Features / Sep 25, 2012 / Ian Clark

Sock Puppets: A Necessary Evil

The publishing industry has faced a series of revelations about sock puppet reviews, authors praising themselves and slating ‘rivals’ under pseudonyms. Ian Clark looks at what this behaviour means for the rights of anonymity online.

Features / Sep 25, 2012 / Wendy Grossman

This is not (just) about Google

In February this year Google overrode ‘Do Not Track' preferences in Safari. Privacy International founder, Simon Davies, led a meeting at LSE last week on the impact of this escapade; Wendy Grossman attended and discusses the conclusions.

Features / Sep 21, 2012 / Owen Hathway

Digital Classrooms in Wales

Owen Hathway, Policy Officer for National Union of Teachers Cymru, discusses the Welsh Government’s ambitions for digital classrooms and the problems with such plans as ‘Bring Your Own Device.’

Features / Sep 19, 2012 / www.consent.me.uk

Looking for a Job goes Orwellian

The Department for Work and Pensions are introducing changes to job seeking called ‘Universal Jobmatch’ and ‘Universal Credit’. Consent.me.uk explains the massive privacy impact of these new measures.

Features / Sep 18, 2012 / Natalia Buckley

Brighton Mini Maker Faire

Natalia Buckley, one of the organisers of the Brighton Mini Maker Faire, celebrates and reviews the creative event, explaining what it is all about.

Features / Sep 17, 2012 / Wendy Grossman

What did you learn in school today?

Wendy Grossman introduces a series of education themed articles on ORGzine with a look at the lessons kids are learning from the amount of personal data monitored in schools – finger printing to check library books out, cameras in toilets and tracking chips originally intended for livestock registering attendance.

Features / Sep 10, 2012 / Wendy Grossman

RoboCops

Last Sunday Neil Gaiman’s Hugo acceptance speech was silenced by copyright bots. Wendy Grossman explains why and how it happened and how the blunt robots are key context to the European consultation on the notice-and-takedown rules that govern, among other things, how ISPs are supposed to respond when copyright infriging material is uploaded.

Editorial / Sep 04, 2012 / Ruth Coustick

August Retrospective

Missed some of the discussion on the zine? We pick out the best articles and stories on the zine from August.

Features / Sep 04, 2012 / Ryan Cartwright

Internet blocking will still not protect our children

Representing the target demographic for the Department of Education consultation on default online blocking of adult content, Ryan Cartwright is a Christian, a parent and an IT professional – and he has five reasons why network level blocking is a terrible and ineffective idea.

Features / Sep 03, 2012 / Wendy Grossman

Remembering the Moon

Wendy Grossman looks back at what the landing on the moon meant and how our predictions of the technology of the future are never quite right: “Computers are… yesterday's future, and tomorrow will be about something else”.

Features / Aug 30, 2012 / Saskia Walzel

A “Notice and Takedown” Regime Fit For Europe?

Ahead of the 5th September deadline for the European Commission’s consultation Saskia Walzel looks at the questions that need answering.

Features / Aug 29, 2012 / Sarah Wanenchak

Dear Stihl: I’m Already Real, Thanks

Sarah Wanenchak analyses outdoor tool manufacturer Stihl's 'Get Real. Get Outside' advert series. She argues that these adverts question the legitimacy and worth of the whole of our relationship with our gadgets, and perpetuates an idea that digital technology is somehow solitary. As she says "Pretty gutsy for a chainsaw company."

Features / Aug 28, 2012 / Wendy Grossman

Look and Feel

Wendy Grossman gives some historical context to the current Apple v Samsung case -such as the software patent and copyright infringement lawsuits of Lotus and Borland- and looks at where innovation really stems from.

News & Analysis / Aug 28, 2012 / Milena Popova

Three things I learned at the Turing Festival

Milena Popova condenses a weekend of talks at Turing Festival, Edinburgh's International Technology Festival in a report for ORGzine.

Features / Aug 23, 2012 / Ruth Coustick

Feature Interview: SciFund Challenge Part 2

"A science literate society would be where the public is connected to the science process." We feature the second part of ORGzine's interview with Dr Jai Ranganathan, co-founder of the SciFund Challenge crowdsourcing platform.

