AOL Tells Customers to Change Their Password
The latest hacking victim is AOL, which urged users to change their password even though the risk sounds small.
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| Dear AOL User,
At AOL, we care deeply about the safety and security of your online experience. We are writing to notify you that AOL is investigating a security incident that involved unauthorized access to AOL's network and systems. Recently, our systems alerted us to an increased incidence of email users receiving spam emails from "spoofed" AOL email addresses. AOL's security team immediately began investigating the cause of the spoofed emails. Spoofing is a tactic used by spammers to make it appear that the message is from you in order to trick the recipient into opening it. These emails do not originate from the AOL Mail system – the addresses are just edited to make them appear that way. AOL is working with other email providers like Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Outlook·com to stamp out spoofing across the industry, and we have implemented measures that will significantly limit its future occurrence. Although our investigation is still underway, we have determined that there was unauthorized access to AOL users' email addresses, postal addresses, contact information (as stored in the AOL Mail "Address Book"), encrypted account passwords, and encrypted answers to security questions that we ask when a user resets his or her password. We believe spammers have used this contact information to send spoofed emails that appeared to come from roughly 2% of our email accounts. Importantly, at this point, we have no indication that the encryption on the passwords or the answers to security questions was broken. Likewise, there is no indication that this incident resulted in disclosure of users' financial information, including debit and credit cards, which is also fully encrypted. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure, we strongly encourage you to reset your password used for any AOL service and, when you do so, you should take the time to change your account security question and answer. You may reset your password and account security question at account.aol.com. In addition, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from cyber risks. They include:
We place a premium on the security of our systems and our users' information. We are implementing additional measures to address this incident, and we are working with law enforcement to pursue the matter. If you have any further questions, additional information and an extensive Q&A can be found at faq.aol.com. We apologize for any inconvenience, and we are addressing the situation as quickly and forcefully as we can. |
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Privacy Policy | Customer Support |
According to PC Magazine, AOL also updated its email policy. An announcement on its blog says the company is working with other email providers to reject spoofed emails:
"AOL Mail is immediately changing its policy to help mail providers reject email messages that are sent using forged AOL Mail addresses. By initiating this change, AOL Mail, along with other major email providers will reject these spoofed email messages, rather than deliver them to the recipient's inboxes."
Discussion Starters:
- Analyze AOL's audience: who is the typical user (other than my 86-year-old father)?
- How well does AOL describe the technical problem to this audience? What else about the email is tailored to this audience?
- What, if anything, could be improved about the email?
- What's your assessment of AOL's blog post about working with other email providers?
NBA and Sponsors Respond to Clippers Owner's Offensive Comments
An audio recording of LA Clippers owner Don Sterling shocked the league with comments that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called "truly offensive and disturbing." The nine-minute recording, released by TMZ, included these statements made to Sterling's girlfriend, who happens to be black and Mexican:
- "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?" (3:30)
- "You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games." (5:15)
- "I'm just saying, in your lousy ******* Instagrams, you don't have to have yourself with, walking with black people." (7:45)
- "...Don't put him [Magic] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don't bring him to my games." (9:13)
Commissioner Silver made a short statement and then answered questions during a news conference:
Head Coach and Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Doc Rivers made this statement, posted on the NBA website:
"I would like to reiterate how disappointed I am in the comments attributed to [Donald Sterling] and I can't even begin to tell you how upset I am and our players are. Today, I had a meeting with the members of our organization. When you are around all these people, you realize they are just as upset and embarrassed by the situation and it does not reflect who they really are. That was what I got from all of them. They are now a part of this and they are upset at this. But, they are all going to hang in there and so are we - I can tell you that as a group and as a team. From our fans' standpoint, I want to say that they have been amazing, I can tell you that. We need unbelievable support right now from other people and I'm hoping we get that. My hope is that whatever the fans do, it is as one. I think that is what we all should do.
