I don’t know anyone worth adding into my personal social mediasphere left in my Gmail address book who isn’t a total luddite living life without a cell phone, bank card, or voicemail. Do I really want to try and add these people to my Buzz network? Do you?
In order to meet industry standards for protecting privacy on the Internet, Google should shut down new social-media service Buzz and reboot it as a service that gives informed consent back to users.
Today, as I continue to ask my readers and social-media friends to keep the eyewitness accounts coming, I did what any self-respecting traditional news-gatherer would do. I filed FOIAs regarding the alleged Independenc Eve fireworks violence.
Yesterday’s post on alleged gang violence during Chicago’s Independence Eve fireworks generated a lot of local attention and concern. That post compared official reports of a relatively ‘peaceful’ July 3rd fireworks display with reports from the blog, Second City Cop, and several Twitter members indicating a sizable gang presence, multiple gang-related fights, numerous guns recovered, and a potential shooting in the vicinity of Buckingham Fountain. Here’s how you can help get to the bottom of things.
For the second time in two years, Chicago’s Independence Eve fireworks started early. Last year’s reason? Gang violence, including four shootings–one fatal–after the display, that marred the evening and marked a controversial start for then-new Chicago police superintendent Jody Weis. This year, Chicago police brass reported gang activity yet again, in and adjacent to the Taste of Chicago grounds both before and after the show. Trouble is, the blogosphere is reporting a lot more violence–including potentially another shooting–than can be found in the city’s official version of events.