Stories about Digital Activism from March, 2014
Misogyny Masquerading as Gender Equality in Barbados?
After questionable statements on gender violence from a public official in Barbados, CODE RED says: The Bureau of Gender Affairs has a mandate for ensuring gender equality. It is precisely because of that mandate that Bureau staff should publicly distance themselves from statements that are sexist, deliberately inflammatory and unsubstantiated.
Erdogan Vows to ‘Wipe Out’ Twitter in Turkey
Turkey has blocked Twitter – as well as Google's public DNS service, used to circumvent the block. It seems, however, that the Turkish government's plan to censor dissent has backfired.
Meet Crimea's New Anime Mascot, Natalia Poklonskaya
A definitive fan-art collection of Natalia Poklonskaya, the newly minted Prosecutor General appointed by the secessionist government of Crimea, who has captured the heart of RuNet and Japan.
Suspected Government #SelfieMacedonia Campaign Backfires
A Facebook campaign with the hashtag #SelfieMacedonia was launched in March 2014 and Macedonian social media users now suspect that the country's government is behind it all. Bouts of young social media users from Macedonia, individually or in groups, have been taking photos of themselves, typically called “selfies”, and sharing...
GV Face: How to Win the Rising Voices Microgrant
Are you brimming with ideas to help your community tell their story through citizen media? On GV Face the Rising Voices team discusses best practices for winning their microgrant competition.
Taiwan's #CongressOccupied Protest, Translated
Hundreds of translators have organized themselves through Facebook to translate stories about protesters' occupation of Taiwan's legislature following the ruling party's passage of a controversial trade agreement with China.
Macedonian Students Demanding Better Living Conditions Called ‘Unpatriotic’
While most have supported Macedonian university students' online campaign to raise awareness about the unlivable conditions of dormitories in Skopje, one columnist called their efforts "unpatriotic".
Are America's Latest Sanctions on Russia Based on a List by a Blogger?
"looks like it isn't the CIA that's in charge of Navalny, but Navalny that's in charge of the CIA"
Support Pours in for #CongressOccupied Protesters in Taiwan
In reaction to the ruling party's autocratic move to pass a trade agreement with China, thousands of protesters are occupying Taiwan's legislature.
Algerian Opposition TV Network Shuttered Ahead of Presidential Elections
Independent television network Al-Atlas TV, known for broadcasting Algerian opposition viewpoints without any restriction or censorship, was shut down by Algerian authorities on March 11.
Activists Add Female Heroines to Wikipedia in Macedonian
The informal citizens’ group “Fight Like a Woman”, (@borisezenski), organized a mini marathon with the purpose of adding articles about notable women from Macedonia to Wikipedia in Macedonian to raise awareness about women's rights and gender equality. The campaign involved activists working within the site of International Women's Day celebrations...
10 Ways Russians and Ukrainians Reacted to Crimea Annexation Speech
Regardless of how one feels about the Crimean question, it was a landmark speech, and one that bloggers reacted to the way they usually do on the Internet. Through memes.
Australia's #MarchInMarch Street Party Protests
Prolific tweeter @geeksrulz reports on the No Fibs citizen journalist website about Melbourne's part in the nationwide marches against the Australian government: Melbourne #MarchInMarch Street Party Protest A grassroots movement that started on Twitter managed to get tens of thousands of people onto the streets away from their keyboards. That...
Lies and Falsehoods Keep the World Go ‘Round in Japan
Twitter user @suzaks1 criticized [ja] the amount of lies and inaccuracies that are making Japanese headlines: ホテルの食材も北の国のレールも何処かの役場の書類もクラッシックの楽曲も国が誇るトップレベルの研究所や有名大学院で博士なるための論文も、みんな虚偽だらけ虚偽まみれ。それでも回っちゃってる変な国。原発だって爆発して当然だわ。国土汚染しても嘘の上塗りで皆を騙せられる便利な国。こえ~ — 須崎真一NoMyCar,NoNukes (@suzaks1) 2014, 3月 14 [Japan is a] country covered in lies: fake ingredients on the menu of top Japanese hotels, railway gauges fabricated in Hokkaido, major symphony music by a fraud composer, and...
What Does Russia's Top Blogger Think About Crimea?
Before Alexey Navalny's LiveJournal blog was blocked late last week for breaking the terms of his house arrest, he published a long opinion piece on the situation in Ukraine.
Young Woman in Madagascar Kills Herself after Photos Were Re-posted on Facebook
Koolsaina writes that a Malagasy girl killed herself [fr] after photos of her were posted on a Facebook page that showcase photos of young women from Madagascar without their consent. A call to Facebook administrators was initiated to take down the page. As of today (March 16, 2014), Koolsaina reports...
GV Face: Happy 25th Birthday, Web!
What's the difference between the Internet and the Web? Why is an open web so important? An all-star panel of techies and rights defenders talks it out on GV Face.
Update: Russia Blocks Fifth Liberal Website
Russian ISPs blocked the website of the liberal radio station Echo Moskvy.
Russia Blocks Four Opposition Media Portals
"I don't even know if anyone is reading this anymore." - Putative opposition leader Alexey Navalny in his blog which was blocked today by order of Russia's Attorney General's office.
Pavel Durov's Seven Reasons to Stay in Russia
As Russia falls under international criticism, the founder of VKontakte gives his reasons for staying at home.
Activists Mobilize for Passage of Brazil's Internet Bill of Rights
Internet rights activists are in Brasilia today to pressure the National Congress to approve the Brazilian bill of rights for Internet users, known as the Marco Civil. One of them is former Global Voices collaborator Diego Casaes, who works with global civic organization Avaaz and wrote on Facebook [pt] before heading to the capital city: Hoje...