"We want to make the right decisions here. We're doing our very best to try and do that. We know that fans are in a dilemma as well. We want them to cheer for their players and their team. It will always be their players and their team. From the fans that I have heard from, that's how they feel. ‘This is my team. These are my players that I'm cheering for and that's not going to change.' I hope STAPLES Center is packed and people are cheering for the players. The players are now in the middle of this, and they have to deal with it.
"We are all trying to figure out everything as it goes and just do our best and we hope that it is the right answer. I'm still going to do my best and do what I think is best for the team and for everybody in this case. It is very difficult because there are so many emotions in this. This is a very emotional subject, this is personal.
"My belief is that the longer we keep winning, the more we talk about this. I believe that is good. If we want to make a statement - I believe that is how we have to do it. I think that is the right way to do it, but that doesn't mean we still don't wrestle with it every day and every moment. That is the difficult part.
"We are all doing our best here. Our players are doing their best. There are a lot of people involved in this. From one man's comments, a lot of people have been affected and the conversations that we're all having do need to be had."
As the NBA addresses inquiries, sponsors are pulling out. Mercedes-Benz, CarMax, Virgin America, State Farm, the Chumash Casino Resorts, Red Bull, Kia Motors America, Lumber Liquidators, and Yokohama Tire have all announced an end to or suspension of their advertising agreements.
UPDATE: Adam Silver announces that Sterling will be fined the maximum $2.5 million and banned from the NBA for life.
UPDATES: In another recording of Sterling, he explains his comments this way: "I know what I said was wrong, but I never thought the private conversation would go anywhere out to the public. I didn't want her to bring anyone to the games because I was jealous."
Time Warner Chairman and CEO Dick Parsons was selected as interim CEO until new ownership is decided. Parsons said, "Like most Americans, I have been deeply troubled by the pain the Clippers' team, fans and partners have endured. The Clippers are a resilient organization with a brilliant coach and equally talented and dedicated athletes and staff who have demonstrated great strength of character during a time of adversity."
Discussion Starters:
- Although the NBA has been responding to questions, the league has made no comment about the declining sponsorships. What, if anything, should be said at this point?
- What is suspiciously missing from these communications?
Board Terminates RadiumOne CEO After Felony Charges
Former RadiumOne CEO and Founder Gurbaksh Chahal is disputing his termination. The board of directors may have supported Chahal as he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend and plead guilty to two misdemeanors. But after more reporting and social media activity, apparently, the board made its decision.
RadiumOne, an advertising platform, announced the termination in a short press statement on its website:
"At a board meeting yesterday evening, RadiumOne's board of directors voted to terminate the employment of Gurbaksh Chahal as CEO and Chairman of the company. Bill Lonergan, the company's COO, will take over as CEO of the Company immediately. Bill has an extraordinary professional background and has helped build BlueLithium and RadiumOne into industry leading brands. We are confident he will continue Radium One's impressive trajectory."
In a blog post, "Can You Handle the Truth?" Chahal admits to losing his temper but denies claims that he hit his girlfriend 117 times. He also protests the media attention and social media attacks. Chahal includes an email he says he received from one of his board members two days before he was terminated:
"Been thinking some more. Absolutely don't do anything. Let the haters hate ad move on. This will blow over very quickly and we focus on the IPO. Don't let them get to you. Don't respond. I know it sucks but i think this is the right way fwd. Stay strong amigo. I feel for you."
In the meantime, at least two reporters had called for the board to terminate Chahal: Kara Swisher and CNN Money writer Dan Primack.
Discussion Starters:
- Did the board make the right decision? Why or why not? What does one's personal life have to do with the business? Does his position as CEO and/or founder affect your view?
- How do you assess the email Chahal posted? If it's real, does it help his case?
- How, if at all, does the image of Chahal with President Obama affect your opinion of him?
