Stories about Technology from August, 2014
A Home-Grown Campaign in Bhutan Is Giving Refurbished Shoes to Thousands Who Need Them
Bhutanese entrepreneur Dawa Drakpa cleans and recycles old footwear and distributes them to those who can't afford a decent pair. Nearly 1 percent of the country's population have received shoes.
Stop Complaining About the Government! Instead, India Wants Citizens to Help
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has launched the “MyGov” website, which invites Indian citizens to participate actively in the country's governance and development.
Trinidad & Tobago: Back-to-School Apps
ICT Pulse shares 5 useful apps for staying organised once school starts.
Iran's Grand Ayatollah: 3G Internet Is Immoral
Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, a prominent Shia scholar, has said 3G Internet is immoral and inhumane, Iranian sites reported on Tuesday. #Iran‘s grand Ayatollah Makarem: “high-speed internet & 3G is against Sharia & moral ethics” http://t.co/kbZ3poSfJH pic.twitter.com/04IPVBXiXK — Omid Memarian (@Omid_M) August 25, 2014 Iran has the highest number of...
Experience the “Hanoi Soundwalk” Interactive Audio Tour
The Soundwalk is an “interactive, geo-locative audio tour” where a user with a headphone and smartphone app equipped with GPS can hear sounds as he or she walks around the city. …when you move around the sounds will appear to be coming from a particular location, and you can discover...
Digital Media Guru Headlines Highway Africa 2014
Highway Africa organisers have announced that Dan Gilmor will be the keynote speaker for the 18th edition of the conference which takes place from 7-8 September, 2014 in at Rhodes University, South Africa: The theme of the conference is Social Media – from the margins to the mainstream and Gillmor,...
Digital Reconstruction of Cambodia's Angkor Wat
The Smithsonian Channel has uploaded a video showing a digital reconstruction of Cambodia's Angkor Wat using 3D image technology. Angkor Wat (Temple City) is a popular tourism destination in Cambodia which used to be the capital of the Khmer Empire in the 12th century. It is also a massive religious...
‘Revolutionary’ Band Laal Speaks Out Against Pakistan's Facebook and YouTube Bans
As Pakistan continues to restrict access to YouTube and Facebook, activist band Laal discusses the silencing effect that these bans have on artists, and discusses the future of free expression.
Google Docs in Amharic: A Security Tool for Ethiopian Bloggers
Cyber Ethiopia explains why Google Docs in Amharic is an important internet security tool for Ethiopian bloggers and how to enable it: The Ethiopian government uses many methods to spy on bloggers, but by far the most invasive involves the covert installation of malware on their computers, which captures keystrokes,...
A “Liter of Light” to Brighten the Poorest Homes
After downing a bottle of water, most people are probably inclined to toss it. Those people, however, don't realize that they're throwing away an ingenious means of lighting a home.
Indian News Portal Says Thomson Reuters Has ‘Unethical’ Understanding of Copyright
Thomson Reuters sent an email to MediaNama saying it would use and redistribute the portal's content if MediaNama didn't refuse consent within 14 days.
Crowdsourcing the Investigation of Eastern Ukraine's Russian Ghosts
Armchair military experts, social-media archive spelunkers, and ideologues all work together in creating conflicting versions of events in eastern Ukraine, making disinterested analysis and verification very difficult.
Iranian Minister Says Government ‘Never Promised’ to End Web Censorship
ICT Minister Vaezi's words contradict President Hassan Rouhani's pledge to lift bans on popular social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Indian Broadcaster NDTV's Report on Gaza Rocket Launch Becomes Fodder for Propaganda
NDTV journalists caught militants assembling a rocket in Gaza on camera, but the story has been "distorted by the twin forces of internet virality and the Israel-Palestinian spin machine."
Cubans Join Authorised Users of Google Chrome
Google Chrome finally becomes “legal” in Cuba and blogger Yoani Sanchez says that she gleans great satisfaction from “knowing that the opinions of citizens interested in the free flow of information and technology influenced the elimination of this prohibition.”
The Internet Never Forgets: Join a Global Conversation on the EU’s ‘Right to Be Forgotten’
If the 'Right to be Forgotten' were implemented in your country, would it threaten the public interest? Global Voices editors are asking experts worldwide for their thoughts on the issue.
Freedom of Information and Data Protection Dealt A Blow in Mexico: IFAI Won't Challenge Telecom Law
Disappointment and frustration prevail as the IFAI's decision leaves Mexico's citizens defenseless against the country's crucial new telecom law.
How the Merger of Two of its Largest Providers May Transform the French Telco Market
The recent merger between French telcos SFR and Numericable is but another example of the broader trend that dominates today’s telecommunications market: operators are seeking to integrate their products in order to respond to their business clients’ growing desire for streamlined communications solutions. This merger also threatens the dominance of...
Bridging the Digital Divide? Facebook and Telcos Bring Free Apps to Zambia
The industry partnership provides subscribers with access to select sites and services -- and requires users to create a Facebook account.
12 Deaths and 27,000 Displaced Nigeriens Because of Floods
Heavy rains and flooding in Niger have killed 12 people and left thousands without homes. Rivers in Niamey and the extended regions have risen and destroyed thousands of houses. In the region, land degradation and cultivation of marginal land increase the risk that extreme events can develop into natural disasters. Some solutions...
Russia Just Doubled Its Internet Surveillance Program
At first glance, "SORM 2.0" seems redundant, but the reform of police surveillance online could vastly expand the reach of the Kremlin.
