Comments

I think Sanja's blog was imressive,the topic itself might sound banal but i think its one of the most important issues of last 10 years.It is presented in a right way and i agree on her arguments.She mentioned the facts i didnt know before so it was interesting to read.

http://sanjailic.blogspot.com

I visited Michael Zikmund's blog and after reading it i changed my mind about violent video games.I used to think that those games have only negative impact but now i see that this kind of games improve player's reflexes.The fact were based on reseraches and reliable sources.

http://effectofvideogamesonchildren.blogspot.com/

Danilea's blog and topic itself was very interesting,lot of people dont thik about this issue (deindividuation).I think it has two sites however her argments are strong and logical.It made me think about the topic more.

http://deindividuation.blogspot.com/
http://deindividuation.blogspot.com/

I think...

The Internet is certainly an important part of the media however not all people use it for the right purposes. Today there are thousands of web sites created by racist, anti-Semitic or homophobic people. These hate sites are basically where people show their aggression verbally. While some of them may seem harmless, some of them may be a real threat.
For instance there is a growing numbers of "how to" Web sites in which terror groups routinely post instructional manuals and videos on bombmaking and computer hacking. Mark Weitzman, director of government affairs for the Wiesenthal Center and a co-author of the report, said thers is a new tendency of home-grown terrorism . He cited the case of a Pennsylvania woman who officials say called herself "Jihad Jane." The most serious consequence that hate sites can lead to is organized activism and malicious attacks. There are major hate sites beginning with or or . The users of such hate sites are using internet as a hate tool. Some of these sites are basic , holding a few picture and links, whereas some of them are quite sophisticated like some of them being interactive. What makes hate sites accessible is the simplicity. Most of them don’t require to be registered in order to leave a comment and most of the users are anonymous. Many people are taking advantage of this with leaving hateful massages. The most attractive thing about hate sites is that people demonstrate their attitudes without being judge since the other users share the same attitude. According to an author specializing in the Internet Jerrold Post : “ If I give voice to my weird ideas on the street people would give a very wide berth but if I tap into the Net in the privacy of my own home, there are over 300 hate groups. And there is lot of people out there waiting to be influence by my ideas”.

This is the most scary thing about the Internet, bringing people together sometimes not for the right purpose. Many of these hate sites originate in the United States and are of growing concern especially when hate-crimes now play an increasing role in bias-driven violence.
Even though there is increasing use of internet by extremists, there is no evidence of bringing the aggression to off-line yet. However some governments are passing laws against electronic hate speech. After the Zundel case in which Zundel had published a brochure entitled “Did Six Million Really Die?” in which he claimed that the Holocaust was a myth of a Jewish World conspiracy, Canada’s Justice Department is considering legislation that would ban to use the internet to send hate propaganda. Canada is not the only one, in 2003 EU countries has signed a treaty according to which racist and xenophobic "hate" Web sites could possibly be banned. However there is a big problem with the treaty. The Unites States is considered to be the “champion” in numbers of hate sites and due to the strength of the Freedom of the Speech it is unlikely to shut out the web sites.


Madigan,2002,Internet Hate-Speech Ban Called 'Chilling'.Website:http://www.pcworld.com/article/107499/internet_hatespeech_ban_called_chilling.html


Mi2g,2010.The rise of corporate hate sites - lies, damned lies and extortion news.Website: http://www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/frameset.php?pageid=http%3A//www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/press/021204.php

Recommended Web Sites in Order to Find out More About Hate Sites

    If you go to BBC 's web site you will find an article "Warning over Internet 'hate sites'" in Science / Nature section. Even though the article was posted in 1997 , i think it gives good quality of information with the comments of experts on the topic. Provides some fact and overall this is was one of the best sources i found during the research. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/29147.stm

Another interesting article related with hate sites is available on CNN.com/Law Center. If you want to find out what has been done in order to cope with hate sites this article will provide comprehensive information about the protocol of Council of Europe which considers to block hate sites from Europe's borders. It also emphasizes the problems of the protocol in relation with the United States's strenght of  Freedom of the Speech. 

