Slate writes about the newly drafted Declaration of Internet Freedom. The blog entry explains the need for Internet freedom–not as an issue of left vs. right, but as something that matters “to everyone who cares about the health and future of democracy.” They link to an official declaration, which was posted on reddit, Techdirt, Cheezburger, and Github (as well as the declaration’s own website where people can sign it).
The proclamation reads:
Since its posting the internet has been aflutter proliferating and reacting to the message. This includes a viral tweet from Amnesty International (@amnesty) saying, “We’re proud to join 100+ groups today in signing the Declaration of Internet Freedom.” Along with organizations like Amnesty International, supporters of the Declaration include Herdict founder and Harvard Law Professor Jonathan Zittrain.
China restricted access to US news agency Bloomberg this past week. According to Bloomberg spokesperson Ty Trippet this is in reaction to a recent article divulging the familial wealth of Xi Jinping, the man expected to be the next Chinese president. The article, which ran June 29, explains the extreme wealth of the Xi family, including interests in “rare-earths mining, real estate and mobile-phone equipment.”
The exposé is clear to not tie the Communist politician to his family’s massive wealth:
No assets were traced to Xi, who turns 59 this month; his wife Peng Liyuan, 49, a famous People’s Liberation Army singer; or their daughter, the documents show. There is no indication Xi intervened to advance his relatives’ business transactions, or of any wrongdoing by Xi or his extended family.
It does, however, enumerate the business assets the family has accumulated over many years, which amount to over $376 million.
The regime-sanctioned censorship, which occurred over the weekend, blocks Chinese Internet users from viewing Bloomberg articles and restricts any searches about Xi or his family.
This is just an example of the heightened attentiveness the Chinese government has kept over Internet users with the upcoming regime change. The Times of India explains that this ratcheting up of online filtration tactics is indicative of “the government’s concerns about ensuring the country’s leadership transition goes smoothly.”
The US has responded by urging China to stop censoring the Internet. An anonymous State Department spokesperson was quoted as saying, “We have continually urged China to respect internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms on the Internet, including freedom of expression.”
Prior to this event, the US was already concerned about China blocking US businesses’ sites. In late 2011, the US filed an inquiry with the WTO, questioning China about their online filtration program as it applied to US companies. The inquiry looked into the China’s censorship practices, looking specifically at “the adverse business impacts” it causes when blocking US commercial websites. Given these and other difficulties with China’s complex censorship program, the US has been keeping a watchful eye over China’s online operation.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is the latest group to voice concerns over Ethiopia’s increasingly draconian Internet control, even as the government justifies these measures as a safeguard against telecom fraud.
On Monday, CPJ outlined its concern about new sophisticated censorship methods employed in Ethiopia, which the group said may encourage other authoritarian regimes in Africa. According to the Associated Press, the CPJ statement says that “‘the rollout of a far more pervasive and sophisticated blocking system’” started in April to include smaller blogs by exiles and news services, and even individual Facebook pages.”
In late May, our colleagues at the Open Net Initiative noted reports that Ethio Telecom was likely using deep packet inspection (DPI) to block access to the Tor Network, which allows users to browse anonymously and access blocked websites. According to a French newspaper, France Telecom, which manages Ethio Telecom, helped the government implement this technology to monitor the country’s Internet subscribers.
Ethiopia has one of the lowest rates of Internet penetration in the world–only about 1 percent of its population can access the Internet. However, as Africa’s second most populous country and one of the world’s fastest growing economies, that is likely to change quickly. Anticipating growth of Internet usage, the government imposes strict laws on Internet service, which is provided by the state-owned telecoms carrier Ethio Telecom.
Last month, media outlets reported extensively on the criminalization of VoIP services like Skype by Ethiopia’s new telecommunications law, which government officials say is still in draft form. However, one Ethiopian blogger writes that the prohibition of Skype may only apply to businesses, not individuals. He cautions that the law “is only a draft and only passed the first stage of the legislative process to date.”
Shimeles Kemal, a representative for the Ethiopian government, has said the draft proclamation is not intended to restrict access to Skype but to curb telecom-related offenses, according to the Sudan Tribune.
“The draft law aims to restrict internet telephone activities, not between telecom activities from computer to computer, but it aims to restrict unlicensed service providers who use internet to provide telephone services from internet to telephone lines. The aim of the regulation is not aimed at restricting IP and cyber activities. Nor did it intend to restrict computer to computer services,” said Kemal.
You can read the draft of the “proclamation on telecom offenses” here.
