My Way News - Ask.com to Unveil New Privacy Control
AP reports: "Hoping to establish itself as the Internet's least intrusive search engine, Ask.com is empowering people to prevent their search requests from being deposited in data banks. The new privacy control, called "AskEraser," is scheduled to be unveiled Tuesday. When it's turned on, the safeguard purges a user's search requests from Ask.com's computers within a few hours."

For those of you looking to practice safe searching, this may be a good tool.

Syria blocks access to Facebook - Yahoo! News
AP reports: "Syrian authorities have blocked Facebook, the popular Internet hangout, over what seems to be fears of Israeli 'infiltration' of Syrian social networks on the Net, according to residents and media reports."

My Way News - Video Web Site Gets Religion

AP reports: "GodTube.com, a video-sharing site with Christian content, drew more than 4 million unique visitors during October. It maintains more than 150,000 registered users with active profiles. Plans for the future include producing entertainment programs at the site's headquarters north of Dallas."

My Way News - Swiss Votes to Use 'Unbreakable' Code
AP reports: "A new 'unbreakable' encryption method will be keep votes safe for citizens in the Swiss canton (state) of Geneva in the country's upcoming national elections, officials said Thursday. The city-state will use quantum technology to encrypt election results as they are sent to the capital on Oct. 21, said Nicolas Gisin of the University of Geneva."

Comment: While I'm not sure this technology will be not available to consumers for quite some time, it does seem like it's time for a PGP for the 21st Century.

My Way News - China Censors Ratchet Up Web Monitoring
AP reports: "In the lead-up to the sensitive Communist Party Congress, which convenes Monday to approve top leaders who will serve under President Hu Jintao through 2012, authorities have been casting an even wider net than usual in their search for Web content they deem to be politically threatening or potentially destabilizing."

China Cracks Down on Dissent
Here are two news reports that suggest that the underground church in China is in for some very difficult times as the Olympics approach:

My Way News - China Closes Christian-Linked Businesses
AP reports: "China has closed two businesses whose owners allegedly sought Christian converts in a traditionally Muslim region and also revoked the visa of an American citizen for illegal proselytizing, a rights group said Wednesday."

My Way News - Rights Group Condemns China Net Controls
AP reports: "Though the communist government promotes Internet use, it also has set up an extensive surveillance and filtering system to prevent Chinese citizens from accessing material considered obscene or politically subversive."

My Way News - Cell Phones, Web Spread News of Myanmar
AP reports: "Cell phones and the Internet are playing a crucial role in telling the world about Myanmar's pro-democracy protests, with video footage sometimes transmitted one frame at a time. Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday the junta has cut some cell phone service."

Comment: This is a great example of cyber dissidents using the internet to fight repression. It's also, unfortunately, an example of how a government can restrict internet access.

My Way News - Chinese Catholic Bishop Dies in Custody
AP reports: "A bishop who led an underground congregation of Roman Catholics and was repeatedly detained in China for his loyalty to the Vatican died in police custody, a monitoring group said Tuesday. [...] China's officially atheist communist government requires that Christians of all denominations worship in state-registered churches. Millions, however, instead worship in underground churches - known as 'house churches' because services are often held in private homes - risking arrest, fines and official harassment."

GODSurfer.com
Here is a great resource to help promote Christian websites, articles, blogs and other internet resources. GODSurfer.com is:

a tool to spread the good word of Jesus Christ to the world. This includes all faiths of Christianity (Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, and Christian Non-Denominational). Although GODSurfer.com is tolorant of other religions and point of views the main point of GODSurfer.com is to spread the word of GOD to everyone who comes across this site.

This site is similar to digg and reddit in that it allows registered members to vote on the submissions. So, benefit from the wisdom of the crowd, a Christian crowd, and visit GODSurfer.com today.

Internet Surveillance
Here is an interesting development, a proposal to enlist ISPs in government surveillance programs (Torrent Freak - Congressman wants ISPs to be Copyright Police):

With warrentless wiretapping sweeping the US, a leading congressman is proposing similar measures for the Internet. This isn't an attempt at "fighting terror" but instead a new measure to reduce so-called "piracy" by making the ISPs the police force.

This is a proposal in the United States, but it's a reminder of the capability that all governments have to control the internet.

Protect your web searches
What's the best way to protect your web searches? This article from Lifehacker (Technophilia: Protect your web searches) recommends several basic strategies as well as some software and web services that can help you surf without leaving too much of a trail. This could be especially important for our brothers and sisters in China, where the government has just launched a new high visibility web surveillance program (BBC News - Virtual police patrol China web).

Wikiklesia
Here is a new effort to use internet technology to spread the gospel using a wiki type format:

An online Christian publishing experiment called the Wikiklesia Project has produced its first collaborative ecclesial e-book, VOICES OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD.

The Wikiklesia Project collected the thoughts of more than 40 writers--from technologists to theologians--to reflect on the influence of technology on the global Christian church. The book took just a few weeks to complete, according to Wikiklesia co-founder John La Grou.

Could the project be a bellwether for changes in the church itself? "We long to see a church saturated with decentralized cooperation," according to the publisher's statement. "The improbable notion of books that effectively publish themselves is one of many ways that can help move us closer to this global ecclesial connectedness."