South Korea Prime Minister Apologizes and Resigns
South Korea Prime Minister Chung Hong-won has resigned, taking responsibility for issues associated with the ferry that sank. More than 300 people died, mostly high school students. In his resignation speech, the PM said that resigning was "the right thing to do" and apologized for "many problems, from the prevention of the accident to the early handling of the accident (BBC translation)." Initially, families were told that everyone had been rescued.
Critics say that the prime minister is a figure head and that President Park Geun-hye should take the fall. The opposing party called the resignation a "cowardly evasion of responsibility" and called for the president to apologize.
A professor of political science and diplomacy at Myongji University in Seoul said the incident will not likely affect the upcoming election in June. Shin Yul said that the resignation "may tip the scales a bit, but in terms of the elections, this incident has been unfavorable to both parties because voters are angry with all public figures."
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view of the resignation? Was it the right thing to do, only a symbolic gesture, an act of scapegoating, or something else?
- As you might expect, President Park Geun-hye accepted Chun's apology. What else, if anything, should she do?
NYPD Hashtag Failure
It's been at least a few months since we had a Twitter hashtag failure. This time, the New York Police Department started a campaign: #MyNYPD.
Unfortunately, the results weren't what the police force expected. Jokes about the police supporting the "1%," criticisms about race discrimination, and photos of officers frisking dogs and wrestling people to the ground dominated the hashtag for hours.
Gawker describes the campaign in an article titled, "NYPD's Twitter Outreach Backfires in Most Predictable Way Possible."
Discussion Starters:
- Why does Gawker call the results predictable? What other hashtag failures have we seen that compare to this situation?
- Should the NYPD have known better? Why or why not?
- Should organizations just stop these hashtag campaigns, or can you identify certain situations where they may get the desired results?
Polite Negative Reviews Can Boost Sales
How politely someone writes a review can affect how customers react. A new study, "We'll Be Honest, This Won't Be the Best Article You'll Ever Read: The Use of Dispreferred Markers in Word-of-Mouth Communication," published in the Journal of Consumer Research, gave subjects five versions of online reviews. Reviews that included nice phrases, such as, "I'll be honest," and "I don't want to be mean, but…" influenced people to possibly pay more for a product, even though the review was negative.
A University of Chicago Press article further described the results:
"The study also asked participants to complete a survey evaluating the 'personality' of the brand. Results showed that the review using the marker of politeness caused the brand to be seen as more honest, cheerful, down-to-earth, and wholesome than the same review without the polite customer complaint."
Discussion Starters:
- How might you explain the study results? In what ways do they make sense to you-or not?
- Read the entire study and assess the methodology using principles in Chapter 9 of the book.
- How does this study align with principles for conveying bad news in Chapter 8?
FTC Admonishes Cole Haan's Pinterest Promotion
Cole Haan devised a contest encouraging Pinterest users to create boards called "Wandering Sole." As a creative pun, people were instructed to pin five pictures of Cole Haan products and five places. It was a cute idea, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) expressed concern about people getting rewarded-$1,000 for winning the contest-without admitting the connection between their posts and the potential monetary award.
In a letter to Cole Haan, the FTC admonished Cole Haan:
The FTC is concerned about deceptive social media practices. An easy solution, according to a MediaPost article, is for Cole Haan to have people indicate that their posts were part of a contest. An advertising lawyer suggests, "A hastag that included a word like 'sweeps,' or 'contest,' or 'giveaway,' would have satisfied the FTC's concerns."
Discussion Starters:
- What's the rationale for the FTC rule? What situations can you think of where this may be a significant issue? Or, do you think this rule is just silly?
- How, if at all, do you think adding the word "contest" would have affected this promotion?
General Mills Changes Its Tune
Following criticism of its new legal restrictions, General Mills has reversed its policy. The change warned customers who interacted with its brands, for example, by downloading a coupon, that they would give up their rights to sue and would be forced into an abritration process instead.
In an email, a company spokesperson conveyed what The New York Times calls a "stunning about-face":
"Because our concerns and intentions were widely misunderstood, causing concerns among our consumers, we've decided to change them back to what they were. As a result, the recently updated legal terms are being removed from our websites, and we are announcing today that we have reverted back to our prior legal terms, which contain no mention of arbitration."
