Sunday, August 24, 2008

Internet Freedom Alert 1.14

The Internet Freedom Alert is a publication of Freedom House's Global Internet Program, that covers online developments related to censorship, Internet Governance and freedoms online. Issue 1.14 covers developments from Aug 10 - Aug 22, 2008. Links, Events and articles mentioned are summarized weekly from the Internet Freedom Bookmarks site - that can be accessed @ http://del.icio.us/internetfreedom

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Issues

Censorship

The rise of 'User-Generated Censorship'

While powerful institutions such as governments and corporations develop increasingly sophisticated ways to censor the net, and users find ways around it, a new kind of censorship is appearing online – user-generated censorship.

This newly coined phrase describes a phenomenon whereby collaborative social networks get together to flag content as “inappropriate” and get it hidden or even removed. Flagging is a kind of filtering system used by social network sites to highlight articles and remove content that is illegal, inappropriate or harmful. If you get enough flags against your comments/site/blog entry, the owner of the site may remove your content entirely.

Internet filtering and censorship rife

Believe the conspiracy theories: Out of sight and without your knowledge, governments truly are filtering what you see on the Internet. Internet users are increasingly having content blocked by governments around the world. Internet users are increasingly having content blocked by governments around the world. The recent conflict between Georgia and Russia has highlighted many of the issues at play with Internet filtering, as its increasing use by governments raises serious doubts about the freedom of the Web.

Western Companies' Crucial Role in Building China's Great Firewall

The Great Firewall of China is the most sophisticated mass censorship weapon ever created, a gargantuan digital cruncher that controls the information flow to 1.3 billion people. But China alone could not have put this cyber-bunker together without the inestimable assistance of scores of Western technology corporations, who are not only adding and abetting the Chinese censors. They are also cheering for them during the commercial breaks of Olympic broadcasts

Freedom of Expression

Bloggers Arrest Is On Rise

The World Information Access Project at the University of Washington released a report that identified 64 bloggers, unaffiliated with news organizations, who had been arrested for the contents of their blogs between 2003 and 2008. The growing number of such blogger arrests underscores the political importance of blogging around the world.

Internet Governance

South Summer School on Internet Governance SOUTH-SSIG 2009

The South Summer School on Internet Governance (SOUTH-SSIG) helps interested students and academics as well as individuals working in the private sector or in government, to understand better the global Internet Governance controversy and to get a comprehensive and structured knowledge on the various aspects of Internet Governance.

Privacy

Telecommunications data retention

In the field of telecommunications, data retention (or data preservation) generally refers to the storage of call detail records (CDRs) of telephony and internet traffic and transaction data (IPDRs) by governments and commercial organisations. In the case of government data retention, the data that is stored is usually of telephone calls made and received, emails sent and received and web sites visited. Location data is also collected.

Internet, Broadband Companies Admit to Tracking User Behavior Without Explicit Consent

According to a letter released recently by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, several Internet and broadband companies have admitted to using targeted-advertising technology without explicitly informing customers. Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post reports: "Google, in its letter to committee Chairman John Dingell, Markey, Stearns and Rep. Joe L. Barton, stressed that it did not engage in potentially the most invasive of technologies—deep-packet inspection, which companies such as NebuAd have tested with some broadband providers. But Google did note that it had begun to use across its network the 'DoubleClick ad-serving cookie,' a computer code that allows the tracking of Web surfing."

Security

Protect yourself online, Consumer Report's state of the net 2008 Report

Consumer Reports's 2008 State of the Net survey. It found that although threats such as viruses and spyware have eased, they are still prevalent and cost consumers billions of dollars in repairs and replaced computers.

UK's Defense Group Warns Against Internet Protocol Security Challenges

Recent report says many textbooks and articles have created the myth that the Internet Protocols (IP) were designed for warfare environments, while in reality they originally focused on operational aspects of the protocol and overlooked security implications. United Kingdom's Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) has released a document raising awareness of the many security threats from attacks based on the Internet protocol. According to this report, "producing a secure TCP/IP implementation nowadays is a very difficult task" partly because no single document provides security roadmap for the protocols

Georgia DDoS Attacks - A Quick Summary of Observations

The clashes between Russia and Georgia over the region of South Ossetia have been shadowed by attacks on the Internet. As we noted in July, the Georgia presidential website fell victim to attack during a war of words. A number of DDoS attacks have occurred in the region, and often do when tensions flare. We have been observing the attacks, making measurements, and sharing data with a select group of others to trace the origins of the attacks and monitor the situation. While some are speculating about cyber-warfare and state sponsorship, we have no data to indicate anything of the sort at this time. We are seeing some botnets, some well known and some not so well known, take aim at Georgia websites. Note that RIA Novosti, a Russian news outlet, was apparently targeted during this fighting. Georgian hackers are accused of this event.

An Illustrated Guide to the Kaminsky DNS Vulnerability

The big security news of Summer 2008 has been Dan Kaminsky's discovery of a serious vulnerability in DNS. This vulnerability could allow an attacker to redirect network clients to alternate servers of his own choosing, presumably for ill ends. This all led to a mad dash to patch DNS servers worldwide, and though there have been many writeups of just how the vulnerability manifests itself, we felt the need for one in far more detail. Hence, an Illustrated Guide.

Experts Accuse US Administration of Foot-Dragging on DNS Security Hole

Despite a recent high-profile vulnerability that showed the net could be hacked in minutes, the domain name system -- a key internet infrastructure -- continues to suffer from a serious security weakness, thanks to bureaucratic inertia at the U.S. government agency in charge, security experts say. If the complicated politics of internet governance continue to get in the way of upgrading the security of the net's core technology, the internet could turn into a carnival house of mirrors, where no URL or e-mail address could be trusted to be genuine, according to Bill Woodcock, research director at the nonprofit Packet Clearing House.

Opinion Articles

Drilling a Hole into the Great Firewall of China

Rebecca MacKinnon has just published an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about the true meaning and scope of the so-called Great Firewall of China, the digital fortress that keeps one sixth of the world's population in the dark of the information age. She contends that the regime's censorship prowess reaches well beyond this ideological bunker, whose armor only shields users from websites from outside China

The Olympics: Unveiling Police State 2.0

So far, the Olympics have been an open invitation to China-bash, a bottomless excuse for Western journalists to go after the Commies on everything from internet censorship to Darfur. Through all the nasty news stories, however, the Chinese government has seemed amazingly unperturbed. That's because it is betting on this: when the opening ceremonies begin friday, you will instantly forget all that unpleasantness as your brain is zapped by the cultural/athletic/political extravaganza that is the Beijing Olympics.

The games have been billed as China's "coming out party" to the world. They are far more significant than that. These Olympics are the coming out party for a disturbingly efficient way of organizing society, one that China has perfected over the past three decades, and is finally ready to show off. It is a potent hybrid of the most powerful political tools of authoritarianism communism -- central planning, merciless repression, constant surveillance....

Country Reports

North America

United States

Candidate for U.S. Congress Threatens Legal Action Against Blogger

George Lilly, the Republican candidate for Colorado's First Congressional District threatened a libel lawsuit against the Rocky Mountain Right ("RMR") blog.

Free licenses upheld

In non-technical terms, the Court has held that free licenses such as the CC licenses set conditions (rather than covenants) on the use of copyrighted work. When you violate the condition, the license disappears, meaning you're simply a copyright infringer. This is the theory of the GPL and all CC licenses. Put precisely, whether or not they are also contracts, they are copyright licenses which expire if you fail to abide by the terms of the license.

Susan Crawford comments on FCC Comcast decision.

Yesterday's FCC decision to require Comcast to stop interfering with popular peer-to-peer applications being used by subscribers to its highspeed Internet access service was historic. Millions of Americans were surprised by Comcast's discriminatory activities, and the FCC accurately sensed that it was time to respond. Just three years ago, such an action by the FCC would have been unthinkable. Now the Commission looks both brave and in step with the times.

Africa

South Africa

U.S. Helps Computer Forensics Skills

THE US government has thrown its weight behind the training of South African state officials in computer forensics in a bid to build SA's capacity to fight intellectual property (IP) and counterfeit crimes.

Europe

EU internet proposals raise civil liberty fears

Civil liberty groups claim the new "telecoms package" due to go before the European Parliament in September will result in the loss of individual freedom on the internet, and breach the fundamental principles of human rights in Europe.

Denmark

Digital Rights

Digital Rights is a non-profit civil organisation aimed at raising awareness of rights in the digital world. Digital Rights was founded in April 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Sweden

Swedish Authorities Take Action Against Blogger For Revealing Surveillance Documents

Swedish blogger and civil rights activist Henrik Alexandersson has been reported for "freedom of speech" violations by the head of FRA (Swedish National Defense Radio Establishment), the government agency that is responsible for surveilling the contents, origins and destinations of all phone calls, internet traffic and text messages passing through swedish networks, regardless of suspicion or not. Alexandersson published a classified document on his blog some time ago that had been leaked to him, that proved how FRA had been conducting illegal surveillance against innocent Swedes for more than ten years. It is this offense that has landed him in trouble and deemed him a "threat to national security." In other word, the messenger gets shot for whistleblowing about the illegal conduct of government agencies.

Turkey

Bloggers Banning Themselves

If you are a long-time follower of the Turkish blogosphere you will have undoubtedly heard about the Turkish ban on Wordpress….and the periodic bans on YouTube, and on the social-networking widget site Slide, oh..and now on Dailymotion as well. I think that is all.. Isn’t it? It is hard to keep track now-a-days and frustrating. Turkish bloggers feel the same way too, and are protesting the constant banning of sites by voluntarily banning their own.

Web Censorship Is So Bad in Turkey That Blogs Are Shutting Themselves Down In Protest (2,3)

It doesn’t take much to get your Website banned in Turkey. Pretty much any complaint to a lower court can get a Website blocked in the country. Websites including YouTube, DailyMotion, Alibaba, Slide.com, and some Wordpress blogs have all been banned, usually because of some purported slight to the Turkish government or Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. (The Youtube ban was the result of a sophomoric video claiming Ataturk was gay). The problem has gotten so bad that Turkish blogs are now banning themselves in protest

United Kingdom

Government proposes email and internet tracking

The UK Government will store "a billion incidents of data exchange a day" as details of every text, email and browsing session in the UK are recorded under new proposals published in Aug 08.

Russia and Central Asia

Georgia

New Crisis Maps of Georgia

A new set of crisis maps of Georgia have been posted over the past few days. Jonathan Thomas has kept us well informed of these developments, which include a detailed map provided by Microsoft, an OCHA map and updated layers on Google Earth

Cyberspace Barrage Preceded Russian Invasion of Georgia

Weeks before bombs started falling on Georgia, a security researcher in suburban Massachusetts was watching an attack against the country in cyberspace.

Internet experts in the United States said the attacks against Georgia’s Internet infrastructure began as early as July 20, with coordinated barrages of millions of requests — known as distributed denial of service, or D.D.O.S., attacks — that overloaded and effectively shut down Georgian servers.

Estonia to Help Georgia Fight Back Against Cyberattacks

Two Estonian computer security experts will arrive in Georgia tonight to help the besieged government battle back against an array of cyberattacks, reports ComputerWorld.com.

