tagged w/ Internet Censorship
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The French Hadopi legislation passed last month introduced draconian measures to combat piracy, including a “three strikes” regime for persistent copyright infringers. However, France’s highest constitutional authority today ruled that Internet access is a fundamental human right and killed the three-strikes provision.
ast month, the French Parliament implemented the new ‘Hadopi’ law. Under the new legislation ISPs have to send warnings to alleged copyright infringers, who would eventually lose their Internet access upon receiving their third warning. In addition, the new law would make it possible to order ISPs to block sites such as The Pirate Bay.
The law goes directly against a decision from the European Parliament, which concluded that disconnecting alleged copyright infringers would violate the fundamental rights and freedoms of Internet users.
ow, in an unforeseen turn of events the Constitutional Council, France’s highest legal authority, took a similar position as the European Parliament. They deemed the provision that would cause people to lose their Internet access unconstitutional, and stopped it. Instead, the entertainment industry is only allowed to send copyright infringement warnings, something they’ve already done in the past.The French Hadopi legislation passed last month introduced draconian measures to... more
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The Chinese Government have decided all new PCs sold in China from July 1st must contain new, auto-updating software that can filter out pornography and other “unhealthy information” from the Internet.
“This is a very bad thing,” said Charles Mok, chairman of the Hong Kong chapter of the Internet Society, an international advisory group on Internet standards. “It’s like downloading spyware onto your computer, but the government is the spy.”
This is not the first time that foreign companies have been enlisted in government efforts to police the Internet. Google already removes politically forbidden results yielded by its popular search engine, Microsoft allows censors to block content on its blog service, and Yahoo was widely criticized for turning over information that was used to jail a journalist.
In recent months China has tightened its Internet restrictions, including an “antivulgarity” campaign that has closed down thousands of pornographic sites but also nonsexual sites, including some of the most popular bulletin boards and blog hosts. China already employs more than 30,000 censors and thousands who “guide public opinion” by flooding bulletin boards with comments favorable to the Communist Party.
Last week, as the 20th anniversary of the military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests approached, the government blocked a host of Internet services, including Twitter, Microsoft’s live.com and Flickr, a photo-sharing site, though by Monday evening, these sites had become available again. YouTube has been inaccessible in China outside Hong Kong since March.The Chinese Government have decided all new PCs sold in China from July 1st must... more
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Three Mobile a cellphone operator in the United Kingdom blocks adult websites.
This filtering is not mentioned in the Terms & Conditions, nor is there a policy available on their website. Indeed the error page doesn't state the policy either, rather it just says 'We can't bring you the full version of Planet 3 right now, but you can still use the internet and enjoy the products below.'
I wonder what else they're blocking that they're not telling their customers!Three Mobile a cellphone operator in the United Kingdom blocks adult websites.
This... more
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While most Internet users (myself included) would prefer to have the Internet be free and unregulated, many politicians, organizations, and even governments are proponents of imposing stricter Internet laws and restrictions. And when I say 'governments', I am not just speaking of authoritarian China or any other State that has imposed limitations on freedom of speech on their citizens. No, I'm speaking of the United States of America.
Every mass communications medium in this country faces some form of censorship and regulation or another. And if they are being regulated by the U.S. government, then they are being regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC is a government agency, established by the Communications Act of 1934, with jurisdiction over the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
Radio stations require a license from the FCC to broadcast on the public airwaves, or they face a serious fine. Television is also regulated by certain limitations from the FCC on what can be put on screen at certain times of the day, depending on when children will most likely be watching. Both industries can get around the FCC, however. Services like satellite radio and pay-per-view on cable are subscription-based, which means that regulation by the FCC is much looser. This is because children will be less likely to view questionable content.
FCC regulations are almost entirely based on restricting profanity, sex, violence, and any material that could be considered offensive to children and families. In the U.S., the protection of children from harmful material, national security purposes, and identity protection are the strongest arguments for government regulation of communications. It is also for these reasons, 'national security' being the most prominent, that these regulations are being translated over to the Internet. But how successful can these attempts be, while still remaining constitutional?
~*~
((For the rest of my article, please visit the link above where the complete story is. For more of the 'Regulation and the Internet' series, visit my blog at cyberdiss.blogspot.com))
Signed,
The NetizenWhile most Internet users (myself included) would prefer to have the Internet be free... more
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Last month California Assemblyman Joel Anderson introduced a bill to limit the amount of detail someone could see on screen using online mapping tools. It also calls for fines of up to $250,000 per day for violating what Anderson describes "as the same level of protections that foreign governments extend to their own citizens."
