Category Archives: Legislation

#imweekly: August 5, 2013

Posted on by

Saudi Arabia
Raif Badawi, founder of the website Free Saudi Liberals, faces seven years in jail and 600 lashes for “‘setting up a website that undermines general security’ and ridiculing Islamic religious figures.” The website is a public discussion forum that authorities have blocked for years; the judge in this case ordered it shut down. The government arrested Badawi in June 2012 for cybercrime and failing to obey his father, and sentenced him more than one year later, in July 2013. Badawi initially faced charges of apostasy, which would have condemned him to death.

Russia
Russian blogger Anton Ilyushchenko discovered that a local nightclub had posted pictures on its website of seemingly intoxicated patrons “engaged in what appeared to be amateur striptease contests and public sex acts.” The Omsk resident posted them on his blog and criticized the nightclub. The post went viral and police began investigating him for distributing pornographic material, charges that carry a punishment of two to six years in prison. Some people said Ilyushchenko posted the pictures to generate traffic for his blog. Most who have spoken online about the case criticize the police for caring more about the image of the city and for failing to go after the nightclub where the photos originated.

Vietnam
Vietnam’s prime minister approved a decree that states blogs and social media sites can only contain personal information. “Personal electronic sites are only allowed to put news owned by that person, and are not allowed to ‘quote’, ‘gather’ or summarize information from press organizations or government websites” said Hoang Vinh Bao, director of the Broadcasting and Electronic Information Department at the Ministry of Information and Communications, to local media. The decree also forbids foreign Internet service providers from sharing “information that is against Vietnam.” Facebook users in Vietnam criticized the law, asking if sharing a link was now a punishable offense and lamenting that the government showed no signs of understanding the value of an open society. Digital rights organizations have criticized the decree’s vague language. The law is set to take effect on September 1, but it is unclear how the government will enforce the rule.

China
The Wikimedia Foundation is accelerating plans to enable native HTTPS for all its projects after leaked information indicated that the NSA’s XKeyscore program “specifically targeted” the site. The Chinese anti-censorship organization Greatfire took Wikipedia to task in June for dragging its feet on native HTTPS. China completely blocks HTTPS versions of Wikimedia’s projects, and Greatfire alleges that Wikipedia’s move could force the Chinese government to loosen its censorship of the site. In addition to Internet filtering and blocking, China is adding another tactic to its censorship arsenal: fact-checking. The nonprofit Beijing Internet Association is teaming up with the state-run Beijing Internet Information Office to launch a website that corrects falsehoods on the Internet. One visiting scholar at Columbia University said the site’s utility may be limited if people don’t trust the government. Amidst the government’s overarching censorship, one area will remain free. The University of Macau will become the first university on mainland China to obtain access to an uncensored Internet when it moves to its new facility on Guangdong’s Hengqin Island in January.

#imweekly is a regular round-up of news about Internet content controls and activity around the world. To subscribe via RSS, click here.

#imweekly: July 1, 2013

Posted on by

North & South Korea
Hackers brought down several government and news websites in North and South Korea on June 25, the anniversary of the start of the Korean War. Online security company Symantec traced parts of this attack, as well as four years of cyberattacks on South Korea, to the DarkSeoul Gang. Symantec could not determine where the group is based, but a South Korean government investigation points to North Korea. It is unclear who is responsible for the attacks that hit North Korea on Tuesday, but the hacker group Anonymous had said via Twitter it would attack sites in that country, according to the New York Times.

Bahrain
A Bahraini court sentenced 17-year-old high school student Ali Faisal Alshofa to one year in prison after accusing him of posting a tweet that insulted the country’s king on the account @alkawarahnews. Alshofa denied affiliation with the Twitter account, which appeared to keep operating while he was detained and on trial. Over the past year, courts have sentenced twelve people in Bahrain to a total of 106 months in prison for information posted to social network sites.

