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Thursday, December 11. 2008

When the policy folks don't talk to the tech folks...

There's been a rash of obscure outcomes recently when policy makers and watchdogs create and enforce technology practices that they don't understand completely. (Hat tip to Buzz Outloud podcast for noting the connections in the stories below...)

The teacher who's credentials were removed when a porn site appeared on a computer in her classroom. (ArsTechnica)

A removal of editing capabilities on Wikipedia in the UK in an attempt to "block" one webpage with a question album cover. (C|net)

Serious limits to Web access when a filtering system was put into play in Australia. (The Age)

Teachers who confiscate free software from students. (Slashdot)

The latest: the attempt of lawyers and others to ban Google Earth and other mapping services in India after the recent attacks. The misundertanding: "The lawyer said in the petition that paying subscribers have access to real-time and updated maps on Google Earth and they can see the ongoing construction of the Worli-Bandra Sealink, a bridge in Mumbai, as well as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in northeast Mumbai, Naval dockyards, nuclear and oil establishments and Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace in the capital New Delhi." The "real-time and updated map" for paying customers to my knowledge is not and has not ever been offered. I'm also curious how they'll find all the sites they'd need to ban...
Posted by Adena Schutzberg in Google at 06:55 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0) | Bookmark and Share

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Maps. We should ban maps because they allow people to navigate their world, and discover things they wouldn't otherwise see. You know, like the extent of damage to Sudanese villages, or the shelter locations after natural disasters. Dangerous things like that.

Books. We could ban books too. Or we could collect all the books on a particular subject, or by a specific type of author, and burn them in a big pile in public. That would be a good way to stop people using books.

[note to the thick-minded or those who advocate restricting information; the tone here is 'sarcasm' and should not be construed as a 'literal' recommendation.]
#1 Archie Belaney on 2008-12-11 07:47 (Reply)
Before the Berlin wall came down, accurate city maps were unavailable (classified) in Eastern Europe, even to professional city planners. So city planners (I was one), in order to do their job, had friends smuggle accurate maps of Eastern European cities bought from map kiosks in the West.

Funny, ha? I didn't think so.
#2 Atanas Entchev (Link) on 2008-12-11 10:34 (Reply)

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