Information Policy

Google, U.N. unveil project to map movement of refugees

Google has unveiled a new feature for its popular mapping programs that shines a spotlight on the movement of refugees around the world. The maps will aid humanitarian operations as well as help inform the public about the millions who have fled their homes because of violence or hardship, according to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, which is working with Google on the project.

http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_8851455?nclick_check=1

10 Simple Steps to Boost Search Engine Rankings

There are several steps to follow to ensure top rankings in search engines. Sites that follow these simple steps will likely see their traffic and search engine rankings soar through the roof. The better optimized your site is for the search engines, the better results you can expect. The following tips will help you understand how the search engines rank sites and why some sites achieve higher rankings than others. Following these 10 steps will greatly boost your Web sites presence in the search engines and on the Internet as a whole.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/62402.html

MySpace starts music service with 3 major record companies

MySpace will launch a new online music venture designed to turn the social networking site's trove of musician profile pages into portals for selling everything from music downloads to concert tickets and band merchandising. Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, and Warner Music are participating in the joint venture, dubbed MySpace Music.

http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_8796093?nclick_check=1

TDC offers one million free tunes

Danish incumbent operator TDC has launched a new music service dubbed ‘Play’, offering free music downloads to its cellular and broadband customers. According to company press release, subscribers will gain acces to a million songs for free, offered in cooperation with three major record labels (EMI, Warner Music and Sony BMG) as well as several smaller Danish imprints.

http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=22424&email=text

YouTube Removes Videos Banned in Turkey

YouTube has removed several video clips that had prompted Turkish authorities to block access to the video-sharing Web site, a move the company believes will lead to a restoration of access soon.

http://news.theage.com.au/youtube-removes-videos-banned-in-turkey/20080328-220i.html

Wikipedia hits 10 million total articles

That's how many Wikipedia has now, if you count all the articles in the 250-plus languages the encyclopedia is available in.

http://www.news.com/8301-13772_3-9905726-52.html

Dutch critic of Islam launches anti-Koran film

Dutch right-wing lawmaker Geert Wilders posted on the Internet yesterday a film he said would be critical of the Koran, despite government concerns that it will offend Muslims and cause protests. The film was posted on his PVV party's Web site.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/27/AR2008032702082.html

YouTube expects Turkey to restore access after removing videos

YouTube has removed several video clips that had prompted Turkish authorities to block access to the video-sharing Web site, a move the company believes will lead to a restoration of access soon. In a statement in Turkish sent to The Associated Press on Thursday, YouTube said the company "reviewed the videos that led to the most recent ban on access and removed them because of their content, which violate YouTube's content policy."

http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_8716637?nclick_check=1

LV: New database of research papers on EU

A new database of reports and research papers on the European Union and on Latvia in the EU has been launched on the political web portal www.politika.lv.

Financially supported by the European Commission’s Representation in Latvia, the scheme will enable readers to expand their knowledge of EU matters and, thereby, it is hoped, raise the quality of citizen participation in debates about the Union. As Iveta Šulca, head of the EC Representation in Latvia, explains, “Full public participation in discussions and decision-making requires sound and transparent information, and the new database will offer just that – and free of charge. The Lisbon Treaty provides instruments to make the EU more efficient and more democratic, but this cannot be achieved without an informed public discussion on current EU issues.”

The Representation also anticipates that the database will serve as a useful source of information for the media and anyone interested in European Union matters, including state officials, students and academics.

At present, the database offers around 200 papers, mostly in English, covering EU foreign policy, migration, integration of immigrants, free movement of workers, Latvia’s participation in the Union, energy, the future of the EU, human rights, EU enlargement, the environment, the Structural Funds and agriculture. It is intended that sources should include public, private and non-governmental studies, as well as papers and dissertations from Latvian universities. Universities and other higher education establishments are invited to use the new resource and to offer their own materials for the database.

http://www.epractice.eu/document/4467

EU Blogs Becoming Prominent Players in Elections

While the Internet continues to increase in users and impact, blogs are making themselves felt in the politics of the European Union and will be an increasingly important player, as seen across the Atlantic in recent U.S. Elections. In a period when analysts and critics bemoan the lack of fresh ideas and genuine dialog in the West, the European blogosphere promises to bring a mass of previously voiceless political enthusiasts into the arena. In the States, blogs were initially known as a bastion for the Right to bemoan a supposed lack of representation in the mainstream press. But the Left launched stunning growth in blogs, and are now well-represented. Now, in many blogs there are heated debates on the issues of the day that can go one for weeks and months.

http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=2018