Georgian Web Sites Under Attack (2)

As Russian bombs rained down on towns in separatist towns of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, hackers mounted a digital assault on the nation's top Web properties this week, knocking government Web sites offline and defacing others. According to reports from security experts who have been monitoring the ongoing cyber attacks, the Web site for the office of Georgia Foreign Affairs (mfa.gov.ge) was hacked, and its homepage was replaced with images depicting Georgia's president as a Nazi. That site is currently offline. Other Georgian Web properties, such as the Caucasus Network Tbilisi -- key Georgian commercial Internet servers -- remain under sustained attack from thousands of compromised PCs aimed at flooding the sites with so much junk Web traffic that they can no longer accommodate legitimate visitors.

Kyrgystan

New bill curbs freedom of assembly

Freedom of assembly is under threat in Kyrgystan after President Kurmanbek Bakiev signed an amended law on the rights of citizens on 6 August. The amendment makes it mandatory to register public gatherings twelve days in advance, and prohibits demonstrations over a period of several hours.

The amendments were passed despite an earlier court ruling that they were unconstitutional. Following complaints from the human rights community, the president’s press office stated that all such comments were fully considered but that the changes were necessary to guarantee the freedoms and rights of all citizens.

Russia

Facing harassment, Web site editor flees Russia

The editor-in-chief of independent news Web site Ingushetiya has fled Russia and is seeking asylum in Europe, daily The Moscow Times reported today.

Ingushetiya’s lawyer, Kaloy Akhilgov, told CPJ that Roza Malsagova left Russia two weeks ago being harassed, threatened, and beaten by Ingush authorities. She also faces criminal prosecution. Earlier this year, regional prosecutors opened several criminal cases against Malsagova, charging “incitement of ethnic hatred” and “distribution of extremist materials.”

“Through harassment and intimidation Russian authorities have succeeded in driving a leading independent journalist into exile,” CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said. “President Dmitry Medvedev recently affirmed his commitment to civil liberties and freedom of speech. The persecution of Roza Malsagova suggests that much more must be done to uphold this commitment.”

Moscow City Court Upholds Closure of Ingushetiya.ru

The Moscow City Court on August 12 upheld a lower court ruling ordering the closure of Ingushetiya.ru. In June, Moscow’s Kuntsevsky District Court ordered that the opposition website be shut down for publishing extremist statements, but the website continued to operate while the Moscow City Court prepared to consider its appeal.

The Moscow Times on August 13 quoted Ingushetiya.ru’s founder, Magomed Yevloev, as calling the latest decision “unlawful” and promising that the website would keep operating despite the court’s ruling, which came into force right away. Yevloev said the web editors should be able to keep the site open on a technicality. “Only the website’s editors can decide on it being shut down, but they were not involved in the trial, so they are not planning to abide by it,” he said, adding that the website’s editors will now file their own court appeal.

Asia Pacific

A bloc of Bloggers of the South East Asia (SEA)

Bloggers of South East Asia (SEA) is created by a vision to unify bloggers from the region and to serve as a cradle for the budding and emerging bloggers.

Australia

Australia institutes code of conduct regulating online and mobile phone content

AFP reports that “Australia unveiled a new code of conduct to regulate online and mobile phone content which will call for classifications similar to those for films, a government spokesman said. All content likely to be rated as for viewers aged over 15 will need to be assessed and classified under the code, the Australian Communications and Media Authority said. The code of practice […] only affects online content originating in Australia.”

libertus.net: about censorship and free speech

A wide range of information about the current state, and history, of censorship of films, publications and computer games in a State of censorship in Australia.

SAGE-AU slams cost of content filtering

Over-blocking access censorship of harmless content - to Internet sites even three percent of the time will impose “significant” costs on service providers, the System Administrators Guild of Australia (SAGE-AU) has warned.

Responding to this week’s Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) study into ISP-level web filtering, SAGE-AU claimed that while the over-blocking result “was a significant improvement on previous surveys”, the testbed network failed to simulate the peak traffic loads experienced by medium-to-large ISPs in Australia.

Privacy in Australia - The Year in review (2008)

The Australian Law Reform Commission’s report on privacy laws in Australia, For Your Information: Australian Privacy Law and Practice (ALRC 108), has been released.

Burma

New disrespect charge brought against blogger Nay Phone Latt

Internet café owner and blogger Nay Phone Latt was charged under sections 33 (a) and 38 of the Electronic Act at a hearing yesterday. The police said they found articles showing disrespect for the government in his email inbox.

Held since 29 January in Insein prison, Nay Phone Latt was initially charged under article 32 (b) of the Video Act, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison. He was then charged on 7 July under article 5 (j) of the Emergency Provision Act of 1950 and article 505 (b) of the criminal code (regarding defamation), which carry much longer jail terms.

China

Chinese media, marketing, advertising, and urban life - Danwei

Danwei is a website about media, advertising and urban life in China. With frequent reference to and translations from Mainland Chinese media, we publish fresh information about China that you won't find anywhere else. We also produce original video shows and audio podcasts about China.

How technology is being used to open up Tibet to the world

Anthropologist and Tibetan studies expert Losang Rabgey shows how technology is being used to open up Tibet to the world, as well as connect lives across the region, in ways true to their various experiences.

China's Internet awash with state spies

An innovative Internet-based "profession" of state-outsourced web commentators is flourishing under the guidance of the Chinese government, according to the latest edition of the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER).

The Chinese Censorship Foreigners Don't See - Wall Street Journal

Censorship of ordinary Chinese people's electronic communications within China has changed little. Visiting reporters just aren't noticing because these forms of censorship relate to Chinese-language content they're not familiar with, hosted on Web sites and services located on computer servers inside China, which foreigners generally don't use.

China blocks iTunes over all-star Tibet album free download

Apple's online music store, iTunes, has been blocked in China after more than 40 Olympic athletes downloaded a pro-Tibet album from the site. Consumers in China began inundating Apple help forums on Monday, saying that they could not access iTunes. Earlier on the same day the US-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) announced that 46 athletes from America, Europe and even Beijing had used the site to download Songs for Tibet, which had been offered to them free.

Citizen reporter Zuola under ‘town arrest’(2, 3,4)

Well-known citizen reporter and blogger Zhou “Zuola” Shuguang was detained for just over an hour today in his hometown in Hunan province, and he was able to tweet what was happening as he was led out of the house then forced into a vehicle where he was driven back to his hometown of Meitanba.

China arrests cyber dissident, rights group says

Chinese police have arrested a prominent Internet dissident for violating his probation terms, accusing him of posting articles on overseas websites and receiving guests without permission, a rights group said. China has been cracking down on dissent in the run-up to next month's Beijing Olympics, fearing any unrest could embarrass the country while the world is watching. Du Daobin, from the central province of Hebei, was given a suspended sentence for subversion in 2004 having been detained by police in Wuhan for posting online essays in support of fellow dissident, Liu Di. Du was then released into house arrest, Reporters Without Borders said in an emailed statement, but was arrested this week.

China Detains 5 US Bloggers, Including Alive in Baghdad Founder

News has emerged that the Chinese government has detained at least five bloggers from the United States for reporting on protests in favor of Tibetan independence. Included among the detained was the widely admired founder of the video blog series Alive in Baghdad, Brian Conley. The detentions follow a wave of arrests of Chinese dissidents leading up to the Olympics. The US government pledged as the games began to engage the Chinese government concerning human rights - we wonder what those conversations look like now that China has detained journalists consistently critical of US policy as well.

More Americans held as China steps up scrutiny

The Committee to Protect Journalists said China had blocked more than 50 Web sites carrying news or advocating on behalf of pro-Tibetan groups, including the group's site (http://www.cpj.org), before the Games began, reneging on pre-Olympics promises of Internet freedoms. A member of Students for a Free Tibet said the group had experienced cyberattacks aimed at making its U.S. Web site hard to use.

China Telecom Added Record Internet Users in June

China Telecom Corp., the nation's biggest fixed-line phone company, added a record number of high- speed Internet users last month, helping the company counter a loss in telephone subscribers. China Telecom gained 890,000 broadband customers for a total of 40 million at the end of June

China - Olympics

080808: How China’s Web Savvy are Following the Games

There’s tremendous buzz online about the Olympic Games in China. One of the best ways to follow all the excitement, is on Twitter. People who are posting about Beijing and the Games are using Hashtags.org and the tag #080808, which takes you to a roundup of all the posts so tagged

Why Is the Chinese Government So Good at Censoring?

This column by John Kamm, founder and executive director of the Dui Hua Foundation, a human rights group, presents devastating evidence in this respect. Kamm uses an international poll by the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Survey to prove that when it comes to world perception of their country, the Chinese live in a fantasy land.

ONI analysis of Internet filtering during Beijing Olympic Games: Week 1

The Open Net Initiative (ONI) compared data from the Olympics Main Press Center (MPC) to that from other locations in Beijing, compiling a snapshot of Internet filtering in China leading up to week 1 of the Olympics.

The 21 edicts from the Chinese Government's propaganda unit

China’s iron Olympic grip starts to slip

Internet critics, made bold by their uncensored criticism of the Games' opening ceremony, are seeking new targets The mystery of the half-filled stands at many events at the 2008 Olympic Games has been solved, according to Chinese internet users, who say it is the result of a policy to prevent the gathering of large and possibly uncontrollable crowds.

Twitterer/streaming video broadcaster evicted from Olympics

Activist Twitterer noneck (aka Noel Hidalgo) was in Tiananmen Square on Saturday for a free-Tibet protest. After he Twittered the event and broadcast it live over Qik, Chinese authorities deported him.

India

Sex choice adverts banned from search engines in India

Internet censorship has many and varied faces. The latest revealed itself in India as the Supreme Court ordered Google, Microsoft and Yahoo to stop serving up adverts for sites that promote sex selection services

Google ordered to reveal blogger's identity

Google has been ordered to unmask the identity of an anonymous blogger in India in a defamation suit by a Gremach Infrastructure Equipment and Projects Ltd.

The Regulation of the Internet with Relation to Speech and Expression by the Indian State

This paper examines how the Indian State regulates the Internet and the relation this has to the limitations imposed on the State's actions vis-a-vis the rights provided by the Indian constitution protecting speech and expression as well as privacy. Building upon contemporary technology law writings, it argues that not only is the Internet 'regulable' by nation states, it is in fact more and more being regulated even by liberal democratic nation states which have constitutional limitations on the powers of their governments to direct and enforce such restrictions. The Indian situation has demonstrated the increasing engagement of the State with issues concerning Internet surveillance and regulation but with comparatively poor documentation of the same. This has been in addition to a glaring lack of informed debate concerning civil liberties and constitutional values with respect to Internet regulation in India.

Korea - North

North Korea Likely to Provide Internet Service from 2009

It seems likely that North Korea will finally join the worldwide web and provide Internet service from next year. Kim Sang-myung, the chief of the North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity, a group of former North Korean professionals, at a symposium in the National Assembly on Wednesday said, "According to the Internet Access Roadmap it launched in 2002, North Korea will begin providing Internet service for special agencies and authorized individuals as early as next year."

