New Firefox add-on China Channel allows Internet users to take a glimpse into life behind the Great Firewall of China. The OpenNet Initiative speaks with the creators of China Channel to learn how the tool works, what its constraints are, and the impetus behind the project.
Australian Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's recent announcement that Australia's upcoming filtering scheme would not allow Internet users to opt-out was met with great opposition from the Australian public, as well as some from ISPs. The OpenNet Initiative looks at reactions from Australian and global Internet censorship activists to determine the reasons for opposing such stringent filtering measures.
According to Beijing news reports, Chinese government has enacted further measures to enforce cyber-surveillance of Internet cafés. In this “Big Brother-style system,” these users will be required to have their mugshots taken and their ID card swiped in all of Beijing’s 1,500 Internet cafés. As a result, these cafés could become “places for all kinds of spying and informing,” as RSF speculates.
According to news reports, Burma’s military government has taken further steps to restrict citizen access to the Internet by silencing dissidents and stepping up raids on Internet cafes. Hacker attacks originating from Russia, China, and Singapore blocked access to four major news websites in the run-up to the twentieth anniversary of the September 1988 pro-democracy uprising.
Our friends at Global Voices Advocacy have reported that Blogger.com has been added to the list of sites filtered in Turkey. This latest news of filtering comes on the heels of news that Wordpress.com, Richard Dawkins' web site and Google Groups have all been blocked due to the legal actions of Turkish creationist Adnan Oktar.
Australia cracks down on criticism of its latest filtering scheme.
While many Internet users in the Arab world demand access to more online content, other users campaign to have content blocked.
Under Australia's new Internet filtering scheme, citizens will be unable to opt out of inclusion. Instead, they will be able to choose between two blacklists; one blocks content inappropriate for children, the other blocks illegal material.
Bloggers in Kazakhstan are unable to access popular blogging platform Livejournal. Although Livejournal.com is inaccessible, however, Livejournal.ru can be accessed easily. Bloggers are looking for explanations for the alleged block.
A popular UAE blog, often critical of UAE politics and social issues, has been been blocked a few days after it published an analysis of the impact of the global financial crisis on the UAE economy.
