Far-right groups 'could obtain payments' from BT, O2 and Virgin Media through Google AdSense
Experts say YouTube 'hiding corporate irresponsibility behind freedom of speech'
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Neo-Nazi groups are allegedly making money from firms like Virgin Media, BT and O2 by uploading YouTube videos which take advantage of the site's advert revenue sharing system, it was claimed today.
Extreme far-right groups like Combat 18 and Blood & Honour are making use of the video sharing site's automatic addition of adverts to their videos.
Revenue-sharing deals in place under Google's AdSense programme allow YouTube members sharing non-copyrighted videos to benefit from adverts which appear in boxes to the right of their uploads.
Revenue generating: Far-right organisations like Blood & Honour are making money from large corporations through YouTube and Google
Google's AdSense programme aims to give funding to popular non-copyrighted YouTube videos
And with some of this advert revenue being directly passed on to the video owner, extremist groups are making money from large British corporations without them even knowing.
When Google was alerted this practice it was said to have deleted the videos, but according to the Guardian there is no indication that anything has been done to stop it being repeated.
One of the YouTube videos links to The Turner Diaries, a novel described as 'the bible of the racist right'
Groups like Combat 18 and Blood & Honour use YouTube videos to peddle far-right views and generate support among their numbers, as well as opposition and hatred towards minority and ethnic groups.
This goes directly against YouTube's user policy, which claims to strictly prohibit hate speech.
YouTube today denied that adverts next to videos would necessarily provide revenue for content providers.
A spokesperson said: 'Seeing ads next to videos on YouTube does not indicate that those content providers are making money as a member of our partner programme.
'Ads can also be shown next to videos if they contain material that rights holders like the music industry have registered through YouTube’s automated Content ID system.'
A Google spokesperson had previously told The Guardian: 'YouTube's community guidelines prohibit hate speech, and we encourage our users to flag material that they believe breaks the rules.
'We review all flagged videos quickly, and we promptly remove material that violates our guidelines.
'Videos with ads showing because of content claims created by YouTube's automated content ID system are subject to the same removal policies after they've been flagged by users.'
AdSense allows popular non-copyrighted videos to join Google's partner programme and generate revenue.
As well as generating funds through ad revenue, the YouTube videos are also a platform for extremist groups to provide links to their own literature and other Neo-Nazi websites.
Far-right mass killer Anders Breivik is one of many thought to have received support from the Neo-Nazi online community
One of the links on one of the YouTube videos is to the Turner Diaries, the 'bible of the racist right' novel which has been linked to several hate crimes.
The trend is also worrying as the likes of Norweigan mass killer Anders Breivik are known to have received support from online communites.
Expert have accused YouTube of 'hiding its corporate irresponsibility behind freedom of speech', while others have criticised the site for appearing to condone the Neo-Nazi message.
Facebook users crown O2 arena top London landmark - Daily Telegraph
The seven other cities featured in the list are: Berlin, New York, Melbourne, Paris, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Seoul and Tokyo.
T-Mobile selling 16GB Samsung Galaxy S3 for $279 after rebate - CNET News
T-Mobile users hankering for Samsung's Galaxy S3 will have to pay more than their counterparts on AT&T and Sprint.
The latest Galaxy S smartphone is now up for sale at T-Mobile's Web site but carries a price tag of $279.99 for the 16GB model, even after a $50 rebate. The 32GB flavor is selling for $329.99 after the rebate. Those prices include the standard two-year contract.
But T-Mobile's prices tip the scales compared with those at fellow Galaxy S3 carriers AT&T and Sprint. AT&T is selling the 16GB version for just $199.99. Sprint is now offering the same model at the same price, while the 32GB edition is going for $249.99.
AT&T's Galaxy S3 isn't out there just yet, though customers can currently pre-order. Sprint was supposed to start selling the new smartphone today, but its Web site indicates that both the 16GB and 32GB models are already out of stock. The company recently cautioned prospective buyers about "overwhelming demand and limited supply," explaining that the phone could be a day or two late.
Verizon Wireless is also slated to carry the Galaxy S3, priced at $199.99 for the 16GB model and $249.99 for the 32GB flavor. The phone is currently up for pre-order at Verizon's Web site.
T-Mobile's site doesn't point to any backlog or out-of-stock status. So consumers apparently can order the phone right away if they don't mind kicking in the extra cash.
CNET contacted T-Mobile for comment and will update the story when we get more information.
T-Mobile’s Cell-Tower Sale Is Said to Attract Bidders - Bloomberg
T-Mobile USA Inc. received a second round of bids for its cellular towers, attracting offers from companies such as American Tower Corp. (AMT) and Crown Castle International Corp. (CCI), a person with knowledge of the deal said.
