Stories from May, 2013
Malaysia: News Sites Face Attacks on Eve of Elections
The general election campaign period in Malaysia has triggered what independent news site MalaysiaKini is calling “China-style censorship.” In recent weeks, independent news sites Harakah Daily and MalaysiaKini have suffered from DDoS attacks and connection disruption at the ISP level. With elections on May 5, both sites are calling on ISPs and government officials to protect the open Internet.
In Violation of Constitution, Ethiopian Blogger Will Face 18 Years in Prison
On May 1, the Ethiopian Supreme Court upheld the conviction and extreme sentence of award-winning online journalist Eskinder Nega, who now faces 18 years in prison. Mohamed Keita of the Committee to Protect Journalists said in response to the Court’s ruling, “The persecution of Eskinder and other journalists is the hallmark of a regime fearful of the opinions of its citizens.”
The Future of the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean
Nearly 60 specialists and members of civil society gathered in Montevideo, Uruguay, to discuss the future of the Information Society in Latin America in the Caribbean. In the two sessions, which took place on April 1st and April 2nd, attendees from all over the region tackled issues such as privacy, new cooperative business model and copyright.
TPP: Biggest Threat to Global Internet Since ACTA?
The United States and ten governments from around the Pacific region will soon meet to hash out the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement (TPP). Negotiations of the agreement have been secretive from the beginning of the process, but based on leaked documents and the undemocratic nature of the entire process, advocates have every reason to be alarmed about the copyright enforcement provisions contained in this multinational trade deal.
