Stories about Advocacy from September, 2012
Privacy Rights Activism in Latin America
Throughout Latin America, new surveillance practices threaten to erode individuals' privacy, yet there is limited public awareness about the civil liberties implications of these rapid changes
Paraguay: ISPs Block News Website Without Warrant
An alarming act of censorship by private companies took place on September 26 in Paraguay. Two Internet Service Providers (ISPs) blocked the AbcColor.me website without a judicial warrant. After pressure from netizens, the websites were unblocked.
Netizen Report: YouTube Edition
This week's report begins with a discussion of Google's handling of the movie trailer 'Innocence of Muslims' on YouTube, which has sparked worldwide debate about the relationship between hate speech and free speech, and the interaction between national sovereignty and the exercise by Internet companies of a private sort of sorverignty over people's digital lives - with real world implications. From there, we move on to Bahrain, Kyrgyzstan, China, the United States and beyond.
Open Letter to Governments: Protect Human Rights at the ITU
This December in Dubai, the International Telecommunication Union—a UN agency—will decide whether it should have regulatory authority over the Internet. This move could pose grave risks to the exercise of human rights online. Civil society can influence the process by signing an open letter calling on governments to reject expansion of ITU regulatory authority to the Internet.
In Censoring Anti-Islam Video, Did Google Do the Right Thing?
This past week, a video apparently made with the sole purpose of inciting Muslim anger by an American Coptic Christian was shown on Egyptian television, sparking protests outside the US Embassy in Cairo that have been replicated throughout several countries in the region. The response to the video caused several...
Chile: 10 Things That Shouldn't be Prohibited due to Copyright
In this new infographic from the 'Don't Fear the Internet Campaign', ONG Derechos Digitales show us 10 common things we do on the Internet that should not be prohibited by intellectual property, but that some still try to prohibit.
UN Conference Live Stream Blocked in Bahrain
According to activists in Bahrain, a United Nations Human Rights Council live stream has been blocked. Authorities in #Bahrain put obstacles to access #UN website for live stream because of my intervention in the #HRC21twitpic.com/aucktm — Mohammed Al-Maskati(@MohdMaskati) September 14, 2012 Mohamed Al-Maskati, president of Bahrain Youth Society for...
Protecting the Open Internet at the ITU: Civil Society Takes Action
This December in Dubai, the International Telecommunication Union—a UN agency—will decide whether it should have regulatory authority over the Internet. This move could pose grave risks to the exercise of human rights online. Until now, the ITU has been dedicated to setting technical standards for interoperability of international telecommunications, radio,...
Netizen Report: Corporate Responsibility Edition
This week's report begins with Swedish-Finnish telecom TeliaSonera, which has faced criticism for its collaboration with authoritarian regimes in Tajikistan, Azerbaijian and other Eastern European and Central Asian countries. From there, we return to Jordan for an update on the #BlackoutJO protests. Then, we turn to Argentina, Brazil and beyond.
Zambia: SIM Card Registration Starts as Community Radio Stations are Restricted
The Zambian government recently restricted the reach of of the Lusaka-based University of Zambia (UNZA) Radio. On the same day, authorities announced that cell phone users will now be required to register SIM cards using their real names and other personal information. Bloggers and journalists are questioning the political motivations behind these decisions.
Latin America and the Caribbean Netizen Report: First Edition
This first Latin America and the Caribbean Netizen Report focuses on legislation that affects the fundamental rights of Internet users in the region. In the last two months, the governments of various countries -Costa Rica, Peru, and Brazil, among others- have considered bills that affect freedom of speech, access to information, anonymity, and privacy online.
Netizen Report: #BlackOutJO Edition
This week's report begins in Jordan, where Internet activists have staged a website blackout in protest of amendments to law that would require websites to obtain licenses and bear legal responsibility for user comments. From there, we move on to Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar and beyond.
Hong Kong: Advocacy Group Pressed Candidates of the Legislature to Reveal Position on Free Speech and Information Policy
In order to press the members of the 2012-2016 Legislative Council to defend freedom of speech and free flow of information, Hong Kong In-Media, a local advocacy group for promoting citizen media practice issued a questionnaire to all candidates, asking them to reveal their position. The election date of the...
