United States/Canada

ONI Blog: Big Internet Companies Back CISPA
This week, media outlets reported that major software and technology companies have come public with their support of the CISPA proposal recently laid out on the Congressional table, which would increase the power of the US government to monitor online communications....
ONI Blog: Threats to the Open Net: April 6, 2012
The House of Representatives proposed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. In what critics call the sequel to SOPA and PIPA, the bill if passed would allow Congress to circumvent privacy laws and monitor private Internet activity in attempts to...
ONI Blog: CISPA Threatens Online Freedom
Media organizations have been in an uproar over the newly proposed Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) put forth by the House of Representatives. The proposal, named H.R. 3523 and intended to protect individuals from cyberattacks, falls victim to the same...
ONI Blog: Arizona Passes Bill Targeting "Annoying" and "Offensive" Online Speech
Arizona's extension of a bill targeted toward "annoying" and "offensive" telephone solicitation may have censoring effects on the Internet. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has drawn attention to Arizona's passage of House Bill 2549. The bill, originally intended to combat...
ONI Blog: Microsoft Accused of Censorship for Blocking Pirate Bay Links
Microsoft has banned links that advertise the Pirate Bay on Windows Live Messenger. Torrentfreak reports that any Live Messenger user who tries to send a chat with a Pirate Bay link will receive a message saying that the link has not...
ONI Blog: Global Online Freedom Act Approved By House Subcommittee
The House of Representative's Africa, Global Health and Human Rights Subcommittee approved the Global Online Freedom Act (GOFA) last week. GOFA would require the State Department to identify countries that censor Internet content and restrict online accress in its annual Country...
ONI Blog: Threats to the Open Net: March 23, 2012
Pakistan halts its plans to implement a firewall against a list of objectionable URLs. The Ministry of Information Technology reversed its decision after the National Assembly withdrew due to stakeholder concerns. PayPal eased up on its policy on companies using their...
ONI Blog: PayPal Backs Off on "Erotica" Policy After Criticism of Censorship
PayPal recently announced that it would allow e-book merchants who sell erotic content to use their payment system. Previously, the company prohibited erotic e-book sellers from using its payment services. On PayPal's corporate blog, spokesperson Anuj Nayar wrote: Unlike many other...
ONI Blog: United Nations' ITU Stirs Up Fears of Global Internet Regulation
Another international attempt at reigning in copyright infringement could turn into a scary aftermath of SOPA and PIPA, critics say. The United Nations recently proposed an increase in Internet regulation powers for the International Telecommunications Union, a move that ...
ONI Blog: Threats to the Open Net: February 24, 2012
Hacktivist group Anonymous announces that it plans to attack government and corporate websites on a regular, weekly basis. The European Commission has suspended ratification of ACTA. To obtain a second opinion on any possible violations of rights, they passed the proposal...

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