Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 8
Posts 1 - 8

The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak, the Anonymous Messaging App

Hyperlink

Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 27.5.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | childhood, cyberbullying, law, privacy, social media, threat, youth
Summary | The anonymous messaging app Yik Yak became very popular in colleges and schools because it lets people broadcast anonymously to other users near them. The activity on the app has however started to become thretening with college students and children bullying each other and people making bomb threats that have led to multiple evacuations. A feminist group from University of Mary Washington have filed complaint to the University to block Yik Yak on campus because it has been used to harrass and threaten members.
Image Description | An illustration with a face and a smartphone and an image of the creators of Yik Yak.
Image Tags | male(s), smartphone

He Tweeted About Chinese Government Corruption. Twitter Suspended His Account.

Hyperlink

Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 26.4.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | censorship, law, privacy, Twitter
Summary | A Chinese billionaire has publically denuciated Chinese government officials on Twitter by posting images of documents that evidence corruption. His account was suspended by Twitter for a few hours because the shared documents contained personal information which Twitter usually flags.
Image Description | Portrait of Guo Wengui.
Image Tags | male(s)

In the Apple Case, a Debate Over Data Hits Home

Hyperlink

Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 13.3.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | Facebook, law, politics, privacy, research/study, smartphone, threat
Summary | Apple's refusal to aide the FBI with breaking into the phone of the San Bernardino attacker has unleashed a political debate among Americans. IT experts as well as lay people report that they have had discussions about the topic with other people, some say they have had fights over Facebook with family members about the issue. Polls show that the American people are hugely divided on the topic: 42% think Apple should cooperate with the FBI while 47% support Apple's stance to protect user privacy.
Image Description | Getty image of a protest crowd showing a man holding up his smartphone with the text: "Don't turn our phones into FBI drones".
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone, text

Tech industry slowly rallies behind Apple in iPhone fight

Hyperlink

Newspaper | USA Today
Date | 19.2.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | Facebook, Google, law, privacy, smartphone, threat
Summary | The FBI had issues a court order to Apple to hack into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino terrorists. When Apple declined, other tech magnates like Google and Facebook sided with them saying that tech companies cannot be ordered to compromise their customers' privacy by the governement. Allowing this to happen now would set a problematic precedent for the future.
Image Description | Portrait of Mark Zuckerberg.
Image Tags | Facebook, male(s)

Obama Shifting Online Strategy on ISIS

Hyperlink

Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 8.1.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | censorship, law, politics, privacy, threat
Summary | President Obama wants to use surveillance techniques of new media to find IS terrorists. Tech companies, however, increasingly offer their users encrypted messaging services and refuse to hand over the keys to the government. Companies are protecting their users' privacy but also giving terrorists safe channels of communication.
Image Description | Portrait of Apple’s chief executive.
Image Tags | male(s)

As Elites Switch to Texting, Watchdogs Fear Loss of Transparency

Hyperlink

Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 6.7.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | law, politics, privacy, threat, WhatsApp
Summary | The powerful elites are using the end-to-end-encrypted WhatsApp to communicate sensitive information. Such strategies are adopted by politicians, high-profile representatives of major companies, and Wallstreet banker. The latter are lawfully obligated to save all communications for possible inspection but WhatsApp enables them to escape that law.
Image Description | Image of a man talking on the phone and another man reading some paperwork.
Image Tags | male(s), smartphone

Darum ist Pokémon Go bei Muslimen verpönt

(This is why Pokémon Go is frowned upon by muslims)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Welt
Date | 6.9.2016
Language | German
Country | Germany
Topic Tags | diversity, game, law, politics, privacy, threat
Summary | Many muslim authorities in varioius countries such as Saudi Arabia and Malaysia have declared Pokémon Go as wildly inappropriate for muslims. It references othher religions (with symbols) which allow for multiple gods along side each other, it propagates Darwin's theory of evolution, and most importantly: it constitutes gambling which is prohibited by the Qur'an. This does not mean that the state in Malaysia enforces that religious advice as a law. Non-muslim people are also worried about Pokémon Go but not because of ideological issues but because it can be seen as a surveillance scam and so a privacy breach hazard.
Image Description | Men playing Pokémon Go and portraits of a few male experts mentioned in the article.
Image Tags | game, male(s), smartphone

LAPD's watchdog rolls out smartphone app to share more information with public

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Los Angeles Times
Date | 12.1.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | law, privacy
Summary | The LAPD has launched an app to keep citizens informed about local police matters without middle men. The app also enables users to file complaints or commendations about officers as well as direct them to the nearest police station. The LAPD decided to provide this service as a free app because many locals do not have home computers but most do have a smartphone.
Image Description | "Los Angeles police officers monitor the scene of a shooting in the Nickerson Gardens housing project in Watts last summer. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)"
Image Tags | female(s), male(s)

Page 1 of 1