Malaysia

Malaysian Blogger Arrested for "Sedition"

Sedition is a favorite “law” to levy against bloggers by both Malaysia and its neighbor, Singapore. In Malaysia on Wednesday, blogger “Penarik Beca,” or Abu Bakar Mohd Rashid, joined American-Malaysian Raja Petra Kamarudin, in being charged with sedition. Bakaq was arrested Wednesday and his computer and cellular phone seized.

What exactly is sedition?

It has been a tumultuous time for blogging and online expression in Malaysia. With the ongoing court cases with blogger and online news portal editor, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, as well as the detention of Malay language blogger, Abdul Bakar aka ‘Penarik Beca’, it is with little surprise that it has been reported that Malaysian foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, called for the creation of a council or other form of mechanism to monitor bloggers.

News reports stated that Dr Rais Yatim believed that Malaysia has sufficient sanctions under the Sedition Act 1948, but he believed that there might be insufficient enforcement under the Act. Because of this, Dr Rais was said to opine that establishing a council would assist in both sanctions and enforcement.

Malaysian blogs fly flag upside down

Since August 3rd, some Malaysian blogs have featured the national flag (or “Jalur Gemilang“) posted upside-down as a sign of a nation in distress. The call was said to be have been made by blogger Sheih aka ‘kickdefella‘ from the country’s east coast, a call which many bloggers have taken to. Some bloggers have deigned to show disrespect to the flag, although they have posted the ruling party’s flag upside down on their blog.

Deface If You Dare

How do you draw the public's attention away from online media? The answer is not to detain another blogger for sedition. Malaysian bloggers were up in arms again when blogger Bakaq aka 'Penarik Beca' was detained for sedition recently. Bakaq, whose real name is Abdul Rashi Abu Bakar, was detained (and since released) for defacing the Royal Malaysian Police crest by allegedly substituting the tiger in the emblem with a dog.

New Zealand

New Zealand's internet future and how to fix it

A group of experts has descended on Queenstown for a three-day Netsafe conference that aims to unlock the mysteries of our internet future.

Thailand

Law requires companies to store all Internet datas for 90 days

As of Aug 23, private firms, organisations and government agencies will be required to store all internet traffic data for 90 days so it is available as digital evidence for police.

Vietnam

Calls for the release of blogger God Cay

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called Monday for the release of blogger God Cay, arrested according to official Vietnamese media on suspicion of tax evasion, but according to the organization pay its media criticism against the communist government.

Middle East & North Africa (MENA)

Arab Media: Dilemmas of a free media: S Nihal Singh

Freedom of the media, as we understand it, does not exist in the Arabian Gulf. The surprise is not that this is so, but rather in how new shoots of a more tolerant and liberal era are beginning to sprout.

Bahrain

MP calls for Facebook ban

A BAHRAINI MP is calling for the blocking of websites such as the social network Facebook, which he says is corrupting the morals of Bahraini youngsters. MP Abdul Haleem Murad said such websites were against Islamic teachings and should be closed in addition to others where women posted their pictures and information.

Egypt

Egypt demanding data on cyber cafe users (2)

An Egyptian NGO accuses the Egyptian authorities of forcing cyber cafés to gather personal information on Internet users, saying the measure was a violation of privacy.

Al-Dustour staff questioned over Tamim article

Editorial staff from independent daily Al-Dostour was among those summoned for questioning by a public prosecution office in Giza Wednesday, in connection with the publishing of an article about the murder of a Lebanese singer in Dubai.

Online monitoring a violation of internet user privacy, says rights group

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) condemned Saturday the Egyptian government’s move to gather the personal information of users at internet cafes as an infringement on privacy.

“The Egyptian government imposed new measures to increase censorship on internet users in violation of their privacy rights. This privacy abuse and censoring procedure has become a widespread reality,” ANHRI said in a statement released on Aug. 9

Increase in Censorship and Internet Users' Privacy Violation ANHRI Publishes the Abuse Evidences

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information today that, “The Egyptian government imposed a new measurement which increases the extent of the censorship on Internet users, and violates their right to privacy. The new measurement obliges the tourist coffee shops, to keep the information of their visitors who uses the internet, including their names, email and phone numbers before they use the Internet. This privacy-abusive and censoring procedure become a wide spread reality.

Iran

Conservative site now blocked

Alef, an Iranian conservative site, was filtered a few days ago. Several sites and blogs report that Alef has published Iranian Minister of Interior’s “fake” Ph.D certificate from Oxford where you can find many mistakes in English

Israel

Likud party website hacked

The Likud party's website (likud.org.il) was hacked on Wednesday by a hacker known as Cold Zero, who is a part of a group of hackers known as Team Hell. The group is known to be as a collection of Muslim hackers, believed to comprise of mostly Palestinian hackers.

Tunisia

Silencing online speech in Tunisia

Three more blogs have been blocked in Tunisia this week. These blogs, Mochagheb (Disturber), Ennaqed (The Critic) and Place Mohamed Ali have all been particularly active in providing news of the struggle of The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), and especially about the latest social unrest in the southwestern phosphate mining region of Gafsa, where two people have been killed. One was shot dead by security forces and the other was electrocuted inside a local electric generator.

Tunisia seems to have blocked access to Facebook

Tunisia seems to have blocked access to Facebook today. Some Tunisian bloggers in the country report being unable to access the popular social networking website and took several screenshots of the fake 404 blockpage. Tunisia is also blocking access, permanently, to both popular video-sharing websites, Youtube (since Since November 2nd, 2007) and Dailymotion (since Septembre 3rd, 2007)

UAE

Some previously blocked web sites now accessible

As the deadline to unblock 1,000 Internet sites in the country nears, some previously blocked medical sites are now accessible. However, industry sources say that a majority of the popular social networking sites are likely to remain blocked. Earlier this month, the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced that web service providers, Etisalat and du, would be asked to unblock 1,000 sites by August 29 under its new 'Internet Access Management Policy'. The service providers, on the other hand, claimed they had not been officially notified by the TRA in the matter.

Recommended Resources

AnchorFree

Hotspot Shield creates a virtual private network (VPN) between your laptop or iPhone and our Internet gateway. This impenetrable tunnel prevents snoopers and hackers from viewing your email, instant messages, credit card information or anything else you send over the network.

ABA-SIL Human Rights Committee e-Brief Newsletter

The American Bar Association (ABA) Human Rights Committee weekly newsletter - circulated each Monday to approximately 1600 Human Rights Attorneys, activists and educators. To subscribe, visit the URL below or send an email to russell@kerrlawfirm.com

http://w3.abanet.org/abanet/common/email/listserv/listcommands.cfm?parm=subscribe&listgroup=inthumrights

Cybercrime law

The emerging global legal framework based on the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime as a model law or a guideline, promotes the harmonization of national legal approaches on cybercrime. This comprehensive survey of current legislations from around the world includes the laws of 78 countries.

EPIC's Privacy & Human Rights (PHR) Report

An International Survey of Privacy Laws and Developments

Global Cybersecurity Gateway - Legislation and Enforcement

The Cybersecurity Gateway portal is supported by the ITU for policy-makers, regulators and governments. It provides a global overview cybersecurity developments in the area of legislation and law enforcement.

Global Information Society Watch

The Global Information Society Watch 2007 report - the first in a series of annual reports- looks at state of the field of information and communication technology (ICT) policy at local and global levels and particularly how policy impacts on the lives of people living in developing countries.

Studies of the ICT policy situation in twenty-two countries from four regions are featured: Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda); Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines); Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru); and Eastern Europe (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania), with one report from a Western European country (Spain).

infoDev & ITU's ICT Regulation Toolkit

The ICT Regulation Toolkit is a resource supported by the ITU & InfoDev for policy-makers, regulators, the telecom industry, and consumers. It provides a global overview of how telecom policy is best implemented with practical materials highlighting experience and results.

Internet Law & Policy Forum

The Internet Law & Policy Forum (ILPF) is a nonprofit business association that was formed in 1995 by leading companies such as Netscape, AOL, Visa, Fujitsu and British Telecom. The organization focuses on the complex issues facing governments and businesses as the Internet becomes an increasingly significant aspect of our economy and society

Digital Advocacy Talk at Google UK

Michael Geist's talk on digital advocacy @ Google UK

Shadowserver Foundation

The Shadowserver Foundation gathers intelligence on the darker side of the internet. We are comprised of volunteer security professionals from around the world. Our mission is to understand and help put a stop to high stakes cybercrime in the information age.

Tahoe: A Secure Distributed Filesystem

The "Tahoe" project is a distributed filesystem, which safely stores files on multiple machines to protect against hardware failures. Cryptographic tools are used to ensure integrity and confidentiality, and a decentralized architecture minimizes single points of failure.

Twitter: Not Just Chatter But a Channel for Your Cause

The micro-blogging social network has grown from 200,000 users to over 2 million users in about a year, and individuals, companies, news outlets, fire departments, and nonprofit organizations have been using the free service to connect, inform, and engage.

UNESCO Observatory on the Information Society

UNESCO's Information Society Observatory

Calls for Participation

25th Chaos Communication Congress

Call for Participation of the 25th Chaos Communication Congress 2008 (25C3). The Chaos Communication Congress is the annual four-day conference organized by the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) and taking place in Berlin.


Upcoming Events

September 8-10: Third Access to Knowledge Global Conference

Location: Geneva, Switzerland

The Yale University Information Society project (ISP) will convene its third annual global conference on Access to Knowledge (A2K3) in Geneva, Switzerland

http://www.law.yale.edu/intellectuallife/informationsocietyproject.htm

September 11-13: Oxford e-Research Conference

Location: Oxford University

This multi-disciplinary, international conference on e-Research will be held at the University of Oxford from 11-13 September 2008. It is being organized by a consortium of research projects in association with the journal Information Communication and Society (iCS).

http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/microsites/eresearch08/

September 26 - 28: The 36th Research Conference on Communication, Information, and Internet Policy

Location: Center for Technology and the Law, George Mason University Law School, Arlington, Virginia

http://www.tprcweb.com/

October 3 - 4: Tech4Africa

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

A web and emerging technology conference for Africa

http://www.technologyforafrica.org/

October 9 - 10: 9th Latin American Congress of Communication Researchers

Location: Mexico City, Mexico

http://alaic.net/alaic30/

October 14, 2008: Open Web Asia Conference ‘08

Location: Seoul, Korea

The first pan-Asia web technology event bringing together executives, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists from throughout Asia”

Open Web Asia ‘08 marks the birth of a new conference that will be the first truly pan-Asia web technology event. Top technology executives, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists from throughout Asia will gather for this premier event to be hosted in Seoul, Korea in its inaugural year.

http://www.openwebasia.com/

October 20 - 21: European Dialogue on Internet Governance

Location: Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France

Consultations before the 3rd IGF in Hyderabad with a particular emphasis on : "Fostering security, privacy and openness on the internet" European actors interested in Internet Governance issues will meet in Strasburg on 20-21 October 2008, to discuss openly and freely their ideas, experiences and concerns in a fully multi-stakeholder format.

http://eurodig.org/

October 26 - 29 : The Internet: Governance and the Law

Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada

Conference on Internet Policy, regulation and governance, McGill University

Sessions will deal with topics such as Internet Governance beyond the Nation State, Cyber Regulation, Convergence of Telecommunications, PC and Broadcast; Competition; Deregulation; Free Speech vs. Defamation/Hate Speech, Privacy vs. Security; Consumer Protection, Cryptography, Domain Name, Open Source, Patents, Copyright, Trademarks, Cybercrime and Terrorism, E-Commerce, Legal Liability and e-Transactions, Property and Piracy, Telemarketing Fraud et. al.

http://tinyurl.com/6n4pfr

November 3-4, 2008: Chinese Bloggers Conference 2008 和而不同,多志兴邦

Location: Beijing, China

Please visit the official blog of cnbloggrrcon, http://cnbloggercon.org/blog, or follow the twitter agent of cnbloggercon at, http://twitter.com/cnbloggercon,

November 2-7, 2008: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) - Public Meeting

http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-16may08.htm

Cairo, Egypt will host the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' 33rd International Public Meeting

November 8 - 10: VIII International Human Rights Colloquium : "60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Challenges for the Global South"

Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil

The VIII International Human Rights Colloquium is an annual capacity building and peer-learning event designed for young activists from the Global South (Africa, Asia and Latin America). The objective of the VIII International Human Rights Colloquium is to strengthen the impact of human rights activists work and to offer the opportunity to build new collaborative networks among activists, academics and the Organization of the United Nations (UN).

http://www.conectas.org/coloquio/

November 14-16: Evento Blog España

Location: Seville, Spain

Evento Blog España aims to be a big event, one that brings together bloggers from the Spanish and European Blogosphere. This year the event will be held in Seville, Spain

http://www.eventoblog.com/2008/06/ebe08-presentacion/

November 27-28: How technology (and internet in particular) influences society.

