More people read more news on mobile phones. That doesn’t mean that they get more informed. Five years ago, in a publicity stunt anticipating the launch of a “water-resistant” handset, electronics manufacturer Sony and mobile phone operator O2 said that the new product was prompted by a growing market for such devices. They knew that…
Video-tampering technology is likely to take fake news manufacturing to a whole new level. For journalism, that is a game-changer. Imagine watching your local MP, your favorite singer or the mayor of your city, all on the TV set in your living room. But they’re not in control of their faces anymore. Imagine you are…
The companies chosen to build the EU-funded data collection system for Romania’s intelligence agency are hardly the cleanest. In late May 2017, the Romanian Information Service (SRI), Romania’s intelligence agency, selected the companies that will run the controversial SII Analytics project, which IT and surveillance experts described as a Big Brother-like data hoarding system. The…
Internet companies and telcos are not particularly good at disclosing policies on freedom of expression and privacy. On a long-term basis, this could dent their sales. Last summer, as electoral debates were heating up in America, anti-Hillary voters in possession of iPhones could find a facetious method to vent their fury against the Democratic candidate…
Fast growth in connectivity and use of the internet in nations such as Myanmar, Malaysia and Algeria is all good news for independent journalism; and bad news for autocratic, corrupt governments. St Kitts and Nevis is a small duo of islands in the Caribbean with a population of a mite under 55,000. That doesn’t include…
Many believe the Internet equals freedom of information. Recently, that has been less and less the case. Maung Saung Kha, a 23-year old poet from Myanmar, was relieved last May to hear that he would be released from prison. On 24 May 2016, Mr Saung Kha was sentenced to six months in jail for defaming…
As massive batches of viewers, particularly young ones, give up watching traditional TV, the broadcasting business is rapidly crumbling. For television news stations, that is a very bad omen. When direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish Network launched Sling TV in February last year, it was eying those swathes of viewers able and willing to pay for…
In George Orwell’s 1984, telescreens could capture any sound “above the level of a very low whisper.” Today, that gadget exists. For independent journalism, smart TV is not necessarily bad news: provided it’s not found its way into the wrong hands. Imagine this: you and your wife sitting comfortably in your living room watching the…
Journalists are now able to reach billions of people all over the world. But for many people in the global south, consuming their products is an extremely costly venture. There has been no major journalism or media event in recent years without the word “digital” on the agenda. Digital gurus evangelize journalists about how easily…
Costa Rica sported the highest growth in technology use worldwide during the past five years. Other, once sluggish, technology markets such as Bahrain, Lebanon and Ghana have since followed. However, the gap between the most and least digitally connected nations is widening. Last November, the Costa Rican telecommunications regulator, SUTEL, raised eyebrows when it hired…