Stories about Freedom of Speech from August, 2006
China: rumour and chainmail on google
ESWN picks up the story on google search engine and translates the chain mail.
China:”I am not interested in politics; I am only interested in making money”
Have you ever heard of the term “Great Firewall” or “GFW” for short? Whom to blame when you have encountered the annoying message “Page Not Found” frequently seen when browsing the Internet in China? An email has been circulating the web recently, calling Chinese netizens to boycott Google, which, the...
Iran: Holocaust & Cartoon Exhibition
Faham criticized an exhibition of cartoons about the Holocaust in Tehran. The blogger asks what will be Iranians’ reaction to a similar exhibition about Iranian victims in Iran-Iraq war. Won't their feelings be hurt? The blogger adds Iranian authorities say in the West, media is in the hands of Zionists...
China: SARFT and farts, castrations feigned and intended: let the spoofing begin!
In a recent edition of MindMeters columnist Fang Jun's Marriagement column entitled Love in the Internet Age [zh] is a spoiler of the recently-released Hollywood movie Hard Candy: 危险的水果硬糖 Dangerous Fruit Hard Candy 《Hard Candy》是我看的第一部与网络密切相关的电影。中文翻译为《水果硬糖》，其实“Hard candy”是网络俚语，指未成年少女。 Hard Candy is the first movie I've seen that deals with internet intimacy. It's...
China: the prisoners
Nick wong introduces three persons who are now on trial in China: Za Ai-zong, a reporter who was arrested because of a report on local government repression on Christian church. Ching Cheong, a reporter accused of being a Taiwan spy. Chen Guan-cheng, a blind civic rights activist (zh).
China: webcast regulation
According to Wang Xiao feng, the National Broadcast and Television Bureau will introduce a new regulation which requires permission for all internet webcast (zh).
Japan: freedom of speech or privacy
Matts in Occidentalism disagrees that Yasukuni Shrine had violated freedom of press in rejecting Asahi Shimbun's reporters entry to its compound claiming that the newspapers had violated its privacy in their previous report.
Belarus: Opposition's FAQ; Gay Belarus
The once very lively Belarusian flash mob LJ community – by_mob – is now rather sleepy (possibly, because it's summer). But it's not dead. LJ user z-hunter, for example, has recently suggested to compile a list of 100 “frequently asked questions and answers” – about the opposition to Aleksandr Lukashenko's...
Ukraine: Return to Censorship?
LEvko of Foreign Notes writes about Ukrainian journalists protesting against what may be the return to censorship.
Taiwan: political blog
Michael Turton is inviting initiatives in setting up a group blog on Taiwan politics.
Hong Kong: bloggers invaded mainstream?
Sidekick comments that bloggers has invaded mainstream newspapers (zh), while, Florence from Over the rainbow notices that there are more and more mainstream reporters in Hong Kong getting their information sources and stories from blogs and internet bbs, however, it would be difficult for netizens to get the “journalist” status...
Uzbekistan: Site Closures
Registan.net reports on the closure of music and video download sites in Uzbekistan and a human rights activism website that focused on Uzbekistan but was hosted in Russia.
Russia: “The Presidential Panic”
Ruminations on Russia writes about post-Putin “transition risk” and explains what's in store for those willing to make business in Russia.
Estonia: Gay Pride and Skinheads
Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa writes about yet another Gay Pride fiasco in Eastern Europe: this time in Tallinn: “And the only people it has to blame for this latest disturbance are about 30 to 50 shaven clowns.”
Bahamas: Freedom of Speech
Sidney Sweeting issues a warning to the Bahamian public: “Too many Bahamians take the attitude that unless Government passes a law prohibiting freedom of speech then we can presume that all is well. No, a country does not become autocratic overnight, their moves are subtle at first, then not so...
Fauxtographic evidence?: Bloggers on Castro's birthday photos
As the dog in the 1993 New Yorker cartoon once said: “On the internet, nobody knows if you're a dog.” But on the internet people do know if you've photoshopped your images — or at least they'll try their best to prove you have. The manipulation of photographs to influence...
China: the benefit of piracy
Danwei posts the an article, Necessary Evil? Piracy offers Chinese an unprecedented window to the Western world, by Kaiser Kuo. Kuo is a co-founded China's first heavy metal band, Tang Dynasty, in 1989.
China: rumour on google
William long blogs about a rumour in China internet: In China netizen cannot search “Nanjing Massarce” and “Diaoyutai” in Google search, but can reach “Senkaku Islands” (Japanese name of Diaoyutai) via the search engine. The rumour then spreads out that Google has a pro-Japan stand. It reflects the fact that...
The Week That Was in Bahrain
Bahrain's Internet scene witnessed what could be described this week as ‘no step forward and 10 steps backwards!’ On Monday, newspapers reported that the Kingdom would ban Google Earth. ‘(T)he Ministry of DISinformation has instructed the Bahrain Internet Exchange to block Google Earth. Possibly because through Google Earth, the whole...
China: Who could that be knocking on my door?
Links and headlines from two BBC Chinese stories found at the end of a post [zh] today from Blogbus blogger Boy70: The first mentions a China Eastern pilot who after flying from Shanghai to Los Angeles applied for asylum as a Falun Gong practitoner, and the second tells the story...
Hungary: 1956 Anniversary Controversy
Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar writes about controversy surrounding the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising.
