censorship
China Censors Totally Awesome Communist Officials Orgy Picture Scandal
Adrian Chen · 08/15/12 02:29PMWeibo, China's popular Twitter clone, has been in the midst of a summer political scandal that puts Weinergate to shame. Scores of photos of a six-person orgy went viral on Weibo last week, along with rumors that the participants are high-ranking Communist officials. Censors were quick to swoop in, unsurprisingly.
NBC Cut Terror Victims Tribute Because It Wasn't 'Tailored for the U.S. Audience'
Louis Peitzman · 07/29/12 01:37PMChina Blocks Bloomberg.com for Unflattering Story on Leader
Hamilton Nolan · 06/29/12 08:25AMA tipster tells us (and Twitter confirms) that Bloomberg's website has been blocked in China thanks to their publication this morning of this lengthy investigative story detailing the wealth of various relatives of Xi Jinping (pictured, with Hank Paulson), the man likely to be China's next president.
Chinese Stock Market Gives Giant Fuck You to Censors On Anniversary of Tiananmen Square
Adrian Chen · 06/04/12 10:28AMYou know that thing where you're really trying to avoid thinking of an ex but the universe mysteriously conspires to remind you of them at every moment? That happened to the Chinese government today, except with violent repression. The Chinese stock market fell 64.89 points today, the 23rd anniversary of the military crackdown on student protests in Tiananmen Square on June 4th, 1989. 6/4/89. Whoops.
Pakistan Blocks Access to Twitter, Then Thinks Better of It
Louis Peitzman · 05/20/12 02:20PMThe 'Tax the Rich' Talk TED Deemed 'Too Political' to Post (UPDATE: Now with Video)
Neetzan Zimmerman · 05/17/12 12:30PMThe Non-Geek's Guide to CISPA, the Cybersecurity Bill The Internet is Freaking Out Over
Adrian Chen · 04/26/12 11:00AMRemember the protest over the anti-piracy bill SOPA, which left Wikipedia black for a day and depressed the GPA of a large portion of the world's high school students? This week brings another internet freakout over a similarly geeky bill: The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISPA). Non-geeks, here is what you need to know.
The Chinese Government Did Censor Kate Winslet’s 3D Breasts, But The Quote You Read Explaining Why Is Totally Fake
Caity Weaver · 04/12/12 06:30PMNYC Standardized Tests: No Dancing, Death, or Politics
Caity Weaver · 03/27/12 06:01PMThe New York Post reports that the New York City department of Education has advised testmakers of 50 not very controversial "controversial" words to avoid when creating city-wide standardized tests. Among those singled out: dancing (except ballet – guess someone hasn't seen Black Swan), death, and politics.
The Reign of the PG-13 Rating: Sanitized, Safe, and Worth Shitloads of Money
Rich Juzwiak · 03/27/12 04:30PMIt's a great time for PG-13. Seven out of the nine films nominated for Best Picture at this year's Oscars were rated PG-13. Eight of the Top 10 grossing films of last year in the U.S. sported that rating. It's become something of a badge of honor: This Means War was edited to qualify (not that it made a difference in its paltry box office take), The Expendables sequel is being tailored to be a PG-13 "barbeque of grand scale ass bashing [that] will not leave anyone hungry" (according to Sly Stallone) and high-profile outrage met the MPAA's decision to slap Lee Hirsch's documentary Bully with an R instead.
Inside Facebook's Outsourced Anti-Porn and Gore Brigade, Where 'Camel Toes' are More Offensive Than 'Crushed Heads'
Adrian Chen · 02/16/12 03:45PMDavid Fincher to India: The Anal Rape Stays in the Picture
Louis Peitzman · 01/28/12 02:51PM
Barring a glossy Bollywood remake — which, honestly, could be kind of fun — India will not be releasing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. According to The Hollywood Reporter, India's Central Board of Film Certification demanded some pretty big content cuts. To which David Fincher said, "No fucking way." (I doubt he used that language, but when rejecting censorship, it's always fun to throw in an extra swear.)
Twitter Blackout Protest Means Fewer Tweets About Brunch
Louis Peitzman · 01/28/12 09:00AM
If your Twitter timeline is looking a little quieter this morning, it could be as a result of a day-long protest against Twitter's recent announcement that they would be blocking certain tweets in different countries. As it turns out, the concept of free speech and expression differs from nation to nation, and Twitter would rather not facilitate any illegal activity.
Facebook Finally Acknowledges Existence of Unfortunately-Named Town of Effin
Adrian Chen · 01/06/12 06:03PMFacebook has finally allowed the residents of the Irish town of Effin to list the place as their hometown, after months of blocking it for being "offensive". You know, 'cause "effin" sounds like the F-word, and Facebook's sensitive servers might blow up if even a hint of coarseness brushes their fiber optics.
How to Photoshop Your Way to a $425,000 Payoff
Lauri Apple · 12/17/11 02:00PMFormer University of Northern Colorado student Tom Mink (right) (ha, just kidding—left!) just received a $425,000 settlement from a bunch of Colorado cities for improperly searching his home and confiscating his computer after he'd created "Junius Puke," the Photoshop at right of UNC finance professor Junius Peake.
The Government's Horrifying Censorship of a Music Blog
Ryan Tate · 12/08/11 06:39PMIran Smacks Down Hillary Clinton's 'Virtual Embassy'
Ryan Tate · 12/07/11 12:30PMHere's Steve Jobs' Biological Dad, Defending iPhones From Syrian Oppression
Lauri Apple · 12/03/11 12:45PMSteve Jobs "didn't like what [he] learned" about Abdulfattah John Jandali, his Syrian-American biological dad, and therefore never reestablished a relationship with Jandali before his death in October. But that absence of connection hasn't stopped Jandali from defending his son's products—and, in a sense, his legacy—from the oppressive Syrian government, which has banned iPhones to keep people from filming killings and other atrocities being committed by local authorities.