Stories about Oceania
Is Fiji’s Online Safety Act a ‘Trojan Horse’ for online censorship?
"The Act on the surface professes online ‘Safety’, while its vagueness on responsible free speech leaves the act open to being a Trojan horse for online ‘Regulation’ and censorship."
Censored in 2018: Protest videos, court verdicts, real news — and Peppa Pig
From blocked websites to revoked media licenses to account shutdowns, censorship comes in many forms. Here are a few we saw in 2018.
In Cardinal George Pell's sexual abuse trial, Australian court fails to suppress the ‘nation's worst kept secret’
"The alleged suppression order on #georgepell is allowing fake news and hearsay and speculation take the place of reputable news sources."
Whether or not Papua New Guinea bans Facebook, critics say free speech still under threat
"If the government is serious about protecting its citizens, then creating an environment where they can safely use the internet should be the goal, not blocking parts of it altogether."
Acquittal of Fiji Times sedition case hailed as victory for press freedom in Oceania
"It has become quite obvious that the government of Fiji has continued to charge people with sedition to suppress freedom of speech and also political dissent."
In 2017, Samoa's Parliament Made Libel a Crime. How Will This Affect Bloggers and Social Media?
"Concerns about anonymous bloggers should not override the right of citizens to speak freely, without fear of being jailed."
Papua New Guinea Court Issues Gag Order Against Blogger Critical of Electoral Commissioner
"Dear all, Since I have been restrained by the courts I will be tweeting this image daily until such time I am allowed to tweet freely."
‘We Told You So': Australian Federal Police Accessed Journalist's Phone Records Illegally
Australian police have breached the law by accessing a journalist's phone records without a warrant in order to trace a leak.
‘Nude’ Photos of Australian Aboriginal Women Trigger Facebook Account Suspensions
Facebook has been attacked over its suspension of people in Australia for posting a photo of topless Aboriginal women performing a public ceremony.
Australian Artist Jailed in UAE For Posting “Bad Words” on Facebook
An Australian artist found herself thrown into an Abu Dhabi prison and deported for posting a photograph of a car blocking a disabled parking spot.
WikiLeaks Supporters Shocked by Visit With Syria's Assad
The view from down under: A late December meeting between Australia's Wikileaks Party and Bashar al-Assad has raised critical questions about the WikiLeaks Party and platform.
VIDEO: How the Trans-Pacific Partnership Could Hurt Internet Users
A new animated video explains how the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a massive trade agreement being negotiated by the United States and ten governments from around the Pacific region, could have alarming consequences for Internet users.
Australia debates internet censorship
It is not only China or Iran. Australia is debating internet censorship, in its case to protect children from online predators. But the proposal is off to a rocky start after several child protection groups-including Save the Children and civil liberty groups’ opposition. According to ABC News “The child protection...
Australia embraces web censorship
The issue of internet censorship generally involves countries deemed non-democratic or “repressive” (something I discuss in my new book, The Blogging Revolution.) We regularly read reports about the regimes in China or Iran blocking countless “subversive” websites for overtly political gain. Alas, a growing number of nations in the West...
Fijian Freedom bloggers and the military junta
It seems that the persecution faced by the anti-military Fijian Freedom Bloggers – who are using blogs to protest against the coup of December 5th, 2006- has subsided following a decision by the Fiji Military Forces (FMF) to stop hunting for anti-military bloggers and abandon its efforts to block the...
Fiji: Blogs are a threat to national security
On May 14th, Intelligentsiya reported that the army's Land Force Commander has a list of about 20 people who will be arrested in connection with anti-military blogs. It has also been reported that the Fiji Military Forces (FMF) have pressured FINTEL, Fiji's only ISP, to block blogspot.com blogging platform, nearly...
