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Chinese BloggerCon 2009: Micro Power from the mouth of a cave

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:04 GMT

Twitter is blocked in China. Even so, a large and growing community of Chinese people are using it every day to trade news, ideas, and increasingly first-hand information about things that people are experiencing or witnessing. Several people have reported their detentions or "chats" with police live on Twitter. Others recently used Twitter to mobilize postcard-writing campaigns to get friends released from jail. If you want to keep abreast of the most interesting liberal-leaning social and political commentary on the Chinese Internet, Twitter is the most effective way. Since all of the Chinese domestically hosted social networking and blog-hosting services are heavily censored, China's liberal digerati have had to move outside the "great firewall" in order to have an un-censored real-time conversation with one another.

For this reason it was not surprising that the official theme of the 5th Chinese Blogger Conference - held at the mouth of a cave in Lianzhou, Guangdong province - was "Micro Power, Broader World." The sessions ranged from the inspirational and theoretical to the very practical. Some veteran activists spoke overtly about using the Internet to push for civil rights and even political reform. Others focused on the personal - one popular travel blogger described how he shows Chinese readers how to travel to as many countries as possible on as little money as possible. His motto is: "The world will be different because I have lived." Several college students described how they use the Internet to run charitable efforts to help poor rural and migrant children. Zhou Shuguang (a.k.a. Zola) gave a tutorial on dozens of different ways to access Twitter. Another speaker gave a tutorial on how to be a citizen journalist. Tips included: Understand the basics of Internet and data security. Get a blackberry so that you can post live to Twitter. Be prepared in advance in the event you get in trouble. Know your legal rights and be confident when threatened that you're acting within your legal and constitutional rights. Make sure you have contact information of a few civil rights lawyers.

As Isaac Mao declared at the first Chinese Blogger Conference in Shanghai in 2005, "everybody is somebody." The idea that the individual has value, rights, and responsibilities has been a strong theme at every conference over the past five years. Each and every person is responsible for the state of their home, their profession, their community, and their country. Here's how blogger-journalist-academic Hu Yong put it in his opening keynote (exceprted and translated by Oiwan at Global Voices Online):

Every single person has to bear one's responsibility and such sense of responsibility is micro power. The meaning of micro refers to every single Chinese citizen ... The meaning of power refers to action that brings change to the world.
..Every individual can take initiation where ever they want. This is how I understand micro power.

Read Oiwan's whole post for more people's perspectives on "micro power" on the Chinese Internet.

One participant who sat next to me on the bus back to Guangzhou told me he comes to these conferences every year to remind himself he's not alone. His co-workers and family don't have much interest in or sympathy for the CNBloggercon rhetoric. In fact they find it dangerous and subversive, despite the fact that nothing said or done at any of the CNBloggercon conferences I've attended has violated any Chinese laws in any way.

But in China, simply making a point of exercising your constitutional rights can be a major feat. For the last four years the Chinese Blogger Cons were held in major cities. This year has been so politically sensitive - thanks to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, among other things - that organizers only announced the conference a few weeks in advance. The meeting itself was held in a tourist hiking area at the mouth of a cave in a place called Lianzhou - four hours north of Guangzhou - which many residents of Guangzhou have never even heard of.

As blogger and citizen journalist Zhang Shihe (a.k.a. "Tiger Temple") put it, the CNBloggerCon community is engaged in an effort to "boil the frog in the reverse direction" - get the regime slowly used to functioning in an environment in which independent liberal voices are present and heard, without needing to freak out or fall apart. As Ran Yunfei (pictured at the top of this post) put it: "As we use the Internet every day, it changes us - It has made me more tolerant and taught me to play by a set of rules... As we train ourselves we are also training the government.. hopefully one day they will understand that they don't need to be afraid of us, that we can all legally and rationally coexist."

