Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 9:05:03 PM CST


Internet censorship

Internet censorship news stories

14 Stories

OPINION

Spam Filters Silently Censoring Your Email

Internet blacklists invisible but powerful

(Newser) - With spam running rampant across the net, in-boxes have become heavily armed fortresses against the unsolicited hordes. Unfortunately, we’ve overdone it, writes James McGrath Morris in the Washington Post . Morris recently discovered that spam filters would gobble up the latest issue of his newsletter, the Biographer’s Craft, because of references to "young adult" books, "hot" authors, and “nasty” lawsuits. More »

More about:  email censorship spam Internet censorship

 China Cracks Down 
 on Internet Cafes 

Users must be photographed for national database of Web surfers

(Newser) - China has resumed a strict crackdown on Internet users less than two months after the Olympic Games, ending the more relaxed regulations that accompanied the international spotlight, reports the Times of London. All visitors to Internet cafes in Beijing will be required to have their photograph taken, reports the Times of London. All photos and identity cards will be scanned into a database maintained by China's Cultural Law Enforcement Task Force. More »

More about:  China Internet 2008 Beijing Olympics Beijing Internet censorship Great Firewall of China Internet cafes

GLOSSIES

China's Great, Baffling Failure: Public Relations

Beijing completely misses 'crass value of cultivating the press'

(Newser) - It’s no secret that China is moving into position as a global superpower, writes James Fallows in the Atlantic , and this only further highlights its leaders’ baffling inability to understand how the country is viewed from the outside—and how to change those opinions for the better. Officials just don’t understand “the crass value of cultivating the press,” he writes. More »

More about:  China 2008 Beijing Olympics censorship free speech Hu Jintao Internet censorship Chinese Communist party Great Firewall of China

 Should This Game Be Banned? 

Web-based game, where aim is to 'wipe out the Muslim race,' hard to regulate

(Newser) - Muslim Massacre , a Web-based game where players aim to “wipe out the Muslim race,” has earned widespread condemnation from Islamic groups, the Guardian reports. In the game, the US has declared war on Islam and the unnamed “American hero” slaughters terrorists and civilians alike to face Osama bin Laden, Muhammed—and ultimately Allah. More »

More about:  Internet terrorism racism censorship Muslim Internet censorship islam

 Thai Protests 
 Trigger Web Crackdown 

After violent protests, state hopes to quash 400 sites that threaten 'national security'

(Newser) - Thai authorities are trying to shutter 400 websites, the Guardian reports, in the wake of anti-government demonstrations in Bangkok that led the prime minister to declare martial law yesterday. The move targeted sites that were said to have “disturbed the peaceful social order and morality of the people, and/or which were considered detrimental to national security.” More »

More about:  Thailand website national security state of emergency Thai protesters Internet censorship martial law court order

OPINION

Al-Qaeda Stuck in Web 1.0

Osama not up on his Facebook, YouTube; US should exploit populist backlash

(Newser) - At its height, al-Qaeda had mastered how to amplify the effect of real-world attacks with virtual representations—videos, audio recordings, and articles reproducing its mayhem online. But as the Web has transformed into a more social entity, the terrorist organization is " stuck in 1.0," writes analyst Daniel Kimmage in the New York Times . If America and its allies want to win the war on terror, they should look to YouTube. More »

More about:  Internet al-Qaeda YouTube social networking Middle East Web 2.0 Internet censorship

Blogger Busts Tripled Last Year: Report

Political crackdowns especially harsh in Egypt, Iran and China

(Newser) - The number of blogging "citizen journalists" arrested worldwide in political crackdowns tripled in 2007 from the previous year, Ars Technica reports. Over half of last year's 36 arrests occurred in Egypt, Iran, and China, according to a new survey, which sorted arrests into six categories, most related to stirring up political controversy. More »

More about:  China Iran Egypt arrest blogger political activism Internet censorship web censorship

ANALYSIS

China Won't Stop Censoring Web for Olympics

Despite push for openness, Chinese law appears to allow much room to maneuver

(Newser) - China apparently will continue to censor the Internet during August's Olympics, but says the international press will have the access it needs to function, Jacqui Cheng writes on Ars Technica. Officials said they would guarantee as much access “as possible,” but “controls on some unhealthy websites” would continue. In defense, they said, “every country limits access to some websites.” More »

More about:  China Internet 2008 Beijing Olympics Internet censorship

Bill's Charity Linked to Tibet Crackdown

'Philanthropic dynamo' took '05 donation from shady Internet firm

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton's strong public stance against the crackdown in Tibet flies in the face of her husband's past fundraising ties in China, reports the LA Times . At the crux is a 2005 speech the former president gave for which he received an undisclosed donation to his charitable foundation—from Internet giant Alibaba. More »

More about:  Hillary Clinton Internet Bill Clinton charity censorship Democratic presidential candidates philanthropy first lady Internet censorship

OPINION

China Wikipedia Access Not So Impressive

Recent move isn't enough to meet IOC's request for openness

(Newser) - It's good for Chinese Internet users that the government has lifted bans on Wikipedia and Blogspot, but the move isn't the great breakthrough it may seem to be. If the policy change was intended to fulfill requests from the International Olympic Committee for an open internet, it falls well short of any actual freedom of information, writes Jacqui Cheng for Ars Technica. More »

More about:  China 2008 Beijing Olympics Tibet Wikipedia International Olympic Committee Internet censorship Great Firewall of China

Beijing Eases Limits on Wikipedia

But topics such as Tibet, Tiananmen remain off limits

(Newser) - Prodded by the International Olympic Committee, China has seemingly eased restrictions on the English-language version of Wikipedia, Reuters reports. But authorities continue to block access to articles related to sensitive topics such as Tibet and Tiananmen Square. Users in Shanghai and Beijing, the site of the summer Olympics, reported being able to view some pages on the popular web encyclopedia. More »

More about:  China 2008 Beijing Olympics Tibet Beijing Wikipedia International Olympic Committee Internet access Internet censorship Shanghai

 China Blacklists Video Sites 

Todou.com is among those warned, 25 sites closed

(Newser) - China shuttered 25 video-sharing websites today and warned numerous others, as authorities moved to enforce stricter controls on online content announced late last year, Reuters reports. Chinese video heavyweight Tudou.com was among those that received a warning to eliminate pornographic and political material. "We're working hard to upgrade our systems to catch everything that needs to be caught," said Tudou’s VP. More »

More about:  China Internet censorship venture capital online videos Internet censorship

EU May Name Censorship a Trade Barrier

Measure takes aim at the 'Great Firewall
of China'; would inject web into trade talks

(Newser) - The EU is out to hack down the Great Firewall of China, Ars Technica reports. A new proposal would classify the web censorship China and other oppressive regimes employ as a trade barrier, an approach its creator calls “unusual, but effective.” The measure already sailed through the European Parliament 571-38, and now awaits European Council confirmation. More »

More about:  China European Union censorship trade web traffic Internet censorship Great Firewall of China European Parliament web censorship

Pakistan Bans Access to YouTube

Anti-Islamic video
prompts government crackdown

(Newser) - Pakistan has blocked the country’s YouTube access over anti-Islamic videos on the site, the AP reports. One official conceded that a particular video offended authorities: a trailer for an upcoming film by Dutch legislator Geert Wilders. The filmmaker has said that his piece paints Islam as a fascist religion that glorifies violence against homosexuals and women. More »

More about:  Pakistan YouTube Internet censorship World Wide Web

14 Stories

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam