Posted on 10/21/2002 4:34:11 PM PDT by JohnathanRGalt
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Recently, the webmaster of one of our associated websites brought to our attention apparent bias in the DMOZ Open Directory Project owned and operated by Netscape, a subsidiary of AOL Time Warner, Inc. In certain categories of DMOZ, this bias is evident as a systematic minimization of information critical of Arabs, Muslims and Islam while maximizing antisemitic or anti-Israel material.
Since DMOZ is widely used as a source of directory information on the Internet -- including use by market-share leaders such as Google and AOL -- this deeply embedded bias cannot be tolerated or taken lightly.
Note: Those of you who are editors and writers for publications should consider a story on this subject. DMOZ is very widely used on the Internet and this discovery of significant bias is NEWS.
Upon investigation we have determined that not only is the allegation of bias correct, but the situation at DMOZ is quite severe. Specifically, the nature of the Open Directory contents regarding terrorism, extremism, peace initiatives, and hate groups reflects a carefully screened minimization of Muslim/Islamic/Arab culpability. At the same time the selection process has greatly overstated Jewish/Israeli extremism and reflects the propaganda and outright lies of Palestinian Arab sympathizers and antisemites.
Since volunteer editors, under the supervision of Netscape employees, are determining the content of DMOZ, we are observing the result of a deliberate human effort and not the operation of a software algorithm.
EXAMPLE 1:
A DMOZ search using the terms "arab terrorist" returns ten Open Directory Sites. Of the ten:
-- Numbers 1, 9, 10 are on the subject of Jewish terrorist groups; -- None are about Arab terrorist attacks in Israel.
EXAMPLE 2:
A DMOZ search using the terms "palestinian terrorist" returns 25 Open Directory Sites. Of the 25:
-- Number 1 is "Describing Sharon's long history of provoking Palestinian terrorist attacks in order to justify his expansive miitary operations...";
-- Numbers 9,10,18,21,22,23,24 are on the subject of Jewish terrorist groups;
-- Number 7 reads "Israel steps up its punishment of suicide bombers' relatives";
EXAMPLE 3:
In the categorization of Hate Groups under "Society: Issues: Race-Ethnic-Religious Relations: Hate", the Anti-Semitism sub-category lists 34 web sites with antisemitic and/or anti-Israel content, but only one (Radio Islam) of Islamic origin. In reality, antisemitism is endemic among Islamic populations and the web is choked with hate sites of Islamic origin. In the same Hate Groups category, the Islamic sub-category has a curious distinction: it does not exist! Clicking on the "Islamic" entry leads to a different category called "Society: Religion and Spirituality: Islam: Islamism: Extremism" that lists 14 web sites with titles including "Islam is Not the Source of Terrorism" and "French Muslims Adhere to Islamic Values and Reject Extremism". Some of these sites discuss the misuse of the word Jihad. None of the sites reveal the pervasive antisemitism in Islamic countries and among the Muslim populations around the world. Finally, the Jewish sub-category of Hate Groups lists 11 web sites, almost all of which are politically on the right, and possibly distasteful to Palestinian Arabs, but cannot be reasonably called "hate groups".
These examples are the tip of the DMOZ iceberg. We have many more documented examples provided in an Appendix to this memo. We invite our subscribers to conduct their own experiments with DMOZ to uncover more evidence. Please email anything interesting that you find, to be added to the Appendix.
On October 11, 2002 JIA wrote to Steve Case, Chairman of AOL Time Warner, Inc. with the facts presented in this memo. Netscape was also contacted. We asked for an investigation and remedy. To date there has been no reply. Interested JIA subscribers should let Mr. Case know your opinion of this situation, along with Netscape. Be polite and factual. Insist on an investigation and remedy to this obvious bias.
FYI, Chuck Chriss
President, JIA
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Volunteers, anyone?
These pictures and others can be found at:
GAMLA
Or what they have done to us with their bare hands.
The rest of these pictures are worse. I have them on my site. This site is my cousin's.
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