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-08

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:00 GMT

Looking for a contact at 7up Bottling Company who can help a student with her final year research featuring a Case Study on 7up. Please buzz #
Interesting feedback on what Nigerians do - online, and to stay online. Discussing first review at ComBITAfrica tomorrow. http://is.gd/4Lgky #
The first chapter of ‘Echoes From Ajegunle' is now available online - on PIN's website (http://is.gd/4MCSn) and Scribd (http://is.gd/4MCPj) #
Something is happening in Ajegunle, Nigeria! Read inspiring stories of change: http://is.gd/4MCSn (PIN), http://is.gd/4MCPj (Scribd). Pls RT #
Tweeting from the venue of ComBIT Africa 2009. Mrs Seriki (CEO, Omatek Computers) just completed a presentation on ICT education #combit09 #
Is this a joke? I'm in Lagos, @skype. “Sorry, we don't have Skype coverage where you are.” Anyone else getting that error message? #
“Give me a place to stand and I will move the world.” Really? No one is going to give you a place; find one, cultivate, stand firm, move! #
@Mos_Hygh That isn't very correct sir, I tweet #lightupnigeria from time to time - and I'm in touch with the movement. So, #lightupnigeria! in reply to Mos_Hygh #
@PeteratSkype Thanks, it appears as a pop-up message on my mobile device (wifi connection). Works from my laptop and another location though in reply to PeteratSkype #
@niyyie I was trying to gain access using a mobile device. Great seeing you at ComBIT Africa today, and please keep up the excellent work! in reply to niyyie #
The Nigerian ‘Digital Sense Forum', a preparatory event towards the Internet Governance Forum (http://igf09.eg) holds today in Lagos. #igf09 #
We're looking for students in tertiary institutions in North East/West and South East/South regions of Nigeria to administer questionnaires. #
“ICT industry associations in Nigeria must transform into lobby groups” - Chima Onyekwere, Linkserve boss speaking at DSA 2009 #igf09 #dsa09 #
“If we think of where we are coming from, we'll appreciate where we are and what's about to happen.” - Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem at #dsa09 #igf09 #
“For the Nigerian ICT industry, my generation should step aside for younger and more vibrant people to take over” - Dr. Ekuwem #dsa09 #igf09 #
“Nigeria was unprepared for the 1st IGF in Greece; we had no preparatory meeting. This is a great outing!” - Engr. Lanre Ajayi #dsa09 #igf09 #
Just observed a minute of silence in honour of Late Ndukwe Kalu, first president of Nigerian Internet Registration Association #dsa09 #igf09 #
“NCC is part of this process and we ar glad that the organizers brought the stakeholders together” - Mrs. Mary Uduma, NCC/NIRA #dsa09 #igf09 #
“NCC will keep supporting the IGF preparatory meetings… We know voice is gone, it's the data era” -Mrs. Mary Uduma, NCC/NIRA #dsa09 #igf09 #
“The minister was called away by the presidency at the last minute, she wanted to be here.” - Minister's Representative at DSA #dsa09 #igf09 #
Goodwill messages over, presentations will now follow. Line up includes Anne Rachel Inne on ‘IG & Africa: ICANN Perspective' #dsa09 #igf09 #
Mrs. Mary Uduma, NIRA VP, will represent Anne Rachel Inne. Also listed, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote on ‘IG & Nigeria: Journey So Far' #dsa09 #igf09 #
Also, ‘IG: The Position of Galaxy' by Gerald Ilukwe, MD of Galaxy Backbone. ‘IG: The IXPN Function', Muhammed Rudman, IXPN MD #dsa09 #igf09 #
She's speaking about ICANN at the moment, but NIRA/NCC's Mrs. Mary Uduma will return later to discuss ‘IG: The Role of NIRA'. #dsa09 #igf09 #
Also listed: ‘NIG & IG' by Engr. Lanre Ajayi, NIG President. ‘IG & The Role of Law' by Basil Udotai, MD, Technology Advisors. #dsa09 #igf09 #
‘IG: Adding Value to Nigerian Youths' by @gbengasesan will be followed by an interactive session led by Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu. #dsa09 #igf09 #
After lunch, summary of discussions - that will form Nigeria's input at IGF - will be presented for discussions. That'd be it! #dsa09 #igf09 #
“ICANN ‘Draft Applicant Guidebook' is open for public comments. We should visit the ICANN website to make input.” - Mrs. Uduma #dsa09 #igf09 #
“If we keep quiet, decisions will be made on our behalf. It's time for Nigeria to REALLY get involved!” - Mrs. Mary Uduma #dsa09 #igf09 #
Muhammed Rudman is now discussing the Nigerian Internet eXchange Point. NIXP's task is to keep local internet traffic local. #dsa09 #igf09 #
There are quite a number of secondary school students here, I'm sure they appreciate Muhammed's detailed description of IXPs. #dsa09 #igf09 #
“There are only 88 countries that have IXPs, 111 still don't. Africa has 18 IXPs, with only 3 in West Africa” Muhammed Rudman. #dsa09 #igf09 #
“Telecommunication companies have been able to establish direct connections for calls but the internet is yet to enjoy such.” #dsa09 #igf09 #
“That is why we still pay so much for internet access, but that's where IXPs can help with direct connections” Muhammed Rudman #dsa09 #igf09 #
Establishing a Nigerian IXP is a very good example of how global processes can inform local reality. WSIS inspired NIXP setup. #dsa09 #igf09 #
NIXP's area of interest in the IGF include Critical Internet Resources, IPv6, IDNS, Human Capacity Buiding and Cyber Security. #dsa09 #igf09 #
Engr Lanre Ajayi is now discussing the origin of IGF. “I will end by stating clear recommendations Nigeria should take to IGF” #dsa09 #igf09 #
“The countries that have been able to influence the global debate are those who have done their homework.” - Eng. Lanre Ajayi #dsa09 #igf09 #
“Every country has been pushing their national interest. What exactly is Nigeria's national interest?” - Engr. Lanre Ajayi #dsa09 #igf09 #
“Nigeria should consider taking the following to Egypt: Access, Spectrum Management, Root Server.” - Engr. Lanre Ajayi, NIG. #dsa09 #igf09 #
Mrs. Mary Uduma is back and she's asking the association of telecom companies why members are not utilising .ng domain names. #dsa09 #igf09 #
@nnenna I will pass on the question to Mrs. Uduma during the question/answer session - and will tweet the answer here in reply to nnenna #
“Security is an issue, especially because we have a bad image. We must prove to the world that we have integrity!” - Mrs Uduma #dsa09 #igf09 #
Just completed my presentation and left a strong message on the issue of security. Engr. Omo-Ettu is moderating questions next #dsa09 #igf09 #
Feel free to send questions in respect of the Forum and Nigeria's input at the IGF (and beyond). I'm compiling questions. #dsa09 #igf09 #
Just read out four quesions sent in from twarticipants. Send more, I'll read as we continue - though question time ends soon. #dsa09 #igf09 #
“NDLEA came for drug problems, EFCC for financial crimes; we need insitutional intervention for cybercrime” - Chima Onyekwere #dsa09 #igf09 #
“We need an agency to take care of cybercrime issues because we know that is number 2 problem, after corruption” - Lanre Ajayi #dsa09 #igf09 #
“Nigerian IPs are being blocked around the world, so we should take the issue of openness more serious at IGF.” - Lanre Ajayi #dsa09 #igf09 #
“A major solution to security problems in Nigeria is interconnection.” - Muhammed Rudman, MD, Nigerian Internet eXchange Point #dsa09 #igf09 #
The meeting will resume after the lunch break. Feedback to questions will be included in the report, to be posted online ASAP. #dsa09 #igf09 #
After lunch, the discussion summary was read out by the rapporteurs. The comprehensive report will shortly. NDSF is now over! #dsa09 #igf09 #
To all partners and supporters of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), we say a huge thanks for your kind support. http://www.pinigeria.org #
It's been a while I said ‘asante'; glad I'm off to Kenya (http://is.gd/4OMic) on Sunday. Egypt follows on the 13th for IGF (http://igf09.eg) #
The feedback has been unbelievable, but the real thanks goes to the young (wo)men whose lives are becoming great stories! http://is.gd/4OVZm #
@startupsnigeria @possicon @atadewunmi @takinbo @gbengaijotan, there's a chance to bring together Nigeria's Web/Mobile folks! Let's discuss. #
Sunny Ade is a scholar in residence at Obafemi Awolowo University! That is a fine example of industry-academia relations. http://is.gd/4P6fe #
Jambo Kenya. Can someone please advise on how to get a mobile internet data card that will give me reliable access in Kisumu? Asante sana. #
Join #ICT4D Twitter Chat - 11/13 @ 1700GMT - Suggest topics via @ICT_works http://bit.ly/ict4d-chat :: We should discuss ICT Innovation Hubs #

Echoes From Ajegunle

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:09 GMT

‘Echoes From Ajegunle: Stories of transformed lives‘ is the first in a series of eBook chapters telling the stories of the transformed lives of participants of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria's Ajegunle.org project. Please see http://www.pinigeria.org for more information about PIN's prjects.

clouds and concrete

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:06 GMT

clouds and concrete, originally uploaded by andycarvin.

BPN 1397 Dutch government: new approach to copyright on internet

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00 GMT

The Dutch government is seeking a new approach to copyright on internet. Two main measures are forthcoming: abolishing a surcharge on physical media and a ban on downloading content from an illegal source. Other measures are a better supervision of collecting societies and an improvement in the position of authors and artists. The measures are a reaction to the recommendations of parliamentary

BPN 1396 E-readers in the pipeline

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:26 GMT

In the past weeks e-readers have been at the center of attention. Amazon.com has gone international with the sales of its e-reader, at last. And Barnes & Noble has introduced its e-reader with two screens. But now announcements are coming from different nooks (!): tire manufacturer Bridgestone, hardware/software manufacturer Creative Labs and consumer electronics manufacturer LG. In the meantime,

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-01

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:00 GMT

There is no difference between an unprepared woman (or man) who happens on luck and one to whom opportunity comes when (s)he is not ready! #
Hello London! Thanks to Rockefeller Foundation and Ashoka, those were 3 great days in beautiful Bellagio! Pictures will tell the story… #
For latest Call for Proposals on ‘Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators' in Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, see http://is.gd/4FRLg #
Africa is NOT a country! Enough of “I've been to India and Africa”. Plus, I don't know everyone in Kenya; that is another country altogether #
I had a great time discussing with the participants of AGDC's Employability Program yesterday. Thanks, @DTChangeAgent, for the invitation. #
First peek into the ‘Digital Lifestyle of Connected Nigerians' research will be unveiled at ComBIT Africa on Nov 3, 2009. http://is.gd/4HXSk #
RT @AshokaTweets: Vote for Ashoka founder Bill Drayton as Huff Post's Ultimate Game Changer in Philanthropy! http://bit.ly/2chslE #socent #
Ignorance. Discovery. Denial. Pressure. Curiousity. Consciousness. Exploration. Acceptance. Familiarity. Dependence. Defence. Addiction! #

BPN 1395 Another day in the history of internet?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:28 GMT

By lack of a proper telecom history, October 29 has been claimed to be a historic milestone day in Internet. On October 29, 1969 the now 75 years old computer scientist Leonard Kleinrock is said to have sent his first e-mail between the UCLA computer and the computer of the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) of Stanford University in Menlo Park. The statement in many a press article today – even

BPN 1394 Kindle launched internationally, did you notice?

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:01 GMT

Beginning of October a press statement was released by Amazon about the international launch of global Kindle. The global Kindle would be a Kindle 2, it would be 20 US dollar cheaper than the price of the US Kindle at that time and AT&T would be the telecom carrier worldwide instead of Sprint Verizon. The e-books will be only in English/American and will be two US dollars more expensive; the two

That Photo Sure Makes Your Email Scam More Believable

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:15 GMT

That Pic Sure Makes Your Email Scam More Believable, originally uploaded by andycarvin.

