Stories about Digital Activism from April, 2014
International Organizations, Activists and Authors Against #LeyTelecom
Several digital rights international organizations sent the Mexican Congress a letter expressing international support [es] for the defense of the freedom of expression and Internet freedom in Mexico. The letter is signed by Electronic Frontier Foundation, Vía Libre, Digital Rights NGO, among other academics and experts. According to the signers,...
#EPNvsInternet: Mass Campaign against Mexican Communications Bill
A joint mass action between civil organizations and activist is pushing to revert the Telecommunications Bill proposal sent by president Enrique Peña Nieto for Congress' approval.
Meet Mamy and Zo, Editors of Global Voices in Malagasy
Mamy and Zo explain the challenges they face as translators providing up-to-date news and maintaining high standards for the Malagasy language.
Will there be a Popular Consultation for Yasuní?
(All links are in Spanish, otherwise noted as [en] for English) Following the president's decision last year to exploit the oil fields in Parque Nacional Yasuní [en] [Yasuní National Park] an oppositional movement began and became quickly organized. It started carrying out marches for collecting signatures in order to hold a popular consultation regarding...
Egyptian Turns to YouTube to Object to Compulsory Service in Egyptian Army
An Egyptian activist has turned to YouTube to spell out his objection to the mandatory military service in the Egyptian army, compulsory for men aged between 18 and 30. In an email sent to Global Voices Online, Adam writes: I am Egyptian conscientious objector against serving in Egyptian Army because...
How Technology and Citizen Media Shaped Taiwan's Sunflower Movement
Members set up a number of websites dedicated to the protest against a trade deal with China, whose passage without a clause-by-clause review sparked the occupation of the legislature.
Cameroonian Bloggers ‘Are the Future, and We Are Writing That Future Now’
An interview with Florian Ngimbis, president of the Cameroonian Bloggers Association, about language, the country's poor Internet penetration and more.
Censorship by Litigation in Russia?
Earlier this month, VKontakte minority shareholder United Capital Partners (UCP), filed a complaint against Durov for breach of VKontakte fiduciary duty for creating the secure messenger Telegram.
Voters Turn Out En Masse in Guinea-Bissau's First Post-Coup Elections
About 400 citizen observers monitored elections, which are expected to put an end to the crisis that began two years ago with a military coup in Guinea-Bissau.
In Bangladesh, Cycling to Break Free of Dhaka's Notorious Traffic
Dhaka is one of the most unlivable cities in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, and its extreme traffic congestion contributes a lot to this fame.
Meet Suzanne Lehn, Co-Editor of Global Voices en Français
Portrait of Suzanne Lehn, co-manager of French language Global Voices, by Marie Bohner. Her vision of today's media and the subjects she is passionate about.
Facebook Post Spells Legal Trouble for Russian Charity
Romanenko reported that no less than the governor of Vologodsk had filed a complaint against him with the local prosecutor's office because of the jocular post.
Russia's Largest Social Network Says No to Censorship
Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Russian social network VKontakte, has once again used his account there as a platform to speak out against Internet censorship.
Trinidad & Tobago: Lack of Accountability
The main issue now arising in relation to the Beetham Water Recycling Project…is the complete failure of our country’s system of Public Financial Management. Afra Raymond takes on the government's “unpardonable failure to account for that mammoth sum of Public Money.”
Tunisian Blog Launches Whistleblowing Platform
Tunisian award-winning collective blog Nawaat has launched its own whistle-blowing platform: Nawaat Leaks.
“Blogs are the Vinyl Records of the Internet”
An article in Washington Post talks about “the decline of Iran's blogestan”. Several bloggers tweeted the last sentence of this article: #Blogs are the #vinyl records of the Internet. See @Kamangir @maasalan http://t.co/bd6NKrrTpR … — fredpetrossian (@fredpetrossian) April 13, 2014 Read more here.
Top 10 Russian-Language Tweets, Week 15 of 2014
At the end of each week, RuNet Echo collects the top ten Russian-language tweets and curates them for Global Voices readers.
Will Russia Regulate Blogs Like Mass Media?
The regulations would require fact-checking, age restriction warnings, and obeying election laws, among other responsibilities.
Caribbean Loses Valuable Steward with Passing of Professor Norman Girvan
Economist, intellectual, Caribbean man: As news of Professor Norman Girvan's death spreads throughout the region, netizens pay him tribute in glowing terms, calling his legacy "powerful" and his voice "magnificent".
Macedonians Promote Donations for Less Fortunate on Social Media
Local humanitarian initiatives from Macedonia are successfully using social media to solicit donations for the country's most vulnerable.
Chinese Court Upholds Activist Xu Zhiyong's Prison Sentence
The ruling rejected Xu Zhiyong's appeal of his January conviction on charges of "gathering crowds to disrupt public order", a charge often used to clamp down on dissidents.
