Yesterday was Tunisia's first National Day for Internet Freedom, the day also commemorates the death of cyber dissident Zouhaier Yahyaoui, who died seven years ago at the age of 37. Via his website TUNeZINE, Zouhair criticised the corrupt and...
CATEGORY: Digital Freedom
Iran: Leader orders creation of internet oversight agency in bid to control web
Iran's Supreme leader has ordered the creation of an "internet oversight agency" to control the web. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the creation of the "Supreme Council of Cyberspace" which aims to prevent harm to Iranians who go online. Dangers...
Kyrgyzstan: News website blocked
Access to the website of independent news agency Ferghana was blocked this week by telecommunications company Kyrgyztelecom in response to a formal request from the Kyrgyz state communications agency. In a resolution made public on 16 June last...
Tunisia: Court rules against web filtering in key test of new freedoms
On 22 February the Cassation Court of Tunis (Tunisia's highest court of appeal) overturned a verdict ordering Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI) to filter pornography on the internet. The court has sent the case back to the Court of Appeal. On May, 26,...
Chinese activist warned over launching website
A veteran Chinese pro-democracy campaigner based in Wuhan has been warned by state security police not to proceed with plans for a website aimed to promote "peaceful" reform. Qin Yongmin, who was freed from prison in November 2010 after serving a...
Thailand: Webmaster’s lèse majesté trial resumes
The trial of the web master of a Thai news website resumed last week after a long interruption.Chiranuch Premchaiporn, web master of Prachatai news website, faces a possible 20 year prison sentence for not removing certain user comments from her...
Singapore: PM demands apology from dissident website
Singapore's prime minister has demanded an apology from a political website, following allegedly defamatory posts. In a letter to the editors of website TR Emeritus, the lawyer of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong requested the apology, after posts...
Australia: Google urges rejection of web regulation
Google has urged the Australian federal government to reject an interim independent report recommending the country's internet be regulated in a similar manner to television, arguing it would be unclear how regulation online could be imposed...
China: More Internet regulation planned
The Chinese government plans to continue censoring social networking sites, the the Communist Party and State Council has said regarding China’s 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) on Cultural Reform and Development. The outline said the Chinese...
Iran: Internet censorship increases
Internet censorship has dramatically increased in Iran over the last week. On 7 February, internet users in Iran began reporting an increase in the blocking and filtering of certain kinds of internet traffic in the country. Many users complained of...