Media News South Africa

Should the internet be filtered?

NEWSWATCH: There is no news roundup these days of the most important stories in our industry without a mention of the internet and how it is influencing media and society, how our brands are now consumed or marketing efforts around it. So much so, that from China to Australia, the politicians are trying to control it too.

China has announced new rules to control the explosion of audio-visual content on the internet, in a move seen as an effort to transfer the government's television- and radio-censorship model to websites, reports the Mail & Guardian. Click here...

An Australian government plan to filter the internet drew criticism from privacy advocates who said it represented the start of state censorship, reports the Mail & Guardian. Click here...

Netscape Navigator, the world's first commercial web browser and the launch pad of the Internet boom, will be pulled off life support February 1 after a 13-year run, reports IOL Technology. Click here...

'The father of internet in Africa'

Nii Narku Quaynor in December became the first African winner of the prestigious 2007 Postel Prize from the Internet Society, the international body that regulates the technical standards of the internet, reports the Mail & Guardian. Click here...

And in local news, the changing face of the SABC is in the spotlight with a new board at the helm: A perceived lack of credibility is the biggest challenge facing the SABC, says Kanyisiwe Mkonza, the newly appointed chairperson of the public broadcaster's board, and she plans to tackle it head on. The past few years have been very difficult for the SABC, she says. She wants to take stock and get to the root of the problems, reports the Mail & Guardian. Click here...

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