Censorship

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 »

CNN has issued an apology to Beijing after one of its anchors called the Chinese "goons" and called Chinese-made products "junk." Jack Cafferty, who appears on The Situation Room , said that the Chinese were "basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years." CNN's contrition came after an angry demand from the Chinese foreign ministry. More »

WiFi users in Russia better get ready for mounds of red tape—every capable device will now have to be registered, the country’s Mass Media, Communications and Cultural Protection Service has ruled. Individuals must register, Wi-Fi Networking News reports, and licenses won't be transferable. Until now, indoor use of WiFi in certain bands has been exempt from Russia’s registration requirements. More »

Hugo Chavez has bumped pudgy Homer Simpson from Venezuela's airwaves, reports the Times of London, opting instead for the decidedly more fit and furry David Hasselhoff. The dysfunctional Simpsons were deemed "inappropriate" for kiddies watching the morning TV lineup, but were replaced with the entirely, er, wholesome "Baywatch Hawaii." More »

Beijing says it will toughen restrictions on visiting artists performing in China in response to Bjork's onstage expression of support for Tibetan independence, the London Times reports. “We shall never tolerate any attempt to separate Tibet from China and will no longer welcome any artists who deliberately do this,” said a Culture Ministry statement. More »

The Swiss bank that sued over private documents posted on Wikileaks.org has withdrawn the motion, the AP reports. Bank Julius Baer did not say why it pulled the case, but the cease-fire brings an end to a case that raised First Amendment questions when a judge ordered the site to remove the documents. Those questions later prompted the judge to revoke the injunction. More »

The judge who (tried to) shut down Wikileaks by issuing an injunction against the whistleblowing site has changed his mind and lifted the order, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Judge Jeffrey White said his original order, designed to protect a Swiss Bank's information, raised "serious questions of prior restraint and possible violations of the First Amendment." More »

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 »

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 »

Upset by a right-wing Dutch politician's movie, which portrays the Koran as an inspiration for murder, Iran’s justice minister is asking the Dutch government to ban the film, the BBC reports. The minister called the film, by parliament member Geert Wilders, an unnecessary attack on Islam’s holiest object. The Dutch government has so far supported Wilder’s right to show the film, which is set to air in a few months. More »

Sex toys got a pardon in the Lone Star State yesterday, when a federal appeals court overturned a law banning their sale. The court ruled that the law prohibiting the possession of six or more devices used primarily for sexual stimulation violates the right to privacy. The decision cites a 2003 Supreme Court ruling that struck down Texas bans on consensual sex between people of the same sex, the Austin American-Statesman reports. More »

In preparation for Valentine's Day, Saudi Arabia has temporarily banned all things red. The morality cops are out in force in search of the color of love, reports CNN, with plans to confiscate everything from flowers to stuffed toys. The ban is part of a yearly effort, complete with raids on retailers on the night of Feb. 13, to quell romance's big day. More »

British athletes headed to the Beijing Olympics are being required to sign a controversial document barring them from criticizing the Chinese government, reports Britain's Daily Mail . They must promise "not to comment on any politically sensitive issues," said a spokesman for the British Olympic Association, which wrote the contract. Athletes who refuse to sign won't be allowed to travel to the August games, he told CNN. More »

Turkey’s parliament today lifted the decade-old ban on wearing Muslim head scarves in college, the New York Times reports, a major salvo in the growing battle between Turkey’s growing devout middle class and entrenched secular elite. Proponents of the ban, who fear women will soon be forced to wear the scarves, will likely appeal to their secular allies on the Constitutional Court. More »

After the Church of Scientology removed a video of Tom Cruise calling his religion a “blast” from YouTube, the Internet world declared war. Hackers have been furiously shutting down and “Google bombing” Scientology's website while free-speech protesters gather and pranksters send white powder in envelopes to LA-area Scientology locations, the Guardian reports. More »

New York's 25,000 convicted sex criminals will be banned from Facebook and MySpace if a bill unveiled today becomes law, CNET reports. Dubbed E-Stop, the legislation requires sex convicts to submit online identities and screen names so participating sites can block them. Those who committed a sex crime over the Internet would have usage controlled by the state's parole board. More »

China is cracking down on its booming, billion-dollar online game industry, which is seen as “spiritual opium” that threatens to hook the Chinese people, Reuters reports. The government today said it plans to regulate “undesirable” elements out of the game, which 41 million Chinese played this year. “The whole industry is marginalized by mainstream society,” one senior official said. More »

The NCAA has upheld its ban against coaches text messaging high school prospects as a means of recruitment, ESPN.com reports. Though the rule was criticized by coaches and athletic directors when it was passed last year, the motion to overturn barely got enough support to bring the issue to a vote. The ban was overwhelmingly upheld with support of 78% of the NCAA delegation. More »

A Paris civil court has refused to issue an injunction for Cécilia Sarkozy to block the publication of a new biography, reports the AFP. The tell-all quotes the ex-first lady as calling Nicolas Sarkozy a "sauteur"—a vulgar French word for a womanizer—and charging the "undignified" bachelor president with partaking in "karaoke parties until four in the morning." More »