26 Oct 10 | Index Index, minipost
A political blogger was arrested on Monday. Phan Thanh Hai, who blogs as Saigon Brother Three, was taken from his home in Ho Chi Minh after a police raid. His wife says that he has been detained for the “publication of false information”. Another blogger, Nguyen Van Hai, who had reached the end of his two and a half year prison sentence for tax evasion, has been hit with new charges. He is now accused of campaigning against the one-party communist state.
12 Oct 10 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has renewed her support for a controversial new web filter, saying the measure was driven by a “moral question“. The proposed filter will block access to material such as rape, drug use, bestiality and child abuse. Internet giants Google, Yahoo and Microsoft have criticised the plans, saying they set a worrying precedent for further censorship. There are also fears that the restrictions could be applied to legitimate information on issues such as euthanasia, abortion and drug addiction, as well as media reporting on criminal activity.
12 Oct 10 | Digital Freedom, Index Index, minipost, News and features
In a recent visit to the Pope, President of France Nicolas Sarkozy remarked that greater regulation of the internet was needed. President Sarkozy stated that “regulating the internet to correct the excesses and abuses that arise from the total absence of rules is a moral imperative” while making a speech to the Embassy of France to the Holy See.
This pronouncement is not the first indication of the President’s aim of regulating the internet. He described internet piracy as “looting” in a speech made while visiting Jean-Baptiste Corot. Critics say President Sarkozy’s desire to regulate the internet is born out of fear and a desire for control.
24 Sep 10 | Digital Freedom, Index Index, minipost
The manager of a popular Thai news website was detained earlier today on charges of insulting the monarchy and violating the Computer Crime Act. Chiranuch Premchaiporn was returning from an Internet freedom conference in Hungary when she was arrested at Bangkok’s international airport. Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanomsit Wongwijarn said that police had received a complaint in early 2009 about messages posted on Chiranuch’s site Prachatai.
