Blog Post Week 4

Task 1:

Did Social Media Cause the British Riots?

Although the British Riots were originally sparked by a police shooting, social media certainly played both a positive and a negative role during London’s violent scenes last month.

One of the problems with companies such as Twitter and Facebook, is its ability to spread information within minutes. This kind of quick access is especially useful for criminals, and in this case, both social media sites helped looters avoid pressure and authority from the police.

However, following British Prime Minister David Cameron’s response to the possibility of “cracking down” on communication devices in England, Cameron also recognized the benefit such devices had for families seeking shelter and connecting with loved ones during the riots.

Perhaps the biggest concern though is the fact that the riots were planned online from the very beginning. Prior to the uprise of the internet, the magnitude of such events would likely have been much lower, yet the exposure the internet gains within seconds allowed the riots to escalate fast.

Overall, this is an issue that the United Nations does need to take rather seriously. It is a basic human right to allow people the use of “free speech”, yet when it is used to rebel against democracy and propose a threat to others human rights, an issue is easily noticed.

Further reading and reference:http://www.apc.org/en/node/12807/

Task 2: 

Pick a social networking site that you either regularly visit or know about, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Bebo, Livejournal, Tumblr, Google+, etc., and discuss in 200 words how you understand the Terms of Service that all users must agree to to be invited into the site.  

The Terms of Service on Twitter:

The services featured on Twitter.com allow a user to publish content of 140 characters or less to a list of their followers. The kind of content allowed on Twitter varies, although by publishing "tweets", a user recognizes that anything he or she says is vulnerable to scrutiny and investigation depending on the context. In addition with the content a user provides, Twitter enables a single person to publish thoughts or information to the world. However, Twitter's privacy act states that the company is entitled to collect any information published in a tweet, and is also entitled to share information with the United States government and several other countries for "storage".

Enclosed in Twitter's "Content on the Services" section, the company consents that any tweet published "is the sole responsibility of the person who originated such content". Twitter clearly states that the company is not responsible for the truthfulness or accuracy of a tweet, and can not be held accountable should information published be incorrect or misleading. Finally. Twitter also informs its users that both the company name and the sites logo are subject to copyright laws and trademark laws within the United States. By using Twitter, an account holder is free to publish information to the outside world, but defamation laws are taken seriously by the site and its owners.