Stories from March, 2015
Another Blogger Hacked to Death: Is Free Thinking Becoming Fatal in Bangladesh?
A young man named Oyasiqur Rahman Babu was killed in Bangladesh by religious fanatics in the second such incident in a month's time.
Partner Project: Tactical Tech's New Tool Helps You Watch the Watchers
Learn about Tactical Tech's Trackography, a new open source tool that reveals which third parties track us and where our data travels to when we access media websites.
Iranian Television Producer Mostafa Azizi is Jailed in Iran's Evin Prison
Mostafa Azizi, an Iranian television producer and author, was arrested last month when he tried to repatriate to Iran from Canada.
Omani Blogger Muawiyah Alrawahi Disappeared At UAE Border
Omani blogger Muawiyah Alrawahi was detained while attempting to enter the United Arab Emirates by car from Oman, according to a statement released by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Belarus Tightens Grip on Internet With New Data Retention Decree
The new data retention demands are just the latest in a string of restrictive Internet measures employed by Belarus in the wake of the next presidential election.
Netizen Report: Are France’s Human Rights Commitments Crumbling Post-Charlie?
France ups the ante with more anti-terror measures, GreatFire.org suffers and massive DDoS attack, and India welcomes good news for free expression, for once.
India's Supreme Court Axes Online Censorship Law, But Challenges Remain
People in India are cheering after the Indian Supreme Court struck down IT Act Section 66A, calling it a violation of free expression.
Macedonian Journalist Describes How it Feels to be Subject of State Surveillance
"I can clearly see that someone knew in advance what story I was working on. Enough for me to conclude that my sources of information were endangered."
Chinese Artist Recounts Being Censored for Selling Ai Weiwei T-Shirt
Artist Wu Tun saw economic rights collide with online censorship when he tried to sell a T-shirt supporting world renowned political artist Ai Weiwei.
Russia Will Deploy “Digital Fingerprinting” to Enforce Copyright Online
A new intellectual property register, based on the principle of digital fingerprinting, is in the works in Russia to track and protect copyrighted files online.
Internet in Iran: Evaluating Rouhani’s First Two Years as President
Has Rouhani lived up to lofty expectations of more Internet freedom in Iran? This is the question Small Media's latest report seeks to address.
Netizen Report: Art, Sex and the Social Web
Artists face censorship on Facebook and US Senator Ron Wyden points out that sometimes, cybersecurity really does mean surveillance.
Government Takedown Requests from Russia Double, Facebook Reports
Facebook restricted access to 55 pieces of content in Russia since July 2014, based on requests from Russian authorities, compared to 29 fulfilled during the first half of 2014.
Human Rights Watch Website Temporarily Blocked at Egypt the Future Conference
A block on Human Rights Watch website was lifted at an economic conference in Egypt after a journalist raised the alarm on Twitter.
Vietnamese Photojournalist Continues Hunger Strike After Four Years Behind Bars
In addition to the lengthy prison sentence and subsequent house arrest, Minh Man has faced increasingly unfair and discriminatory treatment in detention.
Five Young Feminists Still Missing in China
The Chinese feminists arrested on the eve of International Women's Day have yet to resurface, sparking massive online campaigns for their release.
Vietnam: Communist Party Leaders Struggle Over Social Media
Vietnam's Decree 72 prohibiting "aggregation" of online news prompted fury from foreign media and free speech organizations, but did Vietnamese Facebookers change their ways? Not one bit.
Digital Citizen 2.5
Digital Citizen is a biweekly review of news, policy, and research on human rights and technology in the Arab World. Digital Citizen has a new look! Check out our new website (in Arabic here) and spread the word! Bahrain Bahraini authorities arrested nine individuals for ‘misusing social media’, the interior...
Netizen Report: Macedonian Leak Scandal Reveals Mass Surveillance, Corruption
Protests are heating up both on and offline in Macedonia, Myanmar, and Paraguay.
#Pyrawebs: Online Activism Against Metadata Retention Bill in Paraguay
Paraguay is a democracy today, but a new data retention bill is reminding many citizens of the country's late twentieth-century dictatorship.
