Google Lets Egypt Call in Their Tweets By Phone

[JMcEntegart]

Over the last couple of weeks, communications for people inside Egypt have gone from bad to worse. At first cut off from just Twitter, things progressed quite quickly and culminated in the government’s decision to switch off the Internet completely.

Google Lets Egypt Call in Their Tweets By Phone : Read more

 

[swimomatic]

How are they going to find out about this news without the internet as a medium?

 

[verbalizer]

sad situation in Egypt...

 

[AndrewMD]

Really... There was a reason behind blocking the Internet in the first place... Now Google is enabling.... not a good idea.

 

[LuckyDucky7]

"Really... There was a reason behind blocking the Internet in the first place... Now Google is enabling.... not a good idea."

Yes, because giving people denied rights is just wrong, eh? It's hard to get rid of oppression- they need all the help they can get.

Also, it is still possible to connect in Egypt through a dial-up connection: people outside the country have set them up (and there's always satellite, too).

You do know that the US also supports the movement to a real democracy in Egypt, right? They might not display that completely, but, well, you can thank the other 'not-a-great-idea-of-the-Internet' for those pieces of information.

 

[mayne92]

"...debate on whether or not Internet access should be considered a right..."
Well then lets start!...Internet is a privilege NOT a right. I can't even understand how people can begin to argue that the Internet is a right. I guess when you're an obsessive-compulsive Facebook checker and a Tweeter your excuse would be it's a right...only to satisfy your disorder. 😛

 

[TheWhiteRose000]

It's sad, and to lose the power to speak to your friends and family world wide is heart breaking.
But knowing Google is there to help them is very kind hearted of them.

 

[Bolbi]

[citation][nom]mayne92[/nom]"...debate on whether or not Internet access should be considered a right..."Well then lets start!...Internet is a privilege NOT a right. I can't even understand how people can begin to argue that the Internet is a right. I guess when you're an obsessive-compulsive Facebook checker and a Tweeter your excuse would be it's a right...only to satisfy your disorder.[/citation]
I definitely agree that internet access is not a right. The larger question, though, is over the Egyptian government's apparent limiting of free speech. The internet has become a standard medium for mass free speech, and in that context its removal presents a problem. Just think about any modern democratic/republican government like Canada, the US, the UK, etc. suddenly shutting off all TV broadcasts. Well, TV isn't a right, but they would be limiting mass free speech. It's a sticky question...

 

[Guest]

You know, America was founded on the principal of forcefully booting out tyrants who do not represent the will of the people, then all of you hypocrites have the nerve to criticise the Egyptians for doing what you didn't have the balls to do during the Bush Jr. administration.

 

[Wikiality]

I'm guessing this is related to the Google Middle East executive who lost communication and went missing in Egypt?

 

[Stryter]

[citation][nom]euro_girl[/nom]You know, America was founded on the principal of forcefully booting out tyrants who do not represent the will of the people, then all of you hypocrites have the nerve to criticise the Egyptians for doing what you didn't have the balls to do during the Bush Jr. administration.[/citation]

You don't know anything about the US Constitution and obviously you know nothing of US history. Why don't you pick up an encyclopedia and look up the Olive Branch Petition. The use of force is always a last resort and was not a founding principle of this country.

As far as Egypt goes, what is really sad is that when all of this is over, those people will not have "freedom", only tyranny in some other form. Either some other dictator will take Mubarak's place or they will be re-enslaved by some group of religious extremists.

In other words, the cycle will continue as it has since the beginning of time.

 

[dalethepcman]

[citation][nom]mayne92[/nom]"...debate on whether or not Internet access should be considered a right..."Well then lets start!...Internet is a privilege NOT a right. I can't even understand how people can begin to argue that the Internet is a right. I guess when you're an obsessive-compulsive Facebook checker and a Tweeter your excuse would be it's a right...only to satisfy your disorder.[/citation]

Hypothetical Scenario (sorry canada)
The US government tells you the canadiens just attacked new york city with atomic weapons and is asking for your support in marching an army through quebec to slaughter their entire country, unfortunatly you don't have the internet so like a good sheep you follow blindly.

