Ellery Roberts Biddle
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I am the editor of Global Voices Advocacy and a long-time member of the Global Voices community. Thanks for visiting our site! Born and raised in Philadelphia, I now live in San Francisco, where I devote most of my time to thinking and writing about free expression and privacy online and the politics of Internet use in Cuba. Check out my blog half-wired, or follow me on Twitter.
Latest posts by Ellery Roberts Biddle
17 April 2013
GVA and EFF Seek Joint Interns
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Global Voices Advocacy (GVA) are jointly seeking two interns to work from EFF’s offices in San Francisco for summer 2013. University students and recent graduates with excellent writing skills and a deep understanding of free expression, openness, and privacy on the global Internet are strongly encouraged to apply.
20 March 2013
Venezuela: ‘Destabilizing’ Twitter User Ortega Released
UPDATE: Lourdes Alicia Ortega Perez, the Venezuelan woman who was arrested last week after mocking Hugo Chavez on Twitter, was released from police custody on March 16. Ortega was taken to court on charges of spreading false information and committing fraud. She has since been granted her freedom [es], but will be required to appear before the court every 30 days.
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15 March 2013
#FreeBassel: One Year Later, Syrian Netizen Remains in Prison
One year ago today, Syrian web developer and open technology advocate Bassel Khartabil was arrested and incarcerated in Damascus, where he has remained ever since. Known among open technology advocates as Bassel Safadi, the 31-year-old served as the Creative Commons lead for Syria. Global Voices Advocacy urges readers to support the campaign for his release by visiting the #freebassel website, tweeting about Bassel's case, or attending an event in his honor.
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22 February 2013
GVA: Promoting User Rights at the UN
Next week, hundreds of Internet technology and policy experts will gather in Paris for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), where they will discuss and debate some of the most pressing Internet policy issues of the moment. Global Voices staff will attend the conference in an effort to voice the concerns and interests of rights-conscious Internet users in our community and around the world.
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21 January 2013
GVA 2013: Activating Our Global Network
In our effort to amplify the voices and stories of people around the world that are less commonly heard in mainstream media, Global Voices has become a robust network of savvy and human rights-minded Internet users and activists. In 2013, we hope to leverage this strength to make Global Voices Advocacy a central space for digital rights advocates and enthusiasts eager to learn about emerging issues, discover advocacy efforts, and become engaged with our work as new challenges emerge and old fights continue.
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21 December 2012
What does the WCIT really mean for Internet users?
The World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai failed to reach consensus last Thursday, leaving many delegates frustrated after nearly two weeks of intense negotiations. The final text of the treaty will not drastically change the state of Internet policy for the world, but it could push us further in the direction of a fractured network where user experiences differ substantially from country to country.
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11 December 2012
Human Rights Day: Defending Free Expression, Online and Off
If we want to reap all the civic, educational, political, and economic benefits of an open Internet, human rights -- and freedom of expression in particular -- must be baked into the technology and the policies that govern its use from the very beginning. On this year's Human Rights Day, the UN has placed a spotlight on the rights of all people “to make their voices heard in public life and be included in political decision-making,” a theme particularly relevant to the Internet and its unique civic power.
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