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

XS4ALL is holding a two-day conference on the influence of technology on society, naturally devoting particular attention to the internet. The conference is being organised in an unusual way: a weblog and a wiki have been set up to enable a large group of people to draw up the programme jointly.

http://www.fifi2008.nl

December 2: Third Annual GigaNet Symposium

Location: Hyderabad International Conference Center, India

http://www.igloo.org/giganet

December 3- 6 : United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

Location: Hyderabad, India

http://www.intgovforum.org/

February 9 - 13, 2009: Informática 2008 - New Technologies: Development and Sovereignty

Location: Havana, Cuba

http://www.informaticahabana.cu

March 1- 6, 2009: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) - Public Meeting

Location: Mexico City, Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico will host the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' 34th International Public Meeting from 1-6 March 2009.

http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30jun08-en.htm

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Monday, August 11, 2008

Internet Freedom Alert 1.13

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Internet Freedom Alert 1.13 (Aug 10, 2008)

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The Internet Freedom Alert is a publication of Freedom House's Global Internet Program, that covers online developments related to censorship, Internet Governance and freedoms online. Issue 1.13 covers developments from July 4 -Aug 10, 2008. Links, Events and articles mentioned are summarized weekly from the Internet Freedom Bookmarks site - that can be accessed @ http://del.icio.us/internetfreedom

The Internet Freedom Alert has a presence on Blogspot, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube & Delicious.

To Subscribe to this alert, click - http://ethreemail.com/e3ds/s.php?g=21862acb unsubscribe from this alert, click - http://ethreemail.com/e3ds/u.php?g=21862acb

Request for contributions

The newsletter would like to include your comments, articles and specific cases that could be of interest to the larger community involved in Internet Freedom and Internet Governance. Send contributions to - contact@netfreedom-project.org

Should you wish to publish anonymously or send us a message via a secure communications tool - please let us know - and we'll be happy to make the appropriate arrangements.

News


Issues

Censorship

Helmi Noman on the filtering/censorship situation in the Middle East and North Africa


Peter Scheer's effort to have WTO sanctions imposed based on Beijing's internet censorship,

"China's censorship of the Internet, while fundamentally an issue of free speech and individual liberty, is also a significant barrier to U.S.-China commerce and, therefore, very much a trade issue," said California First Amendment Coalition (CFAC) executive director Peter Scheer.


Huffington Post Blocked in Mainland China

The Huffington Post appears to be the latest victim in a recent wave of Internet censorship. A HuffPost reader in Shanghai reported Tuesday that when she attempted to connect to the site, an error page all too familiar to Net users in China loaded instead.


CICI: The Chinese Internet Censorship Index

The CICI measures the level of Internet Censorship in China from tests to selected websites and reporting the results.


During the build up to the Beijing Olympic Games, some websites which were previously inaccessible, have become wholly or partly accessible. The CICI will test these and other sites throughout the Olympic Games and until the end of 2008, to monitor and report on changes in internet censorship in China. Amnesty International will use the information collected to pressure the Chinese authorities so they don't revert to their former ways.



Censorship Circumvention Tools


Internet censor starts blocking proxies

TOR, one of the most used proxies in China to avoid the internet censorship has now been blocked itself. That happens only a few days after reports said that also Anonymouse, one of the other more popular proxies now had been blocked.


That means a diversion from the old policy where proxies were mostly not blocked and the internet censorship was a kind of first line defense for newcomers. Most people who have to deal with information, like academics and journalists, were at their workplace in China first taught how to use proxies.


Anti-censorship software beefed up for Chinese Olympics

The Chinese Olympics are providing a powerful stimulus in the development of high-end anti-censorship technology that major media companies and individuals can use to sneak content through its Great Firewall.


Psiphon Inc., a Toronto-based circumvention technology provider, recently released an upgrade to its software that allows the safe transmission of images in addition to text, says principal Rafal Rohozinski.


The private company has been spun off from the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, a human rights organization that works to open Internet access to residents of countries with repressive governments, to build its anti-censorship arsenal of technology.


Pictures are more powerful than words, says Rohozinski. "Psiphon 2.0 is optimized for the delivery of multimedia content. It's now possible to access YouTube, Gvideo and other sites that previously required the re-translation of codecs. In fact, in some of the tests we've conducted, it can actually stream video faster than YouTube."


Internet Freedom


European and American authorities unite to enforce Internet freedom

Authorities in the West are attempting to pass legislation that would prevent American and European Internet companies from selling certain technologies to repressive governments.


The Internet giants Yahoo, Google and Microsoft, facing an increasingly competitive global marketplace, are selling the technology that tracks users and enables governments to censor Internet content. Countries with a poor history of press freedom, such as China, widely use the technology.


“Corporate giants are partnering with … the worst dictatorships of the world,” said Democratic Congressman Christopher Smith of New Jersey at a July 15 event at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., hosted by the organization Freedom House, which pushes for democracy and freedom worldwide. Corporate America gives the Chinese all the tools they need to restrict press freedoms, Smith explained.


Jules Maaten, a member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands, added he cannot “understand how companies who operate under freedom rights can cooperate with others who restrict freedom.”


Internet Governance


ICANN go-ahead on gTLDs - with “string criteria”

There has been wide coverage of ICANN’s decision to adopt a new process for creating new global Top Level Domains (gTLDs). Publishing a clear, transparent and objective process is thought likely to result in a considerable expansion of gTLDs - although nobody really knows whether this means “several” or “thousands“. If the volume is much higher than ICANN anticipate though, there is no volume-based measure in the process ICANN could use to restrict gTLD growth.



Privacy


Speculation over back door in Skype

According to reports, there may be a back door built into Skype, which allows connections to be bugged. The company has declined to expressly deny the allegations. At a meeting with representatives of ISPs and the Austrian regulator on lawful interception of IP based services held on 25th June, high-ranking officials at the Austrian interior ministry revealed that it is not a problem for them to listen in on Skype conversations.


100 Free Security Tools That Will Save Your Online Privacy



Security


Largest Synchronized Internet Security Effort Underway to Patch Newly Found DNS Bug

A fundamental flaw in the design of the Domain Name System (DNS) was found earlier this year by security researcher Dan Kaminsky, renowned Internet Security expert. Researchers say they will fully describe the vulnerability in 30 days, after companies that operate web sites or Internet service providers can put the patches in place. The flaw is big enough that Kaminsky and other companies involved brought in government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Computer Emergency Response Team.


One in three IT staff snoops on colleagues: survey

One in three information technology professionals abuses administrative passwords to access confidential data such as colleagues' salary details, personal emails or board-meeting minutes, according to a survey.


U.S. information security company Cyber-Ark surveyed 300 senior IT professionals, and found that one-third admitted to secretly snooping, while 47 percent said they had accessed information that was not relevant to their role.


Opinion Articles

The (b)Logosphere

Written by Nart Villeneuve, PhD Candidate with the Citizen Lab at the Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto

The explosion of citizen journalism has allowed increased access to a diversity of voices around the globe. Issues and voices that are not represented in mainstream media are providing diverse perspectives on both popular and obscure political issues. However, this phenomenon is certainly not new. While recent attention has focused on bloggers around the world, past efforts, including the creation of Indymedia nearly ten years ago, leveraged the Internet for these same purposes. The success of citizen journalism is based on a combination of personal experience, opinion and analysis with traditional news to provide a compelling account of political events that engages and connects with the reader.


The right to blog: freedom's next frontier

Many of the bloggers who gathered on 27-28 June 2008 in Budapest, Hungary for a Citizen Media Summit organised by Global Voices Online had at first glance an unlikely appearance. These representatives of a growing worldwide network of citizen journalists and digital activists looked rather studious, a touch morose, even - to many bloggers themselves a key marker of social distinction - uncool.


Moreover, these idealistic people did not talk much about gadgets, fashion, or campaign-financing; nor rush to praise or scorn Barack Obama or John McCain; nor fret over the latest celebrity-hunt or political trick in the style of Gawker or the Huffington Post. Instead, they got into heated discussions (often in heavily accented English) over a different set of topics: internet filtering, human-rights violations, and the future of freedom of expression.


Developments in ISP Liability in Europe

Written by Stephen W. Workman, Esq., Published by E-Commerce University, Diploma in E-Commerce Law Program.


Who should be held accountable for information distributed online? This is one of the most important and debated issues among Internet regulations. Liability for online information can arise in a number of legal fields, including trade secrets, unfair competition, defamation, privacy and trademark. Of particular importance, and the focus of this paper, is this issue as applied to copyright law - what parties should be held liable when copyrighted material is transmitted over, or made available on, the Internet in violation of the holder's rights? Should intermediaries in the chain of transmission, who do not initiate or take part in a decision to disseminate content, be considered "publishers" and face direct liability for infringing files that transverse their networks or servers? Or should they be treated as common carriers, and exempt from liability for copyright infringement? The answer has generally depended on the role a particular intermediary plays in the chain of transmission. But recent developments in Europe are challenging this approach


Servers That Snitch - What can be done to preserve freedom on the Internet?

Washington Post Editorial - Monday, June 9, 2008


Everyone wants to boost American exports. But the last thing any U.S. company should do is sell tools of repression to authoritarian regimes abroad. It would be especially troubling if businesses were to help dictators muzzle the Internet, the most powerful facilitator of free expression and communication ever invented.


Web 2.0 - censoring the right to rant

Rant all you want in a public park. A police officer generally won't eject you for your remarks alone, however unpopular or provocative.


Say it on the internet, and you'll find that free speech and other constitutional rights are anything but guaranteed.