The decision was further announced on the General Mills blog:
Here's the company's tweet about the change:
Discussion Starters:
- Was this the right decision for General Mills? What are the consequences either way?
- Assess the company's blog post. What works well, and what could be improved?
Captain of Korean Ferry Is Arrested and Apologizes
The captain and two crew members of the South Korean Ferry that capsized with hundreds of people on board were arrested. As of today, about 75 people were rescued, 29 bodies were recovered, and 236 are still missing, mostly high schools students taking a trip.
In this video, the captain and a crew member apologize. Additional questions by the press are below.
Q: Was there any place to turn? You evacuated the crew but why not to passengers?
Capt: I gave the evacuation order.
Q: Did you?
Capt: Yes, I gave the evacuation order to passengers too.
Q: Why did the announcement ask the passengers to stay in their cabin?
Capt: At that time, none of the rescue ships had arrived at the scene.
Q: Nothing there?
Capt: Yes, at that time.
Q: But you evacuated first?
Capt: No.
Q: Do you accept the charges of the prosecutor's office?
Capt: Yes, I understand there are some parts that are my fault. Anyway, I am sorry I caused the trouble. I apologise to all Koreans and especially I bow my head in apology to the family of the victims.
There are some parts I do not understand. There is no such (mumbles).
Q: Did you give evacuation orders?
Capt: Yes, I did.
Q: But there were many announcements asking passengers to stay in the cabin. Why?
Capt: That's before the rescue boats arrived.
Q: At that time, is it true the ship was tilting seriously?
Capt: The boat was in an area of very strong current, the temperature of the ocean water was cold and I thought if people left the ferry without proper judgement, if they not were wearing a life jacket, and even if they were, they would drift away and face many other difficulties. The rescue boats had not arrived yet, nor were there any civilian fishing ships or other boats around at that time.
Q: When did you notify the coastguard? When was the first sign of a problem?
Capt: I remember it was probably around 9.50am.
Q: 9.50am? Wasn't it 8.50?
Capt: Yes, 8.50.
Q: Did you feel anything strange before that?
Capt: No.
Q: Was there any place you can turn?
Capt: It is not that there was no place to turn the boat. I asked the crew to stay on the route. I briefly went to my bedroom and I was on my way back when it happened.
Q: You went to your bedroom?
Capt: Yes.
Q: There were rumours that you were drunk?
Capt: No.
Q: Are you sure?
Capt: Yes.
A transcript between the ship and a nearby island portrays "confusion and panic," according to an NPR report.
To add more tragedy to this situation, the students' deputy headmaster committed suicide. Reports show he did "everything by the book" but apparently was overcome with grief. He left a note that said, "Surviving alone is too painful while 200 remain unaccounted for. I take full responsibility. I pushed ahead with the school trip," and "I will once again become a teacher in the afterlife for my students whose bodies have not been discovered."
Discussion Starters:
- The captain and crew are criticized for leaving the boat and for telling people to remain in the ship rather than evacuate. What could explain their actions?
- From watching the video, what cultural differences can you identify? In other words, how might this situation differ if it happened in the United States?
Cute Infographic, But What's the Point?
Here's an attractive infographic, but viewers may struggle with the point. (Click for a larger image.)
How can you improve the infographic?
- Who do you think is the audience?
- What is the purpose? Specifically what would the designer like the reader to do?
- What "message title" would make the main point up front more clear?
- How is the graphic organized? What sequencing of data could be more logical?
- How could the font style be improved for easier reading?
- What text for each component would more clearly convey each point?
- How else could you improve the text?
- What design changes would you make, for example, to the colors, images, and background graphics?
Discussion Starters:
- This infographic was produced by Allstate insurance, and it is, after all, an information graphic. What are the consequences of making the main point clearer? In other words, why might Allstate choose this approach?