I just got this email in my in box. It's obvious scam mail, of course, but I love how they've added a stock photo of global office workers to make it more convincing that a "British finance security company" needs my assistance in processing $35.5 million.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-10-25

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:00 GMT

Daystar Christian Centre is leading “Walk for Light” tomorrow, October 18, at 8:30am. You can follow online at http://lettherebelightng.org! #
Follow the ongoing ‘Walk for Light' at http://lettherebelightng.org. It's great to see the transition from talk to action! #lightupnigeria #
Even if you can' be there, call every media house you know to send someone to cover the impressive #walk4light. I just did. #lightupnigeria #
#walk4light @234next @vanguardngrnews @bbcworld @cnnbreak, something is happening in Nigeria! Follow the walk @ http://lettherebelightng.org #
“Echoes from Ajegunle” (Volume 1) will be available online on October 31. Get ready to read the inspiring stories of Ajegunle.org graduates. #
“Any religion that claims to be interested in the soul of men and is not interested in their welfare is a fake religion.” http://is.gd/4s5pJ #
Smart countries invest in research and anyone who gives 135 PhD scholarships will sure get returns! http://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/index.html #
RT @greyedoutmag: Windows 7 breaks Amazon UK pre-order volume record, ousts Harry Potter http://viigo.im/1fs8 :: I'm doing a review soon… #
Off to join other Ashoka Fellows and ICT experts at the Social Media conference hosted by Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Centre in Italy. #
Add great PEOPLE, breath-taking PLACE and career-defining PRINCIPLES and you have this social media conference. http://bit.ly/lakei #lakei #
Add great PEOPLE, breath-taking PLACE and career-defining PRINCIPLES and you have this social media conference. http://bit.ly/lakei #li09 #
We made a short video for the International Day of Climate Action. You can watch the video here: http://bit.ly/LakeInnovation. #li09 #350ppm #
Read Prof. Pat Utomi's blog on Baywood Continental, Volkswagen, CBN, banking sector, Nigerian economy and mentorship: http://patitospost.com #

BPN 1393 Barnes seeks nook in e-reader market

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:46 GMT

The bookshop chain Barnes & Noble with 1300 retail stores had already announced its rentree into the e-book; it had also announced that it would launch its own e-reader. Now the announcement is official and the e-reader, named the Nook (meaning a secluded place or space), can be pre-ordered at 259 US dollar. The device has two outstanding features: a six-inch reading display and a colour

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-10-18

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:00 GMT

Hello Abuja! My first meeting came with one key message: Quarter 4 2009 will be extremely exciting but input will have to go up by 300%. LGT #
If you live in Nigeria, please complete the ‘Digital Lifestyle of Connected Nigerians' survey at http://is.gd/z0As and tell others to. #DLCN #
Follow @nnenna for updates from West African #IGF. Remember to join the Nigerian discussion November 5. Details at http://is.gd/4jdSs #waigf #
ComBIT Africa 2009 (http://is.gd/4jTZd) is offering FREE delegate spaces. SMS ‘COMBIT CONFERENCE' with name and organisation to 08023910640. #
RT @nnenna: #waigf NIgeria has achieved 100% of the Lagos exchange point. Will be deploying an F-root server soon #
@niyyie I doubt that the NIXP will make such claims if it's untrue though. Hear you'll be at ComBIT Africa, I look forward to seeing you. in reply to niyyie #
@niyyie Sure. Meanwhile, do you know about Kelele - the African Bloggers' Conference planned for Nairobi? It's been rescheduled to mid 2010 in reply to niyyie #
@nnenna Thanks for keeping us in the loop! #waigf in reply to nnenna #

BPN 1392 Frankfurt Book Fair: no e-book excitement

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:17 GMT

The annual pilgimage for publishers to the Frankfurter Book Fair is over. On this largest book grail publishers walk kilometers, select potential books to be translated and talk about the latest developments in the sector over a beer or a good dinner. And the e-reader definitely was on the menu of the item list. The marketing bureau Forrester forcated a sale of 1 million e-readers in the

FREE Delegate Space at ComBIT Africa 2009 (ICT Conference & Exhibition)

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:36 GMT

Please see the message below from the organizers of ComBIT Africa 2009 (ICT Conference & Exhibition). See you there…

ComBIT is established as the key annual gathering of Nigeria’s ICT community and this year’s conference offers a unique programme of cutting-edge presentations. Sign up now for one of the FREE delegate spaces, made available courtesy of the event sponsors.

The conference, combined with the exhibition, is an ideal environment for the country’s ICT managers and professionals to assess latest computing and communication trends, technologies and strategies. Conference presentations include the following:

KEYNOTES:

Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, National President, ATCON & CEO, Teledom Group Dr (Engr) Ernest Ndukwe, Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Prof. Cleopas Angaye, Director-General, Nigerian IT Development Agency (NITDA)

SESSION 1: Developing a world-class ICT industry

Protection of ICT Infrastructure against vandalization: Legislation to classify ICT as critical social infrastructure

Wale Goodluck, Corporate Services Executive, MTN Nigeria

Adewale Jones, MD, Ashfield & Bowman Attorneys, Nigeria

Fighting anti-competitive and anti-trust practices in the Nigerian telecom sector: A call for a legal, regulatory and policy framework

Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman, Association of Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON)

Reinventing Africa through good customer service

Mariéme Jamme, President/CEO, SpotOne Global Solution Group, UK

SESSION 2: The Impact of new fibre links on West Africa’s communications sector

The benefits of infrastructure sharing and how to apply it successfully

Fazal Hussain, CEO, Helios Towers, Nigeria

The impact of new fibre links on West Africa’s communications sector

Engr. Bayo Banjo, CEO, Discom, & 1st Vice-President, ATCON

The impact of submarine connectivity on the region’s web hosting industry

Oluniyi Ajao, MD, Web4Africa, Ghana

Digital Lifestyle of Connected Nigerians

’Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria

ICT in Education:

ICT in the development of educational systems: Technological advances in access to formal and informal education

Florence Seriki, CEO, Omatek Computer, Nigeria

Demystifying e-Learning

John Bredenkamp, Director, PLATO Southern Africa, South Africa

Corporate Management Systems

Taking governance to the next level: ICT as a veritable tool

Lanre Ajayi, CEO, PINET Informatics, Nigeria

Green computing: Creating public awareness on environmental sustainability

Godwin Jibueze, IT Manager, Field Offshore Design Engineering, Nigeria

Banking Solutions

Mobile Banking in Nigeria: The NSDT Solution

Joel Akinfemi Akinware, CEO, Tagattitude Nigeria

Please log on to www.aitecafrica.com for full details or email info[at]aitecafrica.com or SMS COMBIT CONFERENCE with your name and organisation to 0802-391-0640.

We look forward to seeing you at this key gathering on Nigeria’s ICT community.

Helen Moroney

AITEC Africa

Email: info[at]aitecafrica.com

Website: www.aitecafrica.com

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-10-11

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:00 GMT

An international organization in Abuja is seeking the services of a Database Developer. Interested? Send CVs to me[at]gbengasesan.com ASAP. #
Just discovered ‘University of the People' (see http://www.uopeople.org), a tuition-free, online academic institution. Interesting model. #
The Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria's (ATCON) major annual event for the ICT community holds Nov. 2-4, 2009. http://is.gd/42TeY #
Who says we shouldn't curse the darkness? Please do, with a loud voice. But while at it, make sure you light a candle - or flip the switch! #
@nnenna Thanks for opening the thread, it'd be great to follow events from here. in reply to nnenna #
RT @nnenna: “Promoting the Multi-stakeholder Model for further Internet Development in Africa” is the theme of #waigf http://bit.ly/17NUVG. #

Happy Internet Human Rights Day!

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:06 GMT

Today is the 98th anniversary of the 1911 Wuchang Uprising which led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and founding of the Republic of China in 1912. (I wonder how the 100th anniversary will be celebrated in the People's Republic two years from now?) To mark the occasion, 15 Chinese intellectuals have issued a Declaration of Internet Human Rights, suggesting that netizens of China and the world celebrate October 10th to be Internet Human Rights Day.

