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Be irrepressible! a campaign for global internet freedom

Rachel Rawlins · 18:03 · Freedom of Speech , Cyber-Activism

As more and more nations carve up the so-called global, borderless internet into separate spheres of control through filtering and censorship, often using technology supplied by large IT companies, Amnesty International has launched a new campaign - irrepressible.info to raise awareness of and protest against the infringements on the basic human right of freedom of speech.

Chat rooms monitored. Blogs deleted. Websites blocked. Search engines restricted. People imprisoned for simply posting and sharing information.

The Internet is a new frontier in the struggle for human rights. Governments – with the help of some of the biggest IT companies in the world – are cracking down on freedom of expression.

There are specific examples of some of the countries and companies in the spotlight:

The web is a great tool for sharing ideas and freedom of expression. However, efforts to try and control the Internet are growing. Internet repression is reported in countries like China, Vietnam, Tunisia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria. People are persecuted and imprisoned simply for criticising their government, calling for democracy and greater press freedom or exposing human rights abuses, online.

But Internet repression is not just about governments. IT companies have helped build the systems that enable surveillance and censorship to take place. Yahoo! have supplied email users’ private data to the Chinese authorities, helping to facilitate cases of wrongful imprisonment. Microsoft and Google have both complied with government demands to actively censor Chinese users of their services.

The campaign has three main points of action - firstly urging people to sign a pledge on internet freedom, secondly encouraging individuals to undermine censorship by publishing “irrepressible” fragments on censored material on personal sites and thirdly to take action on behalf of imprisoned Chinese journalist Shi Tao

The second option involves putting a piece of javascript on your site which will generate a box containing random pieces of censored information.

If you click on the box you are taken to the campaign page where, not entirely obviously, there is more information about where the random piece of information originated and a url to the censored website (in the off-white box on the right hand side of the page).

The fragments are generated from a database of censored material which is being compiled by the OpenNet Initiative which also has an interactive map with a geographical representation of their detailed research into national efforts to filter the internet.

At least 200 people signed the internet freedom pledge in the time it took me to write this post, according to the counter on the irrepressible.info main page, bringing the total to nearly 13,000 signatures. Let's make some noise, and make a difference.

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China: Raising fuel prices, raising tempers

John Kennedy · 17:49 · East Asia

As China's economy continues to grow, so too do the kinds of complaints that come with modern life. And while gas prices are kept lower than can be found in many other countries, two prices hikes in the last year alone have left many of China's rapidly-growing middle class grumbling, and taking to their blogs.

Journalist-blogger Zhao Mu takes a very close look at China's petroleum industry and the government's role in managing it and doesn't like what he sees in his May 27 post ‘There's a saying: There's a reason for the sudden rise in China's gas prices':

有此一说:中国汽油猛涨的真正原因

There's a saying: There's a reason for the sudden rise in China's gas prices

在国际原油价格回落和人民币升值的背景下，国家发展与改革委员会再次提高成品油销售价格。北京地区93号汽油再创历史最高价位。有关方面对此的解释是，上次涨价没有调整到位，我们成品油销售价格仍旧低于国际市场，今后将考虑国际市场情况和社会承受能力继续推进价格调整。谎言是多么的的圆满，但是，我们早就有各种手段来论证，这是明目张胆的欺骗。

Against the backdrop of falling international crude oil prices and the revaluation of the renminbi, the National Development and Reform Committee has once again enhanced the sales price of refined oil. Prices for #93 gasoline in greater Beijing are at an historical high. The explanation from the parties concerned is that the previous price hike had been set low, that our prices for refined oil were still lower than the international market price. From now on both the conditions of the international market and the price society is able to withstand will be considered in continuing price adjustments. The rumors have circling around, but from the start we've been able to counter each one. Clearly they are just brazen deceit.

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East Timor reported by the Lusophone Blogosphere

Jose Murilo Junior · 17:09 · East Asia

As I was writing this report about unrest and possible civil war in East Timor, I found myself in a war with the spell-checker in my word processor which insists that the word LUSOPHONE does not exist. Read on to see what might be embedded in a single word.

Seven years after the end of Indonesian rule — becoming the newest world nation in May 2002 — and having gone through what was viewed as a successful nation building and independence process led by the UN, East Timor is once again facing deep unrest. The last weeks since the reported clashes of April 28th have shown escalating violence and by now the Lusophone blogosphere is starting to speculate about the real forces behind the recent events.

“It was almost one o'clock. I turned on the radio, increased the volume and prepared myself for the bad news of the day. I was listening to the last music before the news and I stopped the car in front of the beach… I was prepared… Here they come! Timor, clashes between police and army, dead people, cries for help… Australia was already arriving (thanks to the oil exploration contracts)… Portugal is on the way … ENI is also there, entering through GALP. I can't help thinking that the oil is the real trouble maker, even if this is not the exact case here. That's what I think.”
News - A day after…

GALP is the Portuguese oil company which last week lost the oil-gas contract with the government of East Timor. The contract was awarded instead to the Italian ENI as Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri announced the country's first move to explore the oil-and-gas rich off-shore reserves in the Timor Sea. Strange as it is, ENI and GALP are partners, the former owning the majority share of the later, which makes the Portuguese complain about their country being ‘gamed as usual' on the bid. It was also last week that José Ramos Horta, the foreign affairs minister, requested help from Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Malaysia to quell the violence.

