Stories about Feature from September, 2011
Controversy Over the Internet Governance Forum's 2012 Venue
As the 6th Internet Governance Forum is about to close its doors, controversy has emerged over the next venue. The venue has not been discussed in a multi-stakeholder way (including not only governments and businesses but also civil society). And it is those who were excluded from the decision who have the most concerns about Azerbaijan.
Human Rights and Internet Protocols – Shared Values
In this commentary written from the Internet Governance Forum in Nairobi, special contributor Joy Liddicoat of APC says she was struck by the absence of any discussion about the way in which human rights form part of the very architecture of the internet. It is time, she says, for a new initiative to bring together the technical community and human rights advocates. We must work closer together to defend the shared values that are baked in to the internet and human rights to ensure that these are at the forefront in multi-stakeholder discussions about internet governance principles.
Mexico: Online Activists Targeted
After being reported missing on the 23 September 2011 - after leaving the office Elizabeth Macias Castro, Chief Editor for the daily newspaper “Primera Hora”, was found dead in a public plaza on 24 September 2011 near Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipa. A message was attached to Elizabeth’s body accusing her of collaborating with the army and marine intelligence services by posting information online that related to organized crime activities.
Key Quotes and Tweets from the Internet Governance Forum
As the Internet Governance Forum is a truly epic event both in the online and in the offline world, it's really hard to do justice to the whole complexity of the discussions and debates that are taking place amongst hundreds of representatives from governments, companies, civil society, the technical community, and grassroots activists who have gathered for four days in Nairobi, Kenya. Therefore, in true Global Voices fashion, let me share some key tweets from participants accompanied by short commentaries.
Kuwait: Three Netizens Detained
Kuwait does not have a history of detaining citizens for expressing their views online; the first arrest case in relevance to the internet happened to Bashar Al-Sayegh (@balsayegh) a Kuwaiti journalist who was detained by the State Security Police four years ago because of a post written in a forum...
Connect your Rights! Internet Rights are Human Rights.
Joy Liddicoat of APC.org points out that while governments are positioning themselves around internet governance issues, the politics associated with this must not detract from the issues that are facing civil society in developing countries, nor be a smokescreen behind which governments, or others, can hide their increasingly sophisticated interference with human rights and the internet.
Netizen's Guide to the Internet Governance Forum
The Internet Governance Forum is a multi-stakeholder forum where people from all over the world – from government, industry, the technical community and civil society – come together to discuss the Internet's future. The Sixth Annual meeting officially kicks off on Tuesday morning in Nairobi, Kenya. A number of pre-meetings...
The Netizen Report: Governance Edition
Tweet of the week: “If you are not at the table, you are probably on the menu.” via @guatemalia The sixth annual Internet Governance Forum meets in Nairobi next week. The schedule can be downloaded here. If you are not going in person you can participate remotely. Links to the...
MagyarLeaks: This Is A Test of the Hungarian Media Law
Not long after the launch of the first Hungarian whistleblower website police started an investigation against its editor-in-chief. Reason: “keeping the confidentiality of informants is perjury, or even aiding or abetting in the blackmailing.” Atlatszo.hu is a watchdog NGO and online magazine for investigative journalism started in July 2011 by Tamás Bodoky and other pro-transparency and anti-corruption journalists, and lawyers, IT-specialists, academics, independent experts. (The meaning of the word ‘átlátszó’ is ‘transparent’ in Hungarian.)
Hong Kong: Electoral Office bans online sharing of candidate information
The nomination of district council election candidacy in Hong Kong has begun on September 15, 2011. However, the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) claimed that all social media activities, including Facebook and Twitter, will be regarded as political advertisement and all candidates should report to the REO two days prior...
Syrian Government Blocks WordPress
Syrian Twitter users are reporting that the popular blogging platform WordPress is blocked on ISPs in the country. This move comes amidst a wave of anti-regime protests that's taking the country by storm despite being faced by a brutal governmental crackdown.
The Netizen Report: Inaugural Edition
This is the first post in a new series on GVA called "The Netizen Report:" A regular overview of recent global developments related to the power dynamics between citizens, companies and governments on the Internet.
Cameras Everywhere: Current Challenges and Opportunities at the Intersection of Human Rights, Video and Technology
I’m pleased to announce the launch of our new report: “Cameras Everywhere: Current Challenges and Opportunities at the Intersection of Human Rights, Video and Technology.” You can read and download it on our website. The report, like the initiative of the same name, aims to ensure that the thousands of people turning to video for human rights can do so as effectively, safely and ethically as possible.
Egypt: On Maikel Nabil, first blogger to be jailed since January 25
Maikel Nabil , the first Egyptian blogger to be jailed since the January 25 revolution started, has been on a hunger strike since Monday, August 22. On August 30, Maikel stopped taking any liquids, including water. He was taken to a hospital two days later after falling into a coma....
Two mexican citizens face jail over “terrorism” via social networks
Marucho Bravo Pagola (@maruchibravo) and Gilberto Martínez Vera (@gillus_22) are two Mexican citizens arrested under charges of “terrorism and sabotage” in the State of Veracruz in México, after being held responsible of spreading rumours of a narco related attack trough Twitter and Facebook. Daniel Hernández in Los Angeles Times writes:...
Police lèse majesté “experts” in Prachatai trial
A capacity crowd of supporters filled the lèse majesté trial of Chiranuch Premchaiporn, webmaster of Thailand’s independent online news portal Prachatai, which continued into its seventh day at Bangkok’s Criminal Court. Yesterday’s animated senior judge, The Honourable Kampol Rungrat, was joined by a second. An affable police major-general, Suraphon Tuanphong,...