My Way News - Uri Geller Runs Afoul of YouTube Users
AP reports: "'All it takes is a single e-mail to completely censor someone on the Internet,' said Jason Schultz, a lawyer for the online civil rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is suing Geller over an unflattering clip posted on YouTube for which he claimed a copyright ownership."

My Way News - Google Fights Global Internet Censorship
AP reports: "A study released last month by the OpenNet Initiative found that 25 of 41 countries surveyed engage in Internet censorship. That's a dramatic increase from the two or three countries guilty of the practice in 2002, says John Palfrey, executive director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, who helped prepare the report. China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, India, Singapore and Thailand, among others, are increasingly blocking or filtering Web pages, Palfrey says."

Internet Freedom
There are parts of the world in which Christians can not use the Internet to share the good news of the Gospel. Why? Because the Internet that many of us take for granted is under the control of countries hostile to the gospel. We think of the Internet as an open marketplace, the ultimate expression of the freedom to share ideas and opinions, but it is a marketplace in which the tools of control and surveillance are growing stronger in the hands of those least trustworthy. Consider this report by the OpenNet Initiative (AP - Study finds 25 countries block Web sites):

At least 25 countries around the world block Web sites for political, social or other reasons as governments seek to assert authority over a network meant to be borderless, according to a study out Friday. [...] China, Iran, Myanmar, Syria, Tunisia and Vietnam had the most extensive filters for political sites. Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen had the strictest social-filtering practices, blocking pornography, gambling and gay and lesbian sites.

What this report does not mention, and should, is that these countries consider the expression of Christian sentiments to be on a par with pornography and other blocked sites. This is yet another reminder that the Internet can be used as a tool for good or evil and while our task is to use it for good, we must also be aware of how it is being used and misused by those against religious and political freedom.

My Way News - Rights group accuses Yahoo of helping China arrest and torture
AP reports: "A human rights group sued Yahoo Inc. Wednesday on grounds the U.S. search company assisted China's communist government with torture by revealing information that led to the arrest of dissidents.[...] Activists, meanwhile, have criticized Cisco Systems Inc. for selling computer networking equipment that could potentially be used to monitor Internet use."

My Way News - New Service Creates Custom News Sites
AP reports: "A new service lets visitors create custom news sites centered around niche hobbies, business ventures and other special interests, pulling stories on the topic from some 25,000 news sources. [...] Congoo's new News Circles lets you pull news from about 480 predetermined categories or create your own using keywords. Once you've set up a circle, you can share the collection with friends and colleagues who have similar interests and needs. Others may add comments on specific items within the circle."

This could be a great resource for those interested in aggregating news reports related to Bible prophecy in general, or more specific topic areas like persecution or missionary work. I think I'll give it a try when I have some free time. If any of you are using this Congoo service, let us know what you think about it.

UPDATE: I created a site using the Congoo service, I called it Portents News Circle, and so far I have to say the service is interesting. I've added channels for news on Europe, Israel, Russia, Iran, Mideast, Syria, e-commerce, health, online banking, religion, data privacy, mobile industry and RFID. Please drop by and take a look. The service is also designed to be interactive, if you send me your e-mail address (or leave it in a comment below) I can have the service subscribe you and this will allow you to comment on the news. Their emphasis seems to be on community building. Anyway, give it a try, let's see how this works.

My Way News - Outwardly Open, China Keeps Censoring
AP reports: "In the midst of a sensitive political season, China's machinery of state control is gearing up to make sure that nothing goes astray, including people's thinking."

China leading crackdown on Internet: media watchdog - Yahoo News
AFP reports, "Backed by 'armies' of cyber-police, China is spearheading an increasingly sophisticated movement by repressive regimes to restrict the Internet, a global media watchdog said in its annual report.[...] China remains the most powerful force in controlling the Internet not just through technology, but through old-fashioned manpower and depth of resources, according to the watchdog."

My Way News - Egyptian Blogger Gets 4 Years in Prison
AP reports: "An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egypt's president, sending a chill through fellow Internet writers who fear a government crackdown."

Techdirt: German Court Says Police Cannot Put Spyware On Someone's Computer
Teckdirt reports: "As various legal systems grapple with new, technology-related issue, it appears that a German court has come down firmly against the idea of allowing police to use remote spying techniques to record what a suspect does on his or her computer."

Here is yet another optimistic report on the potential for the Internet to aid those living and working in oppressive regimes (TechDirt - Can A Wiki Force Transparency On Oppressive Regimes?):

In 1971, when Pentagon employee Daniel Ellsberg leaked classified documents to The New York Times detailing US aggression during the Vietnam War, he had to find a way to quietly photocopy thousands of pages. Today, he could just put everything up on a wiki. A new site called Wikileaks is offering a way for dissident government employees working under oppressive regimes to anonymously leak information on their government's behavior. The site, which is backed by proponents of ethical leaking, is chiefly targeting countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Use a wiki, by all means, use all the tools that the Internet provides, but also understand that repressive governments will do everything in their power to turn this technology back on the user.