C.A. Yeung at the blog Under the Jacaranda Tree has done a great public service and posted a translation. I've made a few small changes which I think clarify the meaning of the original Chinese version. Here it is:

Internet Human Rights Declaration
Issued by 15 Chinese Intellectuals

Those of us who are standing on the riverbank overlooking the torrent of history have witnessed the potential of this new technology: the Internet. We understand how this new technological revolution has brought about progress and social change. It has great potential to advance basic human rights and freedom for the Chinese people. Its contribution to civilisation will be on a par with the discovery of iron and fire, or the invention of plough and wheel in ancient times.

We acknowledge the arrival of netizen activism and regard it as an irreversible trend. Citizen reporting, which involves the use of mobile phones and digital cameras for live information dissemination, has already become a popular trend. The Internet has also provided netizens with unlimited space for creativity, and for voicing opinions through weblogs, podcasts, BBS and online comments.

We believe it is a citizen’s responsibility to be concerned about public affairs, and a netizen’s responsibility to care about freedom of speech on the Internet. Netizens are exercising their civil rights when they legally express their opinions or when they report the truth of what has actually happened. The best way to rejuvenate an ancient civilisation is to inject it with new core values based on the advancement of happiness and of basic human rights for individuals. It is also the best way to improve well-being for everyone in China. For these reasons, freedom of speech on the Internet should be encouraged, nurtured and tolerated.

We therefore pledge for the following principles to be endorsed:

1. Freedom of speech on the Internet is a part of citizens’ rights to freedom of speech. It is the most basic human rights and the most fundamental value that should be pursued, treasured and protected.

2. Netizens who express their opinions on the Internet using words, sounds, pictures or videos, should be protected and encouraged, as long as such conduct is in accord with the constitution and local statutes.

3. The right to publish opinion is the most basic rights for netizens. This includes the right to publish through weblogs and podcasts, as well as online discussion forums. Netizens’ rights to publish should not be subjected to unlawful investigation and interference. They should be allowed freedom to hold and to express their views without feeling intimidated.

4. Netizens’ editorial rights should be respected. When they are exercising those rights, they should not be subjected to harassment by authorities who act outside of law.

5. It is the right of Netizens to conduct interviews and to report their findings. This right is protected as a part of their constitutional rights to freedom of speech. Netizens who excercise this right should endeavour to report the truth, and to avoid distortions, fabrications and malicious slander.

6. It is the right of netizens to make comments and to exchange opinion. This includes the right to ask questions, to monitor, to criticise and to boycott.

7. Netizens’ freedom of speech encompasses a right to express themselves anonymously. Anonymity enables some authors to express their opinions in ways that best suit their needs. This legal right should be respected as long as an anonymous author is expressing his views in accordance with legal and constitutional requirements.

8. The right to search for information on the Internet is an integral part of netizens’ rights to expression, to be informed, and to act as watchdogs. It is our opinion that law-abiding websites should not be filtered, and that netizens’ rights to conduct searches on public information for personal use should be respected and protected.

9. Online privacy should be respected and protected. Netizens’ real identities and personal information should not be disclosed unless the information is required for a transparent legal proceeding, or else if the disclosure is necessary under the rule of law.

10. The free flow of information should be respected and protected as long as it is conducted in line with legal and constitutional requirements. Website monitoring, filtering and blockades that go against the principle of freedom of speech should be condemned by public opinion. Netizens are entitled to seek freedom of expression and justice through judicial proceedings.

We call for the establishing of an Internet Human Rights Day, to remind everyone of the need to safeguard freedom of speech on the Internet. This is the only effective way to make sure all people in China enjoy human rights and happiness.

10 October 1911 was the day when a group of patriots staged an uprising to end the rule of a cruel and racist dynasty. They also put an end to a long imperialist history. As a way of commemorating their bravery and their spirit of freedom, we suggest to make every October 10th China’s Internet Human Rights Day.

Obama administration disappoints on civil liberties

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:49 GMT

On Thursday the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to renew all of the powers granted to the U.S. government by the USA PATRIOT act - passed hastily in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks - that were set to expire by the end of this year.

The committee rejected changes that would have strengthened the protection of Americans' civil liberties and privacy while still retaining expanded power to conduct anti-terrorism investigations. They also voted to approve Republican-sponsored amendments - most of them recommended by the Obama administration - that removed remaining civil liberties protections left in the bill.

Firedoglake blogger Marcy Wheeler has the most comprehensive coverage and analysis of everything having to do with the PATRIOT Act, including an annotated live blog of yesterday's proceedings. Highly recommended.

Here is a sampling of what disappointed civil liberties defenders had to say:

Leslie Harris, Center for Democracy and Technology (as quoted by PC World): "The administration deliberately took a wrong turn on civil liberties here... The administration even opposed civil liberties protections that President Obama sought as a senator."

Kevin Blankston, EFF: to everybody who voted "yes" on Thursday "and especially the Obama Administration: you let down the American people today, undermining our constitutional rights and endorsing a bill that doesn't do nearly enough to protect our privacy."

ACLU's Michael Macleod-Ball in a press release: "We are disappointed that further changes were not made to ensure Americans’ civil liberties would be adequately protected by this Patriot Act legislation. This truly was a missed opportunity for the Senate Judiciary Committee to right the wrongs of the Patriot Act and stand up for Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights. The meager improvements made during this markup will certainly be overshadowed by allowing so many horrible amendments to be added to an already weak bill. Congress cannot continue to make this mistake with the Patriot Act again and again. We urge the Senate to adopt amendments on the floor that will bring this bill in line with the Constitution."

CATO's Julian Sanchez on Twitter during the proceedings: "Soul slowly dying."

Democratic Senator Russ Feingold, who voted against Thursday's reauthorization bill, wrote a lengthy post on Daily Kos explaining why. A lengthy excerpt:

Before I get into the specific provisions that concern me, I want to say how disappointed I was in the debate in the committee. Today particularly, I started to feel as if too many members of the committee from both parties are willing to accept uncritically whatever the executive branch says about even the most reasonable proposed changes in the law. Of course we should consider the perspective of the FBI and the Justice Department. Keeping Americans safe is everyone’s priority. But we also need to consider a full range of perspectives and come to our own conclusions about how best to protect the American people and preserve their freedoms. Protecting the rights of innocent people should be a part of that equation. It's not the Prosecutors’ Committee; it's the Judiciary Committee. And whether the executive branch powers are overbroad is something we have to decide. The only people we should be deferring to are the American people, as we try to protect them from terrorism without infringing on their freedoms.

I am also very troubled that administration officials have been taking positions behind closed doors that they are not taking publicly. I am pleased that we have not heard the type of public fear-mongering from this administration that was such a regular part of the discourse in the past. But if the administration wanted to further water down the already limited reforms in the bill that was on the table, they should have said so openly. Instead, at our only public hearing we were told that the Justice Department did not have positions on the crucial issues about to be discussed. Then, over the past week, in classified settings, the Department has weighed in against even some of the limited reforms that Sen. Leahy originally proposed. That led to the unusual spectacle today where many members of the committee based their decision to further weaken the bill on a classified briefing held yesterday, but could not fully discuss or debate their reasons. As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I am privy to every bit of the classified information that was referred to today. And nothing presented in the classified briefings justifies the failure to address the real problems with the expiring Patriot Act provisions and other intrusive powers.

Furthermore, much of this debate is not about classified matters. Continuing to hide behind a veil of secrecy is not fair to Congress or to the American people.

He concludes:

Democrats have to decide if they are going to stand up for the rights of the American people or allow the FBI to write our laws. For me, that’s not a difficult choice.

Next stop: the Senate Floor. For those readers who are American citizens, please contact your Senator and tell him or her to stand up for your rights.

Is America getting more like China?

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:38 GMT

Since Obama became President - and yes, I voted for him - there has been a great deal of optimism and energy around the idea that the Internet can be used to improve or "reboot" our democracy. The Administration has hired some great people to work on making government more open and transparent.

This is all great. But how much good will all of this nifty e-government do for American democracy if citizens' rights to privacy and free expression are not also fiercely defended?

On that score, the Obama Administration has been dangerously disappointing. This month's news makes me feel like the U.S. is getting more like China in some ways.