More at link.
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Personally, I love Google Earth/Maps. I love all the links that it gives, and it helps me pass the time when I'm really bored. What do you guys think?Last month California Assemblyman Joel Anderson introduced a bill to limit the amount... more
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YouTube Censored UFO Blogger Channel as unprecedented level of attention has been received by Our YouTube channel, where for several months we have hosted a powerful video regarding UFO phenomena.In past few weeks we had subsequent increase in new friend requests. They closed our account before even we could file counterclaim against violation of Copy Rights its just ridiculous.
We think things get heated up when yesterday we posted about Nick Pope RAF UFO Shoot Down Disclosure news.With in hours Several intelligence groups logged on to UFO Blogger immediately after posting Nick Pope's Disclosure news .We got hits for Pentagon, NNIC, DHS, US Air Force, US Army and even NASA .More http://www.ufoblogger.blogspot.comYouTube Censored UFO Blogger Channel as unprecedented level of attention has been... more
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Barack Obama’s campaign & election has been followed by a large section of Chinese internet population & his immense popularity among Chinese has emerged out in various surveys. However many were disappointed, if not downright annoyed when his inauguration speech faced Chinese censorship for his references to communism & dissent.
Continue reading to see what chinese actually searched for in Google.Barack Obama’s campaign & election has been followed by a large section of Chinese... more
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Apurba
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added this
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10 months ago
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Even Liberal England cannot put up with the Propaganda put out by American Left-Wing, at least they have come to their senses and now must WARN people that it IS Propaganda and not true.
From the Daily Mail:
Schools must warn of Gore climate film bias
Schools will have to issue a warning before they show pupils Al Gore’s controversial film about global warming, a judge indicated yesterday.
The move follows a High Court action by a father who accused the Government of ‘brainwashing’ children with propaganda by showing it in the classroom.
Stewart Dimmock said the former U.S. Vice-President’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, is unfit for schools because it is politically biased and contains serious scientific inaccuracies and ’sentimental mush’.
He wants the video banned after it was distributed with four other short films to 3,500 schools in February.
Mr Justice Burton is due to deliver a ruling on the case next week, but yesterday he said he would be saying that Gore’s Oscar-winning film does promote ‘partisan political views’. This means that teachers will have to warn pupils that there are other opinions on global warming and they should not necessarily accept the views of the film.
He said: ‘The result is I will be declaring that, with the guidance as now amended, it will not be unlawful for the film to be shown.’
The outcome marks a partial victory for Mr Dimmock, who had accused the ‘New Labour
Thought Police’ of indoctrinating youngsters by handing out thousands of Climate Change Packs to schools.Even Liberal England cannot put up with the Propaganda put out by American Left-Wing,... more
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China's online population, already the world's largest, has expanded to 298 million.
This marks a 41.9% increase on the previous year and is still growing fast, said the government-linked China Internet Network Information Centre.
The study also showed huge increases in the number of people in China accessing the internet through mobile phones.
The report by Cinic also noted that internet use in the countryside was increasing faster than in the cities.
At the end of 2008, the number of net users in China, which has a population of 1.3 billion, was almost the same as the entire population of the United States.
Users in the countryside surged by 60.8% year-on-year to 84.6 million, compared with much more modest growth of 35.6% in the urban areas, the report said.
The Cinic report said 117.6 million people accessed the Internet using their mobile phones last year, up 133% from 2007.
Students are the main strength of mobile Internet users, the study said: 43.5% of them use their cell phones to read online news, download music, check email and perform a variety of other tasks.
China, with 633.8 million mobile phone users, last week issued long-awaited licences for third-generation (3G) mobile phones to China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom.
"With the coming of the 3G era, wireless Internet will have exponential growth," Cininc said in a statement accompanying the release of its report.
3G phones enable faster data transmission and services such as watching TV, playing online games, wide-area wireless calls and web surfing.
By 2011, the three operators expect to start 3G services all over China, a move which analysts predict will spur further massive growth in mobile internet use.
As the categories of mobile Internet services increase, charges have also been dropping fast.
