Stories about Advocacy from January, 2011
Campus Free Speech: University of Massachusetts’ Policy Criticized
Free speech issue is a hot button issue on campuses in the United States, and a post at Huffington Post has re-ignited the debate once again. In 2009, we talked about Butler University and its handling of criticism by a student blogger Jess Zimmerman. Now it is about a policy...
Cyber “long war” continues in Iran
The past few weeks have seen attention focused on Tunisia and Egypt in hopes of understanding what role, if any, information and communications technologies (ICTs) are playing in the recent unrest in both countries. While experts and pundits continue to discuss and debate, Iran's efforts at silencing the Green Movement...
Internet Security Savvy is Critical as Egyptian Government Blocks Websites, Arrests Activists in Response to Continued Protest
As we've seen in Iran and Tunisia, social networking tools have given activists in authoritarian regimes a powerful voice, which can be heard well beyond their own country. But the use of social networking tools has also given their governments ways to identify and retaliate against them. This week we are watching the same dynamic play out in Egypt.
Iran's Cyber Police, Geography, and the Psychological Denial of Service
National Public Radio reports that Iran is planning on dispatching “cyber police” across the country with General Ahmadi Moghaddam stating that “There is no time to wait” in deploying the Islamic Republic's latest line of defense against its real and perceived enemies. This isn't the first time Moghaddam has claimed...
Is the Tunisian internet censorship regime shutting down?
Following persistent widespread protests in Tunisia in recent days and the impending general strike tomorrow, Tunisian President Ben Ali held a speech on the state television chanel Tunisie7 this evening with a long list of highly unusual concessions. Among other points he announced that he will not seek presidency for...