New Gaza War Reports Combine Tweets, Maps, SMS

By Noah Shachtman 

Getting tweets from the war zone is so 2008. The latest social media advance combines tools like Twitter, test messaging, and online mapping to gather up first-hand reports, straight from Gaza.

The effort, from Al Jazeera Labs, just got started; the reporting is still spotting, and the technology is very much in the testing phase. But the idea is for residents of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank to send quick updates about the conflict from their computers or mobile phones, through SMS or Twitter. The results are then verified, and posted to a Microsoft Virtual Earth map.

"Heavy fighting continues in eastern Gaza. Loud explosions, presumed to be artillery, and machine gun fire heard," one report says. "Palestinian medics confirm Israeli soldiers have shot and killed a 20-year-old man during clashes at a Gaza protest in Qalqilya, West Bank," reads another. "Nine Egyptian lorries carrying medicine and aid have entered Gaza," notes a third.

As Zero Intelligence Agents notes, Al Jazeera is using an open-source software tool called Ushahidi(Swahili for "testimony") for the online reporting experiment. The program was created in early 2008, to document the post-election violence in Kenya. Coders in Kenya, South Africa, Malawi, Ghana, Netherlands and the United States have contributed to its development.

Meanwhile, that oh-so-old school way to follow war news, Twitter, is bubbling with minute-to-minute updates from both sides of the Israel-Hamas divide.

The World Internet Project report 2009

Now, for the first time, the World Internet Project has published its global findings on the impact of online technology -- a five-continent collaboration creates an international picture of change produced by the Internet.

 

The World Internet Project report includes:  

* New findings about how the Internet is used and how it affects a variety of beliefs, attitudes, and behavior around the world.  The data was collected in Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic,Hungary, Israel, Macao, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

* The only report of its kind, the World Internet Project features a comprehensive exploration of:

• views about technology among Internet users and non-users,
• use of online services and information sites,
• online purchasing and concerns about credit card security,
• social connections,
• the Internet and the political process,
• how Internet use relates to usage of other media,
• media reliability and importance,
• online communication,
• blogs, and
• the Internet and education.

* 372 pages
 
* 466 charts of findings 
 
* Nine major areas of study
 
* 76 specific subjects and detailed responses
 
The World Internet Project has been exploring the impact of online technology since 1999.  The study, which began in the United States, Singapore and Italy, is creating new understanding of the Internet as a worldwide communications and information-gathering tool.  This first annual report will be followed by subsequent yearly releases that will include data from our expanding group (now numbering over 20) of partner countries and regions.

Audience

The World Internet Project report provides an essential tool for corporate and public agency leaders who wish to understand the scope of change already produced by the Internet, and recognize that the global change inspired by the evolution of online technology has only just begun.

Click here for highlights and charts of the report.

The report will be available for purchase starting November 24. Please click here to purchase report.

 To learn more about the World Internet Project visit www.worldinternetproject.net

إطلاق "هولوكوست فلسطين" على الإنترنت لكسب "دعم افتراضي

في الوقت الذي توغلت فيه القوات الإسرائيلية في عمق قطاع غزة الذي تديره حماس، توصل العالم العربي إلى وسيلة مبتكرة لحشد الدعم من جميع أنحاء العالم. 

فقد ذكر موقع "واي نت" الإخباري الإسرائيلي على الإنترنت أن موقع "إسلام أون لاين"، ومركزه قطر، أنشأ متحفا باسم "هولوكوست فلسطين"، على موقع "سكند لايف" (الحياة الثانية) وهو عالم افتراضي ثلاثي الأبعاد متاح من خلال الإنترنت. 

ويسمح "سكند لايف" للمستخدمين بإقامة شخصيات ثلاثية الأبعاد لأنفسهم تعرف باسم "التجسد" أو "الأنا الثانية". ومن أجل الوصول إلى المتحف يتعين على المستخدمين تحميل برنامج "سكند لايف" وتسجيل أنفسهم فيه.