China's Internet penetration is still low at just 22.6% , leaving more room for rapid growth, Cinic said.China's online population, already the world's largest, has expanded to 298 million.... more
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Does Osama bin Laden read the work of left-wing media figures and bloggers? It's quite possible, argues Brendan O'Neill:
When Al Jazeera broadcast Osama bin Laden's latest audiotape in January, it provoked the same sense of déjà vu as Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden, recently published by the leftist publishing house Verso.
The book is a collection of every public utterance made by the Al Qaeda leader from 1994 to 2004. According to The Observer's excitable reviewer, it shows that he is a "charismatic man of action, an eloquent preacher, a teacher of literature and a resilient, cunning, wonderfully briefed politician." To me, however, there was something irritatingly familiar rather than surprisingly eloquent about his tone and turns of phrase.
Then it struck me: Bin Laden is a blogger. Not literally, of course, but he certainly speaks the language of the blogosphere. He references Robert Fisk and Michael Moore, those darlings of the anti-war Web. His latest statement recommends that people read Rogue State by William Blum, whose e-mail newsletter, Anti-Empire Report, is frequently republished and discussed in the left-wing blogosphere.Does Osama bin Laden read the work of left-wing media figures and bloggers? It's quite... more
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I swear I haven't run a green light, nor have I bought cheese on the black market for more than two months, and I have not walked out of any store without paying. I don't recall having violated the laws-too much-these last days, not even by passing myself off as a foreigner to use the Internet in some hotel.
I have, however, a citation, along with [my husband] Reinaldo, for tomorrow at the police station at 21st and C in Vedado. I wonder if I should bring a toothbrush or if I will get only a brief box on the ears.
Below is the official document I received from a sweaty official who ascended the fourteen flights of stairs, since I haven't had an elevator for a month.
At nine in the morning I'll know what it's about; wait for my news after two.
UPDATE:
At nine in the morning an official looks, with boredom, at the citation we have presented at the door of the 21st and C station. We are left waiting on one of the benches for about 40 minutes, while Reinaldo and I take the opportunity to discuss all those things the dizziness of daily life always keeps us from talking about. At 9:45 they take my husband, asking first if he has a cell phone. Ten minutes later they return and take me to the second floor.
The meeting is brief and the tone energetic. There are three of us in the office and the one who raises his voice in song has been introduced as Agent Roque. To my side another, younger one, watches me and says his name is Camilo. Both tell me they are from the Interior Ministry. They are not interested in listening, there is a written script on the table, and nothing I do will distract them. They are intimidation professionals.
The topic was as I expected: We are close to the date for the blogger meeting that, with neither secrecy nor publicity, we have been organizing for half a year; they announce we must cancel it. Half an hour later, now far from the uniforms and the photos of leaders on the walls, we reconstructed an approximation of their words:
We want to warn you that you have transgressed all the limits of tolerance with your rapprochement and contacts with counter-revolutionary elements. This totally disqualifies you for dialog with Cuban authorities.
The activities planned for the coming days cannot carried out.
We, for our part, will take all measures, make the relevant denuciations and take the necessary actions. This activity, in this moment in the life of the Nation, recuperating from two hurricanes, will not be allowed.
Roque stopped talking-nearly shouting-and I asked if he would give me all this in writing. Being a blogger who displays her name and her face has made me believe that everyone is willing to attach their identity to what they say. The man lost the rhythm of the script-he didn't expect my librarian's mania to keep papers. He stopped reading what had been written and shouted at me even louder that, "They are not obliged to give me anything."
Before they send me off with a "get out of here, citizen" I manage to tell him that he won't sign what he told me because he doesn't have the courage to do it. The word "Cowards" comes out almost in a guffaw. At the bottom of the stairs I hear the noise of the chairs pushed back into place. Wednesday has ended early.I swear I haven't run a green light, nor have I bought cheese on the black market for... more
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Cuban Bloggers Hold Workshop Despite Official Warnings
Telling the world about their experiences with repression and censorship.
HAVANA -- Cuban bloggers began a workshop to exchange information despite warnings by the island's authorities not to do so, according to a press release issued Saturday in Havana.
In the communique that was also published on the Generacion Y blog by the Cuban Yoani Sanchez, the cybernauts said that "faithful to their choice of dialogue and the search for viable alternatives, they have found other ways to start their journey without having to travel physically from one place to another."
They said that exchanges have taken place on Friday and Saturday among "people who post blogs on the Internet from the island and others who are interested in visiting this medium."
