Latest posts by Sami Ben Gharbia
Anonymous Blogging with WordPress & Tor Updated!
I’m pleased to announce that the third update to the Anonymous Blogging guide with Wordpress & Tor is now available online! This update introduces the Tor Browser Bundle, an open source version of a portable browser developed by Tor Project, that lets you use Tor with zero install. Tor Browser is a great pre-configured Tor bundle with self contained Mozilla Firefox browser for USB drives or any other portable media (SD Card, Hard Drives, Compact Flash Card).
Hassan Barhon: yet another Moroccan blogger sued for defamation
Moroccan blogger and anti-corruption journalist, Hassan Barhon, who has been arrested since February 25th for exposing a corruption case involving the prosecutor-general for the king of Morocco at Tetouan’s court of appeals, Mohamed Masmouki, is due to appear before a court in Tetouan today.
North Africa: are political websites more likely to get hacked?
Political opposition websites in North African countries, particularly in Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania, are becoming a primary target of hackers. This new phenomenon of defacing opposition and dissident websites emerged first in Tunisia, where at least 14 websites and blogs were targeted between 2007 and 2008, and seems to be spreading across the region as a result of the attempt to muzzle free speech both online and offline.
Morocco blocks four opposition websites
Four websites of the Jama’a Al Adl wa Al Ihsan (Justice and Spirituality), Morocco’s largest Islamic movement (officially illegal), have been blocked in Morocco this week and redirected to the following blockpage:
Syria blocks personal blog of Human rights activist
Syrian authorities have blocked access to the personal blog of the 26-year-old Syrian Human rights activist and blogger Mohammad Al-Abdallah who is blogging at Raye7wmishRaj3 (I’m Leaving and I’m Not Coming Back). Syrian Netizens can access the blocked blog via HTTPS or simply by visiting the mirror blog at http://rwmr.wordpress.com/.
Arrest of Christian Convert blogger in Saudi Arabia
According to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHR), Saudi authorities have arrested the 28-year-old blogger Hamoud Bin Saleh and blocked his blog Masihi Saudi (A Saudi Christian). The ANHR adds further that blogger Hamoud Bin Saleh was arrested “due to his opinions and announcement at his blog that...
Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Syria Prevent blogger and journalists from Attending Free Press Conference in Beirut
One blogger, two journalists, and one online writer were prevented from traveling to Beirut, Lebanon, to attend the 3rd Arab Free Press Forum that took place on 12 and 13 December, 2008 Saudi Arabia prevented the leading Saudi blogger, Fouad Al Farhan, from attending the event where he was scheduled to take part in a panel entitled “The Changing face of Arab blogging“.
The Internet and the Struggle for Voice in Repressive Regime Contexts
(Copenhagen 10-11 November 2008) I attended a Research seminar on Digital Media in Repressive RegimesPublic sphere, civic engagement and political mobilization (.Pdf) hosted by The Danish Institute for Human Rights. This is a video of a talk given by Mariam Memarsadeghi about the Internet and the Struggle for Voice in...
Croatian man arrested for creating a Facebook Group against Prime Minister
Niksa Klecak, the 22 -year-old Croatian who created an anti-PM Facebook Group “I bet I will find 5,000 people who do not like the Prime minister” [Ivo Sanader], has been arrested for allegedly promoting neo-Nazi materials. The police claimed that they found some Nazi symbols and propaganda at his home. Niksa Klecak has been then released by the police due to lack of evidence.
MEPs urge European internet and telecommunication companies to sign Human Rights code
According to a press release we've received from MEP Jules Maaten of the Dutch conservative VVD party, eight Members of the European Parliament called today European internet and telecommunication companies to join The Global Network Initiative and sign the Human Rights code, designed to safeguard human rights and freedom of speech online. The Human Rights code was recently signed by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo!
Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan “arrested” In Tehran
According to Jahan News website, Iranian blogger, Hossein Derakhshan (aka Hoder), a prolific blogger often described as the godfather of the Iranian blogosphere, has been arrested In Tehran. Hossein returned to Iran about three weeks ago and is being investigated on suspicion of espionage for the state of Israel.
The Info-Activism Camp: Tools and Tactics for Digital Advocacy
Struggling to make an impact on your target audience? Are issues unresolved despite your best efforts? Are you excited about the advocacy potential of the Internet, mobile phones or information design, but uncertain about how you can take advantage of them? The Info Activism camp, to be held in Bangalore,...
Blogger.com banned in Turkey
A Turkish court has blocked access to the popular blog hosting service Blogger (Blogger.com and Blogspot.com owned by Google), since friday, October 24th, 2008. Turkish Internet users are seeing this message when trying to visit Blogger.com and all blogs hosted on blogspot.com hosting service: “Access to this website has been suspended in accordance with decision no. 2008/2761 of the TR Diyarbakir First Criminal Court of Peace.”
Cross-posting for Advocacy
This guide offers us a brief introduction to how to use cross-posting for online advocacy campaign. It reviews different web 2.0 tools, showcasing successful examples where cross-posting has been used for advocacy. The guide also includes the pros and cons of the cross-posting technique. Thanks to the incredible widespread availability of all kinds of content on the Internet, you can now increase the reach of your online campaign by automatically and instantly cross-posting your blog or website entries on different Web 2.0 services, such as macro and micro blogging services (Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc.) [...]
Blogger detained in Nigeria
The US-based Nigerian blogger, Jonathan Elendu, who blogs at Elendu Reports, is being held without charge, since Saturday October 18th, by the State Security Service (SSS). Elendu was arrested upon arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, from the United States. He is now being investigated for “acts of sedition”.
Livejournal inaccessible in Kazakhstan
Kazakh Internet users seem to be unable to access the popular blogging platform and social network Livejournal through Kazakh major ISPs. According to Reuters Canada, only a small number of Kazakh Livejournal bloggers still can access the website through smaller ISPs or through the use of proxies. Livejournal.ru, however, seems to be accessible.
Blogar no anonimato com WordPress & Tor
The Anonymous Blogging with Wordpress and Tor guide is now available in Portuguese thanks to this translation by Guilherme Barcellos., from GlobalVoices em Português.
Tunisia lifts YouTube and Dailymotion ban, but…
The news today is that Tunisia has lifted the ban on both popular video-sharing websites Youtube (Blocked since November 2nd, 2007) and Dailymotion (Blocked since Septembre 3rd, 2007). But some tests carried out from Tunisia by some Tunisian activists and bloggers have shown that despite restoring access to Youtube, a...
Kuwait to block Youtube over anti-Muslim videos
Update: YouTube Ban Lifted. The Kuwait Ministry of Communications has issued an order to local ISPs denying access to Youtube due to video content considered offensive to Muslims and Islam.
Advocacy 2.0 Guide: Tools for Digital Advocacy
The Advocacy 2.0 Guide (Tools for Digital Advocacy) describes some of the best techniques and tools that digital activists - and others who wish to learn from this subject - can use as part of their online advocacy campaigns. While our previous guide (Blog for a Cause!) focused on the effective use of blogs as an advocacy tool, this guide will explore creative uses of other web 2.0 applications.