The unit of Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE), which owns about 7,000 antenna towers in the U.S., has also received bids from private- equity firms, said the person, who asked not to be named because the discussions aren’t public. Selling the assets could raise about $2 billion, according to Kevin Smithen, an analyst with Macquarie Capital in New York.
Deutsche Telekom set out to sell T-Mobile USA’s towers after a failed takeover of the carrier by AT&T Inc. last year. The deal would help the company raise money for wireless spectrum and network enhancements, while allowing T-Mobile to rent back antenna space on the towers. The new owner could then use the assets to provide service to other carriers as well.
“I expect they will announce a winner in July and probably close the deal by September,” Smithen said.
Deutsche Telekom appointed the New York boutique bank TAP Advisors LLC to search for a tower buyer and raise cash, Bloomberg reported in March.
AT&T Deal
Cara Walker, a T-Mobile spokeswoman, and Philipp Kornstaedt, a Deutsche Telekom spokesman, declined to comment. American Tower and Crown Castle, two of the largest U.S. cellular-tower operators, didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Deutsche Telekom dropped 1 percent to 8.32 euros as of 9:27 a.m. in Frankfurt.
AT&T (T)’s $39 billion bid for T-Mobile collapsed in December because of regulatory opposition. Even as it aims to offload the towers, T-Mobile’s German parent is stepping up investments in the division. Deutsche Telekom plans to boost U.S. network spending by $1.4 billion over two years in a race to upgrade equipment and bring faster connections to smartphones.
T-Mobile, based in Bellevue, Washington, is the only large U.S. carrier that doesn’t offer Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone. That’s put it at a disadvantage to its three larger rivals, Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint Nextel Corp. (S)
T-Mobile lost 1.65 million contract customers last year, a slump that’s prompting it to make cutbacks. The company said last month that it plans to trim 900 jobs. It’s also eliminating 1,900 jobs by closing seven call centers.
Even so, T-Mobile benefited from a breakup agreement with AT&T following the merger’s collapse. The company received $3 billion in cash; wireless frequencies in cities such as Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Washington and San Francisco; and lower fees for calls into AT&T’s network.
To contact the reporters on this story: Scott Moritz in New York at smoritz6@bloomberg.net; Serena Saitto in New York at ssaitto@bloomberg.net; Cornelius Rahn in Frankfurt at crahn2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net
Vodafone slashes 3G prices further, adds pay-a-day plan - VC Circle
In a bid to capture the lead in the ongoing 3G price war among telecom operators in India, Vodafone has further reduced its 3G tariffs. But instead of simply slashing the prices of its 3G plans, the telco has taken a mixed approach, which involves reducing the tariffs of existing plans, retaining the current tariffs but increasing the data limit of existing plans and also adding new plans to the mix.
Prepaid
For prepaid customers, an all-new pay-a-day plan has been introduced where the company is offering 25 MB of 3G data for a price of Rs 26, but the validity is only for a day. There is also a plan of Rs 44 that has been added and it provides 150 MB of 3G data for a week. These are good options because they allow subscribers to get a feel of 3G before opting for it full time. Most of the other operators already offer such plans.
As for the monthly plans, a new one has been added that gives you 300 MB of 3G data for Rs 102 and finally, a plan worth Rs 1,501 has also been introduced that offers 10 GB of 3G data. But this plan only has one-month validity, compared to the two-month validity period of Rs 850 and Rs 1,250 plans. So it is obvious that this one targets people who are frequent surfers and download a lot of stuff (video, music, movie, etc.) on a regular basis.
Post-paid
For post-paid subscribers, the company has kept the pricing of the 3G plans same as before but increased the data benefit. A post-paid subscriber paying Rs 100 (the cheapest available plan) will now get 300 MB of 3G data but earlier, it was only 200 MB. And for the most expensive plan (Rs 1,250), subscribers will get 8 GB of 3G data, instead of 5 GB (60 per cent increase) that they were getting earlier.
The price slash and addition of new plans do improve Vodafone’s position, compared to other players in the market. You will also find detailed information on the plans offered by the other telcos here, here and here.
As we have mentioned before, there may be a host of reasons behind the price war (Bharti Airtel probably did it because of the launch of its 4G services in the country while others did it in a bid to stay in the competition) but finally, the users will benefit the most from such a move. But as of now, we need to wait and watch how other players respond to Vodafone’s move to make 3G data all the more affordable.
(Edited by Sanghamitra Mandal)
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