Censorship in America

Internet Censorship: Chopping the Head off LulzSec

Sean — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:19:58 +0000

For a while, it seemed that the hacker group with the silly name was running rings around the FBI. In the end, however, it appears it was the FBI running the show. In the summer of 2011, LulzSec – supposedly short for “Lulz Security” – erupted out of nowhere and began a flashy string of [...]

Internet Censorship: Top Hacker Turns Snitch, Alleged ‘Anonymous’ Leaders Busted

Sean — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:09:11 +0000

Several alleged leaders of the international hacking organization “Anonymous” are not anonymous anymore. U.S. officials Tuesday announced the arrests of six high-profile hackers, including Hector Xavier Monsegur. Documents filed in a federal court in New York indicate that Monsegur, known in the hacking community as “Sabu,” cooperated with the investigation, leading to the arrests. The [...]

Hypocrisy in Hollywood: Infographic

Sean — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:16:41 +0000

Created by: Paralegal.net Filed under: Censorship, Freedom of Expression, Government Control Tagged: censorship, Censorship in America, entertainment, Hollywood, Hypocrisy, Occupy Wall Street, Politics

DMCA: Horrors of a Broad and Automated Censorship Tool

Sean — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:06:30 +0000

The DMCA was once drafted to protect the interests of copyright holders, allowing them to take infringing content offline. Today, however, the system is systematically abused by rights-holders as an overboard censorship tool. One third of the notices sent to Google are false, companies like Microsoft censor perfectly legal sites, and others use the DMCA [...]

Internet Censorship: CCP Proposes Cells For Microblogs

Sean — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:30:45 +0000

China’s ruling Communist Party wants to set up branches at all major microblogging sites. Authorities plan to establish propaganda department branches of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at the offices of Chinese Internet companies providing microblogging services, according to reports and netizens. The Party’s move, first reported by Taiwan’s United Daily News, is part of [...]

Media Censorship: Media Freedom Worsens in China

Sean — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:24:14 +0000

Tightened press controls followed official concerns about ‘Jasmine’ uprisings. China has fallen once again in world press freedom rankings, following a year marked by crackdowns around the world, the Paris-based press monitor Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in an annual report. “Control of news and information continued to tempt governments and to be a question [...]

Burma: Censorship Abolished In ‘Months’

Sean — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:18:16 +0000

The head of Burma’s censorship board says a law has been drafted and is awaiting approval. Burma’s censorship chief insisted Wednesday that the country’s censorship board will be abolished in “a matter of months,” despite recent reports of a rollback on press freedoms in the lead-up to elections. Tint Swe, director of the Press Scrutiny [...]

China’s Top Official in Tibet Orders New Media Clampdown

Sean — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:08:41 +0000

China’s top leader in Tibet is urging local authorities to clamp down on Internet and mobile phone use in the region, as Beijing prepares to open its annual National People’s Congress and Tibetans honor those who have died protesting Chinese rule. The state-run Tibet Daily quotes regional Communist Party chief Chen Quanguo as saying that [...]

Somali Journalist Killing Is Latest in Violent Trend

Sean — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:03:09 +0000

A Mogadishu radio-station director has became the third Somali journalist killed in as many months. The death underscores the constant threat against journalists working in the war-torn country. Abukar Hassan Mohamoud is the latest journalist to be killed in the bullet-ridden Somali capital, Mogadishu. Witnesses say unidentified gunmen assassinated the Somaliweyn radio station director late [...]

Internet Opens Russia for Democracy Movement

Sean — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:56:01 +0000

Russia’s protest movement grew and got organized with speed that startled many in the political establishment. Russia’s uncensored Internet allows people to communicate, coordinate and raise money for rallies, all through their computers. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is running for president in elections March 4. His campaign website photos show him skiing, skating and fighting [...]

Art Censorship: Pissy Pussy Comic – ‘Getting Social’

Sean — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:42:39 +0000

The following comic art, story and characters are Copyright © 2012 DarkBrain, LLC. All rights reserved. Images used by permission of DarkBrain, LLC. See more awesome art and comics at DarkBrain.com Download this free edition as a PDF by clicking here. Filed under: Art Censorship, Freedom of Expression, Literature Censorship Tagged: Art [...]

Internet Censorship: The Wiki Blackout, One Day Later

Sean — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:51:34 +0000

Just What, If Anything, Did Wednesday’s Protest Achieve? Not content to leave the battle un-joined, the hacker group Anonymous stepped into the SOPA fray Thursday evening by launching a massive denial of service attack on several SOPA supporters, including Universal Music, the RIAA and MPAA. Also targeted was the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. [...]

Internet Censorship: Copyright Enforcement Vs. Censorship — Impact Of ‘Megaupload’ Case

Sean — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:37:05 +0000

Joss Wright, a researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, speaks to RFE/RL correspondent Ron Synovitz about the possible impact of the Megaupload copyright case on Internet freedoms around the world. RFE/RL: The U.S. government shut down the file-sharing websites of Megaupload on grounds of copyright infringement [...]

Iran to Start Uranium Enrichment at Underground Site This Month

Sean — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:56:34 +0000

Satellite image shows a facility under construction inside a mountain located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north northeast of Qom, Iran. A senior Iranian official says Iran will launch a second uranium enrichment facility later this month at an underground site that is well protected from potential air strikes by nations opposed to the Iranian [...]

Censorship in America: Hate Speech Overview

Sean — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:52:32 +0000

Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic. In law, hate speech is any speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display which is forbidden because it may incite [...]

Media Censorship: Vietnam Journalist Held For ‘Graft’

Sean — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:13:38 +0000

Vietnamese authorities have arrested a journalist who wrote a series of exposes on corruption for allegedly bribing a traffic cop, according to a state media report. The official Thanh Nien newspaper said Hoang Khuong, 37, whose real name is Nguyen Van Khuong and who writes for the Tuoi Tre newspaper, was detained on Monday. He [...]

Human Rights: U.S. Accused of Abusing Afghan Prisoners

Sean — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 20:14:25 +0000

A commission set up by Afghan President Hamid Karzai is making serious accusations against a U.S.-run prison. In a report released to the media Saturday, the commission accused the United States of abusing and torturing Afghans held at a prison neat Bagram air base, north of the capital of Kabul. The report contains few details [...]

Human Rights: Tunisia Tense Ahead of Revolution Anniversary

Sean — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:49:52 +0000

An elderly man is in serious condition after setting himself on fire in southern Tunisia this week – in an apparent attempt to draw attention to the dire economic situation in the North African country. The act speaks to simmering tensions days ahead of the one year anniversary of Tunisia’s revolution that launched the so-called [...]

Censorship 2012: New Year’s Resolution: Full Disk Encryption on Every Computer You Own

Sean — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 18:25:01 +0000

| By Seth Schoen | Sourced from EFF.org (Creative Commons License) | The New Year is upon us, and you might be partaking in the tradition of making a resolution for the coming year. This year, why not make a resolution to protect your data privacy with one of the most powerful tools available? Commit to full disk [...]

Censorship: 2011 in Review – Internet Freedom in the Wake of the Arab Spring

Sean — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:56:06 +0000

| By Jillian C. York | Sourced from EFF.org (Creative Commons License) | As the year draws to a close, EFF is looking back at the major trends influencing digital rights in 2011 and discussing where we are in the fight for a free expression, innovation, fair use, and privacy. For several years, discussions about global Internet [...]