News: Security & privacy
Indonesia bans website for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
The website for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission is the latest victim of censorship in Indonesia. It joins a number of other LGBT rights organisations which have been blocked by pornography filters.
APC member Bytes for All condemns SMS keyword filtering in Pakistan
Bytes for All, APC’s member in Pakistan, has written an open letter to the Prime Minister and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority criticising the proposed plan to filter keywords in sms messages.
Bangladesh: Focus on climate change means that e-waste has been ignored
Bangladesh has committed to becoming “Digital Bangladesh” by 2021. But fifteen years after liberalising the telecommunications industry, the country faces a significant e-waste problem. And because e-waste belongs to no specific sector but rather, crosses over into several, it is a challenge to create any policies for its management and disposal, says a new report commissioned by APC and written by Partha Sarker and Munir Hassan.
Panel identifies crucial link between online safety and social activism
A recent panel on “Social movements and data security” held at the University of Costa Rica highlights the crucial importance of information security to today’s activists.
APC member Bytes for All condemns Pakistan's new censorship policy
The Pakistan Telecommunications authority has issued a directive to all cellular providers to begin filtering SMS keywords, the latest in a series of restrictions to freedom of expression in the country.
APC in Qatar for an interfaith dialogue on social networking
Followers turned to Twitter to receive words of guidance from the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Chief Rabbi and Muslim leaders during the London riots in August. APC’s Dafne Plou was in Qatar to follow how today’s religious progressives are using social networking to spread their messages.
90% of India's e-waste is recycled informally – when will gov't policy recognise this?
According to the GISWatch 2010 report, electronics is the fastest growing sector in India and are purchased by about 52 million people. From 1993 to 2000 the number of PCs owned by Indians grew 604% and one can only imagine how many computers have been bought since then.
Women human rights defenders and the internet
GenderIT examines the risks many activists face online. “Security emerged not only as one of the main topics in our interviews but also forced us to change our ways of working so that we didn’t jeopardise the safety of our interviewees,” say the editors. A must read.
Should the private sector protect our online privacy?
Increasingly governments are delegating responsibility for content restriction, surveillance, and even internet blackouts to private companies. APCNews spoke with Milka Pietikainen, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Nokia Siemens about the role of the private sector in protecting our rights.
Turkey abandons unpopular filtering software
Turkey abandons plans to install mandatory filtering software after months of widespread protest. The reversal of this controversial policy shows the power of determined advocacy.
London Riots: Social media does not cause social problems say APC and GreenNet
Following last week’s riots, British PM David Cameron said that his government is considering a crackdown on online communications. However he forgets that the same websites and phone networks were also used to locate friends and plan safe exits from trouble-spots. APC and GreenNet issue a statement.
Dear Librarian in Denver: Why are you filtering the internet?
Controlling what users can and can’t see on computers using filtering software is standard in US libraries. APC questions the Denver Public Library on their filtering policy and practices in a fictional exchange that tackles very real questions of freedom of information.
Most influential Twitterati in Pakistan include 5 working to end violence against women
The Express Tribune has named 5 Take Back the Tech! campaigners as among the most influential “Twitterati” in Pakistan. Thanks to the MDG3 funding, these women are using ICTs to raise the visibility of violence against women on and offline.
Take Back the Tech! allows abused women to unburden in Pakistan: But what next?
Denouncing sexual abuse in Pakistan is a risky move. But after over six years of abuse by her biological father, a young woman who attended an APC Take Back the Tech! workshop in Peshawar could contain herself no more.
Pakistan blocks sex, drugs AND rock and roll
Pakistani authorities have blocked Rolling Stone magazine’s website for criticising the country’s level of military spending. But other banned sites are back online, APC has been informed.
Pro-democracy protesters in Malaysia warn of internet clampdown
As the Bersih 2.0 protesters campaign for free and open elections, signs of a stuttering internet from various providers are becoming apparent, and are pointing to a possible internet and telco blackout warns the group . APC supports the Bersih protesters in their fight for democracy.
APC questions new Pakistan petition to filter the internet
A recent petition which calls on Pakistani internet service providers to filter the internet has sparked concern among internet rights advocates. APC criticises the proposal as inappropriate in a democratic society which values freedom of expression and the right to information.
"Gay Girl in Damascus" needs to Man Up, says APC
Tom MacMaster’s masquerading as blogger activist “Gay Girl in Damascus” was harmful, say APC in a statement, and endangers the right to use the internet anonymously.
Out of the shadows: Filipino youth survivors of violence transform the personal into the digital
The narrator of The Shape of My Youth recalls how two years previously, a relative sold her for US$ 23. She was just 12. But this and other digital stories produced by a group of young Filipinos are not just stories of betrayal – they are also stories of hope.
Equal access to the internet can counter discrimination against women, says UN report
Efforts to mitigate violence against women online can backfire explains a report presented at the UN Human Rights Council. APC covered women’s issues and the internet at the HRC in a special edition of the policy and gender bulletin GenderIT.org.
