Stories about Technology from March, 2011
Puerto Rico: Interview of La Acera's team
Listen to the interview of the team behind the collective blog La Acera [es] in which they talk about the Puerto Rican blogosphere, and the Internet as a potential space of media democratization, and the way they work in editorial terms.
An Interview with Andy Carvin
With 40,000 Twitter followers and a dedicated stream of local sources, Andy Carvin has become a first stop on Twitter for news throughout the Middle East and North Africa. In this interview with Carvin--an early Global Voices contributor and current NPR strategist--we find out how he uses Twitter to spread the news.
Russia, Japan: Sakhalin Residents’ and Chernobyl Survivors’ Reactions to Fukushima
Ksenya Semenova writes on OpenDemocracy.net about the reactions of Sakhalin residents to the situation in Japan: “I have some friends in Japan […]. From their relations and from the internet they have discovered what's going on in the Russian Far East at the moment. They sigh deeply and smile ruefully,...
Syria: Egyptian-American Tweep Accused of Spying
Egyptian-American Twitter user Muhammed Radwan (@battuta) was arrested in Syria and paraded on Syrian Television as a spy who is accused of allegedly visiting "Israel in secret and confessed to receiving money from abroad in exchange for sending photos and videos about Syria." His arrest is expected to unleash the wrath of the Egyptian cyberspace against the Assad regime.
Kenya: Zingua Kingozi: Political Search Engine
Zindua Kiongozi is a political search engine in Kenya: “Aspiring politicians-young and old- now have a platform from which they can shape their message to an online audience of supporters. Kenyan citizens in turn have a location to which they can turn their curiosity and inquisition.”
Uganda: State House Website Hacked
The website of the State House in Uganda has been hacked, Lisa reports.
Brazil: The Cost of Financing Culture
Recent news that the Brazilian Ministry of Culture has authorized famous singer Maria Bethânia to raise R$ 1.3 million tax free (Brazilian reais - approximately US$ 777,000) to create a poetry blog, has aroused the anger of bloggers, Twitter users and other cultural activists.
Russia: Unexpected Results of Radiation Mapping
The crowdsourcing project of mapping radiation levels in Russia measured by private dosimeters not only became an interesting case of digital activism, but also showed some effects its creators didn’t even think of.
Bahamas: BTC Privatized
Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe says that the government's privatization of the public phone company “deserves a hip, hip, hooray!”
Kenya: Vote for Nairobi Nights Blog
Vote for me: “I have been nominated for The Deutsche Welle International Best Of Blogs Awards. Deutsche Welle is Germany's international broadcaster. As they say on their website : The Deutsche Welle International Blog Awards – The BOBs – honors websites in 11 languages that champion the open exchange of...
Nigeria: Blogger Arrested for Allegedly Blackmailing a Politician
The Nigerian federal security enforcement agency, State Security Service (SSS), recently arrested Ikenna Ellis Ezenekwe, a Nigerian blogger who runs 247 Ureports, for allegedly attempting to blackmail Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, a member of the House of Representatives in Anambra State.
Cameroon: Government Interferes With Internet Service
Ingenieris.net [fr], a Cameroonian information website focused on ICT news, announced [fr] on March 24, 2011, that the Cameroonian government intends to request Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the country to register the IP (Internet Protocol) addresses of their users. G. Izane, the author of the article, explains that the same type...
U.S. Embassy in Uganda Gets Social
The United States Embassy in Uganda is now active in the social media sphere, providing updates on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. In a speech launching the initiative, Ambassador Jerry Lanier also recognized social media as a new battlefield in the war for free speech.
Colombia: Columnist Threatens to Sue Twitter User for Slander
Political website La Silla Vacía summarizes [es] the online fight between columnist Ernesto Yamhure (@eyamhure), a staunch supporter of former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez, and Twitter user Nicolás González (@nicoagonzalez). González criticized Yamhure's latest op-ed [es] where he mentions a character played by late comedian Jaime Garzón, claiming [es] the...
Cuba: Whither the Internet?
“A ghost runs around Cuba: the Internet ghost”: Rosa María Rodríguez Torrado explains.
Brazil: Satirical Video pokes fun at famous singer's blog
The Javipior blog has made video spoof on the upcoming poetry blog [pt] by Brazilian singer Maria Bethânia, estimated at R$ 1.3 million tax free (Brazilian reais – approximately US$ 777,000). The poem recited at the video criticizes using tax incentives to cover the blog expenses, “I know I'm taking...
Cuba: Courage of Journalists
“There are currently no Cuban independent journalists in the Castro gulag…” but that doesn't fool Uncommon Sense into thinking that there is a free press.
Côte d'Ivoire: Laurent Gbagbo Facebook Fan Page Deleted
Claudus Kouadio revealed in a blog post [fr] on March 23, 2011, that the Facebook fan page of Laurent Gbagbo – the incumbent Côte d'Ivoire president who refuses to step down after losing the 2010 presidential election – has been deleted. The memory cache of the page on the social networking...
Philippines: Manila Twestival
Proceeds from the Manila Twestival which will take place today will go to JeepneED. The group aims to provide mobile science and tech materials for rural schools in the Philippines.
Myanmar: VoIP services banned
shwedarling uploads a letter from the Myanmar government banning VoIP services in the country like Gtalk, Vzo, Skype and Pfingo.
Cambodia: Use of Khmer language in the web
The Mirror is a bit worried that many Cambodian internet surfers are using Romanized Khmer instead of Khmer Unicode.