A man who was using Twitter to help coordinate G20 protests in Pittsburgh was arrested and had his home searched because he posted information about police movements on Twitter. For more on that story see the New York Times, Democracy Now (with a video interview of Elliot Madison and his lawyer), the Huffington Post, the CDT's Policy Beta blog, and the Digitaldumonde blog.

The FTC has released new commercial endorsement guidelines for anybody who ever posts anything online, be it on a blog, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon reviews, or wherever (except professional journalists who are exempt thanks to the First Amendment which seems only to apply to some Americans these days). While the guidelines are well intentioned and aim to promote honesty in product promotion and protect consumers on the Internet, they are so broad and vaguely worded that they could only be enforced selectively and unfairly. As Salon's Jack Shafer describes them: "They are written so broadly that if you blog about a good and service in such a way that the FTC construes as an endorsement, the commission has a predicate to investigate." What's more: "As I read the guidelines, the FTC could investigate you if you did disclose but it was not satisfied with the disclosure." See more critques from Dan Gillmor, Jeff Jarvis, the LA Times, and Jeff Bercovici at Daily Finance. As free speech activists living in authoritarian countries like China - or even pseudo-authoritarian pseudo-democracies like Singapore - will readily tell you, over-broad and vague regulations of speech are dangerous because there's no way to enforce them uniformly or fairly. So authorities enforce them selectively based on often arbitrary and generally un-transparent criteria. Such regulations become a great umbrella excuse to stifle speech that powerful people don't like for whatever reason. Over-broad regulations also have a chilling effect on speech because people tend to over-compensate in order to avoid trouble.

Then there's the matter of the media shield bill currently before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The idea is to pass a law that would protect journalists who refuse to divulge their confidential sources in federal court. It was bad enough that the definition of "journalist" has now excluded citizen media, bloggers, and student journalists completely. Even worse, the White House has now proposed changes to the bill that would substantially weaken professional reporters' protections. As the New York Times editorial page points out, so much for Obama's promise of transparency:

At the heart of the disagreement is the balance between national security and the public’s right to know. The best approach is to protect legitimate security claims while rejecting those that are made in the name of national security but are really aimed at avoiding embarrassment. That was the constant cry from the Bush administration as the public learned — through the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information — of prisoner abuse, secret C.I.A. prisons for terrorist suspects and warrantless wiretapping.

The Senate bill and a measure passed earlier in the House aim at a reasonable balance by relying on a federal judge to decide when security is not truly at risk and sources must be protected. The White House proposals would instruct judges to defer to the administration’s view of when and if a news leak presents a “significant” security leak. The executive branch would arrogate power to decide the public’s right to know by crimping the news media’s ability to make a case for disclosure.

As Michael Masnick at TechDirt puts it:

If you want to create a chilling effect against any sort of whistleblowing on gov't corruption, that's what this proposal does. It basically lets the gov't say that the shield law only applies to whistleblowing that doesn't make the administration look bad. But, in any case where the administration isn't happy, it gets to wipe out the shield. Apparently, freedom of the press only applies to situations in which the administration is not embarrassed.

Dan Thomasson at Scripps Howard puts it this way: "Now it seems the president also has decided the people's right to know might not be all that beneficial to him or them."

Last but not least, there's the USA PATRIOT Act (full text here), which in 2001 expanded the government's powers to spy on American citizens in the course of anti-terror and criminal investigations. Three of its key provisions are up for reauthorization this year, and the Senate Judiciary Committee will be considering them today (Thursday U.S. time). The Economist's Democracy in America blog has an excellent summary of the current state of play, which I take the liberty to quote at great length:

While some Democratic senators had initially shown interest in using the occasion to review the broad edifice of post–9/11 surveillance powers granted the executive branch, legislators now seem poised to move ahead with reauthorisation absent even the mildest additional civil-liberties safeguards.
The Obama administration had requested reauthorisationof all three "sunsetting" Patriot-Act powers: roving wiretap authority; license to spy on so-called "lone wolf" terror suspects under the broad aegis of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance act; and "section 215" orders, which allow investigators to compel the production of business records or any other "tangible thing". Yet the Justice Department had also signaled its openness to "modifications" designed to protect the privacy of Americans and check potential abuses.

Russ Feingold took them up on the offer with an ambitious proposal that would have substantially overhauled the new foreign-intelligence-surveillance architecture. More modest was a proposal by Patrick Leahy, the Judiciary Committee's chairman, that would have somewhat constrained the scope of both 215 orders and the controversial "national security letters", which internal probes found to be subject to endemic misuse.

Yet even the more moderate reforms proved a bridge too far for Dianne Feinstein, who swooped in at the last minute before last week's legislative mark-up session with her own substitute bill, stripping away even the feeble restraints Mr Leahy had supported. The reason was the purported fear of FBI officials that these constraints might interfere with a number of "ongoing investigations", intimated to have sprung from the arrest of suspected bomb plotter Najibullah Zazi. Over Mr Feingold's objections, Ms Feinstein's language was made the template for renewal legislation, and the committee is expected to report a final draft out to the full Senate on Thursday.

For updates on Thursday's developments, a liveblog of the proceedings, and information about how to take action, visit the Patriot Act Action Hub. For very detailed background read the last eight posts or so on Marcy Wheeler's Empty Wheel blog. She will also be live-blogging on Thursday. Also see Glenn Greenwald's The joint Post/Obama defense of the Patriot Act and FISA for a critique of some of the lap-doggish mainstream media coverage on the issue, and a rebuttal of Fox news coverage by Cato's Julian Sanchez.

I'm worried that most liberals and progressives have stopped paying attention and are just assuming everything will work out ok now that "our guy" is in office. I was tremendously excited about Obama's candidacy. I was jubilant when he got elected. I don't see myself turning Republican any time in this lifetime, but if the Obama Administration doesn't start showing a bit more concern for American civil liberties - putting aside for the moment the question of whether he cares about anybody else's - I'm going to start wishing for a viable third party with a meaningful civil liberties and human rights platform.

BPN 1391 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (16)

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:12 GMT

In the past weeks, I have presented my selection of the best WSA 09 entries. Every category has officially 5 entries; I have selected 2 entries per category.The World Summit Award 09 (WSA 09) was the the fourth edition. Originally the World Summit Award is an Austrian initiative in the context of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). It is an invitation project and

BPN 1390 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (15)

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:46 GMT

Category: e-Inclusion & ParticipationVoices of AfricaPRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONThe Voices of Africa website hosts over 300 examples of mobile reports supported by a programme which gives young Africans with little or no journalistic experience the opportunity to make a living by pursuing careers as mobile reporters. The foundation behind the site provides individuals with the basic technological

BPN 1389 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (14)

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:45 GMT

Category: e-Inclusion & ParticipationTradenet (Esoko)PRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONTradeNet is an innovative technology that links mobile phones to web-based management systems and enables agri-business, agri-associations and other agri-projects to systematically build polls, and automatically scouts participants for critical field information. The scout technology can be programmed to send or receive

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-10-04

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:00 GMT

“It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees.” -Wangari Maathai. Mine? ICT4D #
Read my new blog post, “Open Letter to INEC”, at http://www.gbengasesan.com/blog. 2011 is 19 months away, it's time to kickstart the change! #
@DTChangeAgent Pocket draining around here - I feel you! Thanks for all you do, Nigeria is FEELING you… in reply to DTChangeAgent #
Read my new blog post, “Open Letter to INEC”, at http://www.gbengasesan.com/blog. 2011 is 19 months away, it's time to kickstart the change! #
@DTChangeAgent Thanks sis. That would be a pleasure. I'm only one phone call, eMail or tweet away so buzz me sometime with the details. in reply to DTChangeAgent #
Nigerians spend N796.4 billion ($5.3b) on fuelling generators as alternative power supply every year! Ki lo de sef? Abeg #lightupnigeria jo! #
The ‘Digital Sense Forum' holds in Lagos at 9:30am on November 5, 2009 at Golden Gate. The forum will discuss Internet Governance in Nigeria #
Nigerians will on November 5 hold discussions in prepration for the Internet Governance Forum (#IGF09), see http://is.gd/3NoQf for details. #
If you live in Nigeria or can access the AIT network, watch ‘State of the Nation Address' by Dr. Tunde Bakare at 11am prompt on October 1… #
Now, that's what I call a meeting! A global brand has signed up to provide 20 paid 3-month internship spaces for our graduates - every year. #
VACANCY: If you love to manage book projects and speaking appointments, send CV and Statement of Interest to book[at]gbengasesanspeaks.com #
@eggheader Please do, I appreciate. Nagode. in reply to eggheader #
My name is ‘Gbenga Sesan, I represent Naija! Make sure you nominate outstanding young people @ http://thefuturenigeria.com. #irepresentnaija #
See the ONI ‘Internet Filtering Report' for Sub-Saharan Africa at http://is.gd/3Ue7g. The Nigerian country report is at http://is.gd/3Ue4y. #