The document recalled that the workshop "lost its inaugural session because agents of the Interior Ministry summoned certain participants to tell them officially that they were barred from attending the inauguration," scheduled for the city of Pinar del Rio on the western part of the island.
"We can't show documented proof of this prohibition because the agents refused to put it in writing," the workshop participants said, adding that "freedom finds ways that repression can't."
The Cuban bloggers said that the exchanges of experiences "took place in an informal atmosphere, respecting differences of opinion and with a debate of proposals." A Cuban blog contest was suggested for next year.
For her part, Sanchez said Saturday on her blog that "the shouting at police station, the constant operation against us since last Thursday and the prohibition to travel to Pinar del Rio didn't do them much good."
"We eventually found cracks between the censors' fingers that the fine sand of information and knowledge has managed to slip through," she said.
Sanchez, a graduate in Hispanic philology, was honored in April with the Ortega and Gasset Prize, but was unable to travel to Spain to receive the award because Cuban authorities would not allow her to leave the country.
She was recently honored by The Bobs 2008, awarded by German television channel Deutsche Welle, taking the prize for the best international Weblog, an award also granted her by Reporters Without Borders.Cuban Bloggers Hold Workshop Despite Official Warnings
Telling the world about their... more
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 17 -- Four of the five main online forums that al-Qaeda's media wing uses to distribute statements by Osama bin Laden and other extremists have been disabled since mid-September, monitors of the Web sites say.
The disappearance of the forums on Sept. 10 -- and al-Qaeda's apparent inability to restore them or create alternate online venues, as it has before -- has curbed the organization's dissemination of the words and images of its fugitive leaders. On Sept. 29, a statement by the al-Fajr Media Center, a distribution network created by supporters of al-Qaeda and other Sunni extremist groups, said the forums had disappeared "for technical reasons," and it urged followers not to trust look-alike sites.
For al-Qaeda, "these sites are the equivalent of pentagon.mil, whitehouse.gov, att.com," said Evan F. Kohlmann, an expert on online al-Qaeda operations who has advised the FBI and others. With just one authorized al-Qaeda site still in business, "this has left al-Qaeda's propaganda strategy hanging by a very narrow thread."
At the same time, in an apparently unrelated flare-up of online sectarian hostility, Shiite and Sunni hackers have targeted Web sites associated with the other sect, including that of a Saudi-owned television network and of Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric.
On several occasions over the past three years, unknown hackers have shut down al-Qaeda-affiliated Web sites after they announced the imminent release of a new video message from Osama bin Laden or another extremist leader. It is often impossible to pinpoint the source of such online attacks, though some experts say the culprits could be independent activists.
A U.S. intelligence official, asked about the online attacks, declined to say whether U.S. spy agencies engage in them. American and British security forces each have joint commands overseeing online operations against extremists.
"There had been this aura of invincibility" about al-Qaeda's media operations, said Gregory D. Johnsen, a U.S.-based expert on violent Sunni groups in Yemen. "Now this has really been taken away from them."
In early September, the al-Fajr forums were drumming up anticipation of al-Qaeda's annual video marking the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "Await Sept. 11!" one message declared.
Instead, on Sept. 10, the forums vanished.
Rapid changes in domain-registration information and in servers suggested that the sites' webmasters were working intently to bring the forums back up, according to a statement from the SITE Intelligence Group, a leading private monitor of Web sites of extremist groups.
After about 24 hours, one forum, al-Hesbah, reappeared, according to Kohlmann, a senior investigator with the NEFA Foundation in Charleston, S.C.
Al-Qaeda's Sept. 11 video eventually appeared on al-Hesbah, which means "one who holds others accountable," on Sept. 19. By then, the shine had been taken off the anniversary for al-Qaeda supporters.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 17 -- Four of the five main online forums that... more
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Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, must disclose to the Federal Communications Commission the full details of its past and future "network management" practices by midnight tonight. This disclosure is required as part of the FCC's enforcement order sanctioning the cable giant for blocking Internet users' access to lawful online content and services.
Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, must disclose to the Federal... more
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A Moroccan blogger has been jailed for two years for showing disrespect to the monarchy, say the man's family.
Mohammed Erraji, 29, was convicted after writing an article claiming King Mohammed VI's charitable habits were encouraging a culture of dependency.
There has been no official comment on the case, but rights groups claim Erraji did not have a fair trial.
A BBC reporter says criticising the king is an offence in Morocco and the royal family remains a taboo subject.
