Hasta La Gadget!

Twitter has been criticized after blocking access to a neo-Nazi message, though for not being proactive enough in its censorship rather than being heavy-handed. The short-message social network flexed its country-specific takedown tools for the first time this week, blocking users in Germany from reading posts by a right-wing extremest group after requests from local law enforcement. However, Twitter still “lags far behind other established social media platforms” one watchdog argues.

“Twitter is fast becoming the Internet’s distribution platform of choice for bigots who use it to get their messages of hate out in 140 characters or less,” Anti-Defamation League national director Abraham H. Foxman said in a statement. “Twitter’s terms of service lag far behind other established social media platforms in setting standards which would provide a basis for Twitter to block or remove racist, hate-filled tweets and re-tweets.”

The blocked account was downed at the request of the Hannover Police, according to a copy of the notice sent to Twitter in late September at Chilling Effects, after government intervention in the extremist group. Germany has strict anti-Nazi laws, though free speech provisions in countries such as the US mean such tweets, however distasteful many readers may find them, are legally permitted.

“The Ministry of the Interior of the State of Lower-Saxony in Germany has banned the organisation “Besseres Hannover”. It is disbanded, its assets are seized and all its accounts in social networks have to be closed immediately” the Hannover Police wrote to Twitter. “The Public Prosecutor (State Attorney’s Office) has launched an investigation on suspicion of forming a criminal association. It is the task fo [sic] the Polizeidirektion Hannover (Hannover Police) to enforce the ban. I ask you to close this account immediately and not to open any substitute accounts for the organisation “Besseres Hannover”.”

Twitter’s reaction – commented on by company general counsel Alex Macgillivray as “Never want to withhold content; good to have tools to do it narrowly and transparently” – nonetheless proved insufficient for the ADL, who have demanded a method by which individuals can flag and/or delete offensive tweets. “The pervasiveness of anti-Semitism and racism on Twitter” the group said, “warrants a re-examination of its terms of service and implementation of user-friendly mechanisms to flag and remove problematic tweets.”

Facebook, meanwhile, has not commented specifically on the group, nor confirmed whether it was contacted regarding a takedown of any connected page. “We work with anti-Nazi organisations and would encourage anyone who finds content like this to report it to Facebook” the social site told the BBC.

Twitter criticized for lax policing after Neo-Nazi tweet block is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Finding similarities between how penguins huddle together for warmth and humans create giant crowded cities, artist David Graas created this complex lightbulb that looks like a tiny metropolis is exploding from its glowing core. More »

Remember the political refrain “it’s the economy, stupid!” first uttered
in the 90′s by Bush the First and probably more applicable today then
it was then, as evidenced by the vitriol spewing all over the current
contentious presidential election campaigns?

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has dismissed concerns that Microsoft might sway the Windows Phone 8 market by releasing a “Surface” branding smartphone of its own, saying instead that the company would welcome it. Speaking in the aftermath of Nokia’s less-than-glowing Q3 2012 financial results, Elop said that while he had seen “no indications” that Microsoft planned to follow its Surface tablet with a phone, such a device would be “certainly a stimulant to the ecosystem.”

In fact, while rival smartphone manufacturers have been snippy at times about their Windows Phone counterparts, Elop has generally taken a more “for the good of the platform” approach to competing devices. ”We’re encouraging of HTC and Samsung and Microsoft or whomever to have devices in the market,” he explained, “and to be making whatever investments that helps spur the ecosystem on.”

Still, Elop doesn’t always refuse to wade into the fray. After HTC managed to clinch “signature” branding from Microsoft for its 8X and 8S phones, Elop commented that Nokia’s devices are “a step above” what its competitor has created.

That message carried on today, in the financial results call. “We’re very proud of the unique differentiation that we are bringing to the Windows Phone platform,” Elop said, describing it as “not something that’s easily replicated or reinvented.”

Nonetheless, Nokia needs Windows Phone to gather momentum with alacrity, given it – and Microsoft – basically undermined its Q3 sales by announcing that existing phones wouldn’t get upgraded to WP8, and showing off the incoming range. With devices based on the platform only expected to hit shelves in mid-November, however, the company has warned that Q4 is unlikely to be a blockbuster.

[via The Verge]

Nokia’s Elop: A “Surface” Windows Phone 8? Bring it on! is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Droid Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD have pranced their way across a stage or two, and they’re even the stars of a new commercial, but today you’ll get to go face-to-face with the hot new Googorola phones at a Verizon store for $199 and $299 respectively.

This also marks the beginning of a new price cycle for the carriers, which seems to be starting at Amazon Wireless, where the $199 Galaxy S III has been dropped to $99 on Verizon and Sprint.

Sprint, as you may recall, will be getting the Samsung Galaxy Note II on October 25 for $299.

The Droid Razr HD and Razr Maxx HD mark the continuation of a profitable alliance in Verizon and Motorola, and solidify it with Google as a new backbone for Motorola after the $12.5 billion acquisition. But it’s also worth remembering that these phones ship with Android 4.0.4 ICS. Not Jelly Bean.

Whatever the case, these are top-of-the-line phones, with 4.7-inch Super AMOLED HD 720p displays, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processors, and an 8-megapixel shooter that captures 1080p video. Not to mention a super thin Kevlar fiber casing.

And to top that off, Motorola promises great battery life, which is a struggle for all of us. The Droid Razr HD and Maxx HD have 2530 mAH and 3300 mAH batteries respectively, promising something like 16 and 21 hours of straight usage.

Both super phones are available now at Verizon.