“If it was happening in Iran instead of Tunisia, it would be on the front pages of all the newspapers.” […]
Internet 53
The False Poles of Digital and Traditional Activism
Digital activism has been construed as its own movement, a new wave of organizing unique to the 21st century digital […]
Gatecrashing ‘netroots’ activism
Will US government led initiatives compromise net activists who seek greater freedoms within authoritarian societies? Whether its co-option or jumping […]
Global Bloggers Tell Washington (And Google): Hands Off Our Internet Freedom Fight
The U.S.’s Internet freedom movement has been engaged in plenty of soul-searching since Haystack, a much-hyped anti-censorship tool built by […]
The Internet Freedom Fallacy and the Arab Digital activism
This article focuses on grassroots digital activism in the Arab world and the risks of what seems to be an inevitable collusion with U.S foreign policy and interests. It sums up the most important elements of the conversation I have been having for the last 2 years with many actors involved in defending online free speech and the use of technology for social and political change.
A First glimpse at the Internet Filtering in Tunisia
We learned that the censorship imposed illegally on hundreds of Tunisian blogs and websites, both Tunisians and foreigners, was “shut […]
The Risk of Facebook Activism in the New Arab Public Sphere
Over at The Arabist, Issandr El Amrani ruminates on Facebook’s role in Middle Eastern politics, a subject I’ve had my […]
Arab Facebook : The Internet’s role in Politics in the Middle East
The virtual world offers new opportunities for political expression and communication. Why political discussion has migrated to the Internet is […]
Internet Filtering in Tunisia – The OpenNet Initiative Report
Although Tunisia has actively sought to develop its information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, the government continues to pervasively block a range of Web content and has used nontechnical means to impede journalists and human rights activists from doing their work. The filtering of political content and restrictions on online activity has […]
Tunisia: Facebook user jailed for spreading rumors liable to disrupt public order
On Saturday, July 4, 2009, The 8th Criminal Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Tunis has condemned a Tunisian professor, Dr Khedija Arfaoui, to eight months in prison for spreading rumors, on the social networking website Facebook, liable to disrupt public order.
Video Interview: Aljazeera’s Web-inspired business strategy
I first met Mohamed Nanabhay, the 29-year-old South African, during the 3rd Annual Aljazeera Forum in Doha, Qatar, in 2007. Mohamed is a prominent blogger, a friend and a colleague from Global Voices covering Qatar where he is based. Mohamed is the former Aljazeera head of New Media and the mastermind of the Aljazeera’s successful invasion of the Web.
Interview with Robert Guerra about the Freedom on the Net Index
A new report on Internet freedom was launched by Freedom House, an organization which monitors freedom around the world. The “Freedom on the Net” study surveyed 15 countries on the basis of two key components: access to Web and mobile technology and the free flow of information through it. The report covered events that took place in the years 2007 and 2008, identifying new emerging threats to Internet freedom.
Freedom on the Net Index: Tunisia ranked worst, behind Cuba
Since traditional media are censored and tightly controlled by the government, the internet has been used as a relatively free and uncensored means of airing political and social opinions, and as an alternative field for public debates on serious political issues. This uncontrolled freedom of expression has led to the creation of an extensive censorship and filtering system.
L’ADSL en Tunisie : Akamai donne du travail à la TAP et à MM
Dans son dernier rapport concernant les connexions haut débit, Akamai place la Tunisie dans une position très flatteuse. Et voici ce que probablement la TAP et MM escamoteront du rapport : « It is not clear what drove the double digit increases in broadband percentages during the second quarter — it could be related […]
Freedom on the global Internet still a pipe dream
So begins the annual “Internet Enemies” report by Reporters Without Borders–and that’s probably the cheeriest line in the entire 39-page […]
North Africa: are political websites more likely to get hacked?
Political opposition websites in North African countries, particularly in Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania, are becoming a primary target of hackers. This new phenomenon of defacing opposition and dissident websites emerged first in Tunisia, where at least 14 websites and blogs were targeted between 2007 and 2008, and seems to be spreading across the region as a result of the attempt to muzzle free […]
Furor Over Tunisian Blog Awards Censorship
The Tunisian blogosphere is up in arms over this year’s annual Tunisian Blog Awards. They accuse organizers of soliciting the […]
You, too, can defeat cruel dictators online
The extensive palace complex of Tunisia’s septuagenarian dictator, President Zine el-Abidine ben Ali, for example, is off limits to his citizens. Anyone caught taking photographs of the vast complex are likely to be arrested. But cyberspace is beyond President ben Ali’s reach. There his palace is besieged by human rights activists.
