Internet

"Cloaked" Web Sites Disguise Hidden Propaganda

by Anne Landman — April 26, 2010 - 2:27pm

Jessie Daniels, an Associate Professor in the Urban Public Health program at Hunter College, New York, has identified a phenomenon she calls "cloaked Web sites," or sites published by individuals or groups who deliberately conceal their authorship to disguise a hidden political agenda. Cloaked Web sites, Daniels points out, can have very real consequences, especially in the area of health.

Main Source: 
Corporations and Health Watch, April, 2010

John Boehner "Hell No You Can't" Video Mashup Making Waves

by Anne Landman — March 30, 2010 - 12:55pm

Right before the House voted to approve health reform legislation, Minority Leader

Main Source: 
FoxNews.com, March 30, 2010

Gaga for Product Placement

by Anne Landman — March 23, 2010 - 1:38pm

Lady Gaga is raising eyebrows with her latest racy music video, Telephone, but this time it's not because of the overt sexuality, the wacky costumes or even the fact that her co-star is Beyonce'. What's grabbing attention is the video's flagrant product placement.

Main Source: 
Advertising Age, March 13, 2010

DOJ Might Be Facebook-Stalking You

by PRW Staff — March 23, 2010 - 10:25am
  • Topics: Internet, Democracy, U.S. Government

    • Facebook might be selling you out to the government.

    With the help of the University of California Berkeley's Samuelson Clinic, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for documents from the government about how they monitor and use social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn to gather information for investigations. The EFF struck gold with this request, as both the IRS and the Department of Justice released training presentations on social networking sites. While this may seem benign, the training material from the DOJ suggests that feds go undercover on sites such as Facebook to gather information on crime.

    The DOJ slide show presentation (pdf) also discusses how cooperative these social networking sites are in complying with requests for private data. For example, Facebook, a highly popular social networking site, was described as "often cooperative with emergency requests," while Twitter was less cooperative because they refused to preserve data without legal process.

    Insurers Trick Facebook Users Into Opposing Health Care Reform

    by Anne Landman — December 11, 2009 - 11:02pm

    A coalition of insurance industry groups called "Get Health Reform Right," led by Blue Cross Blue Shield and including America's Health Insurance Plans, the American Benefits Council and others, has been caught tricki

    Main Source: 
    The Business Insider, December 9, 2009

    Exploiting the Exploiters' Hoax

    by Anne Landman — October 21, 2009 - 3:28pm

    Wasting no time, video game startup Heyzap.com in San Francisco has created a video game based on Colorado's "Balloon Boy" hoax that is circulating on the Web and through Twitter. In it, a young Falcon Heene clings to a tinfoil muffin-like balloon while flying through the air trying to shoot down things that get in his way, like UFOs, rainbows and birds.

    Main Source: 
    New York Daily News, October 20, 2009

    The Free News Tide That Threatens King Murdoch

    by Bob Burton — October 12, 2009 - 7:19pm

    In a King Canute-like speech to the World Media Summit in Beijing, Rupert Murdoch, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of News Corporation, took aim at Google and Yahoo.

    Main Source: 
    The Independent (UK), October 9, 2009

    The Pentagon's New Multi-Lingual Web

    by Diane Farsetta — September 22, 2009 - 1:20pm

    The U.S. Special Operations Command awarded General Dynamics Information Technology a $10.1 million contract to build the "Trans Regional Web Initiative." The project will include "a minimum of two and no more than twelve websites" in languages such as Arabic, French, English, Chinese, Farsi, Russian, Urdu and Malay / Indonesian, in support of U.S.

    Main Source: 
    Network World, September 8, 2009

    Welcome, Mary Bottari, the Director of the Real Economy Project of CMD!

    by Lisa Graves — August 25, 2009 - 11:09am
  • Topics: Activism, Internet, Economy

    • I am very pleased to announce that Mary Bottari is joining the Center for Media and Democracy. She is the Director of a new project we are calling the "Real Economy Project." (You know, the "real" economy, as opposed to the faux Wall Street-driven economy?)

    For those of you who don’t know Mary, she really is a powerhouse — she’s an exceptional public interest advocate with tremendous communications and campaigning experience. For the last ten years, she has served as a senior analyst for the Washington, D.C.,-based consumer group Public Citizen.

    She started in its Global Trade Watch division in the months before the World Trade Organization’s Seattle Ministerial meeting. Mary was deeply involved in planning for Seattle, and she ran the NGO press center to help communicate the disillusionment of labor, farm, and environmental groups with the corporate trade agenda.

    Increasing Scrutiny for Online Marketing

    by Diane Farsetta — August 12, 2009 - 11:01am

    The National Advertising Review Council (NARC), a "coalition of advertising organizations" that recommends standards for industry self-regulation, issued its first rulings dealing with blog promotions. NARC faulted two companies for "posting 'reviews' of dietary supplements, but not disclosing that they actually own the products," or that the reviewers were paid.

    Main Source: 
    PC Magazine, August 11, 2009
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