Companies in charge of seemingly public spaces online wipe out content that's controversial but otherwise legal. Service providers write their own rules for users worldwide and set foreign policy when they cooperate with regimes like China. They serve as prosecutor, judge and jury in handling disputes behind closed doors.


The governmental role that companies play online is taking on greater importance as their services - from online hangouts to virtual repositories of photos and video - become more central to public discourse around the world. It's a fallout of the internet's market-driven growth, but possible remedies, including government regulation, can be worse than the symptoms



Country Reports

North America

Canada

The Canadian Newspaper Association Expresses Concern With Press Freedoms Under C-61

The Canadian Newspaper Association has issued a position paper with its views on C-61. While the paper addresses several issues, its concerns with the anti-circumvention provisions are the most striking. The CNA notes that:


Bill C-61 makes it an offence to bypass any technological protection used on Internet sites. This is not normally an issue for newspaper public sites, but might apply to sites requiring registration, and to paid archive services. While this is positive for rightsholders seeking to protect content from unauthorized access, it could have implications on newsgathering, news reporting, and press freedom broadly


United States

Quick vote on Internet freedom sought

The sponsor of a bill that would bar U.S. Internet firms from helping repressive regimes track down cyber-dissidents called Tuesday on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring it up for a vote before the Beijing Olympics


EU Follows U.S. Legislative Effort to Promote Global Internet Freedom

Freedom House held a Capitol Hill briefing July 15th on global Internet freedom. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Jules Maaten of the European Union Parliament discussed their joint efforts to pass legislation aimed at promoting online free expression and privacy in repressive countries like China.


Social Media, Free Speech and Democracy (2, 3)

Proposals being discussed at the US House of representatives to reimpose the “Fairness Doctrine”. Many believe that its rules would barr any member of Congress from posting opinions on any internet site without first obtaining prior approval from the Democratic leadership of Congress. No blogs, twitter, online forums - nothing.


F.C.C. Chief Backs Sanctions Against Comcast Over Blocking

Federal regulators are prepared to take action against sellers of Internet access that want to restrict what their customers can do online.


Kevin J. Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said that Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company, should be sanctioned because it had interfered with the Internet connections of users who were exchanging files with other people.


Mr. Martin’s recommendation is a strong push for network neutrality, the idea that Internet access providers like Comcast should not be allowed to favor some uses of their networks over others. Internet companies like Google and free speech advocates have backed this approach.


At the Uneasy Intersection of Bloggers and the Law

There is no better way to get a blogger talking than by telling him what he cannot publish — although you might forgive a government prosecutor for thinking otherwise.


A grand jury subpoena sent by prosecutors in the Bronx earlier this year sought information to help identify people blogging anonymously on a Web site about New York politics called Room 8.


Court affirms online content law unconstitutional

A federal appeals court agreed with a lower court ruling that struck down as unconstitutional a 1998 law intended to protect children from sexual material and other objectionable content on the Internet.


Understanding COPA’s journey

Like a performance of John Cage’s ORGAN2/ASLSP (”As Slow As Possible”), in which the notes played change every year or so, the COPA statute has just fallen yet again. The statute, first enacted in 1998, has been strongly challenged on First Amendment and other grounds, and yesterday’s Third Circuit opinion announced a dozen reasons why it is unconstitutional. The statute has already made two trips to the Supreme Court and may well make a third.



Africa

United For Africa

An interactive portal for all African's who witness xenophobic violence in Southern Africa or who have relevant information to share or learn.


Nigeria

Nigerian IT group pushes forensic training

The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has called on the country's government to train civil servants in computer forensic technology as a way to fight e-commerce fraud in the country.


Sudan

YouTube Blocked in Sudan

YouTube has been partially blocked for internet users in Sudan for reasons that are still unknown


Uganda

New Global Refurbishment Programs

A new program is starting in Uganda to refurbish and resell old computers the first world no longer wants, funded by Microsoft and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization


Zimbabwe

Zimbabweans use blogs, text messages for info

Increasingly, Zimbabweans are going online and using cell phone text messages to share stories of life and death in a country where independent traditional media have been all but silenced, and from which reporters from most international media have been barred.


Harare-based Kubatana is a network of nonprofit organizations that runs a blogging forum. The forum relies on 13 bloggers in Zimbabwe, who e-mail submissions to an administrator who posts them to the site. The network also reaches beyond the Web by sending text messages to 3,800 subscribers.


Zimbabwe's bloggers are mainly opposition activists whose themes range from HIV/AIDS to the country's economic meltdown to President Robert Mugabe's thuggery. The underground networks can be forums for unsubstantiated rumor, but they also provide valuable independent information and can even make news.


Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)

Brazil

On authoriterrorism and online surveillance

Over 60 bloggers attended the blog carnival against censorship , most of them posting especially about the new 13 cyber crimes proposal for Brazil. The bill has now proceeded to the House of Representatives, where a request for it to be handled urgently was put forward last week, leaving bloggers on red alert. If approved, the bill could reach the House’s plenary session at any moment, alerts sociologist Sérgio Amadeu


Downloading files from the Internet to become a crime in Brazil - A2K

According to professors from FGV, a bill currently at Senate could criminalize net users who download [content] without prior authorization.


A bill about electronic crimes, or cybercrimes, about to be voted at Senate could result in the mass criminalization of Internet users who engage into file sharing (of music, text and video) without prior authorization from rights holders. This is the opinion of six professors from Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Law School, written in a brief released in Rio. According to the professors, the bill would have consequences reaching well beyond the realm of the Internet. Given the breadth of the wording used in the draft law, it could affect even mobile phone owners who unlock their devices. Brazil has 130 million cell phones.


The cost of the cybercrime bill

Sérgio Amadeu argues that the cybercrime bill proposed for Brazil will put DHCP protocol networks at risk because it enables free and anonymous surfing, the same for wireless networks which allow free public access. “(Senator) Azeredo will create a new cost for Brazil: the cost of digital communication”. Meanwhile this online petition against the bill has gathered over 100,000 signatures so far


Overmundo

A Brazilian project incorporating editors for each of 26 regions within the country and one editor for the capital. The project focuses on travel tips and cultural topics, avoiding politics, with the basic structure of the site allowing users to join and contribute content.


Mexico

Mexico probes online 'hitmen ads'

Mexican police are investigating a number of classified ads on the internet which purport to be from hitmen offering the services.


The ads can be found alongside ones for private tuition or domestic help. In one of them, a person describing himself as an ex-military killer offers "discreet, professional services" for $6,000 (£3,000)


Europe

Protecting freedom of speech on the Net

Europe should join in the struggle against censorship on the Internet. And political dissidents who use the Internet to promote their cause should be protected from authoritarian regimes. A group of MEPs feels we should follow the US and establish guidelines for the net.


More and more countries are limiting their citizens' freedom of speech online. Moreover, western businesses are regularly put under pressure to provide information about dissidents who use the internet as a tool for spreading information. Not a good development says Jules Maaten, Dutch MEP for the Conservative VVD party


Blogskeptics ponder regulation in Europe (2)

Cruising the European blogosphere early this July, you could not shake the feeling that privacy and freedom of speech are in for tough times. While Nicolas Sarkozy and some British MEPs are pushing surveillance and harsher punishment for copyright violators, a policy proposal put forth in the European Parliament aims to put an end to the anonymity of bloggers.


Concerns about privacy and freedom of speech abound not only on the European level. Last week, for the first time ever, a Portuguese blog was shut down by Google Portugal following a court order. The blog Povoa Online was accused of defaming two local officials. The reason for the decision to shut down the blog (in Portuguese) were twofold: The plaintiffs had been libelled not only as officials of their local community but also as private individuals. And, the authors of the blog had been “opinionated” in most of their writings and caricatures.

image


Such judicial reasoning raises several questions. First, even if free speech is sacrificed for the sake of the inviolability of the private, where do we draw the dividing line? If an elected official commits, say, adultery, does the electorate have the right to know this and consider it in its next vote? The point is not to condemn a particular course of action by an individual – and of course not all attacks are justified. The point is that, for better of worse, there can hardly be a separation of public and private when it comes to the lives of officials.


Firestorm in Swedish media over 'EU blogger registry'

Swedish media have erroneously reported that the EU plans to register and bill all bloggers, setting off a firestorm of reaction in the country.


Politicians of all political stripes and most major media outlets have since furiously attacked the idea as another example of Big Brother snooping into people's daily lives, while the MEP at the heart of the controversy has been compared to Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.


European Parliament rushes towards Soviet Internet - FFII

Amendments to the European Telecommunications directive being rushed through the European Parliament propose a "Soviet internet" where software publishers and internet service providers watch traffic and data for Hollywood. Software and services that run on the internet would have to ask for permission of the regulators.


Some amendments to the European Telecommunications directive allow administrative authorities in each Member State to define which are the authorised software applications for the internet. Parts of the directive should be implemented by the member states through requiring specific "technical features" in electronic communications networks. Live-analysis and filtering compose a pre-requisite for a "Soviet style" censorship environment.


Czech Republic

Is citizen privacy under threat?

A bill on e-government, passed today by parliament, can reinforce state control over Czech citizens. Internet public services are supposed to facilitate administering one´s matters. Instead of visiting bureaus personally, people can handle their personal things via internet or mobile phones.


However, the law on e-government will enable the government yet another thing - officials will have access to online databases containing private data about the citizens.


France


France joins the list of internet censoring countries

Internet censorship continues to thrive; in the latest turn of events France has passed a law forcing ISPs to block sites with child sex abuse. Now, if it stopped at that, then I wouldn’t really bother making a blog post out of it - after all, Sweden has such a law as well, and quite frankly I’m not all that opposed to it, as long as child pornography is the only thing it blocks (and the government doesn’t start using it to freely block other sites as well that it deems as “inappropriate”) - but this law also includes sites considered racist or terrorist related. Basically they’re gonna have a “black list” that the ISPs will have to block access to; a black list that people even are invited to contribute to (in real time) with sites they think are inappropriate.


Greece

Greek government plans to censor blogs

The Greek government presented a preliminary draft of a new law about internet blogs. According to the majority of Greek bloggers,this law is an attempt of the Greek government to censor blogs.


Hungary

Rights group pushing telecoms on data privacy

The Hungarian NGO Társaság a Szabadságjogokért (TASZ, Company for Freedom Rights) has turned to the country's Constitutional Court in hopes of voiding current law regulating how telephone and Internet companies handle their users' personal data, Magyar Nemzet reports.


Ádám Földes, leader of the data protection program of TASZ, says that a provision which compels voice telephony ISPs to store data for one year - purportedly to aid the authorities in fighting crime - inappropriately allows for the "mapping" of users' personal data. These regulations, say TASZ, are unconstitutional, and violate individuals' right to privacy, physical and psychological well-being, and freedom of speech and assembly.


In addition to the legal action, the group has organized public events drawing attention to the issue, including a recent demonstration on Budapest's Moszkva tér.


Ireland


Prospect of Internet Blocking in Ireland

The recently-established Office for Internet Safety (OIS) has had exploratory discussions with the Irish National Police - The Garda Siochána - about using internet blocking technologies in Ireland.


