· May, 2012

Stories about Technology from May, 2012

Uzbekistan: Facebook Clone is Launched

YouFace is a new social networking site launched in Uzbekistan. Its interface is strikingly similar to that of Facebook except that YouFace quotes Uzbek President Islam Karimov on its welcome page. Another local social networking platform, the Uzbek-language Muloqot.uz, was established about a year ago.

South Sudan: Blogging the Newest Country in the World

  31 May 2012

South Sudan declared its independence on 9 July 2011 to become the world's newest country. We have compiled a list of blogs with regular reports, analyses, updates, and opinions relating to South Sudan. These blogs cover a variety of subjects such as gender, politics, language, health and humanitarian work.

China: Weibo Censorship Pattern

  31 May 2012

Andrew Phelps from Nieman Journalism Lab looks into Chinese micro-blogging platform, Sina Weibo's censorship pattern and offers explanation on why and when tweets are deleted.

Iran: Top figure hails Facebook

  30 May 2012

Iranian former president and now head of The Expediency Council, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who is close to reformists says: ‘Today we see that a simple free page on Facebook is effective more than a set of TV and radio stations… And this is good for the world even if some...

Iran: ‘Cultural programs’ in social networks

  29 May 2012

Iran's Revolutionary Guardians'would hold cultural programs in Facebook and Twitter’, an official in IRGC says. This two major social networks are blocked in Iran and users can check them only with circumvention tools. Iranian authorities blame such websites for ‘promoting regime change’ in this country.

A Social Network for Wikileaks Supporters

  28 May 2012

Friends of Wikileaks (FoWL) is an independent social network for worldwide supporters of Wikileaks. People who join the site are paired with twelve others who speak the same language. FoWL groups from different countries have issued a statement of support for Julian Assange in advance of a United Kingdom supreme...

Tunisia: First Local Open Data Website Launched

Local open governance activists in Tunisia have launched the first open data website showing the municipal budget [ar, fr] of the city of Sayada for the current fiscal year. The Tunisian open governance community [ar, fr] has had some success in increasing the government's transparency; they have already convinced the...

Africa: Music From Saharan Cellphones

  26 May 2012

Chris Kirkley presents “Music From Saharan Cellphones”: The music on the compilation was collected from cellphones in the Northern Malian town of Kidal. In much of West Africa, cellphones are are used as all-purpose multimedia devices.

Côte d'Ivoire: Controversy during 2012 Tech Conferences

  25 May 2012

Between May 15 and 18, 2012, Côte d"Ivoire played host to two important tech conferences. Covering IT and communications technology (ICT), among the themes intended to be covered were cybercrime and the inclusion of women in the world of ICT. ‘Google Days’ and the JNTIC 2012 conference caused controversy and debate, with many people on the Ivorian blogosphere reacting passionately to the issues raised.

Saudi Arabia: Censorship of Wikipedia

Saudi Arabia, one of Reporters Without Borders’ Internet Enemies, has blocked access to many articles on the free encyclopedia Wikipedia. The Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission has censored over 130 articles in Arabic and English, including articles relating to sex and sexuality, the human body, and the theory of...

Russia: Q&A with Tina Kandelaki

Tina Kandelaki is a Russian journalist, a TV celebrity and producer, a widely read blogger, and -- more recently -- a visible presence in Russian politics. Be it on the cover of Russian Maxim magazine or in her endorsement of Vladimir Putin, Kandelaki has aroused the interest and sometimes the ire of other prominent RuNet actors. Ms. Kandelaki recently spoke to GV about her public life.