Not sure where to post this report - but it may be of some interest given the original topic of this thread - the article above discussing the "kill switch" and the recent events unfolding in Egypt.
Suffice to say the discussion seems timely.
Freedom on the Net: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media
March 30, 2009
As internet and mobile phone use explodes worldwide, governments are adopting new and multiple means for controlling these technologies that go far beyond technical filtering. Freedom on the Net provides a comprehensive look at these emerging tactics, raising concern over trends such as the "outsourcing of censorship" to private companies, the use of surveillance and the manipulation of online conversations by undercover agents.
Discussion on Egypt begins on page 51 of this report.
http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/...FullReport.pdf
Excerpt from report:
"As the internet and other new media come to
dominate the flow of news and information
around the world, governments have responded
with measures to control, regulate, and censor
the content of blogs, websites, and text
messages. Indeed, the recent case of an Iranian
blogger who died in police custody is a
disturbing reminder that expressions of political
dissent or even independent thought circulated
through the internet carry as much risk as those
circulated via underground journals in an earlier
era. And just as authoritarian regimes once
devoted massive resources to controlling the
print media and the airwaves, so today China
employs a small army of functionaries tasked
with monitoring and censoring the content of
websites and blogs."
President Obama's take on the matter in a 2009 BBC article below:
to paraphrase:
"freedoms of expression, and worship, of access to information and political participation – we believe they are universal rights. They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities, whether they are in the United States, China or any nation."
Obama presses China over rights
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8361471.stm
Excerpt:
"Freedom of expression
In his speech at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, the US president praised China's efforts in lifting millions of people out of poverty, saying it was "unparalleled" in human history.
But the BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing says Mr Obama also made comments that his hosts would have been less pleased to hear.
"We do not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation, but we also don't believe that the principles we stand for are unique to our nation," he said.
"These freedoms of expression and worship, of access to information and political participation - we believe are universal rights."
China is an authoritarian country in which there are no elections for the country's national leaders.
Media outlets and the internet are heavily censored, and those who speak out against the government are often imprisoned.
Mr Obama added: "They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities, whether they are in the United States, China or any nation."
After his main speech, he addressed the issue again in a question and answer session with Chinese students - many of whom spoke English.
Mr Obama said freedom of information - including open access to the internet - was important.
"That makes our democracy stronger because it forces me to hear opinions that I don't want to hear - it forces me to examine what I'm doing," he said.
He said the internet was a powerful tool to mobilise people and had helped him win the presidency last year. "
Linear Mode