Most Irish schools and libraries, along with many workplaces and offices, already use blocking technology or filtering software that prevents searches of certain terms, words or phrases. However, there have been arguments for national application of the technologies, to help prevent people accessing child pornography, protect national security and prevent intellectual property abuses.


Belfast blogger Alan Murray is facing charges of harassment for writing about public figures on his blog.

Belfast blogger Alan Murray is facing charges of harassment for writing about public figures on his blog. He campaigns against the privatisation of public housing.


Italy


Italian blog closed by Police

On 6 June 2008, the blog of the Italian journalist Antonino Monteleone was closed, without notification, by the Polizia Postale of Calabria under accusations of defamation, but the journalist claims that this action came after having posted uncomfortable information on political figures. Тhe journalist claims that this action came after having posted uncomfortable information on political figures.


Lithuania


Web sites in Lithuania attacked

Hackers attacked about 300 Web sites in Lithuania during the weekend, defacing them with Soviet symbols and anti-Lithuanian slogans, officials said Monday.


The sabotage of the Web sites occurred two weeks after Lithuania, a former Soviet republic, outlawed the display of Soviet symbols. The ban touched off new tensions with Russia.


Lithuanian officials did not directly accuse Russian hackers of initiating the attacks, but said they had come from foreign computers and were most likely related to the ban.


Portugal


First blog ever to be blocked in Portugal

June saw for the first time ever a blog suspended in Portugal because of a local court decision. The now defunct Póvoa Online blog had been taken to court by Póvoa do Varzim’s council president, Macedo Vieira, and his deputy, Aires Pereira, who claimed the bloggers had been using the blog merely to defame them. The court concluded that most of the blog’s content were opinionated articles, and that its authors criticized Macedo Vieira and Aires Pereira not only as the council’s president and vice-president, but also as “citizens, fathers, family members and friends”.


Tongue in cheek Póvoa Online, which had been available since 2005, was very popular among locals because of its sharp sense of humour and funny caricatures of local politicians, some of which illustrate this piece.


Romania


Romainian authorities arrest cybercrime suspects

Authorities have arrested more than 20 people in Romania who are suspected of running online fraud schemes, according to media reports. The Tuesday arrests were confirmed by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation


Serbia


New Instructions and Law Regulations on Online Privacy

On July 21, RATEL, Serbia’s Republican Agency for Telecommunications, posted a Document of Instructions for Technical Requirements for Subsystems, Devices, Hardware and Installation of Internet Networks on their official web site. This news didn’t go unnoticed yesterday in Serbian blogosphere and internet community, as many bloggers expressed various opinions as well as disapproval because of the potential abuse of users’ privacy.


This document of instructions defines technical requirements for authorized monitoring of some specific telecommunications and provides a list of duties for telecommunication operators, which are obligated to act according to the Constitution Law of Republic of Serbia as well as elements of it.


Spain


Spain Ignites 'Digital Canon'

Spanish consumers will from July 1 pay a special anti-piracy tax on all new gadgets capable of recording, copying or storing sound and images. The tax, known as the "digital canon", arrives 18 months after its scheduled date following sometimes-angry debate between collecting societies and gadget manufacturers.


The tax is highly controversial. It is imposed to compensate authors and creators from the money they lose due to private copying, according to collecting societies such as authors' and publishers' society SGAE. The government accepts this argument. But consumer groups, Internet users and gadget manufacturers say many consumers do not use their gadgets to copy or record.


Turkey


Dailymotion has been blocked in Turkey

The popular video-sharing website Dailymotion has been blocked in Turkey. This is the second instance of a video-sharing website being made inaccessible by the Turkish authorities in three months.


United Kingdom


Radialpoint parental filter/Virgin Media blocks Open Rights Group, EFF

"The Open Rights Group's websites front page and the portions of the EFFs website are being blocked by Radialpoint Parental control software.


Will Virgin Cut Off Users When BPI Tells It To?

Virgin Media has begun targeting users who have allegedly been using their connections for file sharing purposes by sending out letters "educating" them on what could happen if they continue. Despite the clear threat printed directly on the letters, however, Virgin claims that the wording isn't quite accurate and that it won't be disconnecting users anytime soon.



Russia and Central Asia

Belarus


Belarus Cracks Down on Internet News

Belarussian lawmakers gave final approval to a crackdown on Internet journalism. The new measures require that all Internet sites originating in the country be registered with the government.


Many independent newspapers that the authorities closed now have a presence on the Internet. The bill, drafted by the office of President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, “is among the harshest in Europe,” said Oleg Gulak, the leader of the Belarussian Helsinki Committee rights group.


Belarus media faces further restriction

A new media bill has been approved by the lower house of parliament in Belarus, leaving just a few steps before the bill pass to President Lukashenko for approval. The bill would change registration procedures for the traditional media and extend them to online media as well, forcing all web pages to be registered. The draft law also restricts any international funding to media organisations.


Belarus: The Blast, the Arrests, and Bloggers’ Solidarity

recently, a homemade bomb packed with bolts and screws tore through a crowd of thousands of people who had gathered for the Independence Day all-night concert near the World War II monument in central Minsk. The blast occurred around 12:30 a.m on July 4; some 54 people were wounded; Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko happened to be nearby when the bomb went off, but was not hurt.


Following the bombing, police interrogated a number of Belarusian opposition members and human rights activists and searched their homes and offices. On July 9, four people were detained: Sergei Chislov, Igor Korsak, Viktor Leshchinsky and Miroslav Lozovsky, all members of the White Legion, the youth wing of the Belarusian Union of Military Personnel, banned in 1996.


Despite protests, Lukashenko signs restrictive media law

The Committee to Protect Journalists is troubled to learn that President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a restrictive new media law, which, according to CPJ research, will allow authorities to further restrict press freedom in Belarus.


Georgia


Website of Georgian President Under Attack, Political Motivation Suspected

For over 24 hours the website of President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia, a former Soviet republic, has been down as a result of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. This attack appears to have a political motivation, says Jose Nazario of Arbor Neworks. "Tensions between Russia and Georgia appear to be running high lately."


Russia


Russian blogger sentenced for "extremist" post

A Russian man who described local police as "scum" in an Internet posting was given a suspended jail sentence on Monday for extremism, prompting bloggers to warn of a crackdown on free speech online.


Savva Terentiev, a 28-year-old musician from Syktyvkar, 1,515 kilometers (940 miles) north of Moscow, wrote in a blog last year that the police force should be cleaned up by ceremonially burning officers twice a day in a town square. Convicted on charges of "inciting hatred or enmity", Terentiev was given a one-year suspended term on Monday, Russian news agencies reported.


Turkmenistan


Turkmenistan joins the internet revolution

The Moscow Times reports that Turkmenistan has begun to allow private citizens to connect to the internet. The national internet provider, Turkmentelekom, said on Thursday that it has been connecting up to 20 homes a day since the announcement, mainly in the capital city of Ashgabat. It has a waiting list of 2000 people.


Previously internet access was restricted to government employees, diplomatic posts and offices of major international companies.


Uzbekistan


How the Uzbek Government Maintains a Choke-Hold over the Internet

In Uzbekistan, responsibility for controlling the web begins at the cabinet level and ends with plainclothes police officers who physically intimidate internet café owners and customers.


Asia Pacific

Australia

Australia introduces online code of conduct

Australia on Wednesday unveiled a new code of conduct to regulate online and cellphone content which will call for classifications similar to those for films, a government spokesperson said.


All content likely to be rated as for viewers aged over 15 will need to be assessed and classified under the code, the Australian Communications and Media Authority said. "This code assists both children and their parents to make informed choices about what is, or is not, suitable for viewing online or on mobile phones," it said.


Watch on Censorship

Watch on Censorship is a community organisation with the goal of protecting and promoting the rights of adult Australians to freedom of speech and expression in all media.


Amnesty Australia use social media to raise awareness of Chinese censorship

The campaign is to be orchestrated under a contract by a specialist consortium team comprising Care Network, Bendalls Group and dgmAustralia. Amnesty will encourage Australian bloggers to join forces in expressing their feelings for the Chinese people affected by such policy, their distaste for the authorities of the Chinese government censoring the internet, and their disapproval of online media companies that collaborate with them to ensure that it is enforced


New censorship rules for Australian web and mobile phone content

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has approved the IIA code of practice for online and mobile phone content in Australia. This code has legal force under Schedule 7 of the Broadcasting Act. It replaces two previously separate codes of practice which covered internet content and mobile phone content separately.


Significant features are that X rated content is completely banned, while R and MA content requires some form of access control to prevent viewing by children. What is not clear is how much these restrictions apply to non-commercial content and how effective they can be govern that they only apply to Australia based services. The code does apply to those providing links to restricted content.


The IIA also provide a Guide for ISPs: General Information About Online Content and a Guide for Internet Users: Information About Online Content.


ISPs crucial to child pornography blocks

The Australian Government yesterday released the findings of its much-anticipated report on a service provider-level web filtering trial conducted in Tasmania by the Australian Communications and Media Authority


Child porn filters to cut Aussie broadband speeds

The Federal Government is distancing itself from some results in this week’s ISP-level content filtering study, as industry criticism mounts over the test methodology. The study was conducted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority to demonstrate advances in Internet content filtering technologies.


Burma


Burmese activism in the new technology: How IT is helping and hampering movements

Advancement of new media and communication has substantially impacted on the social and political movements of the Burmese democratic activists. The political activists from inside and outside Burma are using new media and communications as a tool to struggle for democracy and Human Rights in Burma.


Burma - Journalists jailed in Cyclone Nargis aftermath

Burma’s military government should immediately release all journalists arrested in connection with the Cyclone Nargis disaster, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.


At least four journalists are being detained by Burmese authorities, according to the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners Burma (AAPP), a Thailand-based assistance and rights monitoring group, and the Burma Media Association (BMA), a exile-run press freedom advocacy group.


They include Aung Kyaw San, editor-in-chief of the Myanmar Tribune; Ma Eine Khine Oo, a journalist with Ecovision Journal; popular commentator, comedian, and blogger Maung Thura, better known as Zarganar; and Zaw Thet Htwe, a freelance journalist based in Rangoon.


Speech control- The Burmese authorities are employing new tactics in their control of information

In the wake of the saffron revolution and continuing with its policy of ‘counter media with media’, the junta is now intensifying its disinformation campaign by using the Internet.


Blog committees have been formed in each ministry and are supervised by the minister concerned. These committees monitor the media in exile, countering news and reports with their own versions. Similarly, the staff in these ministries are urged to write articles and news reports critical of the US and EU countries. Though it is not mandatory for the staff, those who contribute are honoured and rewarded. At the same time, the junta closely watches the critics of the government and pro-Daw Aung Suu Kyi bloggers



Burmese blogger faces up to seven years in prison

Imprisoned Burmese blogger Nay Phone Latte is facing the possibility of a seven-year jail sentence after new charges were brought against him on 7 July. The new charges fall under the 1950 Emergency Provision Act, which sanctions any attempt to ‘disrupt morality’ or ‘disrupt security, stability or the restoration of order’. His crime was possession of a video, banned by the military junta.


Prominent Dissident Hit with New Charges

A prominent detained student activist and other political prisoners have been hit with new charges designed to prolong their detention, according to family members.


