Cyberculture agenda: “XKEYSCORE: NSA’s Google for the World’s Private Communications

  XKEYSCORE: NSA’s Google for the World’s Private Communications  The Intercept by Morgan Marquis-Boire Illustrations by Blue Delliquanti and David Axe for The Intercept One of the National Security Agency’s most powerful tools of mass surveillance makes tracking someone’s Internet usage as easy as entering an email address, and provides no built-in technology to prevent abuse. Today, The Intercept is … Read more

Cyberculture agenda: “Twitter Users Can Now Crowdsource the Fight Against Trolls [not for all users yet]

Europe launches antitrust investigation into Amazon’s ebooks business The Next Web by Amanda Connolly The European Commission has launched a formal antitrust investigation into Amazons ebook business to determine if the company is abusing its powers. The investigation is going to hone in on Amazon’s contracts with publishers, Russian cybersecurity firm hacked  BBC News | Europe | World … Read more

Journalism agenda: A CIA agent sentenced to 42 months for leaking to NYT…

CIA’s Jeffrey Sterling Sentenced to 42 Months for Leaking to New York Times Journalist – The Intercept firstlook.org – Peter Maass – May 11, 7:53 AM – Alexandria, VA — Jeffrey Sterling, a CIA agent convicted of sharing classified information with a New York Times reporter, was sentenced today to three and a half years … Read more

Pro-gov’t daily, Yeni Şafak’s desperate agenda-change attempts: A purported document that İnönü poisoned Atatürk…

Turkish university students demand Jedi, Buddhist temples amid mosque frenzy Thousands of Turkish students have raised their voices in online campaigns to build Jedi and Buddhist temples at their universities, after a series of mosques were constructed on their campuses by rectors who stressed “huge demand.” Boycott Call After Death of Rebuked Teacher Halil Serkan Öz Bianet … Read more

For the moment, “Turkey’s pro-gov’t ‘trolls’ hit hard in latest Twitter battle

  Turkey’s pro-gov’t ‘trolls’ hit hard in latest Twitter battle A spectacular social media war has begun, with Turkey’s pro-gov’t ‘trolls’ losing the latest battle against an apparently more organized virtual opposition. Ceylan Yeginsu ‏@CeylanWrites The Sultanahmet bomber was a 4-month pregnant teen from Dagestan, whose husband died in Kobani fighting for ISIS. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/world/europe/a-norway-town-and-its-pipeline-to-jihad-in-syria.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share … Renowned Turkish professor … Read more

Finally some kind of good news… “Historic deal in Iran nuclear talks…

  Obama: Breakthrough in Iran nuclear talks will ‘make our world safer’ Iran and six world powers have announced an understanding outlining limits on Iran‘s nuclear program so it cannot lead to atomic weapons, directing negotiators toward achieving a comprehensive agreement within three months See also: Netanyahu drops ‘Game of Thrones’ during Congress speech on … Read more

The Turkish army is back. “236 acquitted in Balyoz coup case

236 acquitted in Balyoz coup case   All 236 suspects in the ‘Balyoz’ coup plot case were acquitted March 31 after the case’s prosecutor argued that digital data submitted as evidence was ‘fake’ Turkish army denounces ‘illegal copying’ of state secrets The Turkish General Staff has filed a criminal complaint over the permitting of top secret information … Read more

Cyberculture agenda: “Citizenfour takes Oscar for Best Documentary…

 Citizenfour takes Oscar for Best Documentary  Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow Edward Snowden documentary Citizenfour wins Oscar theguardian.com – Andrew Pulver – Feb 22, 7:51 PM – Citizenfour has won the Oscar for best documentary, for its director Laura Poitras, editor Mathilde Bonnefoy and producer Dirk Wilutzky. Citizenfour chronicles the revelations by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden … Read more

Orhan Pamuk raises his harshest critique against AKP while high schools students arrested for insulting Erdoğan, Advocates Protest Homeland Security Reforms…

Pamuk: ‘Authoritarian and Islamist government’ replaced soldiers in Turkey Hurriyet Daily News The AKP is ‘destroying the balance of powers’ and ‘authoritarian soldiers were (pushed) out, (an) authoritarian and Islamist government took their place,’ Nobel laureate Pamuk says Turkey’s premier author anxiously observes his changing home The Times of Israel Turkish Nobel laureate author Orhan Pamuk … Read more

Journalism agenda: BBC report on the Future of News…

Future of News: News v Noise In this digital age where information inequality is growing, the news industry is having to rethink the way it will keep everyone informed. Continue reading the main story By the BBC’s director of news and current affairs, James Harding. The war on leaks has gone way too far when … Read more

EFD Rights Watch: Journalists’ Twitter messages blocked.. Eren Keskin sentenced…

A Turkish court decides to block hundreds of specific messages mostly written by journalists. Here is the news in Turkish and here is the court decision.   Eren Keskin Sentenced to 10 Months Due to Article 301  Bianet :: English Human rights advocate Eren Keskin was sentenced to 10 months of prison due to Article 301, a … Read more

Rubens’ Three Graces is in trouble in Turkey! Barbarians at the Gates news from Turkey…

Turkey’s media watchdog goes into racy details for kiss scene RTÜK has done it again, raising eyebrows this time by going into the ‘erotic’ details of a TV drama kiss scene WorldViews: Why Turkey’s military wants to ban ‘Game of Thrones’  Yahoo news New regulations for military schools in Turkey reportedly prohibit the screening of shows like … Read more

Iraq Kurd fighters on Turkey border await to join Kobane; Biden to visit Turkey next month…

  US Vice President Joe Biden to visit Turkey next month US Vice President Joe Biden next month visits Ukraine as well as Turkey, where fighting across the border in the Syrian town of Kobane has sparked tensions with Washington Iraq Kurd fighters leave base for Syria deployment: report More than 150 Kurdish peshmerga fighters left a … Read more

Biden’s apology spree. “UAE [also] says Biden apologises for any implication it supported militants

UAE says Biden apologises for any implication it supported militants The United Arab Emirates said on Oct. 5 that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden had apologised to the Abu Dhabi crown prince for “any implications” in a speech he made last week that the UAE had supported Islamist militants in Syria. US Vice President Biden says Turkish … Read more

Eurosphere agenda: “Russia is no longer the EU’s strategic partner… “women in right-wing extremist groups in Germany..

  Ukrainian soldiers battling Russian tanks at Lugansk: Army Ukrainian troops on Sept. 1 were battling a Russian tank contingent in the eastern city of Lugansk, Kiev said, accusing Moscow’s army units of moving into large cities in the region What further sanctions is the EU considering against Russia? Open Europe blog Given the recent escalation in … Read more