“Timor is going through a delicate moment while signing big and important oil exploration international contracts. There are neglected groups and GALP between them. Are we sure those groups are not influencing the present unrest? Australia, who took years to recognize Timor 's oil extraction rights, spent just a few hours to land its troops at Dili airport: “Candid selfless help”!
Civil War in Timor? - The time that will come

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Nepal Moving Towards Peace Talks

Paramendra · 15:42 · South Asia

After the victory of the April Revolution, and a major House Proclamation that has seriously curbed the powers of the king and renamed the army from Royal Nepal Army to Nepal Army, and a phase one talk with the Maoists, the seven party alliance government still has a lot of unresolved issues. The pace is felt to have been too slow.

Democracy For Nepal (DFN) asks Who Will Hold The Constituent Assembly Elections.

But just like the Maoists will not part with their soldiers, the seven parties will not part with their parliament. The seven party alliance needs the safety of the House. What that means is trust building measures have to taken.

United We Blog (UWB) talks of frustrations: Slow Politics Adds Frustration in Nepali People.

The fact that Nepal Army’s chief Pyar Jung Thapa giving lectures about the army cooperating with the government by following the latter’s directives is the greatest satire to the achievements of last month’s historic People’s Movement II. Thapa should have been fired a fortnight ago…… Why doesn’t the Tax Office raid the Narayanhitti Royal Palace and do the math of the money that king Gyanendra owes this nation? Who is stopping the cabinet from issuing orders to arrest all those who were involved in suppressing the movement? Things are moving very very slow and this is increasing the level of frustration in people.

Bahas has a piece on the (more…)

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Indonesia Earthquake

Preetam Rai · 13:04 · East Asia

Sardjito03
Originally uploaded by godote.

(via indonesiahelpblog) Picture by Cahyono Priyanto(ocp at telkom.net).

Flickr user Godote has posted some pictures from Yogyakarta city. Indonesiahelp blog is following the latest in relief efforts.

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African women’s voices this week

Nish Matenjwa · 07:00 · Sub-Saharan Africa

Now and again, the question ‘where are African women bloggers?’ is asked by people who, despite the proliferation of African women’s blogs and the weekly updates on Global Voices, do not seem to be aware that African women are blogging and have been doing so for several years.

For people such as these and for people interested in listening to African women’s voices, Black Looks has set up the

African Women’s Reblog - an aggregator featuring African women’s blogs and which is now up and running. Congratulations, BlackLooks!

Kamundulio writes about the ‘annoying’ ’knee-jerk reactions’ by Kenyan clergy over the da Vinci Code and says that rather than pointlessly agitate for the banning of the movie, the clergy should ‘research about the issues raised in the movie and allow the discussion to take place in the church’.

Still on the religious theme, Everchange has written an entertaining post on pastors where she lists some peculiarities she finds ‘weird’. These, she says, include situations when pastors ‘can’t even speak to you like a normal human being. They don’t even know you, they just met you, and they’re already asking you about your ‘walk with the lord’ and trying to come and ‘visit’ you’. She also says her pet peeve is pastors who shout – ‘If you have to scream your message at me, I’m guessing there aint much to it in the first place’.

‘From the onset I am going to forward my own demands for your demand (in case you are a blog junkie and end up at my blogsite)’ writes Fikirte in a post addressed to the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown who has demanded an end to corruption in developing countries. Fikirte lists her own thought-provoking requirements with regard to corruption starting with a requirement that Gordon Brown’s demands are ‘followed up with some serious action’.

In a post entitled Nambrangelina: Africa in hock, where she is deeply incensed about Angelina Jolie’s and Brad Pitt’s decision to have their baby born in Nambia, W.M. writes that ‘Namibia has granted Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt the rights of ownership (or lease?) over its borders and its airspace, so that this couple….can determine who enters or flies over Namiba’. W.M. asks – ‘who is going to be deciding Namibia's foreign policy: Tom Cruise? Will Julia Roberts be in charge of Namibia's vote at the United Nations? Has there ever been a situation as wounding to the spirit of the people of Africa as this?’

Nakeel also writes about this travesty and takes issue with Namibia’s President, Sam Nujoma, whom she asks – ‘are you watching this crap?’

Last but not least, D-Shy, has written an interesting post on feminism where she states

My friends and I are all self-defined feminists but we know that if we were to stand up and honestly describe our interpretation of feminism to a room full of other feminists, we could count on having transgressed at least one dearly held tenet on someone's lists of feminism do's and don’ts and being called to account for it. My point is feminism is a flawed philosophy, but what makes up for its failings is the fact that countless women comprise the sum of its parts which is why feminism is not a movement or some sort of club but rather a personal way of empowering oneself thus the classic feminist mantra “The personal is political”. Indeed, this mantra links in with the reason why issues such as rape, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, marital rape etc have been identified, named, and fought by feminists.

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