Worth a look
Leaks from both sides of mouth
In a fresh Insights column, NSZ's Josh Meyer explains that when it comes to leaks, the Obama administration plays both sides, "acknowledging the need for highly sensitive and even classified information to get out to the public when it is expedient and beneficial to its approval ratings, and trying to prosecute those who release information that it doesn’t like." Read more.Missing Journalist James Foley now thought held by Syrian government, report says
Foley in June, 2011
U.S. Journalist James Foley, missing in Syria since Thansgiving 2012, is now thought to be being held by the Syrian government.
"With a very high degree of confidence, we now believe that Jim was most likely abducted by a pro-regime militia group and subsequently turned over to Syrian government forces,” GlobalPost CEO and President Philip Balboni said on May 3 during a speech marking World Press Freedom Day. (Full story) This is the second time in 18 months that the 2008 Medill School of Journalism graduate has been taken captive in a war zone.
“The family appeals for the release of Jim unharmed,” his relatives said on a web site focused on getting him freed. He was kidnapped in northwest Syria on Thanksgiving Day, the family said.
Watch video archive of May 3 World Press Freedom Day event in Boston: “Silenced Voices: When Conflict Journalists Go Missing.”
Posts by James Arkin
Downloading information – 140 characters at a time
(Mar. 26, 2012)WASHINGTON — The more than 7,000 characters in Twitter’s online privacy policy break down how little privacy each 140-character tweet has. Twitter users may be forfeiting far more information than they realize.
In February, it came to light that through the “Find Friends” function on its mobile app, Twitter is able to download the full address books of mobile users, including phone numbers and emails. The iPhone app does not alert users that their information is being downloaded, but rather says they can “scan” contacts for people they already know. (Continue reading . . .)
Social network apps criticized for downloading data
(Feb. 21, 2012)Several social media companies came under fire last week after the discovery that they were downloading users’ full address books – without their knowledge or consent. (Continue reading . . .)
