Fiber Optic Cable Emerges from the Sea in Liberia

Getting online is difficult in Liberia. Connections are slow, and internet access can be very expensive. But that may be starting to change. Last week, a fiber optic cable arrived in Liberia. The cable literally emerged from the sea. As Bonnie Allen reports from Monrovia, it’s expected to eventually bring the country a decent high-speed internet connection.

‘DarkMarket: Cyberthieves, Cybercops and You’ – Exploring the World of Cybercrime

Cyber space can be chaotic and that makes it susceptible to criminals.

Young Geek Appeal in German Politics

A look at the young, tech-savvy people who are calling for more transparency in the government.

Former Chinese President Rumored to Have Died

There is no official confirmation from Beijing on Jiang Zemin’s condition.

Turkey Plans Internet Filtering

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The government of Turkey is planning to filter the internet. Turkish users will have to choose one of four filters – a family package, one for children, a domestic one that will block all foreign websites and the standard ‘default’ program. Matthew Brunwasser reports from Istanbul. Download MP3

Slideshow: Protests against internet filtering in Turkey

Copper scavenger cuts Armenia’s Internet

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Much of the former Soviet republic of Armenia temporarily lost Internet service last week. The reason? A woman scavenging for copper in neighboring Georgia cut the cables that serve Armenia. Reporter Shant Shahrigian reports from Yerevan. Download MP3

Iran’s cyberwar

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced new initiatives to improve cyber-freedom in countries like Iran. Lisa Mullins speaks with Iranian cartoonist and editor Nikahang Kowsar of Khodnevis.org about what the best use of the money would be and how both Iranian online activists and Iranian authorities use social media to thwart each other. Download MP3
PBS Tehran Bureau
Global Political Cartoons on The World

Egypt through the eyes of other cartoonists

Cartoonists outside the Middle East are commenting on events in Egypt just as much as those in the region. A few more references to the imagined back and forth between Hosni Mubarak and Barack Obama but just as many pyramids, dominoes and pharaohs. Take a look.

Egyptians make their voices heard online

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Last Friday, the Egyptian government shut down most access to the Internet. In this week’s tech podcast, you’ll hear how Egyptians, with some help from folks outside the country, are still making their voices heard. Download MP3 (25:17)

Domain name echoes Soviet times

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It has been nearly 20 years since the Soviet Union dissolved, but that hasn’t stopped some Russians from using an Internet domain called .su, which stands for the Soviet Union.The International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has been trying to get it shut down, but to no avail. Jessica Golloher has the details from Moscow. Download MP3

Tech Podcast: A Nobel for the Internet?

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The Internet, the late Senator Ted Stevens famously quipped, is “just a series of tubes.” Well, now this set of fat data pipes has its very own nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Will it win? We’ll talk about the chances on this month’s podcast round-up of great global technology stories.

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Tech Podcast: What the Internet does to your brain

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On this week’s technology podcast, we take a look at how spending time online might be altering our brain circuitry. We’ll bring in a real neuroscientist to help sort out fact from fiction. Also, we’ll hear about solar power in Tanzania, things that can speak for themselves, and the world’s fastest texter.

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Estonia’s wi-fi guru

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Starbucks began offering up a product for free. No, it isn’t a tall non-fat latte with an extra shot. It’s wireless Internet access. Now, for those of us who have been used to paying up to 10 bucks for an hour of wi-fi in public places, this sounds great. But free wi-fi is pretty much the norm in the small Baltic nation of Estonia. And Estonians have one man to thank for that. The World’s Clark Boyd reports from the Estonian capital Tallinn. (Veljo Haamer. Photo: Clark Boyd) Download MP3

• Tech Podcast: What is a ‘cyber-war,’ anyway?
• Estonia leads in cyber-security

Recruiting Jihadists over the Internet

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Colleen Renee LaRose, better known as ‘Jihad Jane,’ was recruited and trained online to carry out a terrorist attack. While Jihad Jane is the most recent case of radicalization and recruitment over the Internet, she is by no means the first. Jihadist organizations have been using tools like social networking since their inception to gather new recruits. Susannah George has this report. Download MP3

• BBC profile of ‘Jihad Jane’
• US Department of Justice statement

The future of online censorship

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By shutting down the Google website in mainland China, the American company has acknowledged how the political and geographical impacts that ultimate nowhere-everywhere space: the Internet. The World’s Alex Gallafent examines how the location of the internet – physical and informational – might shape the future of censorship online. Download MP3

• Beijing slams Google over censorship issue
• Chinese web users boycott Google
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