“We have learned, after a visit this week to Insein Prison, that Ko Ko Gyi, who was previously charged with Act 33 A, has been charged with 17/1 [the Illegal Organization Act],” said Aung Tun, his brother. Act 33 A is related to illegally using communication equipment. Mobile telephones were reportedly seized by authorities from Ko Ko Gyi and his colleagues when they were arrested.


China

Chinese newspaper site censored after publishing '89 Tiananmen protest photo

An aggressive tabloid newspaper has had its Web site censored and could face further punishment by China's media authorities for running a photograph from the still-taboo 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy movement.


Editors at the Beijing News declined comment Friday about the photo published Thursday: a black-and-white image showing wounded young men in bloodstained shirts on the back of a three-wheeled cart. Captioned "The Wounded," the photo was one of four that accompanied a profile of Liu Heung Shing, a former photographer for The Associated Press and Time.


Another popular blog site shut down for the Olympics

Sohoxiaobao, not the prettiest but definitely one of the earlier blog service providers in China, has been out of operation for a week now.


We’ve reported here on Sohoxiaobao before; some of you might remember the story of Chinese police officer and artist Wu Youming who lost his job due to his blogging, and then there was the time the highly-read blogger ProState in Flames found his Sohoxiaobao blog shut down “for non-technical reasons.”


China now has the world's largest net-using population, say official figures.

China now has the world's largest net-using population, say official figures.


More than 253 million people in the country are now online, according to statistics from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). The figure is higher than the 223 million that the US mustered in June, according to Nielsen Online


Internet regulator restructured

China restructured several government ministries in March this year, including Internet and telcom regulator MII which merged with other government organs including the National Defence Science and Technology Commission and was renamed MIIT.


MIIT is supposed to direct the upgrading of technologies among the nation’s industries,

encourage innovation and promote electronic communications and high technology


China’s Guerrilla War for the Web

At the China Internet Research Conference, held at the University of Hong Kong in June, a number of journalists sitting on the sidelines noted that there had been insufficient discussion of the growing role played by China’s Web commentators, or wangluo pinglunyuan (络评论员), which Chinese Web users have playfully nicknamed the “Fifty Cent Party” (五毛党).


China's new freedom fighters

Countless thousands of people in China are blacklisted, harassed, intimidated and locked up merely for what they say or because of the job they do. Six dissident voices explain why their battle for freedom of speech must continue


Chinese netizens rail against Great Firewall

The current fad in China for push-ups is not inspired by the approach of the Olympic Games; nor is it part of a campaign to improve physical fitness. In a country that employs a vast bureaucracy to monitor all types of internet activity and where posting a comment critical of the authorities can land you in re-education camp, people have to choose their words very carefully. So they resort to euphemisms to evade the cyber spies and skirt the automated keyword blocking tools which the Chinese authorities use to keep tabs on the online world.


When a Chinese blogger says "I'm just doing push-ups", it's actually a roundabout about way of attacking the regime without risking retribution.


China's 50-cent Twitter censors

Oiwan Lam tells Thomas Crampton how China's army of online freelance censors are now turning their efforts toward manipulating opinion on Twitter, in addition to their work on blogs and chatrooms


Far Eastern Economic Review - China's Guerrilla War for the Web

They have been called the “Fifty Cent Party,” the “red vests” and the “red vanguard.” But China’s growing armies of Web commentators—instigated, trained and financed by party organizations—have just one mission: to safeguard the interests of the Communist Party by infiltrating and policing a rapidly growing Chinese Internet. They set out to neutralize undesirable public opinion by pushing pro-Party views through chat rooms and Web forums, reporting dangerous content to authorities.


By some estimates, these commentary teams now comprise as many as 280,000 members nationwide, and they show just how serious China’s leaders are about the political challenges posed by the Web. More importantly, they offer tangible clues about China’s next generation of information controls—what President Hu Jintao last month called “a new pattern of public-opinion guidance.”


Chinese Websites Call On Establishing New Internet Culture

More than 50 Chinese websites, including xinhuanet.com and people.com.cn, have held an activity in Beijing, calling on Chinese Internet service providers to jointly welcome the Beijing Olympic Games by setting up a new online ethos.


The websites propose that Internet service providers work to provide first class service, run services in a civilized manner, strengthen self-discipline, accept the public's supervision and resist "bad habits".


Hu Qiheng, chairman of Internet Society of China, says that it is very necessary for the Internet companies to carry out the activity before the Olympic Games. Hu says that Internet professionals should enhance their awareness of corporate social responsibility and self-management, run their services well, cleanse the Internet environment and set up a new online ethos by purifying each of their web pages. The ISC's Internet News Service Work Commission has decided to set up an online ethics propaganda and educational system echoed by hundreds of websites across the country and expose immoral behavior like spreading of pornography, online fraud, computer virus sending and spam mail sending.


'China's first blogger' Isaac Mao on the impact blogging has had on his country

Isaac Mao, who wrote China's first blog six years ago, talks about his battle with the 'Great Firewall' and the impact blogging has had on the country's culture


A Day In The Life Of A Chinese Internet Police Officer

Chinese authorities are determined to stop "harmful information" from spreading through the Internet, but the controls it places on Web sites and Internet service providers in mainland China do not differ much from those employed by the United States and European countries, a senior Chinese official responsible for managing the Internet said today.


210 million Internet users in China, 84% still not online

The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), a non profit state network information center founded in 1997, recently released its year end report on development of the Internet in China. Based on that report the number of Chinese Internet users reached 210 million in 2007. This was an increase of more than 73 million over the past year. Approximately 50 million users access the Internet through mobile phones andincrease of about 6 million users in the last six months.


In additon to the number of Internet users, the report looks at online behavior of Internet users in China.


Chinese Bloggers Score a Victory Against the Government

Aggressive Chinese bloggers make an art of challenging Chinese government propaganda. This week, they can claim a victory.


Chinese authorities announced that four Communist Party, local government and security officials in Guizhou province's Weng'an county were sacked for "severe malfeasance" over the alleged coverup of a murder, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.


Group Says Chinese Internet Dissident Is Arrested

A Chinese dissident who wrote politically sensitive articles including some criticizing the government’s handling of a devastating earthquake was formally arrested Friday on charges of allegedly possessing state secrets, a human rights group said.


Prosecutors in the southwestern city of Chengdu approved the arrest and charges against Huang Qi, founder of the human rights Web site 64Tianwang, said Nicholas Bequelin, a Hong Kong-based researcher for Human Rights Watch. The move comes as the government is tightening a clampdown on potentially embarrassing protests or complaints before the Beijing Olympics, which begin in less than a month


China: Bloggers take stand against web activist’s arrest

Following his apprehension last month as he was pitching in with the earthquake relief in his native Sichuan province, web activist Huang Qi was this weekend formally arrested for “illegal possession of state secrets”.


Shanghaiist: Weng'an: A turning point for China?

After Xinhua reported that county officials in Weng’an—including its Communist Party secretary, Wang Qin, and head of the county government, Wang Haiping—were fired following the June 28 riots, Western media has hailed Weng’an as a turning point for China. Both WSJ and TIME remark that Xinhua’s handling of the Weng’an incident is remarkable in itself; not only did state media report the riots almost immediately, but quickly produced "unusually long investigative stories." Adding to this assemblage of information are the voices of Chinese bloggers, who are doing their part to increase transparency in China.


Citizen journalists challenge Beijing

Chinese authorities and the country’s bloggers are waging an online battle over push-ups. This is no pre-Olympic fitness craze, but attempts by the government to keep a lid on dissent.


Push-ups are what two youths were reported to have been doing on a river bridge in the remote town of Weng’an in Guizhou province on June 21 when a 15-year-old schoolgirl, Li Shufei, fell into the water and drowned.


Chinese video site 56.com still offline while censorship rumors continue to grow

Ongoing downtime experienced by third-place Chinese online video site 56.com, a company that has received significant backing from Silicon Valley investors. While the site claims technical problems are causing the downtime, the consensus is that the Chinese government has chosen to censor the site entirely off the web, at least for now.


China’s leaders, the media and the internet

An effective government needs accurate information. But what if its own policy of media censorship makes that impossible? Li Datong explores a paradox of China's governance


China's 'Eye on the Internet' a Fraud

The "Great Firewall of China," used by the government of the People's Republic of China to block users from reaching content it finds objectionable, is actually a "panopticon" that encourages self-censorship through the perception that users are being watched, rather than a true firewall, according to researchers at UC Davis and the University of New Mexico.


China - Olympics


China lifts ban on Tiananmen sites

Websites on sensitive subjects such as the bloody crackdown on democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989 were accessible in the Chinese capital yesterday


Details on Olympic internet crackdown appear

Beijing’s Olympic Plan for the mainland China-based portion of the blogging and BBSing netosphere is starting to take shape. While on one hand it’s coming coated in talk of self-restraint and uses words like “professional” and “responsibility”, the wording in an official notice [zh] which appeared online this week and is being spread by webmasters of sites that stand to be affected suggests that the coming month will see a similar massive shutdown similar to the one we saw leading up to the seventeenth National People’s Congress last year. This comes at a time when even major commercial web 2.0 sites with tens of dollars of foreign venture capitalist funding can drop dead on the spot with no explanation.


The notice appears to have originated at the Beijing Communications Authority and was then spread by its local counterparts from Jiangsu to Zhejiang and, further south, Guangdong province


Olympics Media Freedom Commitments Violated

The Chinese government continues to block and threaten foreign journalists despite repeated promises to lift media freedom restrictions ahead of the Olympic Games, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.


The Chinese government has prohibited local Chinese-language media from publishing unflattering news ahead of the Games, leaving foreign media as the only source of factual reporting about a wide range of crucial issues in China today. But systematic surveillance, obstruction, intimidation of sources, and pressure on local assistants are hobbling foreign correspondents’ efforts to pursue investigative stories.


Slow internet major problem at Olympics

Internet connection is proving to be a major problem at the beijing games, despite olympic organisers promising uncensored access. Slow connection speed and apparent restricted access to news websites have riled many of the media outlets already in Beijing 12 days out from the opening ceremony.


Foreign-owned Hotels To Install Firewall In China

Foreign-owned hotels in China face the prospect of 'severe retaliation' if they refuse to install government software that can spy on Internet use by hotel guests coming to watch the summer Olympic games



Fiji

Regime warned over blocking blog spots

It seems the Fiji military has been successful in blocking one of the anti-military regime's blog spots in the island nation, the Fiji Times reports.


Japan

Internet censorship body swings into action

Tighter regulation of online expression has moved a step closer with the announcement in Japan that a website watchdog will start filtering out 'harmful' sites there later this month.


The Content Evaluation and Monitoring Association (CEMA) is a private body that is working within the framework of a new law governing websites the government deems likely to provoke crimes or promote suicide, among other issues.


Chris Salzberg on Web Censorship and Public Awareness in Japan

Chris Salzberg discusses internet regulation and censorship trends in Japan. Talk given to the Global Voices Summit 2008 Session “Towards a Global Anti-Censorship Network” on 27th June 2008


Movement for Active Internet Users

An organization in Japan to promote freedom of expression online.


