Censorship

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March 2008
- Tibet Shoutout Spurs Crackdown
  
  Times (UK) | Mar 7, 08 4:45 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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 »
- Swiss Bank Drops Wikileaks Lawsuit
  
  Associated Press | Mar 6, 08 3:32 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Swiss bank that sued over private documents posted on Wikileaks.org has withdrawn the motion, the AP reports.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 »
- Wikileaks Judge Reverses His Own Injunction
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Mar 1, 08 7:20 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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 »
February 2008
- EU May Name Censorship a Trade Barrier
  
  Ars Technica | Feb 28, 08 2:33 PM CST
  
  (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 »
- Pakistan Bans Access to YouTube
  
  Associated Press | Feb 24, 08 4:25 PM CST
  
  (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 »
- U.S. orders shutdown of Web site specializing in leaks
  
  International Herald Tribune | Feb 20, 08
  
  In a move that legal experts said could present a major test of First Amendment rights in the Internet era, a U.S. federal judge in San Francisco has ordered the disabling of a Web site devoted to disclosing confidential information.The site, Wikileaks.org, invites people to post leaked materials with the goal of discouraging "unethical behavior" by corporations and governments. It has posted documents said to show the rules of engagement for American troops in Iraq, a military manual for the operation of the prison at Guantánamo Bay and evidence of what it has called corporate waste and wrongdoing.
- Iran Asks Dutch Gov't to Ban Anti-Islam Film
  
  BBC | Feb 17, 08 2:35 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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 »
- Court Lifts Ban on Sex Toys in Texas
  
  Austin American-Statesman | Feb 14, 08 8:03 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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 »
- Saudi Officials See Red Over Valentine's Day
  
  CNN | Feb 12, 08 4:05 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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 »
- Brit Olympians Hit With Gag Order on China
  
  Daily Mail (UK) | Feb 10, 08 9:04 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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 Lifts Head Scarf Ban
  
  New York Times | Feb 9, 08 1:05 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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 »
- Video Sparks Hacker War vs. Scientology
  
  Guardian (UK) | Feb 4, 08 4:04 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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 »
January 2008
- Sex Convicts May Face Internet Ban
  
  CNET | Jan 29, 08 6:45 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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 Cracks Down on Online Games
  
  Reuters | Jan 17, 08 12:03 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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 »
- NCAA Upholds Ban on Texting Recruits
  
  ESPN | Jan 13, 08 1:37 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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 »
- Cécilia Sarkozy Loses Bid to Block Tell-All
  
  AFP | Jan 11, 08 10:08 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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 »
- China Moves to Restrict Online Video Sites
  
  Wall Street Journal | Jan 3, 08 3:01 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - China appears set to clamp down on online video sites with a new set of regulations that restricts content and organization, the Wall Street Journal reports. The regulations, to take effect Jan. 31, require sites broadcasting online video to be owned or controlled by the state, and to censor and report content that involves national secrets, threatens China’s reputation or disrupts social stability. More »
December 2007
- Aussies Censor Internet
  
  Ars Technica | Dec 23, 07 11:20 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Australian Internet users are getting wary about new regulations meant to keep minors away from mature content, Ars Technica reports. A stringent new ratings system to be introduced in January is meant to stop kids from accessing adult-oriented content, but critics say it will be child's play to get around, and means adults will have to surrender some privacy. More »
- UK Slaps Chatty Drivers With Jail
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Dec 20, 07 12:06 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Yakking on the phone while behind the wheel could fetch you a little quality time behind bars in the UK, reports the Daily Telegraph. A new law rewards chatty driving—or texting, or tinkering with a GPS unit or MP3 player— with jail terms of up to two years. The government banned cell phones in 2003, but estimates 500,000 motorists ignore the ban daily. More »
- More Schools Ban Cupcakes
  
  Chicago Tribune | Dec 17, 07 10:16 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Holiday parties in classrooms around Chicago won't be covered with red and green sprinkles this year, the Chicago Tribune reports. More and more schools are banning cupcakes in favor of "healthy" things like fruit skewers fashioned into reindeer antlers. It's part of a national trend to make special-occasion snacks consistent with the healthy-eating message and more nutritious school lunches. More »