December, 2012

Stories from December, 2012

Netizen Report: WCIT Edition

  6 December 2012

This week's Netizen Report begins in Dubai, where the World Conference on Information Technology is underway. The meeting will review the current International Telecommunications Regulations that serve as the rules of digital connections and could make important decisions regarding the future of Internet governance. From there, we move to Costa Rica, South Africa, and beyond.

Speak Justice: Voices Against Impunity

  6 December 2012

Murder is the ultimate form of censorship against journalists. In most cases killers remain free, generating self-censorship among those still risking their lives to do their job. To break the cycle of fear and silence, the Committee to Protect Journalists is launching Speak Justice: Voices Against Impunity.

Tajik Official Blocks Facebook and Summons its CEO

  6 December 2012

The chief of the state-run telecommunications service in Tajikistan has ordered Facebook blocked and asked the social network's CEO to travel to the Central Asian country and meet with him. Tajik internet users now ridicule the official.

Cuba: Democracy Advocate Rodiles Released; Blogger Diversent Remains Detained

  5 December 2012

Antonio Rodiles, curator of the independent scholarly forum Estado de SATS, was released in Havana last Wednesday after enduring over three weeks of detention. Rodiles was arrested on November 7, along with numerous other bloggers and civil society advocates on the island, including well-known blogger and attorney Laritza Diversent, author of the blog Jurisconsulto de Cuba (Cuban Legal Advisor). There has been no report of Diversent’s release as of December 3, 2012.

Ecuadorian Blogger Paúl Moreno Detained

  2 December 2012

Ecuadorian blogger Paúl Moreno (@paulcoyote) was detained on charges of fraudulent access to computer systems, after he accessed President Rafael Correa's personal database in an attempt to show the vulnerability of an official website.

Open Letter: To the Netizens of China, From a Netizen of Pakistan

  1 December 2012

In an effort to build solidarity between people who suffer similar restrictions online, Pakistani activists are launching a campaign to reach out to their Chinese counterparts. As the Pakistani government tries to emulate China's policies to control the internet, Sana Saleem, a Pakistani netizen and Global Voices contributor, sends an open letter to Chinese netizens.