasingly been performed by a California-based nonprofit organization that coordinates with private experts around the world. An office within the Commerce Department, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, still has limited oversight over the system of internet addresses. But day-to-day management long ago was ceded to the Internet Corporation for Assigned … [Read more...] about CBS News Logo Fact check: Is U.S. giving away the internet?
On an Internet without borders, there are still lines not to cross
Visit The Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Comment on this Scroll to top of page By Michael Andor Brodeur Globe Correspondent March 02, 2018 I’m not big on superhero movies. (Or movies in general. That’s a different column. Enjoy the Oscars.) I spent a lot more time growing up in Lisa Frank’s universe than Stan Lee’s, and I don’t feel particularly cheated by my choices. For one thing, I’m still pretty damn good at double dutch, and for another, I’ve saved a lot of time not watching superhero movies. Still, I wanted to throw money at “Black Panther,” so I went. And I’m glad I did.To me the most special effects in a movie are the ones you barely notice, or that you notice, but then get ushered past by the momentum of the plot. Without giving too much away for the few of you who haven’t gone to see it yet, “Black Panther” was full of these moments. Much … [Read more...] about On an Internet without borders, there are still lines not to cross
What Washington really knows about the Internet of Things
President Barack Obama wears a FitBit monitor on his wrist to count his steps and calories, and has waxed poetic about the power of wearable technology to “give each of us information that allows us to stay healthier.”On Capitol Hill, 13 members have joined together across party lines this year to launch the Internet of Things Caucus. Started by a former Microsoft marketing executive and a Republican who made his fortune in electronics, the caucus pledges to help foster the coming explosion of “products, services and interconnected opportunities that didn’t exist a generation ago and will be taken for granted by the end of this generation.”Then again, the caucus hasn't even held its first meeting yet. Obama's own government panel has warned of a "small — and rapidly closing — window" for the U.S. government to successfully figure out how to deal with the tech explosion everyone is so excited about.web-linked gadgets … [Read more...] about What Washington really knows about the Internet of Things