Stories about News from November, 2012
Life Sentence for Qatari Poet for Insulting Amir
The poem is said to praise the Arab Spring, drawing comparisons to other countries living in repression and under dictatorship. According to Qatari journalist Abdulla Al Athbah, Al-Deeb's poem was seen as insulting to the Qatari Amir, and called for overthrowing his rule.
Syria Plunges Into Total Info Darkness
On Thursday, the US-based internet connectivity monitoring firm, Renesys, reported that internet was cut off in Syria. All of Syria's 84 IP address blocks were inaccessible, “effectively removing the country from the Internet.”
Netizen Report: Facebookistan Edition
We begin our weekly report in "Facebookistan" - whose rulers have decided to change the social network's site governance policies. Facebook is also facing a new wave of scrutiny from Europe for changes to its privacy policies. From there we turn to privacy issues in Hong Kong and on Google, a new global initiative to fight censorship, and much more.
Netizen Report: #Gaza Edition
This week's Netizen Report begins in Gaza, where the conflict between Israel and Hamas has highlighted sensitive issues in the negotiation of free speech online by Internet companies. From there, we move to Russia, where over 180 websites have been blacklisted for offensive content under a child pornography law. Then, we move to Portugal, the UAE and beyond.
Portugal: Activist blog silenced by Google
On the day of Portugal's general strike, Google's Blogger took down an activist blog maintained by one of Portugal's largest organizations advocating for "precarious" workers. The group suspects the move was motivated by allegations of defamation by a Portuguese company, accused of abuses by a commenter.
Netizen Report: Chinese Leadership & Censorship Edition
This week's Netizen Report begins in China, where an unprecedented level of censorship has been reached as the nation goes through its once in a decade leadership change. From there, we move to Egypt, which has revisited a ban on porn sites originally ordered in 2009. Then, we go to Australia, the EU and beyond.
MENA Netizen Report: Porn Edition
Most of this month’s report was researched, edited, and written by Rayna St, Nermeen Edrees, and Hisham Almiraat. After a YouTube trailer named “The Innocence of Muslims” sparked a widespread wave of protests in the region earlier this year, various actions by MENA governments were undertaken to strictly regulate online...
Egypt: Online Porn, Here to Stay?
The ongoing battle over the future Egyptian constitution and the more-than-a-month long strike of Egyptian medical workers are among the most pressing issues in the country at the moment… or are they? The Public Prosecutor apparently decided the people needed more drama and announced Egypt would start blocking porn sites.
Netizen Report: Baku Edition
This week's Netizen Report begins at the Internet Governance Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan, which is a UN-sponsored event to discuss major Internet governance issues. It comes just weeks before the World Conference on International Communications starts in Dubai, which could alter the structure of the Internet, according to online free speech advocates. From there, we move to Russia, whose Telecom Minister has asserted the government does not intend to censor the Internet in response to criticisms over a new law to protect children online. From there, we move to Pakistan, China and beyond.
China: Cyber Cafe Owner Sentenced to 8 Years for Organizing a Chat Group
According to New York Times’ report on November 1, 2012, a 27-year-old Internet Cafe Owner, Cao Haibo, was sentenced to 8-year imprisonment under the charge of “state subversion” on 31 of October 2012 in Kunming, Yunnan Province. The latest development as reported by 64 Tianwang is that Cao lawyer Ma...
Netizen Report: Cyber-Police Edition
This week's Netizen Report begins in the Netherlands, where the government is encouraging legislation that would enable greater police surveillance online. From there, we move to Canada, where legislation has been proposed granting police greater online monitoring power. Then, we move to the United Nations, United Kingdom and beyond.
Spain: Journalists Fined After Revealing Corruption in Catalonia
Marta Sibina and Albano Dante, editors of the citizen media magazine Cafè amb Llet, have been fined 10,000 euro for libel. They uploaded to YouTube a video strongly criticizing the lack of transparency in public healthcare financing in Catalonia, implicating Josep Maria Via, president of Barcelona MAR Health Park Consortium and healthcare advisor to Catalan President Artur Mas.
