Internet freedom falls for fifth year in row — survey

WASHINGTON — Global online freedom declined for a fifth consecutive year as more governments stepped up electronic surveillance and clamped down on dissidents using blogs or social media, a survey showed Wednesday.

The annual report by non-government watchdog Freedom House said the setbacks were especially noticeable in the Middle East, reversing gains seen in the Arab Spring.

Freedom House found declines in online freedom of expression in 32 of the 65 countries assessed since June 2014, with “notable declines” in Libya, France and Ukraine.

The researchers found 61 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where criticism of the government, military or ruling family has been subject to censorship.

And 58 percent live in countries where bloggers or others were jailed for sharing content online on political, social and religious issues, according to the “Freedom on the Net 2015″ report.

In a new trend, many governments seeking to censor content from opponents have shifted their efforts to targeting online platforms, pressuring services like Google, Facebook and Twitter to remove content, the report said.

“Governments are increasingly pressuring individuals and the private sector to take down or delete offending content, as opposed to relying on blocking and filtering,” said Sanja Kelly, Freedom House’s project director.

“They know that average users have become more technologically savvy and are often able to circumvent state-imposed blocks.”

Freedom House said governments in 14 of the 65 countries passed laws over the past year to step up electronic surveillance.

Criticizing France

The report said online freedom took a hit in France from new restrictions on online content that could be seen as an “apology for terrorism” and from a new surveillance law.

It also noted France’s “sweeping legislation requiring telecommunications carriers and providers to, among other things, install ‘black boxes’ that enable the government to collect and analyze metadata on their networks.”

In Libya, Freedom House cited “a troubling increase in violence against bloggers, new cases of political censorship, and rising prices for Internet and mobile phone services.”

In Ukraine, the report highlighted “more prosecutions for content that was critical of the government’s policies, as well as increased violence from pro-Russian paramilitary groups against users who posted pro-Ukraine content in the eastern regions.”

The report said most countries in the Middle East and North Africa, where the emergence of the “Arab Spring” in 2010 and 2011 was aided in part by activists’ use of online social media, were cracking down on government critics.

It cited a case in Morocco where police detained 17-year old rapper Othman Atiq for three months after he criticized authorities in online videos and said other regimes in the region resorted to “public flogging” of bloggers.

Overall, 18 countries were rated as “free” online, while 28 were classified as “partly free” and 19 “not free.”

The most free among the 65 countries assessed was Iceland, followed by Estonia, Canada, Germany, Australia, the United States and Japan.

At the bottom of the list was China, worse than runners-up Syria and Iran in terms of a lack of online freedom. Cuba and Ethiopia rounded out the bottom five.

Freedom House voiced special concern in the report about laws and policies, like France’s, requiring Internet firms to keep so-called metadata, which includes the time, origin and destination of online communications.

“While acknowledging that these laws are often intended to assist law enforcement in investigating crimes or security threats, the UN Human Rights Committee, the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, and other entities have recognized that the requirements inherently infringe on the privacy rights of all in a manner that is disproportionate to the stated aim,” the report said.

“Nevertheless, many countries — including democracies — have moved to retain or expand such rules.”

source: interaksyon.com

Singapore threatened over Internet freedom

SINGAPORE — A person claiming to speak for activist hacker group Anonymous on Thursday threatened to “go to war” with Singapore by attacking its financial infrastructure to protest recent licensing rules for news websites.

“We demand you reconsider the regulations of your framework or we will be forced to go to war with you,” a male voice said as a person hiding behind a mask appeared in a clip posted on video-sharing site YouTube.

“Everytime you deprive a citizen his right to information, we will cause you financial loss by aggressive cyber intrusion,” said the speaker.


The video was taken off Youtube by early evening after Singapore media reported on the threat, but other sites had copied it by then.

The voice in the video clip, which lasted for three minutes and 42 seconds, said Singapore’s cyber security defence network would be unable to stop the attack.

It said the “primary objective” of posting the video clip was to “protest the Internet licensing framework” imposed by the government.

While the hacker was speaking, a protest slogan was flashed on the screen saying: “I oppose censorship and support a free and open internet.”

Under the new rules imposed on June 1, websites with at least 50,000 unique visitors from Singapore every month that publish at least one local news article per week over a period of two months must obtain an annual licence.

Websites granted a licence will have to remove “prohibited content” such as articles that undermine “racial or religious harmony” within 24 hours of being notified by Singapore’s media regulator, the Media Development Authority has said.

The new rules have sparked anger in the city-state’s robust blogging and social media community which has accused the government of a lack of consultation and raised fears the regulations are aimed at muzzling free expression.

Blogs and social media have gained popularity as alternative sources of news and opinion in Singapore, where mainstream newspapers are perceived to be pro-government.

In June, around 2,000 Singaporeans led by local bloggers attended a rally to protest against the rules.

Over 130 bloggers in the island-state also organised an Internet blackout in which they replaced their Facebook homepages with black screens featuring the words “#FreeMyInternet”.