BPN 1388 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (13)

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:31 GMT

Category: e-Business & CommerceAvaGuidePRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONAvaGuide combines interactive video and text-to-speech technology to enable virtual characters to hold customized conversations on company or product web sites. In less than 10 minutes of production time, AvaGuide can provide businesses with a virtual employee who will work 24/7, serving tens of customers at a time. One needs only to

BPN 1387 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (12)

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:24 GMT

Category: e-Business & CommercengpayPRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONngpay is India’s first mass market mobile commerce service. Functioning on every telecom network, consumers all over India are able to bank, pay bills, book tickets, make donations, shop, order food, and more - from a single place on their mobile handsets. At present, transactions with 80+ businesses across 10 sectors can be completed

BPN 1386 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (11)

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:11 GMT

Category: eSCience & TechnologyVideolectures.NetPRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONVideolectures.Net provides free and open internet access to high quality videos of lectures presented by distinguished scholars and scientists at prominent academicevents. The portal aims to promote science, facilitate the exchange of ideas andfoster knowledge sharing by providing high quality didactic content, not only for

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:27 GMT

providing quality name brand sports gear such as Patagonia fleece jackets, The North Face clothing and Under Armour clothing.

BPN 1385 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (10)

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:08 GMT

Category: e-Science & TechnologyNewstinPRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONNewstin is the largest news database in the world with up to 250,000 articles processed daily, comprising over 100 million and 5 billion metadata items. Newstin’s mission is to help corporate and government clients optimize intelligence and improve performance management by providing fully automated news and data categorization

ANNOUNCEMENT: Nigeria Digital Sense Forum 2009

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:30 GMT

We are a group of internationally reputed and award-winning Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry analysts and consultants based in Lagos, professionally affiliated to African IT Journalists and Nigeria chapter of African ICT Media, the media caucus of African Information Society Initiative (AISI) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Hence, we invite you to participate in the Nigeria Digital Sense Forum scheduled to hold in Lagos, on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at Golden Gate Paradise, Ikoyi-Lagos, as a prelude to the global annual Internet Governance Forum.

The purpose of the Nigeria Digital Sense Forum, endorsed by the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) among others, is to act as a rallying point for Nigerian internet stakeholders in raising and addressing salient issues concerning the ICT sector with particular reference to the Internet Governance-related issues and development in Nigeria. In view of this, the Nigeria Digital Sense Forum offers stakeholders the needed platform to articulate a stand on Internet Governance and precisely to act as a preparatory forum toward the Internet Governance Forum holding in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from November 15-18, 2009, for the country.

The keynote address on the proposed theme, ‘Internet Governance – Creating Opportunities for All Nigerians’ is to be delivered by the Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

For additional details, please contact remnek[at]hotmail.com or remnekkv[at]gmail.com

BPN 1384 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (9)

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:55 GMT

Category: e-culture & HeritageYou TourPRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONYou Tour uses the latest generation iPods to offer a multimedia tour guide which lets tourists conveniently do their sightseeing at holiday destinations. In an educational, entertaining and interactive way, the user is guided around their chosendestination, their route enriched by a wealth of content. Not only are the tours well

BPN 1383 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (8)

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:50 GMT

Category: e-Culture & HeritageA Journey Into Time ImmemorialPRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONA Journey into Time Immemorial offers users the opportunity to see and learn about the ancient Stó:lo people of Canada. The virtual online museum environment offers visitors infinite ways to explore and enjoy animated scenes from the past. Text descriptions, visual renderings, and photos describe the Stó:lo daily

China's censorship arms race escalates

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:30 GMT

Last week the China Digital Times reported that the photo above (click here to view full size original) has been making the rounds in Chinese blogs and chatrooms. It is an image of a "computer science float" for Thursday's National Day parade, onto which somebody has photoshopped a screenshot of the Internet Explorer error message familiar to anybody who has ever tried to access a blocked website in China: "This page cannot be displayed."

As the 60th birthday of the People's Republic of China approaches, Internet users in China are complaining that the Internet has become even more difficult to use than ever before. Not only has the number of blocked websites increased, but the most popular censorship circumvention techniques and technologies have come under attack. A sampling:

VPN's (Virtual Private Networks): The most popular VPN's among people I know in China are Witopia and Hotspot Shield. Witopia users in Beijing report that even with the VPN on, they have to manually set the DNS (via these instructions, see Q6) in order to access certain super-blocked sites like Facebook and Twitter. Others, in Shanghai and elsewhere, report that Witopia isn't even working when they set the DNS, or it works only intermittently for all sites. People all over China are telling me that Hotspot Shield no longer works for them at all.

Tor (onion routing): Since September 25th, according to the Tor development team, 80% of Tor's public relays are "blocked by IP address and TCP port combination." However you can still access Tor via bridges, updated regularly in various places. See some Chinese instructions here.

Freegate: (Note their website is down as of 1am Monday EDT) This tool developed by FLG-followers has reportedly been under attack since around September 1st. They have issued an update but according to various people around China who I've queried, including those using the latest version, it's still intermittent and difficult to use.

SSH tunnel: Dave Lyons, who has set up a tunnel to his own server outside China, reports that he also has to use Foxyproxy. UPDATE: Jon Phillips aka "Rejon" has detailed instructions for SSH tunneling here.

Proxy servers: Until this summer, probably the most common (if insecure and unreliable) way to access blocked websites was through proxies. It has been the case for years that users of public proxies had to switch frequently as they got blocked. However in the past few months Internet users in China have been reporting that the blocking of public proxies has become much more thorough.

Psiphon: I've sent out queries to see if anybody out there in my Twitter network is using Psiphon and whether it's working. However as of this writing I've gotten no responses. [UPDATE 30 minutes later: one person reports it's working]

If anybody reading this post has anything to add about any of the above, please share it in the comments section of this post.

Meanwhile, Global Voices Advocacy, Reporters Without Borders, The Register, and PCWorld all report that at least some ISP's in some parts of China have been ordered to install new censorship and surveillance software, "Lan Dun," which has variously been translated as "Bluedon," "Blue Shield" or "Blue Dam." According to PCWorld:

At least one Chinese city has adopted a further measure to monitor Internet traffic. The southern city of Guangzhou this month ordered Internet service providers to install "security monitoring" software on all servers and threatened punishment for failure to do so, according to government notices posted on the blog of one data center management company. Two such software programs, called Blue Shield and Huadun, were recommended in one of the government notices. Huadun's Web site says the program helps server owners remove illegal and pornographic content from their systems.
The software is meant to "create a favorable online environment" for China's National Day celebration next week, the government orders said. A representative of the data center company reached by phone said it put the orders on the blog for reference by clients and that the order applied only to Guangzhou.

Both Global Voices and Reporters Without Borders cite this Chinese-language Apple Daily (Taiwan) article which says that all ISP's were required to install the software by September 13th. According to the product description, it not only blocks websites but also logs individual users' web browsing histories and monitors instant messaging conversations.

