A report: The Use of Western Technologies by Middle East Censors, 2010-2011

 

The Use of Western Technologies by Middle East Censors, 2010-2011

from Berkman Center Newsfeed by syoung

The Berkman Center is pleased to share a new report from the OpenNet Initiative (ONI):

West Censoring East: The Use of Western Technologies by Middle East Censors, 2010-2011

The report analyzes the use of American and Canadian-made tools Websense, McAfee SmartFilter, and Netsweeper for the purpose of government-level filtering in the Middle East and North Africa. The investigation found that nine countries in the region utilize Western-made tools. A full media advisory follows.

(Bonus: Report co-author Jillian York has also written about her own blog being blocked in Yemen.)

Figure 1: Screen shot of Netsweeper Business login page installed in YemenNet server

 

where does academic blogging lead?

from digital digs by Alex Reid

Ian Bogost has a great post referencing the ongoing conversation about academic blogging that moves us in a productive direction, away from defenses and apologies (and related attacks and critiques of opponents) and toward thinking where academic blogging leads. Ian points to a number of other interesting posts, so if you’re curious you should certainly follow that link and read those as well. One of the interesting things about the speculative realitst/ooo movement is that, while it is clearly undertaken in traditional academic discourses (books, articles, conference presentations, courses), it has also really flourished through the blogosphere. As such it is a great example of how academic blogging, as we have come to know it, might work in parallel with traditional academia. However, blogging, as a technology, clearly has its limits.

 

U.S. Internet Piracy Is on the Decline [STATS]

by Lauren Indvik

Cyberbullying: An International Perspective

from DML Central by jbrazil

N.Y. Rapist Who Used Facebook Gets 13 Years In Jail

from All Facebook by Meredith Singer

Who decides what we access on the Internet?: Web blocking and its dangers, Peter Bradwell

from open Democracy News Analysis – by Peter Bradwell
Another March, another web blocking proposal. The Guardian reported last week that Ed Vaizey MP, one of the ministers in charge of the UK’s internet policy, has been hosting discussions between Internet Service Providers and the music and film industries about a ‘voluntary code’ to facilitate the blocking of websites related to file-sharing.

Mightiest for the mightiest: ?The Net Delusion?, John Lloyd

from open Democracy News Analysis – by John Lloyd
In ?The Net Delusion?, Evgeny Morozov vents frustration at what he calls ?cyber utopianism? in Western foreign policy. Far from being a tool to free the weak, Morozov argues, oppressive regimes are now the expert manipulators of Web 2.0. He?s certainly got a point, says John Lloyd, but he is also wrong to assume no one in the State Department shares his concerns.

 

ACLU and EFF Appeal Ruling In Case Challenging Government Attempt To Obtain Private Data in WikiLeaks Investigation

from EFF.org Updates by rebecca

Alexandria, VA – The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) today appealed a ruling that the government can collect the private records of three Twitter users as part of its investigation related to WikiLeaks. The ruling further held that the users cannot learn which other Internet companies were ordered to turn over information about them to the government. EFF and the ACLU are challenging the ruling on behalf of Birgitta Jonsdottir, an Icelandic parliamentarian who is appealing jointly with fellow Twitter users Jacob Appelbaum and Rop Gonggrijp.

 

It?s Time for the Recording Industry to Stop Blaming “Piracy” and Start Finding A New Way

from EFF.org Updates by julie

37 people liked this

As many ? EFF included ? have been saying for years, filesharing is not the reason that the recording industry has fallen on hard financial times. In fact, the recording industry?s complaints that the sky is falling really only apply to the recording industry, and not musicians and the fans, who have seen increased music purchases, increased artist salaries, and the availability of more music than ever before. And now two new reports further debunk the recording industry’s myth.

 

How To Use Technology To Counter Rumors During Crises: Anecdotes from Kyrgyzstan

from iRevolution by Patrick Meier

140 Best Twitter Feeds – TIME

 

Where?s EFF? Why EFF Is Sometimes Quiet About Important Cases

from EFF.org Updates by cindy

When legal issues light up the Internet, people turn to EFF for answers.  Whether it?s attacks on coders’ rights, overreaching copyright claims online, or governments’ efforts to censor or spy on people, we are often among the first to hear about troubling events online, and we’re frequently the first place people turn to for legal help.

 

How To Use Facebook Safely In The Mideast And Africa

from All Facebook by Jackie Cohen


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