An Agatha Christie mystery for the Internet Age.

The website Wikileaks has certainly earned the wrath of some major international governments and corporations: the US,  Chinese, Saudis,and even Bank of America to name a few. So it is not surprising that on December 1, 2010 we  find the  site ‘unavailable’.  According to Geek.com, a DDoS attack has crippled the site, but a possible rescuer maybe  Amazon. Wikileaks is now hosted by Amazon after massive DDoS attacks questions who has the ability to inflict such a massive attack, and how long Amazon wants to be in the thick of controversies.

The issue of censorship needs to be addressed if  in fact a government blocked the site, and takes the issue to a whole different level. Can a government censor not only sites in their own country, but also globally? Since Wikileaks was hosted in Sweden, will the World tolerate other nations shutting down the site? These questions should be debated once the mystery is solved– Who shut down Wikileaks?

The Evil Empire once again prepares for World Domination!

In my lectures concerning Internet search strategies  I often refer to Google as an ‘evil empire’. There are those who may feel this statement is a bit harsh, while others might feel I am being to kind. Like many in Academia, my love/hate relationship with Google is very complicated. Although I am constantly in awe of their innovations, I deep down question their aggressive growth. In today’s Wall Street Journal Google’s latest entry into world domination is revealed– Google Editions.

According to Google set to launch E-book Venture , the company has decided a totally different approach to e-books. The ‘ open read anywhere’ approach is a total restructuring of the e-book business model — it makes available for download (and purchase) e-titles without limiting the user to a particular reading device. It is a bold approach, one of those’ think outside the box’ ideas that has made Google the success it is. The fact that users will not need to invest in a reader is a major plus. However, one must question the contracts with publishers and bookstores the company is entering into and ask ourselves how big can Google get before it needs to be tamed.

It seems that the European Union has begun questioning Google’s dominance according to an article on WSJ.com: EU Opens  Google Antitrust Probe. Like Microsoft before it, Google has rattled the European Union with some of their business approaches. This case should make for some interesting drama in the coming months.

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