Stories about Censorship from May, 2015
Pakistan's Media is Silent as Hundreds Protest Government Gag on Bol News Group
Despite protests by journalists outside the Karachi Press Club, Pakistan's vibrant but cutthroat broadcast media industry has been mostly silent on the government's gag on Bol, a new media outlet.
Did Russia Just Effectively Outlaw Internet Anonymizers?
A Russian court has ruled to block a webpage for being "an anonymizer," raising concerns that tools like Tor and other anonymizing proxy services might soon be banned wholesale.
An Online Joke Captures China's Censorship Practices
Letscorp, a site devoted to bridging information across Chinese speaking communities, reposted an online joke on Twitter that vividly captures mainland Chinese censorship practices. 老大：官员好不好，百姓说了算。宣传部：我补充一句，大多数百姓不明真相。团中央：没事，我们有一千万网评员保证舆论。公安：还有漏网的我们就抓。央视：再让他们嫖娼。环球：就说他们收了美国人的钱。外交部发言人：依据相关法律和政策，我国有充分言论自由。人民日报：你瞧，这是人民的选择嘛 — 墙外楼 (@letscorp) May 28,...
New Messaging App by Iran's Basij Militia Gives State Access to All Conversations
The app will use servers owned and controlled by the Basij, thus allowing easy access to and monitoring of all user conversations by the paramilitary group and intelligence agents.
Robot Commenters Accidentally Expose Themselves on China's Weibo Platform
Patrick Wong contributed to this post. Chinese netizens are having a good laugh over the mechanized missteps of government-controlled robot commenters, who have been criticizing messages sent by their own...
Ukrainian and Russian Users Petition Facebook to ‘Stop Political Blocking’
Ukrainians and Russians are petitioning Facebook on the Change.org website to protest what they insist is an ongoing issue: unwarranted and biased blocking of Ukrainian and Russian Facebook profiles.
Dying in Secret: The Ethics of Investigating Russia's Ukraine Casualties
A new type of investigative journalism by bloggers is blurring the lines between armchair Internet sleuthing and hard-hitting investigative reporting to uncover information about Russia's role in the Ukraine conflict.
Singapore Bans Music Video for Its Pro-LGBT Content
"How ironic is it that on the same day Singapore bans a song with gay marriage content, Ireland votes in favor of it?"
Leaked Emails Reveal Details of China's Online ‘Youth Civilization Volunteers’
'Speak out in a timely way and positively guide mistaken opinions and thoughts in order to grow mainstream thought and sentiment on the Internet.'
Thailand Police Detains Student Protesters During Coup Anniversary
"We cannot build a democratic society if we lack freedom, liberty, rights, justice, and reconciliation."
Pakistanis Use Twitter To Raise Their Concerns On The Proposed Cybercrime Bill 2015
The proposed Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PEC) Bill in Pakistan has raised concern among local and international human rights organisations as it could put at risk freedom expression and privacy...
Message to an Ethiopian Blogger: Mahlet Fantahun, You Are Not Alone
"Writing one single blog post is not going to bring Mahlet... out of Kaliti Prison. This is much rather about keeping the process going. Of not staying silent."
Pakistani Company Accused of Running Fake Degree Scam Has a History of Silencing Critics
Many people tried to expose Axact's degree fraud before, the NYT didn't break this story, but this is the first time everyone is paying attention.
Activist Ambassador Lawyer Journalist: What It’s Like to Be Hated Online in Russia Today
Earlier this week, Afisha magazine's Nina Nazarova published a collection of fascinating interviews with four public figures who have played major roles online and in the news in Russia.
Russia Launches ‘Predictive System’ for Monitoring Protest Activity Online
The new Russian software will allegedly be able to spot preparations for protests online long before they happen, and could supply that information to law enforcement, academics and state officials.
Thailand’s Section 44 Could Be Worse Than Martial Law
Thailand is no longer under martial law, but a new security law gave the army broad and 'unlimited' powers in the civilian government.
The Media Is the Message: E-Diplomacy in Egypt
Egyptian authorities today must figure out how to communicate effectively in the wake of four years of constant regime change.
Venezuela Bans 22 Media Editors and Executives from Leaving the Country
Over 20 members of three Venezuelan media groups, El Nacional and Tal Cual, as well as news site La Patilla, are now prohibited from leaving the country. Caracas judge María Eugenia Núñez ordered the restriction on the...
Amid “Intelligent” Censorship Discussions, Iran Affirms Facebook Will Remain Blocked
Discussions regarding the implementation of “intelligent” filtering have proliferated Internet policy discussions within Iran. “Intelligent” filtering is a process whereby they filter select content on a social media platform, rather...
Facebook's Zuckerberg Responds to Ukrainians’ Complaints, But Is His Answer Enough?
Mark Zuckerberg has addressed the appeals of Ukrainian Facebook users for better content moderation and calls to create a dedicated Ukrainian office. His answers seem unlikely to satisfy them.
Bahrain Court Upholds Six Month Sentence Against Rights Defender Nabeel Rajab Over Tweet
A Bahrain court today upheld a six-month sentence for human rights defender Nabeel Rajab over a tweet. Rajab is already in custody under investigation for other tweets.
