Latest posts by Guest Contributor
Anonymous Eritrea: Communicating in a Paranoid State
Many believe that the state can monitor any Eritrean, in any corner of the world. The regime has successfully portrayed itself as omnipresent—this is fundamental to its survival.
Bad Laws Are Contagious: Demystifying the UAE’s New Information Tech Law
Preceded by a wave of VOIP blocking in various Arab countries, the new law comes as no surprise for those familiar with digital policy in the region.
#HackingTeam Leaks: Ecuador is Spending Millions on Malware, Pro-Government Trolls
Pro-government propaganda, anti-opposition trolls, hashtag spamming, and widespread malware are all part of a politically-motivated social media spin campaign dating back to 2012.
Local Chinese Authorities Use Internet Slang ‘Ziganwu’ in Their Propaganda Recruitment
'Ziganwu' are Internet commenters not officially affiliated with authorities but who nevertheless ardently defend the government. China's Sichuan education office has adopted the term as part of recruitment efforts.
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.
Ali Abdulemam: ‘I Have Not Lost My Identity. I Am Bahraini.’
In late January, the government of Bahrain revoked the citizenship of blogger Ali Abdulemam, along with that of 71 other Bahrainis, many of them journalists and activists.
Advocates Petition UN to Intervene on Jailed Ethiopian Bloggers’ Behalf
Advocates argue that the Ethiopian government's imprisonment of these individuals on spurious terror charges is arbitrary and illegal.
Right to Be Forgotten: A Win for Argentina's Lawsuit-Happy Celebrities?
What kind of information is in the public interest? Is it possible (or desirable) to define this? Free expression attorney Ramiro Alvarez examines this question in the context of Argentina.
EXCLUSIVE: German Companies Are Selling Unlicensed Surveillance Technologies to Human Rights Violators – and Making Millions
Data analyzed by two leading researchers on surveillance and digital security technology suggests the majority of surveillance technologies produced by German companies have been bought and sold under the table.
“I Can Feel Total Censorship in the Air”: Internet Freedom Evaporates in Thailand
"Freedom of expression is Thailand is at stake...Simply criticising the Council could land one before a military court."
Why Blogging is a Threat to the Ethiopian Government
"The threat embodied in Ethiopia’s bloggers, journalists and free thinkers is that they are introducing a radical new idea—the idea of a freer, more democratic country."
#FreeBassel: Behind the Screens of the Syrian Resistance
March 15 marks the second anniversary of the imprisonment of Syrian web developer and activist Bassel Khartabil. Monique Doppert reflects on her friendship with Bassel and forthcoming book on his story.
Photos: A Message to the World from #AB14
Photographer and human rights advocate Amer Sweidan took a series of portraits at last month's Arab Bloggers Meeting. In this brief essay, he describes the collaborative process of the project.
Argentina and the New Surveillance Tech: Watching Your Every Move
Be careful where you look, what you touch, and how you walk -- the government may be watching. Ramiro Alvarez Ugarte explains how Argentina's biometric data collection system infringes on citizens' privacy.
Locked Up for Linking? US Journalist Faces Prosecution
Transparency activist and journalist Barrett Brown has been indicted for doing something many of us do every day: posting a link on the Internet.
A Starving Blogger's Vietnam Crusade
Vietnamese dissident blogger Dieu Cay, who is currently in prison, went on a 35-day hunger strike this summer in protest of prison conditions. Though repression continues, observers say that for every blogger that's struck down, several others rise to take his place.
Infographic: You Are Not Safe Online!
This infographic shows the various ways that your online information is at risk.
Letter for Civil Society Involvement in WCIT
This page features a letter from academics and civil society groups from around the world to International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun Touré regarding the lack of opportunity for civil society participation in the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) process.
Making the Internet work for Human Rights: The Internet Rights and Principles Coalition
Dixie Hatwin, co-chair of the Dynamic Coalition on Internet Rights and Principles (IRP) of the Internet Governance Forum, introduces the IRP's work and its plans for the future. This post is part of a new initiative by Global Voices Advocacy to inform our community and the broader public about the issues, debates, organizations, and coalitions surrounding the policy and governance processes that will determine the Internet's future.
Human Rights and Internet Protocols – Shared Values
In this commentary written from the Internet Governance Forum in Nairobi, special contributor Joy Liddicoat of APC says she was struck by the absence of any discussion about the way in which human rights form part of the very architecture of the internet. It is time, she says, for a new initiative to bring together the technical community and human rights advocates. We must work closer together to defend the shared values that are baked in to the internet and human rights to ensure that these are at the forefront in multi-stakeholder discussions about internet governance principles.
