龙信明 BLOG     Global Edition              Shanghai Diary     Watching China

The Internet, Google & Social Media These pages contain a series of recent published News Articles, essays and other information on the growing worldwide concerns about the data being collected by these various organisations, the uses to which these data are put, the personal privacy concerns generated, and the political and military ramifications.  The Major Concerns are: The loss of control of personal data as it spreads unchecked throughout the world The fact that almost all the digital monopoly positions are held by US companies The huge military value of this information - to the CIA, the US Department of Defense, the US State Department, and the Pentagon The stated intention of the US Military to obtain and preserve "Full-Spectrum Dominance" of communications, including the Internet, satellite, mobile and all wireless communication The fact that the CIA and the US Military have already infiltrated Google, Twitter, Skype, and likely Facebook and others

There is no question the Internet is a deeply-embedded feature of the lives of a great many people in the world today, and some major parts of this feature are Web Browsers, Search Engines and the Social Media like Facebook and Twitter. But the development of the internet and the various applications and media were not planned in advance; they grew and developed in an uncontrolled fashion as need and perceived opportunity arose. At the beginning we could not foresee the path of development that might ensue, and we were naive in assuming only beneficial results. Part of the result is that these applications, media and data are centralised and controlled in ways the world did not envisage. For one thing, far more data is collected than we could have imagined. This isn't only personal statistical data, but personal ID and identifiers like IP addresses and the photo of our front door on Google's Street View. Web Browsers and Search Engines collect and save huge amounts of information on many of our activities, and those who mine these data for information claim they can know our 'state of mind' simply by examining this information. One problem is that all of these parts have the ability to collect and retain huge amounts of personal data and information on each of us, and we have no control over the eventual uses to which this information may be put. For sure, it will be used to generate profits for the owners and controllers of the data; that much is certain. But there are many other uses unrelated to profit motives that can raise more serious and permanent concerns. Even in the very recent past, it didn't occur to us that there might be some unpleasant and sinister uses for the same applications and data, and even today these are seldom discussed openly. As the German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote, it is therefore of some real concern that "almost all the digital monopoly positions are held by US companies.. Data privacy is of secondary importance in the US. ...citizens are under far more surveillance than on the European continent." In fact, the internet itself is effectively US-controlled, a position that is increasingly less appreciated by many countries in the world who do not accept the US as their 'leader'. With control residing in US corporations who are automatically subject to influence by the US Government and the US Military - by virtue of the Patriot Acts if nothing else - all of the world's citizens are potential espionage victims.

Essays and Opinion
Why Governments Are Terrified of Social Media Social Media in the Crosshairs in the USA
The Chinese IP Address Fallacy In Cyber Attribution Other countries IP addresses were used as well	The IMF Cyber Attack: When a State and its Hackers' Interests Coincide	The Google-Clinton-China Martini With A Cyberwar Twist

中文，英文 NYT Editorial: Google vs. China, the Sequel A not-too-intelligent editorial from the NYT, and my response to the Editors Read Here Google Comes out of the Closet It's Official! Google is Now a Tool of US Foreign Policy. Read Here It's Time to Remove Google's Halo Google's activities are far from what they appear to be, and 'Do No Evil' does not apply. Read Here The Internet, Foreign Products and Foreign Communications Platforms US Search Engines, Browsers and Social Media Websites are NOT World Standards, nor Should They Be. Read Here

Published News Articles Cyber Warfare: Cyber Attacks and Strategic Issues The U.S. will ultimately be isolated, transformed into a paper tiger and may crucify itself. Read Here The threat from the internet: Cyberwar It is time for countries to start talking about arms control on the internet. Read Here Cyberwar: War in the fifth domain Are the mouse and keyboard the new weapons of conflict? Read Here Google Street View 'single biggest breach of privacy in history' Australia said Google's collection of wireless network data was the single biggest breach of privacy in history. Read Here U.S. Hopes Internet Exports Will Help Open Closed Societies (Open to American interference and control) Reprint of Article from the NYT - US intent to use the Internet to meddle in other countries' internal affairs. Read Here Google's China Hypocrisy Ignores Deep CIA Connections A synopsis relating to Google's activities in China, Google's deep connections with the US Government and CIA Read Here And Then There Were Four Google's search technology and methods are not so innocent as they appear. Read Here Google debates face recognition technology Much of the world objects, but Google insists on pressing forward with its face-recognition technology. Read Here Paris Court Rules Against Google in Book Copyright Case Google to pay 10,000 Euros for each day that illegally-copied books remain online. Read Here Internet Section Archives - Past Articles Read Here