· March, 2014

Stories about Technology from March, 2014

Brazilian Congress Approves Pioneering Bill of Rights for Internet Users

  26 March 2014

Marco Civil has finally been approved in the lower house of Brazil's Congress and next should be voted in Senate. The bill of rights for Internet users became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter, following a large-scale campaign that was promoted during the day of the vote, March 25, 2014, under the hashtags #MarcoCivil and #EuQueroMarcoCivil (I want...

Brazil's Internet Bill of Rights Ignites Storm of Posts

  25 March 2014

Activists who support Brazil's bill of rights for Internet users, known as the #MarcoCivil, and who have Facebook or Twitter accounts are invited to participate in a large-scale campaign on social networks to pressure the National Congress to vote on the current version of the bill. An article by Julie Rovono on TechCrunch explains how...

‘The Subject': A New Crowdfunding Tool for Brazil's Independent Media

  24 March 2014

Aimed at providing an alternative to the traditional business model of media production, a new crowdfunding platform for independent journalism has been launched in Brazil. O Sujeito (The Subject) [pt] is hosted by the crowdfunding website Catarse, which wrote about the new venture [pt] coming at a time of transition for media funding: O veículo impresso está...

Macedonian Government to Introduce Internet Filtering

  18 March 2014

Airborne blog commented on the Macedonian government's plan to set up a new company to provide online betting and other gambling to residents of Macedonia: The plan will involve “disabling of betting/gambling online games on foreign web sites”. This blockade is set to last two years beginning in March 2014....

11th Century Kannada Literature Available On Wikisource

  18 March 2014

Vachana Sahitya is a form of rhythmic writing in Kannada language that evolved in the 11th Century C.E. and flourished in the 12th century. Subhashish Panigrahi reports (co-authored by Pavithra Hanchagaiah and Omshivaprakash HI) in Wikimedia blog that Two Wikimedians along with a Kannada linguist have converted 21000 verses of...

The Appeal of WeChat and Self-Media in China

  18 March 2014

Tencent’s WeChat, semi-private messaging service has replaced Twitter-like Sina Weibo as a leading channel of alternative information. Tea Leaf Nation has explained the appeal of WeChat and “self-media” in general to young Chinese generation, and the implication of the sudden crackdown. 

On Rwanda's Twittergate

  17 March 2014

Susan Thomson discusses Rwanda’s Twittergate in the context of disinformation campaign by Rwanda's president Paul Kagame: Rwanda’s Twitter-gate raises questions about the central role of RPF Twitter-trolls in calling out foreign journalists who seek to hold it to account for its excesses at home and abroad. President Kagame’s reactionary tweets...

5 ICT Solutions From Miss Geek Rwanda 2014

  17 March 2014

MsGeekRW is a competition for Rwandan women encouraging them to showcase their knowledge and skills in ICT. The event was held during 2014's International Women's Day on March 8, 2014. The event shortlisted the following 5 best ICT solutions: 1.Mobile Cow 2. Wireless Blackbox 3. Item Locator 4. Online Driving...

Kenyan Company Launches Social Media Sharing Card

  17 March 2014

Gigwapi, an online event listing service, has launched a cashless payment system and social media sharing card. The card, Gigwapi card, will be used to pay for tickets and goods at events: The card holds your personal information and can automatically integrate to your social media profile. This provides a...