In other developments, AFP quotes Chinese state media reports of new laws in Northwest China (namely Xinjiang) "making it a criminal offence for people to discuss separatism on the Internet." AFP continues:

The Bill passed by authorities in the Xinjiang region bans locals from using the internet in any way that undermines national unity.

It also bans them from inciting ethnic separatism or harming social stability, the China News Service reported.

The Bill requires internet service providers and network operators to set up monitoring systems – or strengthen existing ones – and report anyone who breaks the law, the report said.

The Bill did not specify what punishment offenders would face, but its apparent aim is to allow authorities to arrest individuals behind emails and web posts within the region that they deem to be a threat.

"The introduction of the 'Information Promotion Bill' is timely and necessary," the report quoted the Bill as saying.

"It ensures internet criminals can be quickly and effectively controlled in the future."

The Internet was shut off in Xinjiang in early July and has not been turned back on. Today blogger-journalist Michael Anti posted a report on Twitter that Internet connectivity will finally be restored in Xinjiang in mid-October.

Global Voices Advocacy also recently reported that Chinese Internet users are also becoming more acutely aware of the reality that domestic companies like Tencent log users' conversations and share them with the police as requested.

Open Letter to INEC

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:40 GMT

Dear INEC,

Nigerians do not believe that your name is correctly spelt, many think it should be iNEC since the ‘I' in your name — which should stand for ‘Independent' — appears compromised. I know, for a fact, that the only way to become INEC and not (a pain in Nigeria's) NEC(k) is to use the opportunity of the 2010 Anambra State election to correct the self-acknowledged mistakes we saw in the Ekiti State 2009 elections. I can imagine how some of your staff freely discuss how much they hope to work for an institution that will make them proud to wear their identity cards without the fear of being immediately judged as dishonest.

Considering the fact that Nigeria has seen a lot of troubles in its 49-year history, and that we have hopefully reached the proverbial point where the ‘harmless goat' turns around and bites its ‘predator' in self defence, I hope you are also feeling the sense of anger that envelopes the nation. What appears as a silver lining in the dark cloud is the obvious dissatisfaction among the nation's youth. One hopes that this will be sustained, and that it will join forces with the desire of the elite to spend less on what they should probably not pay for in the first place.

INEC, I do not need to remind you of the fact that you hold an important place in the possible emergence of a New Nigeria — in terms of governance, institutional efficiency and much more. You might have noticed the increased level of concern expressed through various activities both on the ground — and online. If you haven't heard about #lightupnigeria, I'll be quite surprised. It's an example of how young Nigerians have decided that maybe the first election after Nigeria's golden jubilee (for which the word ‘jubilee' would be an irony) should be the chance we must take to seize back the nation.

I visited your website, www.inecnigeria.org, today, with the hope that you would at least have information about voter registration and more but I was disappointed to see that you had more room for the speeches of your first employee than you had for the information which you were actually tasked with providing. Your webmaster even forgot to change the copyright notice on your website from ‘Copyright 2006′, and that makes me wonder if you have paid any attention to that window through which the world communicates with your institution since your last ‘major assignment' in 2006 — while preparing for the 2007 selections.

INEC, please wake up from your slumber and prove to us that you are preparing for the 2010 elections in Anambra state and the 2011 elections. It doesn't take so much time to put information on your website about how people can register to vote, verify their registration and also identify where to vote. We are only 19 months away from April 2011 and trust me, you shouldn't bother responding to say that you're waiting for April 2010 because we now have scattered elections thanks to Anambra and such other states.

You should take this letter quite serious because it is coming from someone who is not a member of any political party (that you may accuse of any anti-'whatever' agenda). It comes from one of many angry young Nigerians who are tired of being laughed at in the assembly of nations. Trust me when I say this: people are tired and awake. Tired of hearing Nigeria referred to as a ‘potentially great nation' or ‘a failing state', and awake to the possibility of a nation whose passport we can hold high up (and without non-green passport covers) across any immigration point!

Best No regards,
‘Gbenga Sesan

BPN 1382 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (7)

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:25 GMT

Category: e-Learning & EducationOur SpacePRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONOur Space aims to forge communities and explore identities through a user-generated, interactive digital media experience. It guides visitors to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa through virtual and physical exhibition spaces where they are also able to view images submitted by the public and to work them into individual

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-09-27

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:00 GMT

Hello Calabar! Courtesy of the Cross River State Government and Microsoft Nigeria, ICT education comes to secondary school teachers. #
“Nigerian Student Company Wins HP’s Responsible Business Ideas Competition”: http://is.gd/3AOSi. Thanks for your excellent work, JA Nigeria! #
Saw a flash of the trailer on TV and it made me visit the website. Now I'm moved to think that http://FigurineMovie.com may change the game! #
“Being an entrepreneur can be lonely. Being a social entrepreneur can be lonely and disheartening.” - SocialEarth. http://bit.ly/mtYSq #
Watch the video @ http://bit.ly/ohHV2 and sign the petition @ http://www.utomifornigeria.com/freevote. Please RT. #
Kudos to the leadership of Daystar Church for being the salt of their earth and light of their world. We should all be! http://is.gd/3GZZX. #
With the 2011 elections less than 20 months away, why does Nigeria's ‘Independent' Electoral Commission's (INEC) website say Copyright 2006? #
‘In My Own Words' will be available at the ThisDay Media Store (The Palms Shopping Mall) from October 1. See location at http://is.gd/3Hhm7. #

BPN 1381 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (6)

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 04:16 GMT

Category: e-Learning & EducationCELL-Centre for Experiential LearningPRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONCELL-Centre for Experiential Learning is a multimedia and interactive learningenvironment for medical practitioners, which delivers effective and engaginglearning projects in accordance with the latest andragogy principles. The trainingcentre exploits new technologies supporting natural interaction and new

BPN 1380 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (5)

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:09 GMT

Category: e-Health & EnvironmentMamaherbPRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONMamaherb.com is an internet platform, enabling users from all over the world to access and evaluate information on alternative herbal remedies. Having become the world's largest free Natural Health resource, its goal is to functionas a paradigm-changing tool in the field of alternative - and perhaps all – health related knowledge.

BPN 1379 Yet another iRex e-Reader; when comes the marketing strategy

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:52 GMT

The Dutch e-Reader developer iRex Technologies will have a new consumer e-Reader in the US shops for 399 US dollar by October. iRex Technologies hopes to counter attack Sony and Amazon with it. The e-Reader will be available in the US only for the time being.Irex was the first commercial developer, who launched a digital paper reader in 2006, first for Sony and later on with its own product, the

BPN 1378 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (4)

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:58 GMT

Category: e-Health & EnvironmentBioMAPPRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONThe BioMAP project monitors and assesses the biodiversity of Egypt and aims to create a comprehensive IT-based database of existing Egyptian biodiversity records. Linked to up-to-date data bases through internal and external monitoringof Egypt´s Protected Areas, the project enables an analysis to be made of changes in the status of the

BPN 1376 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (2)

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:26 GMT

Category: e-HealthMPedigreePRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONMPedigree enables anyone in a developing country with access to a cell phone to authenticate drugs before use. In order to fight the deadly consequences of the growing global counterfeit pharmaceutics market, it works via a simple SMS, accessible by default on all phones, and available on all cellular networks.Akin to the very popular scratch card

The Vasa

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:50 GMT

Video I shot today of the Swedish royal ship Vasa, which sunk off Stockholm during its maiden voyage in 1628. It was salvaged in 1961 and was processed for years using water and preservative chemicals until it was given a new home at Stockholm's Vasa Museum. It's the best preserved 17th century ships in the world, and one of my all-time favorite museums.