Morocco has previously caused international outrage with its treatment of internet users.
Earlier this year, Fouad Mortada was sentenced to three years in prison for creating a false profile on the internet site Facebook using the identity of the king's brother.
He received a royal pardon following protests from internet users around the world.A Moroccan blogger has been jailed for two years for showing disrespect to the... more
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Nin Hao !
In the spirit of drilling down the dynamics of the Internet in China , We have published a data filled , action packed slideshow “Handbook of Online China” on the eve of Beijing Olympics inauguration . The report focus on three key themes - China as an online leader , China Insider - the competitive landscape in Search , IM & Web 2.0 & Business in Online China - that are essentially key indicators of the ongoing development of the dynamic Internet market in China.
The report is unique of its kind & we are sure as an online china observer , analyst & investor you will find the slideshow really handy. Our summary follows :
* China is the largest market for Internet users (253 MM as of June 2008) despite the fact that only 19.1% of the country’s population is online.The rapid growth in Internet usage can be estimated from the fact that around half of Top 20 trafficked Asia Pacific sites are in China.
* Chinese Internet is for Virtual Fun. Chinese are much addicted to Internet than their US counterparts.
* Local players outperforms western players.Tencent’s QQ leads the IM market with whopping 78% market share. Google has mere 25% market share in Chinese search market.
* China ranks above daily Global average across all social media . More than one third of Chinese netizens spend 1-3 hours daily on BBS. As we reported earlier BBS are acting as grape vine to spread buzz like ‘Fake Tiger Scam‘ & ‘Nail House‘.
* Did you meet JingJing & Chacha ? They are Chinas virtual cops . Internet censorship is very common in China but 85% of Chinese Citizens approve Internet Censorship .
* Why Online ad market in China is HOT ? Check out the report for latest stat on Chinese Internet players earning from online ads & per capita Ad spent .
* Finally if you are keenly watching the global platform war , this report includes the state of Chinese Internet players affinity towards OpenSocial.
We would wait for your feedback & comments on the report. If you want a copy of this slideshow feel free to drop us a note.We shall be happy to mail you the same .Nin Hao !
In the spirit of drilling down the dynamics of the Internet in China , We... more
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Apurba
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added this
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1 year ago
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So unnecessary!
From the report:
China will censor the Internet used by foreign media during the Olympics, an organizing committee official confirmed Wednesday, reversing a pledge to offer complete media freedom at the games.
"During the Olympic Games we will provide sufficient access to the Internet for reporters," said Sun Weide, spokesman for the organizing committee.
He confirmed, however, that journalists would not be able to access information or websites connected to the Falungong spiritual movement which is banned in China.
Other sites were also unavailable to journalists, he said, without specifying which ones.
So unnecessary!
From the report:
China will censor the Internet used by foreign... more
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We just received word today that the Third Circuit struck down a federal Internet censorship law as unconstitutional. The law, called the Child Online Protection Act, imposed civil and criminal penalties on those who place “harmful to minors” material on the Web. Under this law, no adult, no matter how mature or responsible, would have been allowed to see material that is deemed unfit for a child. The law would have forced vast swaths of constitutionally protected speech off of the Web.
Today’s victory is a huge win that comes as a result of 10 years of litigation by a dedicated group of ACLU clients. All of our clients—from award-winning, established publications such as Salon to individuals such as Heather Corinna, who works largely on her own to provide valuable sexual health information geared toward teenagers—put up with a great deal of hassle and inconvenience and stress. By standing up for their own right to engage in free speech on the Web, they helped protect the rights of all Americans. They deserve our thanks.
Whether today’s opinion is the last to address COPA is up to the government and, ultimately, to the Supreme Court. The government has some time to decide whether it wants to ask the Court to review this case. Hopefully it will conclude that 10 years of litigation is enough.We just received word today that the Third Circuit struck down a federal Internet... more
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Even after the devastation caused by the earthquake earlier this month, the Chinese Internet censors are still reportedly casting their ever-watchful eye on the Chinese's online activity.
Wired reports on one example where the censors have stepped into remind people about what they can and can't be doing on their internet. On one message board, bloggers who were reportedly criticising relief-giving China-based-corporations and how much they would be donating, were greeted with two animated 'censors' who popped up with the message "don't accept vulgar content," and politely asked them to "advance harmony."
Even after the devastation caused by the earthquake earlier this month, the Chinese... more
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