If you were staying off Facebook or Twitter because it may have been sacrilegious, you’ve lost your excuse.
Pope Benedict XVI has given social networking his blessing, saying some services and search engines are “the starting point of communication for many people who are seeking advice, ideas, information and answers.”
Outraged that Twitter will begin censoring Tweets appearing or originating from certain countries, some have discovered a workaround to circumvent the social network's censorship.
Some background: Twitter announced Thursday "Starting today, we give ourselves the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country — while keeping it available in the rest of the world."
While it seems they might put the blinders on some users - and some controversial topics - there could be some ways around it.
On their blog post, Twitter said an example of censoring a Tweet would be something neo-Nazi related, coming from Germany, where it's illegal. However - that might be just the tip of the censorship iceberg.
In any case, buried within their blog post was a link to a page with instructions about how to change your country setting.
So if Twitter thinks you're in Iran, possibly posting something the "authority" doesn't like there, perhaps you should tell Twitter where you really are. Maybe, in Mexico, perhaps?
From your Account Settings menu, users can click Change Country and select another country.
It will work for a short while, but Twitter may eventually determine your IP address is from within a banned country (or about a banned topic) before it blocks you again.
What do you think about Twitter moving to censor Tweets?
- Maurice Cacho, MSN TEch & Gadgets
While PC and Windows-based computers are the norm for businesses, the results of a new study suggest the status quo might be changing.
Data from a new Forrester Research report finds many more businesses are using Apple products – from Macs to iPhones – than before.
Do you like audio books? Check this out: Audiobooks.com a new service based in Toronto, is providing as many streaming audiobooks as you can listen to for a regular payment.
While the feature has been available to users for several weeks, it appears Facebook is ready to now force its new Timeline feature on all users whether they like it or not.
Timeline is the new, scrapbook-like profile design. It features a big banner-like image across the top of your profile page, than image-heavy updates appearing as you scroll down. The posts appear in a somewhat-chronological order, geared more toward the aesthetics than functionality of it all.
Since early December, users were able to enable Timelines or keep their old, traditional profile designs. Well their time is up.
A young gay filmmaker took his own life this month, just weeks after creating an online video encouraging other gay teenagers. 19-year-old Californian EricJames Borges killed himself after posting the video to It Gets Better, a project designed to give hope to lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth.
In the latest video to go viral, an accomplished musician doesn’t let someone’s rude cell phone ringtone interrupt his performance. Instead, he joins in.
Movie audiences who fell in love with the spectacle of Hugh Jackman's 'Real Steel' will love what Disney's done with the Blu-ray release that hits shelves this Tuesday (January 24).
Not content with a standard release, the studio is bringing a 'second screen' to viewers' iPads and PC devices. This 'app' enables viewers to interact with the Blu-ray extras as the movie plays.
The fake iPad 2 scam emerging in British Columbia appears to be growing, with more customers finding themselves in possession of fake tablets that were sold at major retailers.
Now, reports are also suggesting the scammers hired mules to go to the dirty work for them.
Social media is a great way to engage your customers, but sometimes it goes horribly wrong. Timothy's Coffees of the World found that out recently, when a special offer associated with its Facebook page went viral.
Danny Bradbury is a technology journalist with 20 years' experience. He writes regularly for publications including the Guardian, the Financial Times, the Financial Post, and Backbone magazine. Danny also writes and directs documentaries.
Maurice CachoMaurice Cacho is a Toronto-based journalist mixing his love for tech with a passion for news. He's also CP24's Web Journalist and appears daily on CP24 Breakfast and weekly on the channel's tech show, Webnation, discussing tech news and trends.
