I’m a bit behind in pushing this on my own blog, but since the launch last Wednesday, it’s been a massive whirlwind of excitement. Herdict.org, or Herdict Web uses crowdsourcing to gather information on Internet accessibility around the globe (which sometimes means filtering and sometimes doesn’t). As a part of the Herdict core team, I’m admittedly totally biased in saying this is one of the most fascinating and far-reaching projects to come out of Berkman since Global Voices. As Herdict Web catches on with users around the globe, they’ll be able to compare accessibility in their country with other countries. And while governments are typically inept at maintaining a sense of transparency about filtering, Herdict will hopefully allow users to fill in where government has left off.
Don’t get it? Check out the video, subtitled in eight languages (so far) and narrated by Professor Jonathan Zittrain (who’s also the brains behind the idea).