Stories from July, 2016
As Constitutional Referendum Nears, Thailand Intensifies Censorship
"If Thailand's military junta wants its referendum to be seen as credible, it must stop harassing journalists covering the campaign and let information flow freely to the public."
Chinese Reformist Magazine Shuts Down to Resist Authorities’ Hostile Takeover
"The crackdown on Yanhuang Chunqiu and today's takeover indicates that Xi's government wants to educate its officials into 'fools' like the rest of the society."
PokéStops or Stopping Poké? Iran Reacts to the Pokémon Go Phenomenon
How has one of the most restricted Internet environments, with censors on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, reacted to Pokémon Go?
Iranian Hardliners Want to Stop Blocking Twitter — to Defeat Saudi Propaganda
Iranian hardliners, typically champions of Internet censorship, are calling on the government to stop blocking Twitter in order to counter Saudi Arabian propaganda against Iran.
Ethiopia Locks Down Digital Communications in Wake of #OromoProtests
#OromoProtests content on social media has triggered many attempts by the government to limit digital traffic and block telecom services in Oromia.
Imprisoned in Iran for Posting Jokes on Facebook, A Computer Engineer Awaits His Appeal Verdict
Political prisoners in Iran are routinely singled out for harsh treatment, which often includes denial of medical care.
A New Species of Beetle Named After President Xi Is Blacklisted on Chinese Social Media
"An act of ass kissing now turns into ass kicking…"
Chinese Censors Are Making Sure Social Media Only Shows Positive Flooding News
"The propaganda is good at turning a disaster into a positive story and making human errors invisible."
#ShutDownZim: Will Social Media Protests Drive Zimbabwe to Build a ‘Great Firewall'?
This is the first time Zimbabwe has staged a "shutdown" over government dysfunction by organizing on social media. But protests could trigger new forms of censorship.
China Bans News Sourcing From Social Media
"From a historical perspective, media outlets that are close to government have a higher tendency to fabricate news. The track record of state-controlled media outlets is even worse."
Why Did Facebook Remove a Post Criticizing Singapore Police?
After police searched political activist and civil rights lawyer Teo Soh Lung's home and computer without a warrant, she posted about it on Facebook. Then her post was taken down.
Tax Evasion or Political Journalism? Private Newspaper’s Battle With Zambian Government Continues
Unpaid taxes, arrests, alleged police brutality and upcoming elections have convoluted public perspective on whether Zambia's main independent newspaper should be allowed to remain operational.
Swastikas and Porn or: How Russian Cops Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Internet Crackdown
According to a Rostov court, Detective Eliseev wanted to advance his career and win bonus pay by faking “time-consuming inspection work” and framing a man for extremism.
Netizen Report: The UN Condemned Internet Shutdowns. But Does it Matter?
Satirical “Street Children” stuck behind bars in Egypt, China bulks up on Internet governance, and Peru slaps Google for denying citizen 'Right to Be Forgotten'
Telegram Bug Leaks Russian TV News Station's Internal Chats to Random User
Telegram's known security flaws do not explain why Anna Gorbacheva, whose device never belonged to anyone associated with TV Rain, suddenly began receiving notifications of the team's private messages.
Massive Nude Photo Leak Raises Issue of Online Protection Laws in Trinidad & Tobago
Police suspect the leak is part of an online pornography ring, and that some of the photographs are being sold.