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/LAW/02/06/findlaw.analysis.ramasastry.cyberlaw/index.html

   And the last material i recommend to visit is a reasearch done in Australia in 2005. Since there is limited information based on researches had done so far, it gives interesting information about the research. It also gives examples of hate site cases all over the world.It actually includes couple of studies done about the hate sites. It also mentions the actual impacts of hate sites and the possibilites of translating hate from sites to off-line.

http://epublications.bond.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1039&context=hss_pubs

The Hal Turner Case

    In 2009 a hate blogger was arrested in New Jersey, he was accused in threatening to kill judges.His name is Hal Turner and he blogged at turnerradionetwork.blogspot.com that the judges should be “killed.”Turner:“Let me be the first to say this plainly: These judges deserve to be killed. Their blood will replenish the tree of liberty"(Kravets,2009).A small price to pay to assure freedom for millions,” A day later he posted addresses, photos,phone numbers, maps and other identifying information about Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook and Judges Richard Posner and William Bauer.

  Judge Donald Walter declared a mistrial and scheduled a third trial for April 12. Turner’s first trial in December also resulted in a deadlocked jury.The jury focused on whether Turner’s blog entries constituted a criminal threat or merely heated rhetoric that’s protected under the First Amendment. Turner ddescribes his blog as his work as a confidential FBI informant.He claims that the agency paid him more than $100,000 during the four years he worked as an informant. He also insisted he was not a white supremacist. Turner's defense is that he was just exercising his right to free speech. People like Turner remains free insted of facing up to a decade in prison. The 47-year-old maintained the First Amendment protected his speech. Turner was released from jail in New Jersey on June 10 after posting $25,000 bond. I think this case is a good example that the Firt Amandment makes similar cases complicated and that the people like Hal Turner misusing the freedom of the speech and taking advantage of it.

Kravets,2009.Mistrial in Case of Hate Blogger Charged With Judge Threats.Website: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/12/hate-blogger-mistrial/

Jersey Journal,2009.Jury in hate blogger Hal Turner's case told judge: We're deadlocked.Website:http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2009/12/jury_in_hate_blogger_hal_turne.html

Europe is Considering to Block the Hate Sites

    Based on a treaty that went into effect in January 2003 Europe is attempting to shut out racist and xenophobic "hate" Web sites. However the treaty has some inaccuracies. The treaty says Internet service providers would not be held responsible for simply hosting a Web site or chat room containing hate speech. If the Council of Europe member countries adopt laws that make it a crime to distribute such material to the public through e-mail or Web sites, this may negatively impact privacy and Internet use by Americans(Madigan,2002) .Due to the strenght First Amandement United States is considered to be heaven for hatemogers' sites. According to this treaty American Internet service providers could potentially be forced to shut down their Web sites because people may engage in speech that is offensive in Europe which is unlikly to happen. 

     The second defect of the treaty is that all the countries must agree on what is offensive and what is not.The agreement defines racist and xenophobic material as "written material, images or other representations of ideas or theories advocating, promoting or inciting hatred, discrimination or violence against individuals or groups, based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin, or religion." (Madigan,2002).

   The original Cybercrime treaty (2001) was on crimes committed via the Internet and other computer networks, dealing particularly with infringements of copyright, computer-related fraud, child pornography and violations of network security.And it was also signed by a number of non-COE states: the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico and South Africa. In 2003 the protocol broadens the treaty  to cover offenses relating to distribution of racist or xenophobic propaganda via computer which include hate sites. 

Ramasastry,2003,Can Europe block racist Web sites from its borders?.Website :http://edition.cnn.com/2003/LAW/02/06/findlaw.analysis.ramasastry.cyberlaw/index.html 

Madigan,2002,Internet Hate-Speech Ban Called 'Chilling'.Website:http://www.pcworld.com/article/107499/internet_hatespeech_ban_called_chilling.html

a Hate Site Created by Pupils in Manchester

     One of the recent cases of creating hate sites has occured in Manchester by pupils. They created a hate site about their teachers which was quite disturbing. According to the source (BBC) hate site included malicious sexual allegations against teachers.One of the teachers had suffered stress after finding out thata video of her teaching was uploaded on YouTube. Another teacher said she knew of a group of pupils who wrote online: "Join this group if you think Mrs X is still a virgin."A false social networking profile, opened in the name of a teacher, claimed he enjoyed "under-age sex with both boys and girls". And it has found that a large number of  pupils were registered on this network. One of the techers recall that she tried to remove her photo from the site however with no acces to the accounts it was impossible to remove the photo. In a survey of 630 UK teachers, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers found 94 said they knew of colleagues that had had a group set up to discuss or post abusive messages about them(Sellgren Katherine,2010).One of the victims od this case says that: "We have a right to enjoy the pleasures of using social networking sites just the same as any other person - without fear of consequences."(Sellgren Katherine,2010).

