Tag: Social media

#Notosocialmediabill: Nigeria on verge of criminalizing social media
Nigeria is the verge of sending people to jail for their tweets and Facebook posts.

Bangladesh and the U.S.: Internet shutdowns are the wrong response to national security threats
Yesterday, authorities in Dhaka, Bangladesh shut down some internet services for several hours, including blocking access to Facebook, Whatsapp, and Viber. Service was later restored, but key services remain offline. The latest shutdown in Dhaka shows worrying backsliding to the use of internet shutdowns as a blunt instrument to deal with threats to national security. It also solidifies the South Asia region as a hub for these intentional disruptions, given that Pakistan and the Indian provinces of Gujarat and Kashmir have also chosen to disrupt networks in the past few months. Worse, it looks as though lawmakers around the world are seeing threats to national security as a justification for undermining the open internet.

Nauru in hot seat as U.N. decries internet blocking, clampdown on free expression
Today countries around the world urged the small island state of Nauru to restore access to social media and support free expression. Delivered in a session at the United Nations Human Rights Council, the recommendations — presented by official delegations from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Timor Leste, among others — represent a sharp rebuke after Nauru clamped down on free expression over the past year, including blocking Facebook. In a separate action, Access Now delivered a petition to the government of Nauru signed by more than 5,000 people calling on the government to restore full access to the internet.

Nameless Coalition calls on Facebook to change its real name policy

Access urges UN and African Union experts to take action on Burundi internet shutdown
Today, Access submitted a letter to UN and African Union experts requesting their urgent intervention on the internet shutdown in Burundi, where social media services have been cut off in the face of public unrest. The letter underscores the importance of the internet to realizing human rights, and explains how shutdowns often enable egregious human rights violations.
Ello, is anyone out there?
New social media site promises more privacy, but can it follow through?
Turkey: A “show trial” against peaceful Gezi activists
Activists involved in the organization of the first Gezi park protests in Turkey are currently standing trial, which Amnesty International describes as “a vindictive, politically motivated show trial without a shred of evidence of actual crimes.”
Egypt seeks the help of international companies to monitor social media
According to recently leaked documents, the Egyptian government is planning on developing a new social media monitoring system to match the capabilities of the NSA PRISM program.
ChatMonopoly: Russia consolidates control over social media
Russia’s largest homegrown social network, Vkontakte, with its more than 100 million users, is now under new management.
Venezuela’s media crackdown extends online
Venezuela has become the first South American government to take credit for shutting down nationwide access to the servers of massive online social networks to stifle political demonstrations.