- What one data point in the infographic is the most convincing?
- If you're renting now, does this persuade you to get renters' insurance?
"Like" This Page and Give Up Your Right to Sue?
General Mills is the latest company to try to restrict customers' right to legal action based on their interaction with the company on social media. The company's new legal terms define these conditions broadly, including being "a subscriber to any of our emails, or a participant in any sweepstakes, contest..."
According to The New York Times, "anyone who has received anything that could be construed as a benefit and who then has a dispute with the company over its products will have to use informal negotiation via email or go through arbitration to seek relief, according to the new terms posted on its site."
Although the move may be understandable considering the increasing number of class-action lawsuits, the director of a trial attorneys' organization explains the potential consequence: '"It's essentially trying to protect the company from all accountability, even when it lies, or say, an employee deliberately adds broken glass to a product."
Could merely visiting General Mills' website prevent a lawsuit? One attorney say it's unclear, but "You can bet there will be some subpoenas for computer hard drives in the future."
This story reminds me of KlearGear, the company that charged a customer $3,500 for a bad review.
UPDATE: General Mills reverses its decision and apologizes.
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view of the ethics of General Mills' new legal restriction?
- How do you see the new restriction playing out? Consider one or two situations where this restriction might apply.
- Does this story affect how you might approach social media contact with General Mills in the future?
Typo Adds 3 1/2 Years to Prison Sentence
If you need convincing to proofread, this may do it. Federal prisoner Ceasar Huerta Cantu discovered an error while reading a legal report about his case. Using federal guidelines for sentencing, the report noted that Cantu's offense was level 36 instead of 34.
It took President Obama's clemency powers to fix the mistake. White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler said, "It's hard to imagine that someone in the federal criminal justice system could serve an extra three-plus years in prison because of a typographical error."
Cantu's attorney and the judge who presided over his case both missed the mistake. Six years later, when Cantu brought the case forward, another judge denied the request to cut his sentence by 42 months, saying it was too late.
The case is particularly relevant now that the Obama Administration is reviewing commutation powers and because of harsh federal drug sentences. According to The New York Times, "Over his first five years in office, Mr. Obama granted fewer acts of clemency than any modern president." As Cantu's new attorney says, "If you're familiar with federal drug laws, they are very punitive, and I deal with them all the time," he said. "Any chance you get to right that, I think that's a good thing."
Related story: A clerical error kept a man out of prison for 13 years, and he was granted freedom when the mistake was finally discovered.
Discussion Starters:
- How do you think a mistake like this could happen? How could it have been avoided?
- Should Cantu's original attorney be held responsible for missing the error? Should the original judge?
- Did President Obama do the right thing? What about other prisoners who seek clemency?
Comparing Heartbleed Emails
By now, most people know about Heartbleed, the computer vulnerability that takes advantage of a programming flaw in websites' OpenSSL encryption code. As we wait to see which sites are affected, companies are beginning to send emails to customers. We can compare these bad-news messages in the same way we looked at emails about the Epsilon security breach back in 2011.
Here are the emails I've seen so far:
Discussion Starters:
- What differences do you notice among these emails? Consider the message, tone, organization, and so on.
- What could account for these differences?
Communications About California Bus Tragedy
A terrible bus accident left ten people dead, including five high school students on a Preview Plus tour of Humboldt State College. This was a special trip for first-generation and low-income students to see the college where they were accepted and might attend the following year. More than 30 people were injured.
A FedEx truck jumped the median and crashed into the bus, creating a horrible scene of students and their chaperones trying to escape. A FedEx spokesperson has made this statement: "Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in the tragic accident on I-5 in California. We are cooperating fully with authorities as they investigate." Also, FedEx posted this statement on the news pages of its website.
Humboldt posted this message on its website:
Here are two excerpts from a news conference.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/12/us/orland-california-bus-crash.html?hp&_r=0
See also the LA School District's notice to employees.
