People should depend on social networks to protect democracy? -Wall Street Journal (blog)

Flickr, photo sharing site Yahoo, took photographs of Egyptian secret police by an Egyptian journalist this week, creating a controversy online and at the place of technology and music festival taking SXSW in Austin this week. The journalist, Hossam El-Hamalawy, responsible for Yahoo to protect torturers.

He added that Flickr "is not a respectable ethical platform, I can encourage people to use anymore."

Reuters/Dylan MartinezSocial media such as Facebook is credited for helping to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak the Egypt.

The episode, which contrasts unfavourably with the image that Facebook and Twitter have developed through their tacit support of activists in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere and the role of Google in disseminating information in humanitarian crisesput Yahoo on the defensive. However, Google has faced criticism in the past to allow the Chinese Government to censor its services, and Facebook has come under fire for failing to assiduously protect the privacy of its members.

It is therefore legitimate to ask exactly what that purpose companies lucrative role should be to protect or promote human rights.

A Yahoo spokesperson said figures that the photographs were removed because they "were not the work," which violates the terms of service site - the same explanation that Yahoo has finally provided El Hamalawy (originally, he had been sent a form letter saying it had infringed on someone is copyright).

Director of Yahoo companies and rights of man, Ebele Okobi-Harris, responded to criticism that Flickr applies this rule in terms of service unevenly during two rounds of separate at SXSW and posted a response on the official Yahoo blogNoting that, "" with millions and millions of photographs and accounts FlickrFlickr does not have the ability to moderate proactively photographs which were not taken by users of Flickr.""

She added that Flickr "reactive responds to reports of members of the community Flickr.".

A Yahoo spokesperson confirmed that Flickr deleted images at the request of another Member, but refused to identify who was this person.

Rebecca MacKinnon, researcher at the new America Foundation think tank focused on Internet policy issues, noted that the popular social networks belong to the private sector companies "apply their rules the way they see fit…" The fact that we, as citizens are dependent on these private 'sovereignty,' which are not required to respect the political rights, is a huge problem. »

MacKinnon noted that non-commercial alternative to social networks and routing technologies are under development and should be encouraged. "It is very important develop things like zone of freedom and a wide range of other things, as an open source Facebook and Twitter, which are more distributed and decentralized.

But she admitted that the reality is that most of the people "" will remain with commercial services because they are easier to use and their friends are there.""

Facebook, Twitter and Google did not respond to requests for comments.

What do you think? You will join an "alternative" how-profit-based social networking? Do you think that we must or may depend on Facebook, Twitter or Google to protect our civil liberties. Tell us what you think in the comments.