Stories from June, 2014
Thai Junta Used Facebook App to Harvest Email Addresses
New revelations show how determined the Thai government is to warp the Internet — including social media — to its own ends.
Netizen Report: Cuban Craigslist Comes Back Online, Briefly
This week, Global Voices authors in Ethiopia and Tajikistan remain behind bars, the UK fesses up on social media spying, and Twitter goes a flutter in Russia and Pakistan.
Russian Bureaucracy’s Race to Police the Web
"...the most frightening truth may be that Russia’s law enforcement agencies don’t always wait for lawmakers to grant them formal authority when it comes to policing the Internet."
The Struggle for Freedom Online in Mexico
Mexican citizens continue to protest the country's broad-reaching telecom law, that could impact free expression, privacy, and other fundamental rights online.
“Happy” in Thailand? How the Coup Regime is Still Suppressing Democracy
Mass media is being censored, Facebook is under fire and even the Hunger Games salute has been outlawed. Are Thais truly "happy" under the military regime?
Russia Says the Internet Spreads Extremism
Russia’s Interior Ministry has drafted a ten-year strategy for countering violent extremism. The plan identifies the Internet as the main conduit for extremism and calls for new policing measures.
Hong Kong: Massive DDoS Attacks Continue, Targeting Pro-Democracy News Site
Days after a massive DDoS attack on a citizen-led online voting system, news sites Apple Daily Hong Kong and Taiwan were paralyzed by hackers.
Iran's Internet Under Hassan Rouhani: Hope and Disillusionment as Narenji Bloggers Face Prison Sentence
What explains the recent moves to tighten controls within Iran’s cyberspace alongside Rouhani’s liberal Internet ethos? Mahsa Alimardani and Fred Petrossian explain in this exclusive #longread for GVA.
STATEMENT: Global Voices Demands Release of Tajik Scholar Alexander Sodiqov
The Global Voices community calls for the release of Alexander Sodiqov, a Tajik-born University of Toronto PhD student and Global Voices author currently detained in Tajikistan.
Tajik Government Silent on “Disappeared” Global Voices Contributor
Tajik authorities have allegedly paraded University of Toronto researcher Alexander Sodiqov, who disappeared three days ago, on television in an apparent attempt to discredit him and an opposition politician.
Administrative Court Lawsuit: Stop Social Media Surveillance in Egypt
Human rights groups in Egypt filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the Ministry of Interior’s plans to procure software capable of monitoring public and private conversations on social media.
Netizen Report: Sweeping Censorship in Iraq, Tajikistan
A scholar is detained in Tajikistan, social media gets the axe in Iraq, and China closes millions of “dirty” WeChat accounts.
Tajik Authorities Detain Global Voices Contributor
Former Global Voices Central Asia Editor Alexander Sodiqov was detained by authorities in Khorog, Tajikistan while conducting research for his PhD thesis. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
Hong Kong Voting Site Suffers Massive DDoS Attack Before Civil Referendum
Thirty hours after testing their online system, Hong Kong University's voting site endured the largest distributed denial of service attack in its history.
Iraq Telecom Ministry to ISPs: Kill the Internet in Five Provinces
A leaked document from Iraq's Ministry of Telecommunications shows that the government has decided to shut down the Internet in some provinces, social media in others.
54 Days in Prison and Counting for Ethiopia's Zone 9 Bloggers
Six members of the Zone 9 blogging collective and three journalists have been in prison with no formal charges since April 25, 2014.
Social Media Sites Unblocked in Iraq, But Is Worst Yet to Come?
"Apparently blockage of social media sites were removed now in #Iraq, the fear is that the Gov is getting ready 2 cut the Internet," tweets Mohamed Najem.
Revolutionary Band Laal's Facebook Page is Now Accessible in Pakistan. Hooray? Not Really.
The unblocking of Laal was a minor battle won in the war over Internet content -- a war we are losing.
Get the Facts: The Case of Jailed Egyptian Activist Alaa Abd El Fattah
Convicted of organizing a protest without a permit, Alaa has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Get the legal facts on his case and connect with the #FreeAlaa campaign here.
BREAKING: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube Blocked in Iraq
Local media and at least one ISP are reporting that the Ministry of Communications ordered Internet providers to shut down Google and social media sites, fearing security risks.