In the YouTube post on Thursday, the hacker urged Singaporeans to black out their Facebook profile pictures on November 5.

Singapore authorities have said the new rules provide clarity on existing standards for Internet content, and do not impinge on Internet freedom.

source: interaksyon.com

New Internet Law Gets Hostile Reception in Philippines

MANILA — A new Internet law that took effect in the Philippines on Wednesday could lead to imprisonment for common activities like sharing Facebook and Twitter posts, critics say.

The new law, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, which was signed by President Benigno S. Aquino III on Sept. 12, sets penalties for several computer-related crimes, including child pornography, identity theft, online fraud and illegally accessing computer networks. 

But critics are concerned about the law’s provisions related to libel, which in the Philippines is a criminal offense that can result in imprisonment. Harry S. Roque, president of Media Defense South East Asia, an advocacy organization, said the law applied the existing legal definition of libel to the online activities of individuals, meaning that if a comment on Facebook or Twitter were deemed libelous, the writer of the item and those who shared it could be prosecuted. 

“It exposes Internet users to prosecution,” said Mr. Roque, a law professor at the University of the Philippines. “You can be sued. You can be forced to post a bond. You will need to get a lawyer. You can imagine the mayhem this can cause.” 

“The Philippines has been a leader in Internet freedom,” Mr. Roque continued. “This law makes the Philippines at par with other oppressive regimes in Southeast Asia that imprison and intimidate bloggers.”

There has been considerable public outcry against the law in the weeks leading up to its implementation. Hackers have attacked the Web sites of the president, both houses of Congress and a variety of government agencies. On Wednesday, some Facebook users replaced their profile pictures with black silhouettes and bloggers created blank posts to protest the law, while others took to the streets, staging a demonstration in front of the Supreme Court. 

Some government offices have also struggled with the new law. “Foul words against our police officers can be used as evidence now to file a case against you in a court of law,” a post by the Philippine National Police on its official Facebook page read Monday, in response to a negative comment by a visitor to the site. Police officials later apologized and removed the post. 

Philippine senators who voted for the law, many of whom are up for re-election next year, have been scrambling to address critics’ concerns. Some senators have had to admit that they did not actually read the law before voting for its passage. Senator Francis G. Escudero acknowledged on Tuesday on his Web site that he had not read the provision of the law dealing with online libel, but said he had introduced a bill to decriminalize libel. 

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, who voted for the new law, said Wednesday — the same day he filed his certificate of candidacy for re-election — that he supported amending the legislation. 

“Not all the laws that we pass are perfect,” Mr. Angara told reporters. “At least in this case we are responsive.” 

A spokesman for Mr. Aquino sought Wednesday to calm public fears after the barrage of protests and an announcement by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima that her department would be hiring 150 investigators to enforce the new law. 

“Our Constitution is clear and uncompromising in the civil liberties it guarantees all our people,” said the spokesman, Edwin Lacierda. “As the basic law, its guarantees cannot, and will not, be diminished or reduced by any law passed by Congress.” 

At least nine petitions have been filed with the Supreme Court seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the prosecution of anyone under the law. The court has said it will rule on the matter next week. 

In a study released before the law was passed, the American group Freedom House ranked the Philippines sixth in the world in terms of Internet freedom. 

source: nytimes.com

Malaysians mount Web ‘blackout’ to protest law

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian NGOs, well-known bloggers and opposition politicians on Tuesday staged a one-day “Internet blackout” to protest a legal amendment that they say threatens free expression on the Web.

Participants replaced their home pages with black screens featuring messages attacking the new section of the Evidence Act, which went into effect in April despite widespread opposition.

Critics say under the amendment any web host, provider of a wi-fi network, or ordinary user of a computer or mobile device can be found liable for any defamatory or harmful Web content sent via its systems.

Activists have called it an attempt by the ruling coalition government, which has been in power for more than five decades, to clamp down on the Internet.

Prime Minister Najib Razak must call elections by next year against a formidable opposition that gets most of its message out via the Internet due to a government stranglehold on traditional media.

The government promised in the 1990s not to censor the Internet in a bid to draw in foreign high-tech investment, although authorities are accused of blocking some sites.

The effort has been spearheaded by Malaysia’s Centre for Independent Journalism, which calls the amendment “a bad law passed in haste and does not take into account public interest and participation.”

The CIJ and other critics — which also have included some figures in the ruling coalition — have called for it to be scrapped or revised.

The 24-hour blackout was to last until midnight.

Users attempting to access Paultan.org, a highly popular automotive-themed blog, were greeted with a black pop-up screen that said: “This is what the web could look like” under the legal change.

Malaysia has long been known for its authoritarian rule but Najib, who came to power in 2009, has launched a campaign to repeal some repressive laws to gain voter support.

However, the opposition and rights groups have dismissed the drive as a sham, saying that various laws introduced to replace the previous legislation have been little better than the old statutes.

source: interaksyon.com