Stories about News from February, 2013
China: Bloggers “Forced to Drink Tea” with Police
Tea-drinking culture has a very long tradition in China. However, since around 2007, Chinese netizens have started using the term "tea talk" or "forced to drink tea" (被喝茶) to describe interrogations by the internal security police. Online opinion leaders, people who write about or host online platforms for political dissent, and signatories of online petitions are all frequently "forced to drink tea" with police and asked to give up sensitive information about their political activities. This post includes tips from online opinion leader Wu Gan on how to approach a tea talk with police.
Netizen Report: Censorship Edition
This week's Netizen Report begins in Egypt, where a court has ruled to impose a month-long ban on YouTube in response to the controversial film, "The Innocence of Muslims." From there, we move to Russia, which has shut down almost 600 websites under recent legislation to protect child development. Then, we go to Azerbaijian, Palestine, and beyond.
Egypt: Court Orders YouTube Ban
On Saturday, February 9, an administrative court ordered a 30-day ban on YouTube and all websites linking to an anti-Islam film, "The Innocence of Muslims". The movie sparked turmoil in the Middle East when it was first published last year. The ruling may not be enforced immediately and it is likely to be appealed.
Netizen Report: Human Rights Edition
This week's Netizen Report begins in at the OECD, where several European companies are being scrutinized for violating human rights guidelines in Bahrain. From there we move to Pakistan, where activist Malala Yousafzai has made her first public statement via video since becoming the victim of a Taliban assassination attempt. Then, we move to Russia, the US and beyond.
Chinese Hackers Spy on Journalists to Track Sources
In January, the New York Times reported that its computers had been under constant attack by Chinese hackers over the past four months. Shortly thereafter, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post also reported that they were targeted by Chinese hackers. The story is familiar to Chinese journalists, who, together with citizen reporters from mainland China, are very vulnerable to hacking and online harassment compared to their peers overseas.