Yes the ability to access the internet should be a right in any free country. I'm not saying broadband to the home, but at least dsl in the library. For a governemnt to just "turn off" the internet in their entire country in an attempt to black out commmunications is oppression. This is one step away from running over civilians with tanks.

 

[Fusion777]

Shame on you, Egyptian government.

Freedom of speech is universally good except in cases of 1. invasion of privacy or 2. personal or business slander (to a limited degree).

Neither of these conditions are in place. Therefore, it's just an obnoxious act of oppression

To the poster who commented on Muslims being so behind. Why don't you check out Dubai. Anyways, not every country is as wealthy and fortunate as America. That's not their failing, that's our good luck. Don't be such a douche bag.

 

[ithurtswhenipee]

[citation][nom]dalethepcman[/nom]Hypothetical Scenario (sorry canada)The US government tells you the canadiens just attacked new york city with atomic weapons and is asking for your support in marching an army through quebec to slaughter their entire country, unfortunatly you don't have the internet so like a good sheep you follow blindly. Yes the ability to access the internet should be a right in any free country. I'm not saying broadband to the home, but at least dsl in the library. For a governemnt to just "turn off" the internet in their entire country in an attempt to black out commmunications is oppression. This is one step away from running over civilians with tanks.[/citation]

Good example dalethepcman. I will add that strict Islamic law is probably also a factor in Mubarak's actions. You know, the whole ability to look at pictures of women's bare ankles and such.

Also, kudos to competing companies Google and Twitter for joining forces to help the Egyptian people.

 

[idisarmu]

[citation][nom]WhySoBluePandaBear[/nom]I'm so sick of hearing about these people. Everyone here does know and acknowledge the fact that most of those Muslim nations will ALWAYS be hundreds of years behind current societies. In terms of technology, to human rights. Just EVERYTHING. Can they just have their civil wars, blood baths and over throwing right now? Like seriously, all of them need to duke it out right now, so we can actually make them catch up with the times.[/citation]

As odd as it may seem, I'm going to use a quote from Far Cry 2. "You think these men wanted peace? They wanted privacy, that is what they wanted. They wanted the world to stop paying attention to them so they could go on with their raping and piliaging, in peace, you see."

 

[MAGPC]

As an Egyptian, I have to say that in Egypt even imagining that the internet would be cut off one day will certainly induce a disaster. So many people here are using the internet including me.
Speaking of me, I use it for news, knowledge, and work.
I know that the internet is not a right, but IT'S NOT THE RIGHT OF ANYONE TO CUT THE INTERNET OFF A COUNTRY.

 

[MAGPC]

That's what happened in the protests which I participated in, tear gas was fired at me.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O7SecS4QDM&feature=related

 

[zak_mckraken]

[citation][nom]swimomatic[/nom]How are they going to find out about this news without the internet as a medium?[/citation]
I assume that people who wants to read tweets from an egyptian will call one and let him/her know how it works.

 

[abottig]

[citation][nom]WhySoBluePandaBear[/nom]I'm so sick of hearing about these people. Everyone here does know and acknowledge the fact that most of those Muslim nations will ALWAYS be hundreds of years behind current societies. In terms of technology, to human rights. Just EVERYTHING. Can they just have their civil wars, blood baths and over throwing right now? Like seriously, all of them need to duke it out right now, so we can actually make them catch up with the times.[/citation]

I do NOT acknowledge that most "Muslim nations"--whatever that means--are hundreds of years behind. The people in Egypt were born into their current situation the same way that I was lucky enough to be born in a country that is not experiencing autocratic rule.

People are people everywhere in the world. Count your lucky stars if you live in a country where your family is safe.

Google is doing the right thing in helping an oppressed people overthrow their dictator. Hopefully this will lead to democratic elections.

 

[caeden]

Egypt is going through some crazy times politically right now. The decision to shut down the internet was in an attempt to prevent organized protests throughout the nation. Obviously this failed, but that was the attempt anyways.
On an interesting note Obama (actually our glorious FCC pushed him in this direction) gave himself the power to do this to us in America 'in the event of an emergency'... which is exactly when we would need it. Yes, the context is to shut the internet down in the event of a cyber attack, but the actual wording is not so specific.