Google Ends SMS Search Service

in another move which violates the "don't be evil" prime directive you can no longer get simple search results by texting a message to 466453

attention google: not everything needs to be monetized, fuckers.

"Google's decision to shut down the SMS search service only serves to widen the information divide between the haves and have-nots," wrote user dadamn in a May 10 post. "I could always get some info via the very simple text message—an address and phone number for a business can be very handy in a pinch, or when traveling.  For those of us who can't afford a data plan or smartphone, or for those who aren't techno-savvy enough to navigate the web on a cellphone or learn a new 'app world,' the SMS has helped us to function in a society that increasingly assumes everyone worth reaching has a smartphone. Google, I'll challenge you to take a look at this service from a social-justice lens. Please cut the crap about 'beautiful technology that will improve people's lives' when you're only talking about improving things for the techno-elite."

http://www.eweek.com/mobile/google-ends-sms-search-service-apparently-without-warning/

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/14/google_sms_search_shutdown/

sexual assults in the military

Sexual assaults in the military are a growing epidemic across the services and thousands of victims are still unwilling to come forward despite a slew of new oversight and assistance programs, according to a new Pentagon report.

Troubling new numbers estimate that up to 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20130507_ap_militarysexassaultreportsupchangesordered.html

EFF 2013 Who Has Your Back report on internet companies and data protection

When you use the Internet, you entrust your conversations, thoughts, experiences, locations, photos, and more to companies like Google, AT&T and Facebook. But what do these companies do when the government demands your private information? Do they stand with you? Do they let you know what’s going on?

In this annual report, the Electronic Frontier Foundation examined the policies of major Internet companies — including ISPs, email providers, cloud storage providers, location-based services, blogging platforms, and social networking sites — to assess whether they publicly commit to standing with users when the government seeks access to user data. The purpose of this report is to incentivize companies to be transparent about how data flows to the government and encourage them to take a stand for user privacy whenever it is possible to do so.

https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-2013