901am

New Media News Every Morning

The Great Firewall of China might loosen up a bit this coming Olympics

By

beijing-olympics.gifWith 184 days left for the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Chinese authorities might go easy on Internet censorship. MIGHT. That’s short of saying don’t push your luck, folks.

Still, it basically means there’s hope for banned sites such as BBC, human rights and anti-communist groups to set foot on this forbidden online community.

More than 20,000 journalists across the globe are expected to cover this major event. Knowing the Chinese government, there is always a vested interest for this sudden change of heart.

“We are studying this now based on suggestions of some journalists and a study of the experiences of other countries, so during the Olympics there may be some changes. This is one of the ways the Olympics may promote progress in China,” said head of media relations, Wang Hui in a news article.

See what I mean? But don’t get me wrong. China says it might do that but they can’t give any promise yet. Until it’s not in black and white, don’t get your hopes up.

Originally posted on February 5, 2008 @ 9:36 am

UK to fight terrorism via Internet censorship

By

terrorism.gifSubjected to several terrorist attacks after supporting the U.S. against Iraq and Afghanistan, the UK government wants to curb terrorists materials scattered over the Internet.

Following the initiatives against online child pornography, the only possible way is filtering Internet content. However, British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith did not cite the specifics of this plan.

However, it is only in China that Internet policing is enforced. Other countries tried this approach but the idea did not fly for it violates free-speech laws.

According to a news report, Smith disclosed the government is working closely with the Internet industry regarding the implementation of this plan. Britain’s Internet Service Provider Association, on the contrary, is afraid this might bring more lawsuits to the providers.

in spite of these potential problems, you cannot help but appreciate the effort of Smith and her tenacity to push the envelope.

Originally posted on January 18, 2008 @ 9:33 am

Goodbye YouTube!? China to restrict Internet videos

By

china.pngI have this funny feeling that the Chinese government wants to be known as the world capital of Internet censorship. Soon after the Australian government announced its intention to filter online contents, China has taken another major step much to the dismay of privacy groups.

This time, the government wants to limit broadcasting of Internet videos to state-controlled companies. Will this be the end of video-sharing sites such as YouTube and popular Chinese site, Tudou.com? According to a news article, the fate of these companies is not yet clear. Both companies did not respond about this inquiry yet.

As usual, the objective is to fight malicious video contents, protect the reputation of China, and prevent anyone from broadcasting videos about the country’s national secrets.

The policy dictates that only state-owned and state-controlled companies can apply for government permits to broadcast and upload video contents. The permit is renewable every 3 years. The problem is that majority of Internet video providers operating in China are private companies.

What could be next? Ban the music lyrics?

Originally posted on January 3, 2008 @ 10:41 am

Australia’s Net filtering plan criticized

By

Perhaps the Australian government has not learned from the experience of China and some countries in the Middle East – filtering Web sites leads to massive criticism.

According to a news article, the new government plans to filter the content from Internet service providers so it would be free from pornography, violence and other malicious contents.

However, the privacy groups fear this will lead to state censorship happening in China today. Moreover, they emphasized this effort is not only futile but out of the government’s jurisdiction.

Australian Privacy Foundation chair Roger Clarke believes it is the responsibility of parents and guardians to protect children from such contents.

On the technical side, it can slow down the Internet service and can block pages that should not be blocked in the first place. Since most providers already offer free filters, they doubt the feasibility of this initiative to help solve these problems.

Originally posted on January 2, 2008 @ 9:06 am

Iran shuts down Internet cafes for un-Islamic Behavior

By

internet-censorship.gifThe online censorship campaign intensifies in Iran as Tehran police raided more than 430 Internet cafes to combat the growing immorality and inappropriate online contents.

About 25 net cafes are already closed down and 170 more are facing possible shutdown for “using immoral computer games and storing obscene photos”.

While authorities consider these contents un-Islamic, store owners and Iranian independent journalists believe this whole campaign is not all about pornographic contents and immoral Websites. Instead, this is a more extensive campaign to censor political sites, blogs, and alternative news as a way to restrict social and intellectual freedom.

Just like China, Iranian authorities might have this notion that they can censor the Internet to preserve their culture and prevent any possible uprising. Perhaps they are not aware that there are many ways to sidestep these filters using simple and free technologies online.

via RadioFreeEurope
Photo via TechFreep

Originally posted on December 19, 2007 @ 9:57 am