ويقول موقع متحف "هولوكوست فلسطين" إنه سينشر صور وأسماء وقصص الأطفال الفلسطينيين الذين قتلتهم القوات الإسرائيلية في هولوكوست جديد. كما سيسلط الضوء على عناصر "محرقة غزة"، من مواقع وأسلحة ونتائج وسيتضمن روايات شهود من الناجين.  ويرى المدوّن الفلسطيني علاء الدين أن الناس في جميع أنحاء العالم يستخدمون الآن الانترنت وسيلة للاحتجاج. ويقول "ما نشهده اليوم هو نسخة جديدة من الحرب. نسخة جديدة من المعركة بين إسرائيل والعالم العربي. نرى الناس يلجأون إلى الانترنت لاستخدامه وسيلة للتعبير عن احتجاجهم على ما يحدث". ونشر موقع سكند لايف صورا لفلسطينيين يحتجون حاملين أعلاما ولافتات تطالب إسرائيل بوقف "جرائم الحرب" في غزة.  وذكر موقع واي نت أن أكثر من 6700 شخص زاروا الموقع بالفعل منذ إطلاقه. وافتتح الموقع بعد أن بدأت إسرائيل غاراتها الجوية لوقف إطلاق الصواريخ على جنوب إسرائيل. وأكد علاء الدين أن الانترنت منبر مثالي للذين ليست لديهم القدرة على الاحتجاج في الشوارع. وقال "كل من الجانبين.. إسرائيل والمنطقة العربية والعالم كله يستخدم مجالا آخر لهذا النوع من الحرب. نرى على سبيل المثال أن الكثير من المصريين الذين، لا يستطيعون الخروج إلى الشوارع أو ليس لديهم استعداد للخروج إلى الشوارع يستخدمون ما يسمى موقع الحياة الثانية للتعبير عن احتجاجهم على ما يحدث في غزة. بل وينظمون نوعا من مظاهرات الاحتجاج على الانترنت حيث يستطيع الناس التجمع ومشاهدة بعض الصور هناك". في المقابل، تستخدم إسرائيل حساباتها على موقع تويتر المجاني للتواصل الاجتماعي المباشر على الانترنت لحشد الدعم العام لعمليتها العسكرية في غزة. ويشير علاء الدين إلى أنه، "في موقع آخر، تستطيع أن ترى انه حتى المسؤولين الإسرائيليين، ومنهم مسؤولون في القنصلية الإسرائيلية في نيويورك، يستخدمون حساباتهم على موقع تويتر (للتواصل الاجتماعي) للتعبير أيضا عن آرائهم فيما يحدث وليعرفوا آراء الآخرين. وهناك حساب على موقع تويتر يتولى إحصاء عدد الصواريخ التي تطلق باتجاه إسرائيل". وقال مسؤولو الصحة في غزة إن زهاء 500 فلسطيني قتلوا في غزة وأصيب أكثر من 2000 جراء الحملة الإسرائيلية المستمرة على القطاع منذ 10 أيام. وقالت الأمم المتحدة إن أكثر من ربع القتلى في غزة مدنيون. في المقابل، قتل 4 مدنيين إسرائيليين وجندي في هجمات صاروخية وصلت إلى مسافة أكبر داخل إسرائيل، من أي وقت مضى، ما يضع ثمن سكان إسرائيل في مرمى الصواريخ.

Israel brings Gaza airstrikes to the Web

The Israel Defense Forces this week extended its airstrikes on Gaza to the Web, posting video footage of its air assault against Hamas militants on YouTube and using Twitter to spread its message.

According to various news reports, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) created its own YouTube channel carrying videos that include black-and-white aerial footage of attacks on Hamas weapon sites, and clips of Hamas terrorists loading rockets into trucks.

An IDF spokesperson said it is using the platform to "help us bring our message to the world," by offering "exclusive footage showing the IDF's operation success" in Gaza.

Israel launched its air assault on Gaza on December 27 in a move to stop Hamas militants from firing rockets into Israeli territory.

The New York Israeli Consulate also initiated a Twitter feed in an attempt to share its viewpoints with a younger audience, garnering more than 2,900 followers since its microblogging service was launched Monday.

Spokesperson for the consulate David Saranga, as quoted in a CNN report, said: "We saw that there is a big debate, a very vivid debate about the situation in Gaza, and we wanted to bring our point of view. We wanted to share it with people on Twitter.

"We wanted to outreach to the young generation, who does not read the conventional media, but is still interested in events in the Middle East, so we thought this is a good way to be an official voice for the questions people are asking," Saranga said.

Videos removed, reinstated
Some of the IDF's videos on YouTube were removed, presumably due to a policy on the video-sharing site that prohibits "inappropriate content." The site provides a feature that allows users to flag videos as unsuitable, and such content will be removed if it is deemed to violate YouTube's guidelines.

Some clips, however, were later reinstated.

While not commenting directly on the IDF videos, YouTube's policy chief Victoria Grand said in the CNN report: "Occasionally, a video flagged by users is mistakenly taken down. When this is brought to our attention, we review the content and take appropriate action, which may include restoring videos that had been removed."

The IDF said in a statement on its YouTube channel: "We are saddened that YouTube has taken down some of our exclusive footage.

"As the state of Israel again faces those who would see it destroyed, it is imperative that we in the IDF show the world the inhumanity directed against us and our efforts to stop it."

According to FoxNews.com, Israel plans to launch an independent blog where videos can be viewed without any restrictions.

