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Twitter to begin ‘reactively’ censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China

Posted by Richard Lai | Filed under Techie Stuff

It's no secret that certain countries have different views over freedom of expression on the internet, but this hasn't stopped Twitter's attempt to keep its service running in as many places as possible. In its latest blog post, the microblogging service announced that it'll begin "to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country" when required, in order to keep said content available to all users elsewhere (as opposed to blocking it globally). The withheld tweets will be marked accordingly while their authors get notified with reasons where possible, and internet legal rights monitor Chilling Effects will also post the relevant take-down notices on a dedicated page.

This may seem like some form of censorship taking over Twitter, but the company only mentioned those of "historical or cultural reasons" like the ban of pro-Nazi content in France and Germany; so it's not clear whether Twitter will also handle similarly with tweets that potentially lead to events such as the UK riots last year. Even though Twitter didn't elaborate further for Reuters, there is one reassuring line in the post:

"Some [countries] differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there."

One such country is most likely China, and back at AsiaD in October, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey told us that there's simply no way for his company to work with the Chinese government (you can watch him answering us at 38:17 in the video -- courtesy of All Things D -- after the break):

"The unfortunate fact is we're just not allowed to compete in this market, and that's not up to us to change. The person to ask is trade experts between both governments, but at the end of the day we can't compete. They (Chinese microblogging platforms) can compete in our markets, and we're certainly interested in what that means for us... We would love to have a strong Twitter in China, but we'd need to be allowed to do that."

There are obviously many factors that add up to this sour relationship, but the contradiction between China's strict internet monitoring policy and Twitter's core values is most likely the biggest obstacle. And of course, the Chinese government would favor its home-grown tech properties, anyway. That said, several months ago, one of the country's largest microblogging services Sina Weibo was criticized by the authorities for not censoring fast enough, so it's obvious that it'd be even trickier to work with a foreign company that sees things differently. Things are unlikely to change any time soon, or ever, unless China relaxes its policy.

Continue reading Twitter to begin 'reactively' censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China

Twitter to begin 'reactively' censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reuters | source

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Tags: twitter

Read more | Comments (0) | January 27th, 2012

Twitter buys Summify, helps you automatically turn off the noise

Posted by Daniel Cooper | Filed under Techie Stuff

Summify is a beloved little news-curation platform that works out (based on your reading habits and those of your friends) what news is most relevant to you. Yesterday the Vancouver-based start-up announced that it had been snapped up by Twitter and will commence shutting down in the next week. Fortunately, the team is relocating down to the micro-blogging site's San Francisco base, ostensibly to bake the service into forthcoming variations of the site -- which might be enough to stop us complaining about losing our retweets panel. Hopefully this means that we can dial out all the noise about Lindsay Lohan without having to ask it: truly we are living in the future.

Twitter buys Summify, helps you automatically turn off the noise originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daring Fireball, Mike Industries | source

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Tags: twitter

Read more | Comments (0) | January 20th, 2012

Google+ web app adds two new features, iOS and Android soon to follow

Posted by Joshua Tucker | Filed under Techie Stuff

Twitter recently revamped its web interface, and now Google has decided to do the same for the Google+ web app, bringing two new features that should be a boon for the Big G's thriving social network. You can now see who's been rolling out +1's to your latest Hello Kitty pics with a simple click of the +1 count near the button. There's also a "What's Hot" stream, a section focused on the most interesting shared content that's accessed by flicking your thumb right on the main Circles timeline. The only casualty from this update was the Incoming feed page, which was replaced due to lack of use according to its creator. The iOS and Android applications are expected to make the jump soon, but in the meantime, the web app should satisfy the need to indulge.

Google+ web app adds two new features, iOS and Android soon to follow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Phone Scoop | source

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Tags: Cellphones, twitter

Read more | Comments (0) | January 18th, 2012

Harada ‘considering’ Tekken X Street Fighter on Vita

Posted by Ben Gilbert | Filed under gAmINg

Namco producer Katsuhiro Harada is leading up production of Tekken X Street Fighter -- he's the Yoshinori Ono of Namco, if you will. And like his Capcom counterpart, Harada has repeatedly taken to Twitter to answer fan questions about his current project, most recently telling one Twitter user that he's currently "considering" a Vita port of the title.

He didn't mention much else, unfortunately, though he did take time to promote an upcoming community vote via the game's Facebook page, that'll allow fans to choose which characters end up in the upcoming fighter. One follower suggested both Final Fight's famed crossdresser, Poison, as well as Street Fighter Alpha 3's Karin. We're gonna go out on a limb and ask Harada for Ryu and Eddy Gordo. Those guys never get any time in the spotlight!