Although the California Highway Patrol says the investigation could take months, they do know that some bus passengers weren't using their seatbelts. As a new model bus, it had shoulder belts, but victims were thrown from the vehicle, indicating that their use wasn't enforced.
Discussion Starters:
- Assess Homboldt's website post. In what ways is it what you would expect, and how, if it all, is it different?
- Assess FedEx's statement. Given the recency, is the statement appropriate? Should the company say anything else?
- Assess the comments in both videos for emotional appeal and handling questions. What works well, and what could be improved?
Paula Deen Forgot to Tell Her Employees She's Closing the Restaurant
Chef and restaurant owner Paula Deen is in the news again. Last June, she made headlines for racist comments. She apologized but lost her TV and endorsement deals and never fully recovered her reputation.
Now, she and her brother decided to close Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House, the restaurant where the controversy started. They announced the decision on Facebook but failed to tell their employees, who showed up for work only to collect their severance pay.
As predicted, opponents and allies were active on the company's Facebook page, which has since been taken down.
Meanwhile, Deen has been "business-as-usual" on her Twitter feed:
Discussion Starters:
- In my Corporate Communication course, we talk about the best order for notifying internal and external audiences of a change. Identify all of the audiences that should have been notified and the ideal sequencing of messages.
- What could be the owners' rationale for not telling employees before announcing the decision on Facebook? The Associated Press called the move "abrupt." Does that justify how this was communicated?
- Paula Deen seems to be silent during the latest controversy. Is that the best approach? If so, why? If not, what should she do or say?
Joy Behar Roasts Chris Christie
The video is rough, but we can watch comedian Joy Behar roast New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at an event to celebrate a former governor's 90th birthday. Behar poked fun at Christie's weight and the bridge scandal: "When I first heard that he was accused of blocking off three lanes on the bridge, I said, ‘What the hell is he doing, standing in the middle of the bridge?"
A story in The New Yorker described the scene in the video above:
"After another barb, Christie interrupted her. 'This is a Byrne roast,' he said. He stood up and tried to grab her notes. The audience laughed awkwardly. 'Stop bullying me,' Behar said as he sat down. Christie said something out of earshot and Behar responded, 'Why don't you get up here at the microphone instead of being such a coward?' Christie stood up again and moved in front of the lectern as Behar retreated. 'At least I don't get paid for this,' he said.
"Christie sat down and Behar continued, though she was noticeably rattled. 'I really don't know about the Presidency," she said. 'Let me put it to you this way, in a way that you'd appreciate: You're toast.'"
Discussion Starters:
- After watching the video clip, I wouldn't have described the scene as The New Yorker author did. How about you? What could explain the difference?
- What's a roast? Research the history and purpose. Why are insults accepted-even expected-while they would be shunned in most business settings?
ABC's Video for Facebook Likes
ABC celebrates 1 million Facebook likes with a video.
Deadline put the video in context:
"The Facebook milestone is fun news for the ABC newscast, in contrast to the nicking it suffered last week in the press when it dropped mention of that day's landmark ruling from the Supreme Court striking down cumulative caps on individual political donations in order to make room for breaking news about that day's shootings at Fort Hood, while hanging on to reports about why zebras have stripes, Kraft's Philadelphia Cream Cheese formula change, and the stray dog adopted by the Milwaukee Brewers."
It's funny that this excerpt mentions Kraft. The other Facebook-like video I remember is for Kraft Mac 'n Cheese-much more fun than ABC's.
Discussion Starters:
- Compare ABC's video to Kraft's. What are the purpose and audience for each?
- Does ABC have to include the Nationwide Insurance ad before we watch its promotional ad?
"Your Neighbor . . . Is a Parasite" Flyer
Kevin Rose's neighbors have posted flyers identifying him as a "parasite." The founder of Digg and a Google Ventures partner was outed as one who is "destroying San Francisco" by directing funds for start-up companies.
