Stories about TYPE from August, 2008
Whose Decision To Block Malaysia Today?
Amidst uproar from Malaysian netizens, today's announcement by the Energy, Water & Communications Minister, Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansur, has put a new kink in the plot. Datuk Shaziman was reported to have said that the government had not ordered the Malaysian Today website to be banned. According to news reports,...
Bloggers called for “code of Ethics” in Bahrain
Bloggers from Bahrain called for “code of Ethic” to avoid ” hate speech” in Bahrain, Bloggers said ” sectarian and discrimination became very hot topic in the blogs and we are afraid to become another Iraq or Lebanon so we toke the challenge to put something for limiting this hate speech”.
Plans for action against Malaysian bloggers
Despite jubilation over the Opposition’s win in the 26th August by-elections, political bloggers in Malaysia face the sobering prospect of the government taking tougher action against blog and website owners.
China: Zeng Jinyan resurfaces with news of visit to Hu Jia
Since stating [zh] on August 3rd that she was going to be made to leave Beijing and soon after falling silent on Twitter, home-arrested blogger Zeng Jinyan has returned! She posted several tweets today about where she was held after having been taken to meet with her husband Hu Jia....
Malaysian blogs fly flag upside down
Since August 3rd, some Malaysian blogs have featured the national flag (or “Jalur Gemilang“) posted upside-down as a sign of a nation in distress. The call was said to be have been made by blogger Sheih aka ‘kickdefella‘ from the country's east coast, a call which many bloggers have taken...
Silencing online speech in Tunisia
Blocking web 2.0 websites (Youtube, Dailymotion, Facebook) and barring access to local outspoken websites and blogs is the most obvious way of cracking down of the online free speech in Tunisia. It should be emphasized, however, that this is only one tool in the regime’s hand. Tunisia has adapted to the web 2.0 revolution by developing a broader strategy composed of a wide range of instruments
Malaysia: Deface If You Dare
Malaysian bloggers were up in arms again when blogger Bakaq aka ‘Penarik Beca’ was detained for sedition recently. Bakaq, whose real name is Abdul Rashi Abu Bakar, was detained (and since released) for defacing the Royal Malaysian Police crest by allegedly substituting the tiger in the emblem with a dog.
Tunisia seems to have blocked access to Facebook
Tunisia seems to have blocked access to Facebook today. Some Tunisian bloggers in the country report being unable to access the popular social networking website and took several screenshots of the fake 404 blockpage. Tunisia is also blocking access, permanently, to both popular video-sharing websites, Youtube (since Since November 2nd,...
Turkey: Bloggers Banning Themselves
If you are a long-time follower of the Turkish blogosphere you will have undoubtedly heard about the Turkish ban on Wordpress....and the periodic bans on YouTube, and on the social-networking widget site Slide, oh..and now on Dailymotion as well. I think that is all? Isn't it? It is hard to keep track now-a-days and frustrating. Turkish bloggers feel the same way too, and are protesting the constant banning of sites by voluntarily banning their own.
Malaysia: What exactly is sedition?
It has been a tumultuous time for blogging and online expression in Malaysia. With the ongoing court cases with blogger and online news portal editor, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, as well as the detention of Malay language blogger, Abdul Bakar aka ‘Penarik Beca’, it is with little surprise that it has been reported that Malaysian foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, called for the creation of a council or other form of mechanism to monitor bloggers.
Internet and South Ossetia Crisis
During the South Ossetia crisis, many people looked at the most popular Georgian pages to gather information about the situation. Big surprise, sites like the popular forum.ge or liberty.ge were not working and official sites were blocked or hacked.
China: Citizen reporter Zuola under ‘town arrest’
Chinese citizen reporter Zhou "Zuola" Shuguang has yet another encounter with various law enforcement bodies near his hometown today, tweeted it live, and learned that he is under several forms of heavy surveillance.
Iran: A conservative site was filtered
Alef, an Iranian conservative site, was filtered a few days ago. Several sites and blogs report that Alef has published Iranian Minister of Interior's “fake” Ph.D certificate from Oxford where you can find many mistakes in English.
China: More foreigners protest, aided by 2.0 tools
One (possibly) last protest post before we get back on topic around here; first is the pseudo-guerrilla Exodus 8:1 mission of Christian activist Eddie ‘iamgadfly’ Romero for human rights in China which has seem him paint murals on the walls of at least 2 rooms in upscale Beijing hotels and...
Turkey: Dailymotion blocked
Access to the french video-sharing website Dailymotion.com has been blocked in Turkey since August 2nd 2008. According to Erkan Saka, an Istanbul-based blogger, “the decision to ban the site came without any explanation.” This is the second instance of a popular video-sharing website being blocked in Turkey. YouTube was blocked...
Sudan: YouTube Blocked
YouTube has been partially blocked for internet users in Sudan for reasons that are still unknown. Some Sudanese in the country report being able to access YouTube without any problems, while others report being sent to a page with the following message: "Sorry, this page has been blocked by National Telecommunication Corporation."