Harada 'considering' Tekken X Street Fighter on Vita originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: twitter

Read more | Comments (0) | January 16th, 2012

Report: GAME outs new Need for Speed, reaffirms Medal of Honor sequel

Posted by Ben Gilbert | Filed under gAmINg

Someone at British brick-and-mortar franchise Game seems to have confirmed our expectant attitude towards EA's Need for Speed franchise. The British retail outlet's Twitter account documented a trip to EA for a presentation, and casually noted plans for a new Need for Speed ("Need for Speed 13!"), not to mention a word on the as-yet-unseen Medal of Honor sequel. As Eurogamer reports, the tweet is no longer available, though other volleys from the account confirm the retailer's presence at an EA presentation.

EA has spoken about a Medal of Honor sequel in the past, though this is the first we've heard of it in quite some time. It's said to be developed by EA's Danger Close studio, and we're not sure if Battlefield studio EA DICE will be once more tasked with handling the multiplayer component. Meanwhile, following the pattern of annual Need for Speed releases, it's likely that Burnout studio Criterion will be tasked with the thirteenth (!!) entry in the series.

We've reached out to EA for comment, but aren't expecting much more than some light under its breath cursing.

Update: In response to this report, an EA rep told Joystiq, "We do not comment on rumor or speculation."

[Image credit: GAME]

Report: GAME outs new Need for Speed, reaffirms Medal of Honor sequel originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: twitter

Read more | Comments (0) | January 12th, 2012

Nokia confirms Lumia 900 doesn’t have Pentile display

Posted by Terrence O'Brien | Filed under Techie Stuff

While we knew the Lumia 900 would have "Clear Black" AMOLED display, what we didn't know was whether it would sport a Pentile Matrix layout (like the Lumia 800). Well, fret no more friends, it's official -- the Lumia 900 has a full battery of subpixels in an RGB array. Nokia confirmed as such earlier via it's US Twitter account in reply to a user's inquiry. Between LTE and the RGB panel it looks like Nokia has its first genuinely lust-worthy Mango device on its hands.

Nokia confirms Lumia 900 doesn't have Pentile display originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Verge | source

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Tags: CES, twitter

Read more | Comments (0) | January 11th, 2012

Shazam launches new Player app, lets you get to know your jams better

Posted by Brian Heater | Filed under Techie Stuff

Shazam today released its first fully new app since the launch of the familiar self-titled music tagging app. The new, simply-named Shazam Player offers up streaming lyrics, YouTube videos, concert dates and lets you make playlists on the go. You can also share your favorites via Facebook and Twitter, to properly avoid becoming a musical shut-in. Press release and video after the break.

Continue reading Shazam launches new Player app, lets you get to know your jams better

Shazam launches new Player app, lets you get to know your jams better originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: iphone, twitter

Read more | Comments (0) | January 11th, 2012

Karotz connects to Facebook and Twitter, waits for Godot (video)

Posted by Joseph Volpe | Filed under Techie Stuff

Nabaztag has died many a death, but that quirky rabbit's legacy still lives on in lil' bro Karotz. The desktop-friendly bunny, which just launched in the US today, is what parent company Violet is calling the "first Facebook hardware." It's a strong claim to make, but that superfluous moniker is actually better applied to the device's social networking integration. When connected to the internet, the unit's voice recognition software (processed by external servers) can execute commands to snap photos -- taken via built-in webcam -- and upload them to Facebook. You can even have it read your Twitter feed, in addition to the weather. The company's also released an app, available for Android and iOS, that gives users the ability to send typed messages through the unit -- resulting in a talking Karotz -- or simply manipulate its ears. It's a fun exercise in uselessness -- at least, that's how one rep on the showroom floor put it. Can't decide if you've got $129 to burn? Then check out our video below while you ponder the merits of this pointless tech.

Gallery: Karotz hands-on

Continue reading Karotz connects to Facebook and Twitter, waits for Godot (video)

Karotz connects to Facebook and Twitter, waits for Godot (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: CES, twitter

Read more | Comments (0) | January 10th, 2012

Mercedes-Benz intros mbrace2 at CES, brings apps to the car

Posted by Dante Cesa | Filed under Techie Stuff

Here at Mercedes-Benz's CES keynote (its first), the creator of the automobile just unveiled the successor to its telematics system: mbrace2. This second generation builds upon last year's release, focusing heavily on adding social media into the mix with app support like Twitter, Facebook and Yelp via a smartphone interconnect -- much in the vein of BMW Apps and Ford SYNC AppLink. Rolling out first in the 2013 SL and later eventually to all US models, CEO Dieter Zetsche also mentioned it'll update itself, as lets face it, visits to the dealer just for new features isn't pleasant nor speedy. Stay tuned for a hands-on from the show floor in a few.

Gallery: Mercedes Benz CES keynote