In a tweet, Rose did concede some points:
The protest is a continuation of those angry at the so-called "Google Bus," which shuttles people to work at technology companies. Activists claimed, "This is the opposite of school busing. We're busing wealthy, predominantly white adults into low-income neighborhoods, where they in turns displace low-income people. This is the reverse of affirmative action."
Discussion Starters:
- To what extent do you empathize with the protestors? What are their points?
- What's your assessment of this group's approach of posting flyers? When I first saw the headline, I thought Rose was a pedophile.
New Mozilla CEO Resigns
Firefox maker Mozilla is in the news because its new CEO was criticized for opposing same-sex marriage. In 2008, he gave $1000 to support Proposition 8, California's ban on gay marriage. Within two weeks of Brendan Eich's appointment, he resigned because of the controversy.
On the Mozilla blog, board chair Mitchell Baker wrote this explanation:
Mozilla prides itself on being held to a different standard and, this past week, we didn't live up to it. We know why people are hurt and angry, and they are right: it's because we haven't stayed true to ourselves.
We didn't act like you'd expect Mozilla to act. We didn't move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We're sorry. We must do better.
Brendan Eich has chosen to step down from his role as CEO. He's made this decision for Mozilla and our community.
Mozilla believes both in equality and freedom of speech. Equality is necessary for meaningful speech. And you need free speech to fight for equality. Figuring out how to stand for both at the same time can be hard.
Our organizational culture reflects diversity and inclusiveness. We welcome contributions from everyone regardless of age, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender-identity, language, race, sexual orientation, geographical location and religious views. Mozilla supports equality for all.
We have employees with a wide diversity of views. Our culture of openness extends to encouraging staff and community to share their beliefs and opinions in public. This is meant to distinguish Mozilla from most organizations and hold us to a higher standard. But this time we failed to listen, to engage, and to be guided by our community.
While painful, the events of the last week show exactly why we need the web. So all of us can engage freely in the tough conversations we need to make the world better.
We need to put our focus back on protecting that Web. And doing so in a way that will make you proud to support Mozilla.
What's next for Mozilla's leadership is still being discussed. We want to be open about where we are in deciding the future of the organization and will have more information next week. However, our mission will always be to make the Web more open so that humanity is stronger, more inclusive and more just: that's what it means to protect the open Web.
We will emerge from this with a renewed understanding and humility - our large, global, and diverse community is what makes Mozilla special, and what will help us fulfill our mission. We are stronger with you involved.
Thank you for sticking with us.
Mitchell Baker, Executive Chairwoman
But the situation isn't so clear-cut. A New York Times article discussed the controversy: "The public campaign against Mr. Eich was unseemly and disturbing." The article also quoted The Dish editor: "If we are about intimidating the free speech of others, we are no better than the anti-gay bullies who came before us."
Mozilla published an FAQ, denying that Eich was fired or resigned under pressure from the board or employees. For his part, Eich wrote a blog post, "The Next Mission," to announce his resignation and present questions for the company's future.
Discussion Starters:
- Was it the right decision for Eich to resign?
- Assess the board chair's statement. What works well, and what doesn't seem to work?
- Read Mozilla's FAQ about the situation. What questions may be missing?
NSA's New Press Kit
The National Security Agency (NSA) published a shiny, new press kit to try to change its image. Damaged by reports of spying, the NSA's reputation could use some freshening up.
With self-aggrandizing phrases, such as, "Saving Lives," "Cybersecurity: A Team Sport," "Operating as a Responsible Citizen," and "The Mission that Never Sleeps," the NSA is trying to combat negative perceptions.
The kit also addresses "Myths" about the NSA, such as, "The NSA has agents who can arrest hackers or other cyber bad guys," and "NSA monitors the world's communications systems at all times."
Discussion Starters:
- Read the entire press kit. What are the NSA's main messages?
- Assess the text and graphics. How well do they work together? What images are most prevalent in the kit?
- Which themes or points do you find most and least convincing?