Gents,
Of course we're all aware of Digg, the online 'news' community where users determine what's most important on the site through a democratic process of "digging" the stories they like best. You know, power to the people.
It demonstrates the immense power of the modern Web, but mostly I think it's a silly place where national and international sideshows mingle among the latest Nintendo cheat codes and endless stupid posts about the competition between Sony's Playstation 3 and Microsoft's XBox 360.
In any case, I frequent it to see what everyone from casual web users to Nintendo Wii fanboys think is important. So imagine my surprise when I found the site in the midst of a full-fledged user revolt.
The back story, according to Wired.com's blog: Someone posted a hex-key code that controls encryption for the new HD-DVD formatted discs. With the code, an industrious hacker could defeat the copy protection on HD-DVD discs.
Apparently, the moderators at Digg quickly deleted the post. The user re-posted it, and it was deleted again, as well as the user's account. Digg's moderators explained they had no choice, as the owners of the intellectual property asked for the offending post to be removed.
But instead, that set off a firestorm of angry reaction from the Digg community, mostly in the form of countless posts containing the offending code, some in unique and creative ways. There's a song, poetry and other seemingly normal posts with the code slipped in. (My favorite is the post with lyrics to the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" with the code in place of the words "Bel-Air.")
So when you go to Digg, you see this code all over the place. Others are digging the stories up to the main page and saying they don't care if their accounts are cancelled because they've lost faith in Digg anyway.
Is this a big deal? Of course it is. This is a bona-fide Web phenomenon, an example of our values at work in the online community. Free speech is a constitutional freedom in America, and regardless of your personal stance in the issue, it's refreshing to see that young people do have the capacity to care deeply when they feel their own rights are seriously being infringed upon.
That being said, we know young people don't vote. If Diggers believe so strongly in democracy on the Web, they should take part in the real thing.
Thoughts?
UPDATE: At about 1 a.m. on Wednesday morning, the site went down. Not sure what'll be there when it goes back up.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Just three friends from Texas and their musings on life, politics and events of the day.
Just three friends from Texas and their musings on life, politics and events of the day.
Blog Archive
Contributors
The Only Websites Worth Visiting
2 comments:
Wow!
First of all, I had never before heard of Digg. It is an interesting concept, although I would agree with your assessment that Wii players aren't necessarily the individuals I would have choose my news for me.
Anyway, it is a very interesting exercise in the "open internet" versus law. Here is my take:
The code is intellectual property. It is owned by the HD-DVD group of developer companies. It is illegal to use it. Will people use it? Yes. Can people take the perogative to share it? Sure. Is Digg wrong for pulling it? No.
It is a business decision. The have the obligation as a business to protect themselves from litigation. By pulling the post that have proven that they do not condone illegal activity. Now, if more creative posters are so inclined to work the code into their posts, at least the site can say that they would have removed the post had it been identified.
This little kids want it all, but most of them don't have jobs. For those that do, perhaps they aren't in a setting in which their intellectual property is worth anything. Regardless, none of them would let me walk into their home and walk out with their stuff.
The internet gives people this false sense of detached anonymity from reality. The truth is that the same rules apply. Sometimes, other people's stuff is just that, other people's. It's not yours, and no you can't have it for free.
Okay, my ranting aside, the site concept is very cool. It's nice to have someone other than the newswires tell us what news is worth reading.
Not only that, but it will sometimes get people reading news that they wouldn't typically want to read, but need to see.
Of course this week is sweeps week, so for tv, at least, news will be juicy!
Post a Comment