Free Speech
Internet Censorship: Chopping the Head off LulzSec
For a while, it seemed that the hacker group with the silly name was running rings around the FBI. In the end, however, it appears it was the FBI running the show. In the summer of 2011, LulzSec – supposedly short for “Lulz Security” – erupted out of nowhere and began a flashy string of [...]
Internet Censorship: Top Hacker Turns Snitch, Alleged ‘Anonymous’ Leaders Busted
Several alleged leaders of the international hacking organization “Anonymous” are not anonymous anymore. U.S. officials Tuesday announced the arrests of six high-profile hackers, including Hector Xavier Monsegur. Documents filed in a federal court in New York indicate that Monsegur, known in the hacking community as “Sabu,” cooperated with the investigation, leading to the arrests. The [...]
DMCA: Horrors of a Broad and Automated Censorship Tool
The DMCA was once drafted to protect the interests of copyright holders, allowing them to take infringing content offline. Today, however, the system is systematically abused by rights-holders as an overboard censorship tool. One third of the notices sent to Google are false, companies like Microsoft censor perfectly legal sites, and others use the DMCA [...]
Internet Censorship: CCP Proposes Cells For Microblogs
China’s ruling Communist Party wants to set up branches at all major microblogging sites. Authorities plan to establish propaganda department branches of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at the offices of Chinese Internet companies providing microblogging services, according to reports and netizens. The Party’s move, first reported by Taiwan’s United Daily News, is part of [...]
Media Censorship: Media Freedom Worsens in China
Tightened press controls followed official concerns about ‘Jasmine’ uprisings. China has fallen once again in world press freedom rankings, following a year marked by crackdowns around the world, the Paris-based press monitor Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in an annual report. “Control of news and information continued to tempt governments and to be a question [...]
China’s Top Official in Tibet Orders New Media Clampdown
China’s top leader in Tibet is urging local authorities to clamp down on Internet and mobile phone use in the region, as Beijing prepares to open its annual National People’s Congress and Tibetans honor those who have died protesting Chinese rule. The state-run Tibet Daily quotes regional Communist Party chief Chen Quanguo as saying that [...]
Somali Journalist Killing Is Latest in Violent Trend
A Mogadishu radio-station director has became the third Somali journalist killed in as many months. The death underscores the constant threat against journalists working in the war-torn country. Abukar Hassan Mohamoud is the latest journalist to be killed in the bullet-ridden Somali capital, Mogadishu. Witnesses say unidentified gunmen assassinated the Somaliweyn radio station director late [...]
Censorship in America: Hate Speech Overview
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic. In law, hate speech is any speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display which is forbidden because it may incite [...]
Burma Celebrates Independence Amid Criticism
Burma is marking the 64th anniversary of its independence from Britain Wednesday, amid criticism that the government’s recent clemency program is not doing enough for political prisoners. President Thein Sein, in a statement commemorating independence day, praised the military’s role in bringing about the recent democratic reforms. He said Burma is “marching towards a democratic [...]
Censorship 2011: A Year That Began and Ended Anonymously
It’s something of a party game, this time of year, to look back and put together lists. Top ten this, bottom five that; trends that are in or out, predictions about the coming calendar year. Of course, it is largely that: a party game. Of all the moments of 2011, all the events on which [...]
Tunisia: Censorship and Freedom of Speech in the Year That Was
| Written by Afef Abrougui | Sourced from Global Voices (Creative Commons) | Former Tunisian President Zeine El Abidine Ben Ali was an enemy to freedom of speech. With its heavy tactics, his regime attempted to silence all dissidents. The Tunisian Internet Agency (known as the ATI from its French acronym) spent significant resources on [...]
Art Censorship: Dark Musings #29 – Yes, Comics Are Still for Kids
The following article was written by Andrew Zar, owner of DarkBrain Comics. DarkBrain is a massive comic project that has already produced over 800 pages of content in full color and with music and voice-over narration. Re-published with permission of Andrew Zar. Copyright© 2012, DarkBrain, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Original article appeared on Andrew’s blog, [...]
