Stories about Technology from May, 2012
Russia: Website Appears Publishing Civil Servants’ Incomes
The project "Public Profit" was established so that anyone interested could access information about the salaries of civil servants and state deputies. The information is compiled using public records and disclosed in accordance with Russian law. The published data are often surprising.
India: Entertainment Industry Seeks Court Ban on Torrents and Vimeo
For more than a week now, some ISPs across parts of India have been quietly blocking access to the popular video sharing site Vimeo as well as various torrent sites such as The Pirate Bay, KickAssTorrents, BitSnoop etc. Netizens react.
Yemen: The #NoDrones Campaign
Yemenis have launched a campaign on Twitter to express their condemnation of the United States' drone war in Yemen. They are tweeting under the hashtag #NoDrones, and have asked non-Yemenis to speak out and join them in their campaign.
Nigeria: BattaBox Bakes Stories Through Online Videos
BattaBox is everything Nigerian - music, film, street-life, news, comedy, cooking and much, much more...Nwachukwu Egbunike talks to Christian Purefoy about the evolving online video show.
Colombia: A New Home for Campus Party in 2013?
Paco Ragageles, co-founder of Campus Party, in his blog published the decision to consider an alternative venue for Campus Party Colombia following the decision of the mayor of Bogota to not endorse the event as had been done in the past. Netizens immediately reacted and even proposed a new venue for 2013.
Egypt: Historical Arabic Manuscripts Put Online
Egypt's Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Wellcome Library and King’s College London Digital Humanities Department have recently launched the Wellcome Arabic Manuscript Cataloguing Partnership (WAMCP). The manuscripts collection comprises around 1000 manuscript books and fragments relating to the history of medicine. All content is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 2.0).
Zambia: Citizen News Website Hacked
On Wednesday, 9 May 2012, netizens who flock to various citizen-run news websites such as Zambian Watchdog and Tumfweko were met with “page not available” or messages to similar effect. Zambian Watchdog reported that its website was a target of a sustained attack allegedly by the PF government.
Iran: 28.5 millions have access to Internet
According to official statistics,28.5 millions of Iranians are estimated to have access to Internet connection in 1154 cities of Iran. This figures says more than 2.1 millions of this Iranian users have ADSL connection and the rest are connected via dial-up. Iranian government has restricting rules for Internet connection of...
Mozambique: President Rejects Social Networks
A rejection of online communication tools by Mozambique's President Armando Guebuza to an audience of young voters made waves on social networks. Netizens respond to the leader's comments.
Nicaragua: The Media's Challenges in Going Mobile
Carlos R. Fonseca [es] blogs about the use of mobile devices in Nicaragua. He looks at the challenges Nicaraguan media outlets face in creating mobile applications and mobile versions of their sites due to a lack of information on how Nicaraguans use mobile devices.
Robert F. Kennedy Award Will Recognize Social Media Journalism
One of the foremost international human rights organizations, the Robert F. Kennedy Center, is calling for nominations to a new Journalism Award on International Photography and International Social Media hosted by their European office in Florence, Italy.
China: In Bo Xilai Saga, Did Social Media Challenge Government?
Political struggle, murder, corruption, espionage and diplomatic conflict - the downfall of Bo Xilai from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) elite ranks has turned out to be a multi-faceted story. It is also a good example of the disruptive role that social media plays in today’s China.
Kenya: Mark Kaigwa to Global Voices: “The East is Coming to Africa.”
At the 2012 edition of the Berlin re:publica conference, which took place from 2-4 May., Kenyan blogger and entrepreneur Mark Kaigwa was a featured speaker at a session entitled "Silicon Savanna, how African technologies are changing the world". Global Voices took this opportunity to catch up with Mark and discuss his positive outlook about Africa's future.
Video: Robot Shows us How to Stay Safe Online
Online security is a complex issue that is sometimes hard to understand or to know how to face. Using a lovable animated robot, the Tactical Tech Collective is trying to get more people aware on how to stay safe online through short online video animations.
Zambia: Bloggers Form Zambian Bloggers Network
Zambia bloggers have formed a network called the Zambian Bloggers Network with the help of HIVOS. The network's aim is to help generate local content, mentor and train upcoming bloggers.
China: Political Space of the Weibo Blogging Platform
Chicago University Sociology Professor Zhao Dingxin recently delivered a speech entitled "Weibo, Political Space and Chinese Development", which has triggered off some debate and reflections amongst Chinese netizens. Oiwan Lam reports.
Russia: Ustream.tv Attacked Over Russian Blogger
On May 9, unknown parties launched a DDoS attack on the live feed website Ustream.tv. The attack was carried out from thousands of unique IPs based in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Iran, and was centered on one particular user, reggamortis1, who for the past four days has been covering opposition rallies and protests in Moscow.
Russia: Charity Crowdfunding
There is no lack of successful 'people' projects, financed by private philanthropy. While much activity exists only in cyberspace, the effects of charitable organizations' work is quite tangible and real, and confidence in these groups is undiminished. The proof: the Tugeza ("Together") community
Cuba: Radio Marti Editorial Controversy
“Radio Marti last week published and broadcast an editorial, ‘The Cardinal’s limits,’ that asserted that Cardinal Ortega is involved in ‘political collusion’ (contubernio) with the Cuban government…”: The Cuban Triangle suggests that Radio Marti also has its limits.
Cuba: Lady in White Faces “Disobedience” Charges
A member of the Ladies in White has been charged with “disobedience” and could face prison time for marching with the dissident group; bloggers hope to raise awareness of the case.
Trinidad & Tobago: Three Score and Ten
Two Trinidadian bloggers - one living on island and the other a member of the diaspora - have come to the difficult realisation that their parents are growing old. In this post, they discuss the issue of ageism while sharing their mixed emotions and fears…