Features / Aug 22, 2012 / Ruth Coustick

Feature Interview: SciFund Challenge Part 1

"If there is anything that makes Scifund different it is that we all rise together" Jai Ranganathan, co-founder of the SciFund Challenge, kindly agreed to be interviewed for ORGzine and spoke about how their crowd-sourcing platform works and what its real purpose is.

Features / Aug 21, 2012 / Melanie Dulong de Rosnay

The Public Domain Manifesto

Melanie Dulong writes that the concept of the Public Domain needs a re-awakening, framing it as not at odds with copyright, but setting it out as a manifesto behind the actions of Communia.

Features / Aug 21, 2012 / Wendy Grossman

Bottom Dwellers

Wendy Grossman discusses Google’s decision to downgrade in its search results sites with an exceptionally high number of valid copyright notices. She analyses in the context of whether we concede the rights of free speech to computers' decisions -and how society must address this question.

Features / Aug 15, 2012 / Habib Kadiri

How the Police should (or not) use Twitter

In the light of several recent cases of tweeted insults and criticisms causing police interference, Habib Kadiri makes some suggestions as to what the police should be doing when they spot abuse on Twitter.

Features / Aug 14, 2012 / Francesca Coppa

Fandom: Open Culture Vs. Closed Platforms

Francesca Coppa is a founder of the Organisation for Transformative Works, a group run by fans who aim to preserve fan-fiction and other fan works. She writes about how the commercialisation of the internet has galvanized fandom and why what they do is important.

Features / Aug 13, 2012 / Wendy Grossman

Wiped Out

Wendy Grossman looks at last week’s story of how journalist Matt Honan had his Google, Twitter and AppleID all stolen and data destroyed– and walks through how he was so thoroughly hacked and what the best solutions and preventions are from this.

Features / Aug 13, 2012 / Camille Brown

Digital Solidarity at the Olympics

Although there has been criticism of digital censorship at the Olympics, Camille Brown celebrates the reverse -the online solidarity and voices for female athletes competing for the first time in this Olympics.

Editorial / Aug 04, 2012 / Ruth Coustick

July Retrospective

Missed some of the discussion on the zine? We look back at the last month of stories and features on the ORGzine.

Features / Aug 01, 2012 / Graham Armstrong

Is Hacktivism a Genuine Form of Protest?

Graham Armstrong discusses the ethics of hacktivism; addressing the issues of whether it can be a form of censorship and whether this style of protest is effective and, most importantly, legitimate.

Features / Jul 31, 2012 / Milena Popova

Germany Sets New Record for Waving Anti-Privacy Legislation Through Parliament

Milena Popova explains the story of Germany's new contraversial legislation on personal data.

Features / Jul 30, 2012 / Saskia Walzel

Evidence of online copyright infringement? Who did that...

Consumer Focus has published an expert report by Dr Richard Clayton on online traceability, Saskia Walzel follows the trail of his analysis.

Features / Jul 30, 2012 / Wendy Grossman

Retcons and Reversals

Wendy Grossman looks back at this week’s real-life Internet-related news, showing that it has seen so many retcons and reversals, that if it were a TV series, the showrunner would demand that the writers slow the pace.

Features / Jul 25, 2012 / Chris Yiu

Where next for open data?

It's been a big year for the UK government's open data agenda. Chris Yiu reviews what's been achieved and asks what needs to happen next.

Features / Jul 24, 2012 / Ruth Coustick

Feature Interview: Jane Park on the School of Open

Peer 2 Peer University and Creative Commons are joining together in a collaborative project called the School of Open. In advance of their virtual sprint today, ORG interviewed Jane Park the School of Open Project Manager to discuss openness, the collaboration and how the School will work.

Features / Jul 23, 2012 / Wendy Grossman

In the country of the free…

Wendy Grossman responds to Elizabeth Wurtzel’s ‘ideas’ piece on copyright in the The Atlantic with a firm rebuttal.