media

With the ubiquity of Facebook and other social networking tools, most Internet users are accustomed now to divulging more personal information than they would have just a few short years ago. Privacy may not yet be a thing of the past, but technology seems to be pressing us in that direction. HTML5 is a new computer language designed to allow users to better surf the Web, but it also raises questions about how much more information it allows software developers and marketers to gather about users.

If anyone with a camera, computer, or blog can be considered a journalist, does it make sense for laws to create special protections for journalists? Or if a journalist must be someone employed by a media organization, someone who earns a regular salary and is specifically tasked with collecting and disseminating news and information, does it make sense to extend special legal protections only to that group? The question has been raised most recently in Iraq, South Africa and Turkey.

As I read earlier this week about the United Arab Emirates’ decision to bar the use of BlackBerry’s data services, I was reminded of why the work we do in IREX’s media development division is so important. Access to information is critical whether you’re in an international business hub like Dubai, or living in a remote village in sub-Saharan Africa.