CNN Promotion Risks Clogging Inaugural Cell Phones

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
Date: January 18, 2009 7:24:32 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: CNN Promotion Risks Clogging Inaugural Cell Phones



            CNN Promotion Risks Clogging Inaugural Cell Phones

               http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000496.html


Greetings.  It's one of the most undeniable examples I've ever seen of
one hand seemingly not knowing what the other is doing -- and possibly
putting people at risk as a result.  CNN has previously urged persons
not to use scarce cellular bandwidth at the Obama inauguration to
transmit photos or videos -- but now is heavily promoting a plan that
asks everyone to do exactly the opposite!

Last week, CNN was airing a well done video report explaining the
challenges of providing cellular service to potentially millions of
persons attending the inaugural
( http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/12/16/inauguration.phones/ 
#cnnSTCVideo" ).
The piece ended with the wise admonition that persons taking
photos and videos with their phones be sure *not* to transmit
them from the phones at the event, but rather wait until they were
back at home before e-mailing them to anyone out on the Net.
Excellent advice -- we obviously want to keep as much bandwidth as
possible available for more critical needs in such situations.

But at about the same time, Turner Broadcasting apparently sent out a
press release
( http://news.turner.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=4207 )
promoting their "Capturing 'the moment'" project in conjunction with
Microsoft ( http://tinyurl.com/cnn-capture ).

This plan is now being heavily promoted on the CNN Web site and on
CNN's air. It asks inauguration attendees to take photos of the exact
moment of the swearing-in and then to "E-mail each photo as soon as
possible" to CNN.

We know what potentially very large numbers of persons will do.
They'll use camera phones to take the photos (CNN suggests up to three
photos per person) and will immediately start trying to e-mail them to
CNN from their phones -- *exactly* what the earlier CNN report
told people *not* to do!

To be clear, I'm generally a fan of CNN.  But in this case, by
contradicting their own report's sage warning, they're undercutting
their own credibility and potentially risking causing exactly the kind
of cell phone "traffic jam" that they themselves had reported as being
so potentially disruptive.

CNN needs to *immediately* rethink "Capturing 'the moment'" -- at
least in its current form.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren () vortex com or lauren () pfir org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
  - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, NNSquad
  - Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com





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