Eileen Yu reported for ZDNet Asia.

iMuslims Gary R. Bunt

Approx. 416 pp., 61/8 x 91/4, 26 illus., 1 table, glossary, notes, index

Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks

Cloth

ISBN  978-0-8078-3258-5

Available: May 2009

Paper

ISBN  978-0-8078-5966-7

Available: May 2009

iMuslims

Rewiring the House of Islam

By Gary R. Bunt

---

Exploring the increasing impact of the Internet on Muslims around the world, this book sheds new light on the nature of contemporary Islamic discourse, identity, and community.

The Internet has profoundly shaped how both Muslims and non-Muslims perceive Islam and how Islamic societies and networks are evolving and shifting in the twenty-first century, says Gary Bunt. While Islamic society has deep historical patterns of global exchange, the Internet has transformed how many Muslims practice the duties and rituals of Islam. A place of religious instruction may exist solely in the virtual world, for example, or a community may gather only online. Drawing on more than a decade of online research, Bunt shows how social-networking sites, blogs, and other "cyber-Islamic environments" have exposed Muslims to new influences outside the traditional spheres of Islamic knowledge and authority. Furthermore, the Internet has dramatically influenced forms of Islamic activism and radicalization, including jihad-oriented campaigns by networks such as al-Qaeda.

By surveying the broad spectrum of approaches used to present dimensions of Islamic social, spiritual, and political life on the Internet, iMuslims encourages diverse understandings of online Islam and of Islam generally.

About the Author

Gary R. Bunt is senior lecturer in Islamic studies at the University of Wales. He is author of Virtually Islamic and Islam in the Digital Age.

Reviews

"Many scholars have commented on on-line Islam, and a few have undertaken research, but only Bunt has developed a comprehensive approach to chronicling Muslims' uptake of the full range of cyber-technologies. iMuslims is a significant book for both religious studies and policy studies."
--Jon W. Anderson, coeditor of Reformatting Politics: Information Technology and Global Civic Society

"Bunt demonstrates an unparalleled command of the many and diverse manifestations of Islam on the Internet. Thoroughly comprehensive and up-to-date,iMuslims offers a wealth of examples throughout, allowing the reader to come away with a firm sense of the rich world of 'cyber-Islamic environments.'"
--Peter Mandaville, author of Global Political Islam

تضامن واسع مع الصحفي العراقي منتظر الزيدي

وظهر التأييد والرضا العربي الواسع عما فعله منتظر، من خلال الإقبال غير المسبوق على مواقع الإنترنت، حيث حيا مئات الألوف منتظر، وتسابق الكثير منهم في التعبير عن إعجابه شعرا ونثرا، كما شهد موقع الجزيرة نت حدا لا سابق له من التعليقات التي أرسلها متصفحو الموقع على قضية منتظر.

وحفلت صحف إلكترونية أردنية ومقالات لعدد من الكتاب بالإشادة بإلقاء الحذاء من جانب الصحفي منتظر الزيدي على الرئيس الأميركي.

خبر عاجل
وتبادل الأردنيون الرسائل الخلوية والاتصالات الهاتفية التي حثوا فيها بعضهم البعض على متابعة الحادثة، فيما أرسلت مئات الرسائل الإلكترونية التي تحمل اللقطة التي تظهر الرئيس الأميركي بينما كانت فردة حذاء الصحفي الأولى تطير باتجاهه.

ومن بين هذه الرسائل واحدة تقول "خبر عاجل: حظر ارتداء الأحذية في الأماكن التي يزورها الرئيس الأميركي"، ورسالة أخرى تدعو إلى بناء تمثال لحذاء الصحفي منتظر الزيدي.

واستقبلت المواقع الإلكترونية مئات التعليقات على الحادثة، حيث أشادت معظم هذه التعليقات بالصحفي العراقي ووصفته بالبطل ودعت إلى تكريمه.

في حين كانت بعض التعليقات عبارة عن نكات أطلقها بعض الصحفيين، ومنها أنه لن يسمح للصحفيين بدءاً من الآن بحضور المؤتمرات الصحفية إلا حفاة، وأخرى تقول إن مصنعي الأسلحة الأميركية بدؤوا في تصنيع سلاح مضاد للأحذية.

كما اقترحت تعليقات أخرى عرض حذاء الصحفي للبيع بالمزاد العلني مؤكدة أنه سيباع بالملايين.

وحفلت صحف إلكترونية أردنية ومقالات لعدد من الكتاب بالإشادة بإلقاء الحذاء من جانب الصحفي منتظر الزيدي على الرئيس الأميركي.

كما حفلت رسائل إلكترونية وأخرى عبر أجهزة الهواتف النقالة تبادلها أردنيون اليوم بالتعليقات الساخرة مما تعرض له بوش.