Japanese Blogger Arrested (2)

Japanese anti-whaling blogger Junichi Sato was arrested on June 20. According to Associated Press, he was arrested for theft. Japanese police arrested two Greenpeace activists on Friday on suspicion of stealing about 50 pounds of whale meat that the environmentalists said had been illegally siphoned by whalers from government-backed hunts. Sato claimed widespread collusion among fishing company, academics and others to overfish.


Malaysia

NGOs reject criminalisation of critical expression at bangkit.net

The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), the National Human Rights Society (HAKAM), and Writers Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI) are gravely concerned at the continued invoking of laws aimed at criminalizing expression such as those creating the offences of sedition and criminal defamation as illustrated by the arrest of blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin for these offenses


Nepal


Blogging Cost This Nepali His Job

Krishna Dhungana is a Nepali professional journalist and blogger. He writes a weekly blog for Nepal's popular site Mysansar.com and was associated with a daily tabloid called Naya Patrika until he was sacked for writing blogs.


Even though he started blogging just a month ago, it cost him a lot. He became the first person in Nepal to be fired because of blogging. This week, some Nepali blogs are abuzz about this incident.


Singapore

Au Wai Pang about censorship in Singapore


Navigating Singapore’s new media environment


Sri Lanka

Groundviews

Groundviews is Sri Lanka's award winning citizens journalism website and features an unparalleled range of ideas, opinions and analyses on humanitarian issues, media freedom, human rights, peace, democratic governance and constitutional reform


Mobile Phones in Sri Lanka: Everyman’s new trousers?

Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) regulations on mobile users requiring them to always carry a certificate of ownership, while also barring them from using phones belonging to others.


Vietnam

Rights groups calls for release of Vietnamese blogger

A media rights watchdog has urged Vietnamese authorities to free a blogger arrested before the Olympic torch relay through the capital, Ho Chi Minh.


Middle East & North Africa (MENA)


Afghanistan

No Movement on Death Sentence for Afghan Internet User

Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh is a journalism student at Balk University in Mazar-i Sharif. He supposedly copied text from an Iranian website criticizing Islam’s stance on the treatment of women, and added his own thoughts on the matter—much like a blogger would. For this, the Afghan intelligence services investigated him, and after his arrest a court in Balkh province convicted him of heresy and sentenced him to death.


Bahrain

Newsletter, website shut down

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) expresses great concern over the arrest and interrogation of seven citizens by the national security service in Bahrain over their role in publishing the newsletter Wifaq and the Awal news website.


After being released on 29 June 2008, the detainees said they were subjected to beatings and ill-treatment for 24 hours at the premises of the National Security office. The detainees included Adel Al Aaly, Mohammed al-Musawi, Sayed Tahir Asfour and Mohammad Noman, administrators of the newsletter published by the Al-Wefaq Islamic Society. The investigation also included three others, Ali Shihabi, his brother Suhail al-Shihabi and Hussein Marzouq, involved with the website Awal, which the Ministry of Information shut down several days earlier on the pretext that it incited sectarianism.


Egypt

Facebook Activists Detained in Alexandria

Amnesty International has released an urgent action on the arrest of Facebook activists gathered for a mild protest in Alexandria.


Egypt's Facebook Face Off

While it's supposed to be a social networking site, Facebook has become the front line tool for the country's struggling democracy movement. Young democracy activists have flocked to the social networking site, to choreograph widespread protests against President Hosni Mubarrak's 27-year rule.


It's the perfect tool for them to voice their opinions, especially in a country that outlaws gatherings of more than five people. With the use of blog sites, Facebook and YouTube, their messages can now be projected globally.


Twitter saga ends in jailed translator going free

A one-word blog post from a cell phone helped to free an American student from an Egyptian jail, but it took the signatures and support of thousands of activists to get his translator out.


Egypt - Draft Law of Audio-Visual Transmission and Monitoring the Internet (2)

The draft law prepared by Ministry of Media to organize the audio-visual transmission in Egypt, as the charter of organizing satellite transmission in the Arab region was not passed.


The charter was proposed by Cairo and Riyadh last February to Arab foreign ministers, and stirred strong opposition in Arab and international countries, and it was rejected by Lebanon, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain in the meeting of Arab ministers of media last June for the reason of restricting the freedom of speech and opinion.


Iran

Iran mulls death penalty for Internet crimes ( 2, 3 , 4 , 5 )

Blogging about the wrong topics in Iran won't just get you censored; it could get you killed. Iran's parliament voted last week to discuss a draft bill that would "toughen punishment" for a number of crimes that it believes to be detrimental to society by making them subject to the death penalty. This list already includes crimes like armed robbery, rape, and leaving the religion of Islam (apostasy), but running a blog or website that promotes corruption, prostitution, or apostasy may soon be added.


Citizens found guilty of these crimes "should be punished as mohareb (enemy of God) and 'corrupt on the earth,'" according to the text of the bill seen by the AFP, which lays out a spectrum of punishments ranging from exile and amputation (the theory apparently being that it's hard to post without hands) to hanging. The bill also has stipulations that say it cannot be suspended or changed in the future.


Kuwait

No to Kuwait’s New Internet Law

Kuwaiti bloggers are angry at a proposed new Internet Law, which they claim would make their days as free bloggers numbered, after Attorney General Hamad Al Othman announced that a new law dealing with Internet crimes will be issued soon.


Tunisia

VoIP use by individuals to be outlawed in Tunisia

Tunisia has decided to outlaw usage of voice over IP (VOIP) tools and technology by individuals. (article in french)



Recommended Resources

Clipperz online password manager - Freedom and privacy in the cloud

Clipperz is a free and anonymous online password manager. Local encryption within the browser guarantees that no one except you can read your data.


A DigiActive Introduction to Facebook Activism

DigiActive is very proud to announce its first guide: A DigiActive Introduction to Facebook Activism


Dialup Radio

Dialup Radio is a tool that distributes human rights and independent media via telephone. Brief radio-style audio files are uploaded and managed via the Dialup Radio website. These files are immediately available to callers who phone the project phone number. Our software automatically generates interactive voice response (IVR) menus that enable callers to navigate audio content using their telephone keypads. Dialup radio works with any telephone, and can be adopted for a variety of activist campaigns.


Citizen media: Global, independent and rising

Global Voices had brought 80 of its editors and volunteer contributors to Budapest to talk about online freedom of expression, citizen media and the role of Global Voices in the next year as it continues efforts to bring to the world’s attention voices that are generally not heard in the mainstream media.


Introduction to Internet Architecture and Institutions

Introduction to Internet Architecture and Institutions provides you with an introduction to the technical and organizational structure of the Internet. First, using simple examples, you will be introduced to the way the Internet works, the processes involved in keeping it running, and the entities that have put it all together and continue to do so.


ISummit 2008/Internet Bill of Rights

The debate over the framing and enforcement of fundamental rights in an Internet environment had a dedicated session in at the recent iCommons Summit in Sapporo. Featuring a number of issues concerning the process and the contents of an Internet Bill of Rights, individuals were invited to engage in the discussion and to have their say on a global initiative that aims at providing guidelines for any kind of regulation that deals with the adaptation and improvement of existing human fundamental rights, as well as the crafting of new rights that emerge from a technology-driven reality.


Pambazuka News

Pambazuka News is produced by a pan-African community of some 300 citizens and organisations - who together produce insightful, sharp and thoughtful analyses


Yale Journal of Law & Technology

The Yale Journal of Law & Technology (YJOLT) offers an interactive environment in which to acquire and disseminate knowledge about the interface between law and technology. The Journal publishes articles by the diverse and distinguished guests of the Yale Law School, as well as other scholars, practitioners, and students.



Calls for Participation

25th Chaos Communication Congress

Call for Participation of the 25th Chaos Communication Congress 2008 (25C3). The Chaos Communication Congress is the annual four-day conference organized by the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) and taking place in Berlin.


Upcoming Events

September 8-10: Third Access to Knowledge Global Conference

Location: Geneva, Switzerland


The Yale University Information Society project (ISP) will convene its third annual global conference on Access to Knowledge (A2K3) in Geneva, Switzerland


http://www.law.yale.edu/intellectuallife/informationsocietyproject.htm


September 11-13: Oxford e-Research Conference

Location: Oxford University

This multi-disciplinary, international conference on e-Research will be held at the University of Oxford from 11-13 September 2008. It is being organized by a consortium of research projects in association with the journal Information Communication and Society (iCS).

http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/microsites/eresearch08/

September 26 - 28: The 36th Research Conference on Communication, Information, and Internet Policy

Location: Center for Technology and the Law, George Mason University Law School, Arlington, Virginia

http://www.tprcweb.com/

October 3 - 4: Tech4Africa

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

A web and emerging technology conference for Africa


http://www.technologyforafrica.org/


October 9 - 10: 9th Latin American Congress of Communication Researchers

Location: Mexico City, Mexico

http://alaic.net/alaic30/

October 26 -29 : The Internet: Governance and the Law

Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada

Conference on Internet Policy, regulation and governance, McGill University

Sessions will deal with topics such as Internet Governance beyond the Nation State, Cyber Regulation, Convergence of Telecommunications, PC and Broadcast; Competition; Deregulation; Free Speech vs. Defamation/Hate Speech, Privacy vs. Security; Consumer Protection, Cryptography, Domain Name, Open Source, Patents, Copyright, Trademarks, Cybercrime and Terrorism, E-Commerce, Legal Liability and e-Transactions, Property and Piracy, Telemarketing Fraud et. al.


http://tinyurl.com/6n4pfr

November 3-4, 2008: Chinese Bloggers Conference 2008 和而不同,多志兴邦

Location: Beijing, China

Please visit the official blog of cnbloggrrcon, http://cnbloggercon.org/blog, or follow the twitter agent of cnbloggercon at, http://twitter.com/cnbloggercon,


November 2-7, 2008: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) - Public Meeting

http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-16may08.htm

Cairo, Egypt will host the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' 33rd International Public Meeting

November 8 - 10: VIII International Human Rights Colloquium

"60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Challenges for the Global South"

Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil


The VIII International Human Rights Colloquium is an annual capacity building and peer-learning event designed for young activists from the Global South (Africa, Asia and Latin America). The objective of the VIII International Human Rights Colloquium is to strengthen the impact of human rights activists work and to offer the opportunity to build new collaborative networks among activists, academics and the Organization of the United Nations (UN).


http://www.conectas.org/coloquio/


November 14-16: Evento Blog España

Location: Seville, Spain

Evento Blog España aims to be a big event, one that brings together bloggers from the Spanish and European Blogosphere. This year the event will be held in Seville, Spain

http://www.eventoblog.com/2008/06/ebe08-presentacion/

December 2: Third Annual GigaNet Symposium

Location: Hyderabad International Conference Center, India

http://www.igloo.org/giganet

December 3- 6 : United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

Location: Hyderabad, India

http://www.intgovforum.org/

February 9 - 13, 2009: Informática 2008 - New Technologies: Development and Sovereignty

Location: Havana, Cuba

http://www.informaticahabana.cu

March 1- 6, 2009: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) - Public Meeting

Location: Mexico City, Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico will host the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' 34th International Public Meeting from 1-6 March 2009.


http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30jun08-en.htm



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