Threats to the Open Net: July 1, 2011
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* Google released an updated Transparency Report, which they hope will reveal “how the web is shaped by government influence and how Google responds to requests for information and removals.”
* More than 80 global civil society groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have declined to endorse a set of Internet Policy Principles presented today in Paris by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for fear that the principles could encourage greater policing of content.
* Classified documents about the Chinese Communist Party's propaganda strategy were leaked, revealing tactics utilized by the government to restrict access to information, censor certain sources, and more. Later in the week, reports circulated that Google's new social networking platform Google+ was blocked in China; however, in light of accusations against the government for the alleged censorship, the service appears to be up and running.
* In anticipation of the 2011 general election in Thailand, Thai citizens have been warned that they could face jail time and heavy fines if they use Twitter or any other media outlet to voice their opinions on the candidates and parties.