Taiwan
Taiwanese netizens are protesting several amendments that could make it easier for the government to censor online content. A Copyright Act amendment would allow Taiwan’s IP office to review content reported as infringing copyright and order ISPs to block it. A National Security Law amendment would encourage people to report content they think harms national security. An amendment to the Telecommunications Act would also require ISPs to remove content that “disturbs public order and decent morals.” Bloggers compared these measures to the U.S. SOPA bill that Congress proposed in 2012 as well as the U.S. Department of Justice’s  investigation into Aaron Swartz, surveillance of the Associated Press, and prosecution of Bradley Manning.

Ecuador
Several provisions in a communication law that Ecuador’s National Assembly passed in June worry journalists and others concerned with freedom of expression. One article appears to lump together every type of media organization (e.g., public, private, and community organizations that provide any type of mass communication that can be replicated online) under the same regulations. Broad interpretation could hold a tweet to the same standards as a radio broadcast. While the law prohibits censorship, it also tasks a Superintendent’s Office for Information and Communications with overseeing the media. Finally, the law holds third parties accountable for comments posted on their site unless site owners monitor comments or require users to identify themselves.

#IMweekly is a weekly round-up of news about Internet content controls and activity around the world. To subscribe via RSS, click here.

#imweekly: June 10, 2013

Posted on by

Jordan
Amendments to media and publication laws lead to a swift shuttering of more than 200 websites in Jordan last week. The Press and Publications Department of Jordan claimed responsibility for generating the list of “unlicensed” sites, including Al Jazeera, the site of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, and Time Out magazine. Criticized as opaque and vague, recent amendments require sites viewable (if not necessarily based) in Jordan to register with the Jordanian government, obtain a license, and actively monitor all content produced on the site in order to actively cooperate with Jordanian law.

Mexico
In what lawmakers defended as an attempt to curb cyberbullying, Internet users in the Mexican state of Nuevo León may now face up to three years incarceration for posting messages or images to social networks that cause “harm, dishonor, discredit to a person, or exposes him or her to contempt.” Defamation is a felon in Nuevo León and the amendment marks an expansion to the stringent laws to apply online. Website operators are also required by law to reveal to authorities the identity of anyone committing an act of defamation. Critics call the legislation opaque and vague, offering undue power to authorities who may wish to quell criticism against public officials.

Turkey
As protests swell in Turkey, Internet users are using virtual private networks (VPNs) in large numbers to skirt suspected government censorship. Last weekend, more than 120,000 mobile users in Turkey downloaded the free VPM Hotspot Shield, according to the manufacturer. The figure marked a ten thousandfold increase in typical daily downloads for the software on Saturday. Sources inside Turkey reported access to social networking sites in the country were throttled over the last weekend while Turkcell, the largest mobile carrier in the country, denied claims it was blocking the sites. Protests continue in Turkey at time of writing, defying an appeal from the prime minister end the unrest.

#imweekly is a regular round-up of news about Internet content controls and activity around the world. To subscribe via RSS, click here.

Singapore Media License Requirement “Casts a Chill” on Free Expression

Posted on by

The Straits Times reported that more than 150 websites and blogs in Singapore went black yesterday to protest a new government-imposed licensing requirement that, “casts a chill over the city-state’s robust and free-wheeling online communities,” said Cynthia Wong, Human Rights Watch’s senior Internet researcher, in a statement.

Beginning June 1, the Media Development Authority requires websites that “report regularly on issues relating to Singapore” and attract more than 50,000 unique monthly visitors in Singapore obtain a license and put up an approximately USD$40,000 bond. If the MDA finds “prohibited content,” including that which “undermines racial or religious harmony,” the sites must remove it within 24 hours.

The MDA identified ten mainstream media outlets that must apply for the license, including Yahoo! Singapore, which calls the requirement unsettling. The government said the measure provides consistency with existing media regulations. Siew Kum Hong, a former presidentially appointed member of Parliament, disagreed with the assertion that the law creates parity with traditional forms of media, mentioning that newspapers found to publish prohibited content do not have to collect unsold copies within 24 hours.

The government also said the measure does not apply to blogs, though it does not rule out including blogs in the future. Netizens criticized the measure for its vague language and the lack of public consultation involved in its formation. Bloggers launched a #FreeMyInternet campaign and have scheduled a June 8 protest in Hong Lim Park. As of today more than 4,000 people have signed an online petition demanding the government withdraw the measure.