   A Department for Children, Schools and Families spokesman said: "This should never be tolerated. It's absolutely wrong for any teacher to face abuse and threats online or on their own mobiles. False or misleading allegations can damage or even ruin teachers' careers and discredit the whole profession(Sellgren Katherine,2010).

This kind of cases emphasises the importance of monitoring social networks. In this case its the direct invesion into somone's private life and career so at the first glimpse it might seem a harmless joke of pupils however it may lead to serious consequences. 

Sellgren Katherine,31 March,2010.Teachers bullied by 'hate sites'.Website :http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8595530.stm

Increasing Number of Obama Hate Sites

     With the selection of Barack Obama as the first black Democratic  president heated the hate sites with racists  and threatening comments on the Websites.The most popular anti-Obama talk appears to be on Internet sites that allow people to post messages anonymously. One such site, JD Underground one of the anonymous users say :“I’m hoping someone will do his public duty of putting a bullet through Obama’s head,”  a poster identified as “Kill Da Nigga.”Another poster says : “bring[ing] back lynchings” and concludes with a warning: “LOOK OUT NIGGER. THE KLAN IS GETTING BIGGER!!!!!!”.Although these sites are monitored, its becoming difficult for law enforcement to distinguish which threats are legitimate and which are simply talk. According to experts unless there is an immediate fear that someone will be hurt, it is unlikely that any action against hate sited can be made.

  Don Black, a 55-year-old former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard has created an Obama hate site. On the day after Obama's election, more than 2,000 people joined his Web site, he was getting a  increase number of new members. Approximately 80 members a day . His Web site, which was started in 1995, is one of the oldest and largest hate group sites. The site received so many hits that it crashed after election results were announced. According to Don Black the site boasts 110,000 registered members today who joined his first hate group at age 15. Here is the official web site which is owned by Don Black.

http://www.stormfront.org/

I also found another Obama hate site on myspace, however i couldnt really find disturbing comments probably becouse most of the account holders are registered under their real names. http://www.myspace.com/ihateobama  

 

Mark Potok.February 20 2008. Racist attacks on Obama growing more heated.Website:http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2008/02/20/racist-attacks-on-obama-growing-more-heated/

Stephanie Chen,2009.Growing hate groups blame Obama, economy.Website: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/02/26/hate.groups.report/index.html 

Be Aware of Hate Sites

     There's nothing new about hate speech but in a time when hate seems to erupt into violence the Internet seems to be a powerful way to distribute hatefull messages. People  are turning to online social networks to show their agression and hate for different reasons: racism,homophoby,terroristm etc...and it has become an issue. According to Simon Wiesenthal Center there are about 11,500 hate-affiliated Web pages which is a  20 percent jump from last year's study. If anything makes the Internet different from other types of speech it is the simplicity of the internet according to which the few can reach the many. Internet brings people together but not always for a good reason.While some think that there is a freedom of the speech and these hate sites are not a threat as long as it stays in verbal form some think that they serve no good purpose to anyone. A Clear example of this is a Facebook group which openly calls for death to the gays. Another one attracts fans who hate “faggots, whores, and cops.” A Facebook poll (now deleted) asked whether President Barack Obama should be killed.There are some cases when people got victims of hate sites and i think noone is prevented from such case.There are people who cant express themselves inreal life and they take advantage of  hate sites where they can post anything under anonymous name. I think it's becoming a serious problem that's why i think its  quite important to think about it. While i was doing some research i realised that some people arent even aware of these Web sites and i have to admit that i didnt know much about it but now i'm aware of it and i think everyone should be since the internet is fast becoming a powerfully persuasive medium.

Olson.3 May2010.Internet Hate Sites Jump 20 Percent In One Year.Website:http://newsjunkiepost.com/2010/05/03/internet-hate-sites-jump-20-percent-in-one-year/