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India launches national surveillance system, monitors Internet, calls, texts
- Last month, India's government deployed what is known as the "Central Monitoring System". The several-million dollar surveillance initiative gives Indian government agencies unprecedented power to silently monitor communications, not the least of which include Internet activity, text messaging and phone…
CISPA passes House (again), White House threatens veto (again)
- The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is once again making the rounds. The bill passed the House on Thursday with a 288-127 vote. Although there appears to be a fair amount of bi-partisan support for the bill, it may…
Iran blocks 'illegal' VPNs that help citizens evade Internet filters
- Iran has a long history of trying to control what its citizens can and can't see on the web. From blocking Google searches and all foreign email providers, to cutting access to social networks services and even announcing plans of…
White House: It's time to legalize cell phone unlocking
- In February, a petition calling for an end to the ban on unlocking cell phones was introduced. In a short amount of time, the petition received the requisite 100,000 signatures needed to elicit a possible White House responsible. Today, the…
Weekend tech reading: Is the UN taking control of the Internet?
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The future of the web will be decided in a dark room by UN politicians and authoritarian governments -- at least according to Google and some other opponents of the International Telecommunication Union’s plan to reform its 25-year-old guidelines. Leaked documents have shown...
Internet "Bill of Rights" proposed by anti-SOPA lawmakers
- Congress critter and California republican Darrell Issa is working on the first draft of what may eventually become the "Digital Bill of Rights" -- legislation which could possibly shape online freedoms and the expectations afforded to citizens of the Internet.…
Internet Defense League seeks to protect online freedom
- A group of online activists, headed by Tiffiniy Cheng of Fight for the Future and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, have formed the Internet Defense League to warn web users of damaging legislation being crafted and organize website owners to protest…
Google concludes that search results are protected by First Amendment
- Google has come to the conclusion that results obtained through search engines are within the provider’s First Amendment rights. The proclamation is in response to those that have complained that the search giant favors their own products in search results. …
UK government considers Internet porn filter, requires users to opt-out
- UK Prime Minster David Cameron will be consulting with major ISPs about devising a scheme which will block adult content for UK customers. If such a content filter does materialize from the talks, it is expected to be an optional…
Mobile phone users to be punished as "war criminals" in North Korea
- According to the country's government, North Koreans caught using a mobile phone will be deemed as war criminals and punished accordingly, The Telegraph reports. The same punishment also extends to those attempting to flee the country's borders, an offense that…
Twitter begins censoring tweets by country, when required by law
- Twitter has confirmed that it will begin to censor tweets, if required by law, on a country by country basis. Until now the micro-blogging service has remained a free and open platform for millions of people worldwide, empowering its users…
Judge rules defendant may be forced to decrypt her laptop
- Judge Robert Blackburn made a ruling (PDF) this week which may change the way encryption is handled in future court cases. Although the defendant invoked 5th amendment rights as many others in prior, similar cases have, Judge Blackburn does not believe…
Judge rules Twitter "cyberstalker" not stalker after all
- A federal judge ruled today that William Cassidy, a man who has tweeted nearly 8,000 times about female Buddhist leader Alyce Zeoli, is protected under constitutional free speech.
U.S. Senator tells Google it needs a "terrorist button"
- In a letter addressed to Google's CEO, Larry Page, the company is asked to add a "flag" for content deemed to be terrorist related. The letter was sent by well-known Independent, Joe Lieberman, a U.S. senator from Connecticut. As of 2008,…
China gains support of tech firms to control internet usage
- The heads of 39 Chinese companies, which include Baidu and Alibaba, have agreed to stop the spread of "harmful information" after attending a three-day government workshop to discuss concerns about internet content.
Wikipedia hides Italian edition in protest of new Wiretap Law
- Wikipedia has hidden the Italian edition of the online encyclopaedia to protest against a proposed new law in the country that will require websites to publish corrections within 48 hours of content being found objectionable, or face fines of $16,000 (€12,000).
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