BPN 1375 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (1)

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:10 GMT

Category: e-GovernmentPRODUCER’S DESCRIPTIONThe National Broadband Map is a visual representation of New Zealand's broadband landscape. It has been created to graphically represent broadband supplier network footprints alongside geocoded points, which indicate potential broadband demand locations. The Map takes publicly available government location data from various sources and combines it in

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-09-20

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:00 GMT

Pictures from the 09.09.09 presentation of ‘In My Own Words' are now available at http://is.gd/3dFmB. Visit http://www.gbengasesanspeaks.com #
Discussing ‘In My Own Words' on ‘Rubbing Minds' showing on Channels TV at 3pm today. After that, all roads lead to this month's ACES meeting #
Our TV must be happy tonight, it's getting some attention from Mr. & Mrs. The TV has Who Wants To Be A Millionaire's Aromeh to thank. #
@kengimel Thanks. in reply to kengimel #
Congratulations to @oreoluwa for winning the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology ‘Change Agent Award'! http://is.gd/3g23E #
Is there a public holiday on September 21/22(Monday/Tuesday next week) in Nigeria for ‘Eid al Fitr'? Need to know to plan a meeting. Thanks! #
FOR KENYANS: Have you noticed any difference in internet speed (up) and cost (down) since the Seacom cable went live last month? Asante sana #
My internet service provider sent SMS and eMail to remind me of subscription renewal - and just called my mobile number! I smell competition #
@BoyeOshinaga Excellent odour, if you ask me It's high time we moved beyond the 1978 ‘plug and pray' service we literally beg for. Time! in reply to BoyeOshinaga #
Another interesting meeting with @rizwantayabali (virtually this time). http://bubbl.us is a free web app that allows you brainstorm online. #
Just returned from an interesting breakfast meeting with potential partners for PIN. Thanks to the British High Commissiner for hosting! #
Discussing ‘Unveiling the Truth' with young people attending the TREM Young People's camp this morning. It'll be a long ride to the venue… #
May the pockets of anger I see (and smell) around Nigeria come together to actually pave way for the country we desire. Enough is enough! #
Leaving Ajegunle, where the Lagos correspondent of a global financial newspaper interviewed 8 of our Ajegunle.org graduates. Great stories! #
If you live in Lagos and wish to get a copy of my book, ‘In My Own Words', you can do so at ThisDay Media Store (The Palms) from October 1 #
@gjmf Yes, you can get the book in the USA. You can use these links: http://is.gd/3saCN (Amazon), http://is.gd/3saED (Imprimata Publishers) in reply to gjmf #
@BIUpresident Thanks and good to read from you. Temi and I may be in Benin so I'll connect to know if that'd be earlier than your Lagos trip in reply to BIUpresident #
@eggheader If you don't live/stay in Lagos, you can order from http://flegz.com or http://booksng.com. They do all-Nigeria delivery. Cheers in reply to eggheader #
@Ivoryblossum If you don't live in Lagos, you can order from http://flegz.com, http://is.gd/3saCN, http://is.gd/3saED or http://booksng.com in reply to Ivoryblossum #
Reading the World Bank's World Development Report 2010, with the theme, ‘Development and Climate Change'. See report at http://is.gd/3shWM #

BPN1374 EC Guidelines for broadband networks

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:11 GMT

The European Commission has today adopted Guidelines on public funding for broadband networks:The Guidelines offer Member States and public authorities a comprehensive and transparent tool to ensure that their plans for state funding of broadband are compliant with the EU's state aid rules. The Guidelines will therefore facilitate the widespread roll out of high speed and very high speed

Did The Twitter Fail Whale Inspire This Children's Book?

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:18 GMT

Was this children's book inspired by the Twitter fail whale?, originally uploaded by andycarvin.

I was at a bookstore in Pittsburgh a few days ago and saw a book called Billy Twitters And His Blue Whale Problem in the children's section. Given that Twitter shows a picture of a whale being lifted up by birds - The Fail Whale - whenever it crashes, I wonder if this book was inspired by that art. The book was published in June 2009, well after the Fail Whale was well established as an Internet meme. Anyone got the scoop on this one? Alas, I was too busy chasing Kayleigh up and down the aisles to get her to sit down and read it with me. :-)

BPN 1353 Digital life during holidays

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:53 GMT

After all the events in Monterrey, Mexico, I flew down to Cancun, Mexico, or more precise in Playa del Carmen, a beautiful beach resort, for a holiday break. Normally, I would not write about my holidays. But I see something happening, which is becoming part of the digital lifestyle. Wifi has become available in hotels. These have different policies regarding this phenomenon. In Finland free wifi

China's new real-name requirement: another global trend

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 04:53 GMT

The New York Times' Jonathan Ansfield reported on Sunday that Chinese news websites have quietly implemented "secret government orders" requiring new users to register their true identities before they can post comments. His interviewees explained the reason why the orders were a tightly guarded "secret," implemented without public announcement or discussion: if they announced it beforehand, public outcry and industry pushback might block implementation altogether.

That's exactly what happened with the Green Dam mandate which was scrapped this summer, and from its failed proposals to implement real-name registration back in 2006. Given that China isn't a democracy, and neither policies nor laws require open debate in the legislature before they're passed, the government seems to have adopted a new tack with measures like the real-name system that are likely to be controversial: don't talk about it, just do it. Then aggressively work to shape public opinion after the fact so that you can claim the measure was in line with what mainstream and reasonable members of the public wanted anyway.

One point already being made is that South Korea's major websites already have a real-name registration system. (Apparently they use national e-commerce verification systems like this one (IE/Safari only) to run identity checks.) And Korea is a democracy. So, the argument goes, China is only in line with the growing global backlash against all the bad things that can come from anonymous Internet speech. One need look no further than the furore over the anonymous blogger who called aging supermodel Liskula Cohen a "skank" for evidence that many in the U.S., U.K. and Canada wouldn't mind a real-name system either. The EFF's Danny O'Brien rightly warned in an article last month that Korea is leading the global charge to stamp out anonymity.

A number of people here in China have been testing out the new registration system. The GFW blog has extensive annotated screenshots here. The NYT's Ansfield himself pointed out that he was able to register successfully using fake information. It appears that while many of the systems do check to make sure that the ID number you entered is a valid ID number, it doesn't verify whether the name you entered matched the number, let alone whether the human being entering the information matched any of it. Some people tell me they just search on the Internet for random ID numbers and use those. That said, as this blogger points out, all of these services log IP addresses. Even without real-name registration it's not so hard for the police to track somebody down if they really want to - as long as that person isn't using an anonymity tool like Tor and being extremely careful about their general online security. With growing numbers of Internet users being detained and prosecuted on charges of "spreading rumors" lately, even though the real-name registration system is far from thorough or perfect, it's likely to have a chilling effect.

BPN 1350 WSA Winners' Event Monterrey, Mex. (4)

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:47 GMT

Day one, 2 September 2009Time Side Program08:30 – 11:00WSYA Visit of the Monterrey Technology Park (optional)14:00 – 15:30WSYA Workshop with TakingITGlobalParque Fundidora - Nave Lewis“Leveraging Social Networks for Social Change”Expert:Jennifer Corriero, Co-Founder and Executive Director,TakingITGlobalDay two, 3September 2009Time Side Program10:00 – 11:25WSYA - Youth Award AmphitheatreParque

BPN 1349 WSA Winners' Event Monterrey, Mex. (3)

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:41 GMT

DAY 3 | FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 4, 2009Time Main Program09:00 – 13:00Global Forum ConferenceParque Fundidora - Nave Lewis13:00 – 14:00Lunch Break14:00 – 19:00WSA Winners’ ConferenceParque Fundidora - Nave Lewis14:00 – 15:20WSA Winners’ Conference: e-Science & TechnologyChair & Moderator: Dorothy Gordon, Director-General,Kofi Annan Center for ICT and Development, GhanaKeynote: Alejandro Pisanty, Chair,

BPN 1348 WSA Winners' Event Monterrey, Mex. (2)

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:35 GMT

DAY 2 | THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 3, 2009Time Main Program08:00 – 08:30RegistrationParque Fundidora - Nave Lewis08:30 – 08:50Inauguration and Walk-through the WSA Exhibit and iMarketSpaceParque Fundidora - Nave Lewis09:00 – 13:00GAID Global ForumParque Fundidora - Nave Lewis13:00 –14:00Lunch Break14:00 –19:00Winners’ ConferenceParque Fundidora - Nave Lewis14:00 –14:45WSA Winner’s Conference: