MySpace censorship makes the NY Times
by Duncan
January 2, 2006
In an great example that even the little guy being able to make a difference, the tale of censorship of YouTube video’s at MySpace, as reported here on 22 Dec has made the NY Times (reg req). Congrats to Ellis Yu on a wonderful grass roots campaign.
This maybe good for people who are conservative type but for the liberated once and wants to see naked pics its bad.
Not only that they are pulling blogs down out of the top rankings if they don’t agree with the content. I have had numerous blogs removed from the top ten, as have many other top myspace bloggers because they didn’t like the content.
Fox News Corp Censors Myspace.com
Nico and The Velvet Underground were kicked off Myspace.com on February 13, 2006. This is the 8th time the band has been censored by Rupert Murdoch’s popular yet controversial site. Even as the shadow of New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer looms over Myspace, and U2 and Madonna build a web presence, Nico and The Velvet Underground enter 2006 as the most censored band on Myspace.com.
According to the Associated Press, “Complaints also have been directed at News Corp.’s purchase, including accusations of censorship as MySpace occasionally blocked video stored elsewhere and embedded in profiles, just as MySpace was readying its own video-sharing service. � (Social Networking Site MySpace Is Latest Online Darling Monday, February 13, 2006: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184607,00.html).
With Myspace.com as an attractive buy, News Corp. earned $1.08 billion up to December, a significant jump from last year’s $386 million gain. Media giant Rupert Murdoch, who is the majority shareholder of News Corporation, recently bought out Intermix Media, owner of Myspace.com for 580 Million.
With legal problems mounting against News Corp and Rupert Murdoch, New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has accused Myspace.com of false advertising and deceptive business practices. Within the last year, Myspace was fingered for spyware attacks to redirect members to its search engine.
Intermix Media agreed to settle for 7.9M, having admitted no wrongdoing.
While Nico and The Velvet Underground arent ruling out a record deal with Viacom, Paramount, and MTV, it is concerned about this shocking news. Nico’s press conference is set to air on several media outlets including WBBM AM/FM Chicago and Spike TV. In related news, Paramount bought out rival Dreamworks for $1.5 Billion, wrangling entertainment giants Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Viacom, which owns Paramount, reportedly negotiated a purchase of Myspace.com before the shocking buy out from Fox News on July 19, 2005. Spokeswoman Anna Astley is concerned about these recent developments and commented on the censorship fiasco. “Myspace.com and Fox News made no warning that the band’s account was being cancelled. Cancelling Nico and The Velvet Undergrounds’ Myspace.com account is tantamount to censorship and a violation of their First Amendment rights.�
Anna Astley refused to comment regarding any future legal action against News Corporation, Fox News, and/or Myspace.com regarding Nico and The Velvet Underground’s First Amendment rights. “We cannot make a statement at this time,� stated Astley. The investigation will result in an announcement in early summertime.
No word if the band intends on releasing the album just yet. Stay tuned for breaking details.
Cyberstalker Threatens Nico and The Velvet Underground
Nico and The Velvet Underground were kicked off Myspace.com on February 23, 2006. This is the 9th time the band has been censored by Rupert Murdoch’s popular yet controversial site. Ironically, this comes days after it was reported that singer Morrissey of the Smiths was questioned by the FBI and British intelligence for his outrage against the American and British governments. The crackdown of free speech, and the specter of fear among News Corp executives forces Nico and The Velvet Underground offline as the most censored band on the internet. Spokeswoman Astley will hold a press conference at the Delano Hotel in South Beach Miami to discuss the band’s shocking announcement. With tensions mounting over cybercrime, video-swapping and blog deletions, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp is arguably placing advertising dollars above its members. Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno characterized cyberstalking as “a prelude to more serious behavior, including physical violence.”
According to the Associated Press, “Complaints also have been directed at News Corp.’s purchase, including accusations of censorship as MySpace occasionally blocked video stored elsewhere and embedded in profiles, just as MySpace was readying its own video-sharing service. � (Social Networking Site MySpace Is Latest Online Darling Monday, February 13, 2006: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184607,00.html). After the band had announced its new promotional CD “Im Lovin’ It,� they decided to call it quits.
Considering the cultural firestorm and backlash of the Associated Press and CNN against Myspace.com, it is uncertain if Nico and The Velvet Underground will continue its purported contracts with Viacom, Paramount, and MTV. Nico’s press conference is set to air on several media outlets including CNN, NBC, ABC, FOX TV, and CNBC. In related news, Paramount bought out rival Dreamworks for $1.5 Billion, wrangling entertainment giants Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Viacom, which owns Paramount, reportedly negotiated a purchase of Myspace.com before the shocking buy out from Fox News on July 19, 2005. Spokeswoman Anna Astley is concerned about these recent developments and commented on the censorship fiasco. “Myspace.com and Fox News made no warning that the band’s account was being cancelled. Cancelling Nico and The Velvet Undergrounds’ Myspace.com account is a violation of their First Amendment rights.�
With Myspace.com as an attractive buy, News Corp. earned $1.08 billion up to December, a significant jump from last year’s $386 million gain. Media giant Rupert Murdoch, who is the majority shareholder of News Corporation, recently bought out Intermix Media, owner of Myspace.com for 580 Million.
With legal problems mounting against News Corp and Rupert Murdoch, New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has accused Myspace.com of false advertising and deceptive business practices. Within the last year, Myspace was fingered for spyware attacks to redirect members to its search engine. This is alarming, despite statistics that show Myspace.com having 20 times the traffic as Google.com.
Intermix Media agreed to settle for 7.9M, having admitted no wrongdoing.
Anna Astley refused to comment regarding any future legal action against News Corporation, Fox News, and/or Myspace.com regarding Nico and The Velvet Underground’s First Amendment rights. “We will continue to fight Myspace’s censorship of Nico and The Velvet Underground. Despite threatening phone calls from unknown perpetrators, the band hired a private investigator to investigate to the sleuthery and dark attacks on the outfit,� stated Astley. The results of the investigation is ongoing. The band has hired three bodyguards, rumored to be former members of Prince’s entourage.