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DonateAt online discussion sites all over the world, comments are posted on the Web as soon as they are written. People argue, inform, express anger, and voice fears. Some say things in the heat of the moment that they might go on to regret. Others are elliptical and obscure. The enabling of such conversations is an important modern method of discovering and re-telling the news, and encourages previously uninvolved readers of the news to help gather and disseminate it--especially in times when traditional media is censored or afraid.
Committee to Protect Journalists
CPJ Internet Channel
Defending Free Expression Online
Thailand
Earlier today, press and human rights groups from around the world heard that the decision in the case of Chiranuch "Jiew" Premchaiporn, the manager of Thai online news site Prachatai, was being delayed yet another month. Chiranuch is charged under Thailand's Computer Crime Act for 10 counts of not deleting apparently anti-monarchy comments on Prachatai's online discussion boards.
Earlier this month, I spoke as an expert witness in the ongoing trial of Chiranuch Premchaiporn, the editor of Thailand's Prachatai.com website, who is being criminally prosecuted under that country's Computer Crime Act and Lesé Majesté laws. The crime involves online posts allegedly disrespectful to Thailand's monarchy, but Chiranuch herself is not accused of originating or posting the commentary.
- Wikileaks hit by denial-of-service attack, turns to Amazon hosting...
- ...but Amazon drops the site following pressure from a U.S. senator.
- Google extends its https encryption to YouTube, making video blocking harder.
- Censorship of the Net directly related to how authoritarian a regime is, claims a study.
- Venezuala's telecom regulator proposes stronger takedown powers over Internet content.
- Thailand's technology minister says "blacklisting [websites] doesn't work."
- UK police seek powers to suspend web domains if there are "reasonable grounds to believe they are being used to commit a crime," even before a warrant or trial.
- Microsoft allows users to turn on https by default in Hotmail, but it's still couched in warnings.
- Meanwhile, Access starts its own global campaign for https to be turned on for the most visited websites.
- Thai censorship, originally aimed at a few hundred domains, now covers over 250,000 websites.
- China "unpublishes" previously approved online articles about a Party official's private life.
- Burma's entire internal network is knocked offline in a denial-of-service attack...
- ... while Digital Democracy reports on the domestic state of commmunications technology in the country.
- A powerful advocate for press and Internet freedom, Persephone Miel sadly passed away in June. The Pulitzer Center, in partnership with Internews, has launched a memorial fellowship in her name.
- How the Great Firewall of China breaks the global Internet: stories of Chinese re-routing and censorship affecting services in Chile, the US, and even the American military.
- Thai crisis fuels social media boom: Thai authorities have shut down a number of Web sites in recent years, leading to wider use of uncensored social networking sites.
- A move toward secure hosts for botnets. As sites like Google's Gmail encrypt and secure their communications, malware botnets begin using them for their secure messaging.
- News of new Internet censorship measures in Tajikistan. (Rough Google translation only.)
- CPJ protested the arrest of Bahrain blogger Ali Abdel Imam back in September -- The Wall Street Journal has a story on his continuing detainment.
- Activism around the imprisonment of Canadian-Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan continues: PEN Canada is focusing on his case and Canada and France's foreign ministers have urged his release.
- Local Thai ISPs are being called in by the government to help block the country's rapidly expanding website blacklist. The authorities want them to respond 24/7 to censorship requests.
- The Journal of Democracy has published Ron Deibert and Rafai Rohozinski's overview of the pros and cons of new technology in authoritarian societies. It's available here in PDF format.
- The New York Times has more info on US law enforcement's request to broaden its Internet interception powers.
- Jared Cohen, the US State Department's advocate for high-tech diplomacy, has moved to Google. Foreign Policy interviews him on his new job.
As part of its declaration of emergency, the Thai government last week radically broadened existing Internet censorship powers to prohibit a wide range of speech, including independent commentary and newsgathering. In doing so, it has exacerbated an already fragile political situation and may have permanently weakened Thailand's constitutional protections for press freedom.
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