Inspired to learn Portuguese by my father's collection of LPs from late 1960s Brazil. Lived in Brazil, Portugal and East Timor. I am an ex-aidworker, perpetual-novice anthropologist working on projects combining technology, communications and social transformation.
Latest posts by Janet Gunter
Cyber Attack Downs Mozambique's @Verdade News Site on Election Day
The attack began on the eve of the election and managed to bring down the site just as polls closed and votes were being counted.
Digital Surveillance in Angola and Other “Less Important” African Countries
Detection of malware in Africa's largest countries seems to be of ongoing interest to researchers. But what about those countries that are "less important" on the global stage?
Portugal: Activist blog silenced by Google
On the day of Portugal's general strike, Google's Blogger took down an activist blog maintained by one of Portugal's largest organizations advocating for "precarious" workers. The group suspects the move was motivated by allegations of defamation by a Portuguese company, accused of abuses by a commenter.
Guinea-Bissau: Top Blogger Detained, Beaten by Military After Coup
Aly Silva is one of the most important bloggers in the small west African country of about 1 million people, if not the most important (see this Global Voices interview with him). He is a controversial figure in the country, who does not hide his political leanings. Yet nobody can match him in terms of his longevity, frequency of posting, and dedication to blogging.
United Kingdom: Moves to police social media
Following the riots and looting in London and other parts of England last week, UK Prime Minister David Cameron made a strong statement indicating his government is looking into the...
Mozambique: Controversial SIM card registration
Shortly after the September protests in Maputo that were convened by SMS, the Mozambican government issued a Ministerial decree law forcing mobile pre-paid phone users on the country's two networks to register their SIM cards. The process caused protest and has gone slower than the strict law requires.
Mozambique: Government interference in SMS service
Much noise was made around the world about how the popular unrest against the rises in the cost of living in Maputo on September 1-2 was propagated by SMS messages by mobile...