ومن بين هذه الرسائل واحدة تقول "خبر عاجل: حظر ارتداء الأحذية في الأماكن التي يزورها الرئيس الأميركي"، ورسالة أخرى تدعو إلى بناء تمثال لحذاء الصحفي منتظر الزيدي.

bloggers in Morocco

Morocco jails king insult blogger

Mohammed Erraji's family claim he did not receive a fair trial A Moroccan blogger has been jailed for two years for showing disrespect to the monarchy, say the man's family. Mohammed Erraji, 29, was convicted after writing an article claiming King Mohammed VI's charitable habits were encouraging a culture of dependency. There has been no official comment on the case, but rights groups claim Erraji did not have a fair trial. A BBC reporter says criticising the king is an offence in Morocco and the royal family remains a taboo subject. Morocco has previously caused international outrage with its treatment of internet users. Earlier this year, Fouad Mortada was sentenced to three years in prison for creating a false profile on the internet site Facebook using the identity of the king's brother. He received a royal pardon following protests from internet users around the world. 'Disastrous' Erraji claimed in an internet article that the king's charity towards Moroccans was stifling development by encouraging people to be lazy.  It happened so quickly that all his rights were flouted  AMDH's Khadija Riyadi "This has made the Moroccans a people without dignity, who live by donations and gifts," he wrote. The BBC's James Copnall in the capital, Rabat, says he was particularly critical of the practice known as grima - giving lucrative licences to run taxis and other transport in exchange for begging letters. Erraji said this did not happen in developed countries, where hard work rather than begging is rewarded. He was arrested by the authorities last Friday and accused of "lacking the respect due to the king". In court on Monday, he was given a two-year prison sentence and fined 5,000 Dirham ($630:£356). One relative, who claimed to have been present at the trial, said Erraji had not had a lawyer and that the judgement took only ten minutes. "The judge passed sentence very quickly but we couldn't hear what was being said. He had no opportunity to explain himself," said the relative, who asked not to be named. He told Reuters news agency that Erraji was in poor health and was just a "free thinker who simply wants the best for his country". The blogger's brother told the BBC the sentence was disastrous for his family, as Erraji is the only one with a regular income 'Totalitarian' Human rights groups have criticised the verdict and demanded that Erraji be released. It is an offence to disrespect the king under Moroccan press laws Reporters Without Borders said the trial was "worthy of the most totalitarian states" and the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) said the basic elements of a fair trial were not respected. "It happened so quickly that all his rights were flouted," said Khadija Riyadi. A Facebook group and an internet site have been set up in support of Erraji. Our correspondent says Erraji's best hope of freedom could lie in a pardon from the very man whose policies he criticised.

Web helps Obama with transition

Change was the key theme of Senator Obama's campaign Barack Obama is turning to the web as he prepares to become US president. Via a website called Change.gov, the Obama campaign plans to provide a guide to the transition process. The site also solicits suggestions from US citizens about their vision for America, and lets them apply for a post with the new administration. On its transition website, the US governmental watchdog has listed the 13 most urgent issues that will soon confront President-elect Obama. Job ads The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) listed oversight of US financial institutions and markets, and the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as the most pressing issues. The creation of the Change.gov website is seen by many as making good on Mr Obama's stated aim to make the process of governing more transparent. A blog on the site will document the transition process, and elsewhere it plans to provide biographies and background on the people Mr Obama is recruiting. The site will also accept applications for "non-career" posts in the incoming administration. The site does not give details about posts for which it is seeking recruits, but it said some of the roles would require "Senate approval" suggesting they could be positions of some influence. The site also wants US citizens to tell their stories about what Obama's campaign meant to them, and pass on their "vision" for what they would like to see happen in America. Security threat It is not just Barack Obama who is using the net to get his message across. Hi-tech criminals are also capitalising on his victory in an attempt to trick web users into handing over valuable information. F-Secure found a booby-trapped page claiming to host a copy of Obama's acceptance speech that prompted visitors to update their Flash video player before viewing the video clip. Anyone downloading and installing the supposed update would fall victim to a virus that stole bank login details. "E-mail users who are eager to get the latest scoop on Obama's monumental presidential win should be careful that they are not being tricked by conniving cybercriminals," said Graham Cluley from Sophos. The security firm also came across junk mail messages claiming that either Barack Obama or John McCain had died. Those following the links in these junk messages would find themselves on the website of a Canadian pharmacist. In the run up to the US election, security firm Symantec said it had found junk mail messages that posed as a survey of voter attitudes that tried to gather and steal personal data. Another spam message offered a free "Barackumentary" on DVD, that users could get by providing credit card and other personal details.