Sometimes it's hard to be a blogger

Bloggers are getting a hard time of it at the moment, according to two stories out recently.

Bloggers with a political bent are increasingly being arrested, according to research by the University of Washington. As part of research for the World Information Access Project, academics from the university tracked reports of blogger arrests since 2003. They found that the majority of the 64 bloggers had been arrested in Asia and the Middle East, while there had also been arrests in North America and Europe.

It seems that bloggers are increasingly being targeted by governments anxious to shut them up. In 2006 there were 10 arrests, while in 2007 there were 36.

Meanwhile, bloggers may also be coming under increasing legal strain over alleged copyright infringements. Associated Press is embroiled in a legal dispute with Drudge Retort writer Rogers Cadenhead. According to Cadenhead, AP doesn't think that blogs on the Drudge Retort site constitute "fair use".