viral
The Moscow Mayor’s mischievous viral marketing
Throughout the Moscow mayor’s race, Alexey Navalny’s campaign has taken a beating from all sides on questions about financing, nationalism, and even transparency. Read More »
Teen suicides put Latvia’s Ask.fm under scrutiny
The parents of the Latvian founders of a social media platform involved in a British suicide row are defending their sons, the Daily Mail writes. Latvian entrepreneurs and founders of Ask.fm, Ilja Terebin, 34, and Mark Terebin, 29, have come under fire from relatives of teens who have committed suicide after being cyber-bullied. Read More »
IT guys pinpoint exact location of Spamalot
Belarus has grabbed the dubious honor of being the biggest worldwide source of spam per capita, according to the BBC. Data from the Cloudmark security firm flagged 27 percent of Belarusian IP addresses as known sources of spam, with Romania in second place at 22 percent.
The terrifying potential of a post-Navalny Russia
On the eve of being sentenced to a five-year term in a penal colony, Alexey Navalny blogged about puffer fish. The Russian opposition would be remiss to think of itself as a school of small fish being pursued by a big predatory fish (i.e. the Kremlin), he wrote on his blog. The predator was simply putting on an act to conceal its weakness.
Kazakhstan suffers cyber attack
Kazakh citizens are under cyber attack. The attack in question is delivered through phishing emails, and is thought to be driven by an advanced persistent threat (APT) organisation, via software called NetTraveler.
Revealing e-book shares Azerbaijan’s political secrets
An e-book produced by the ‘International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ (ICIJ) has been made freely available online and is aimed at pinpointing corruption in offshore accounts. In an effort to spread this information and to shed light on those involved, including a Kazakh banking tycoon and Russian corporate executive, the e-book details cases of corruption as well as providing summaries on those involved, and the information is spreading. Read More »
Disaster-mapping project helps spread reports of the Czech floods
The Krizová mapa Česka, or Crisis Map Czech, an online disaster-mapping project created by a Czech television channel, has provided Czech citizens with up-to-date information about the flooding in the Czech Republic.
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Tajikistan’s recent YouTube block highlights a fickle friendship with the Web
To friend or to unfriend? Tajikistan cannot make up its mind about the Internet. Read More »
Karimova gets schooled in Twitter debate
How does she manage it all?
Even though her schedule must be packed, Gulnara Karimova, an ambassador to the UN and daughter of Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov, still seems to find time to lecture human rights activists, though not too successfully. Read More »
Estonia’s Winny Puhh makes 1 million new Internet friends
The members of Estonian rock band Winny Puhh bear (ahem) little resemblance to the red-shirted, honey-loving cartoon character, but they’ve managed to win over Internet audiences with a 2013 Eurovision-qualifying performance regardless.
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Makers of Grozny-fire spoof video will help in cleanup
Two men who allegedly posted online a video making light of a skyscraper fire in Chechnya last week got a taste of the fury of the Russian republic’s leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, Radio Free Europe reports. Read More »
Meteorite pelts Russia with tweets, memes, and scams
The meteorite that fell near the Russian industrial city of Chelyabinsk on 15 February sent shock waves around the RuNet and social networks worldwide. Read More »
Hunting black swans with big data
In times of worldwide economic crisis, natural disasters, and political turmoil, one often wonders if such events couldn’t have been mitigated or avoided altogether with the help of the latest technological developments. The United Nations Development Programme offers a potential answer in the form of a software that allows better data visualization and detection of irregular patterns.
‘Carousel Voting’ Goes Viral in Kyrgyz Elections
Nearly three months of intrusive and irksome electoral campaigns in Kyrgyzstan came to an end as votes were counted for the five municipal elections held on November 25. But with the results in, a scandalous piece of citizen media has left a sour taste in the mouth. Read More »
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More from Transitions Online- In Turkey, a Murder Video Raises Ethical QuestionsAn eight-second video taken in a cafe has ignited a debate about violence against women, and what it means to witness such violence – in person or through another medium. […]
- Two Czech Artists Who Defined a GenerationOne was a singer, the other one an actor. Their deaths this month symbolize the continuing debate over the legacy of the fall of communism. From Reporting Democracy. […]
- Alienation and Accountability in Central Asian StudiesSociological study and political struggle increasingly go hand-in-hand. But in Central Asia, research needs to become accountable to the very people it studies. From openDemocracy. […]
- Taboo Talking in BelarusA Minsk online magazine decided to push the envelope and spur its countrypeople to talk about sensitive social issues. […]
- Yugoslavia 1989: A Story of Unfated EventsIt is tempting to look back into the history of socialist Yugoslavia and see the bloodshed of the 1990s as the culmination of an inexorable march of history. From the German Marshall Fund. […]
- Bulgaria and Japan Celebrate Their Surprising LinksEnthusiasts of the “special relationship” are gathering in Sofia this autumn, to celebrate and renew a mutual admiration society. […]
- Stuck in the MiddleLooked at more broadly, Trump’s treatment of Ukraine shows the country’s lingering inability to escape the power games of Moscow and Washington. […]
- Filling the GapRFE/RL has returned to Romania, and is already making an impact in its bid to improve media standards and satisfy local demand. […]
- In Turkey, a Murder Video Raises Ethical Questions
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About Us
Net Prophet is a blog supported by Transitions Online tracking new media and tech developments across Central Europe and Eurasia.
Transitions Online is an online magazine that covers political, social, cultural, and economic issues in the former communist countries of Europe and Central Asia. The magazine has a strong network of local contributors, who provide valuable insight into events in the region’s 29 countries.
