Stories about Technology from June, 2011
Syria: French Embassy Website Hacked
On Saturday, June 25, since at least 3PM GMT, the website of the French Embassy in Syria appears to have been hacked: anyone connecting to the French embassy website is automatically redirected to another site (http://th3pro.pro/fr/), where, to the tune of the Syrian national anthem, a message in French and...
Ghana: On Internet Connectivity in Ghana
Oluniyi shares a video of Gregory Eid, the Managing Director of TeleData ICT, a leading Internet Service Provider in Ghana, speaking to Russell Southwood of Balancing Act about some aspects of the operations of TeleData ICT, challenges of offering internet connectivity in Ghana
Uganda: Lake Victoria Solar-Powered Payphone
Here is a solar-powered payphone on Lake Victoria: Solar-powered, wireless payphone on lake victoria. photo from the payphone project. That same boat is featured in MTN’s report “MTN – 10 years of cellular freedom”
Trinidad & Tobago: A Case for Children & Computers
Lisa Allen-Agostini is irritated by “a call for the dismantling of the Government initiative to give laptop computers to all incoming secondary school students” and explains why “our children…deserve to reap the benefits of progress.”
Africa: Maker Faire Africa 2011 : Cairo, Egypt
Maker Faire Africa 2011 is here: “Maker Faire Africa is pleased to announce our 3rd event, ‘Maker Faire Africa 2011 : Cairo‘ which will take place in Egypt, October 6-8th, 2011. Join us once again as we continue to cultivate new and existing maker communities across Africa.”
Mexico: Wikinarco.com: Crowdmapping Narco Activity
Paula Gonzalo, in Periodismo Ciudadano [es], writes about Wikinarco.com [es], a crowdmapping initiative where citizens can report illegal activities related to drug trafficking in Mexico.
India: Feed A Kid Every Saturday
Debolina Raja Gupta shares her experience of creating a Facebook group called Feed A Kid Every Saturday which encourages citizens of Mumbai to feed poor and hungry children.
Vietnam: Fake hotel reviews?
Nick Ross suspects that boutique hotels in Hanoi, Vietnam are faking online reviews.
Bulgaria: E-Book On Internet and Mobile Tracking
Bulgarian blogger and Internet activist Bogomil Shopov allows to download his latest e-book [bg; .pdf], which is about Internet tracking in Bulgaria and ways to avoid it. The e-book is 13 pages long and covers legal aspects of the monitoring, explains how the state is tracking Internet and mobile phone...
Sri Lanka: The Lankanosphere And The Killing Field Video
London, Lanka & Drums compiles a round of reactions from the Sri Lankan blogosphere about the controversial documentary of Channel Four titled ‘The Killing Fields Of Sri Lanka’.
Thailand: Pub Peab and Planking Craze
First there was planking or the lying down game which became an instant hit in Thailand. But cultural authorities are not happy with it. Then the Pub Peab craze which involves sitting in a kneeling position seems to be more popular now among Thai netizens.
El Salvador: Facebook Reaches One Million Users
Tim's El Salvador Blog shares a graph by socialbakers.com which shows there are now over one million Facebook users in El Salvador. Tim argues that, “Inevitably, more and more organizing, debate, and campaigning will happen on Facebook and Twitter as the level of participation in these social media seems to...
Ghana: Top 10 bloggers in Ghana
Samuel comes up with a list of top 10 bloggers in Ghana: “I have been researching extensively on blogs and bloggers in Ghana. And the essence of this blog post is to fill readers in on the top 10 bloggers in Ghana. After a critical, coherent and painstaking analysis of...
Malaysia: Costly Government Spending on Facebook Pages
The Malaysian Tourism Ministry is now involved in a controversy after revealing that it had spent $RM 1.8 million (US$594,000) in developing six Facebook pages to promote tourism in Malaysia. It has generated a lot of protests among Malaysians, many of whom feel that it is absurd to be spending millions to create a Facebook page.
Hackers attack Vietnam websites
More than 1,500 Vietnam websites were reportedly attacked by hackers this month. Even the www.hvaonline.net, a popular forum for “web security technicians”, was attacked.
China: Is using a VPN in the People's Republic of China illegal?
Want to know whether or not using a VPN or other circumvention devices is legal in China? See the answers and discussions at Quora.
Latin America: ‘La Furgo-Nana’ On the Road For Children's Rights and Lullabies
A documentary, a ‘transmedia platform’ and a humanitarian project: in ‘La Furgo-Nana’ (“a Volkswagen Type II Bus from 1969″) Maria and Anton are driving through the Pan American highway from Tijuana, Mexico to Ushuaia, Argentina to “transform the difficult reality of Latin American children into a fascinating adventure you will...
Kazakhstan: Fighting Internet Piracy
Kazakhstan is undergoing a new scandalous development with regards the Internet – this time about regulation of copyright online. On 29 April, 2011, a special roundtable that brought together lawyers, industry representatives and state bodies took place, where the “three strikes method” of fighting piracy was presented.
Puerto Rico: What Happened to the .pr Domain?
The non-profit Center for Investigative Journalism published an investigation [es] on the history and many problems that have surrounded the acquisition of the .pr domain.
South Korea: Actress-Activist Spearheads Protests with Social Media
In South Korea, entertainers are changing the political landscape by spearheading protests in social media. Among several influential comedians and actors, actress-activist Kim Yeo-jin, has been the most controversial figures for several weeks now for her active on and offline political engagement.
Georgia: Government 2.0
With 621,640 Facebook users in the country, Georgia boasts the largest penetration for the social networking site in the region. Naturally, government agencies and officials are now starting to reach out to citizens online.
