Here in the US, it’s easy to slip into the comfortable idea that the internet is unrestricted, a home for free speech and exploration, whether it’s meaningful and important, or dumb hashtags. It’s not that way everywhere though, and Freedom House has mapped out the current state of affairs across the globe.
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It hasn’t been outrightly confirmed by the government of Iran, but at least some within the nation’s borders are now able to access both Twitter and Facebook. For those keeping score, public access to the networks has been banned since 2009, shortly after the reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, seems fairly convinced that Iran itself should not be restricting its citizens to information available via social channels, and a number of trusted accounts — including Rouhani himself along with The New York Times‘ Thomas Erdbrink — have tweeted in recent hours without the use of a proxy. It’s unclear whether the lift is intentional, or if it’s scheduled to remain permanently, but we’re obviously hoping it’s a sign of meaningful change.
Filed under: Internet
Via: Quartz
Unfortunately, decrees such as the one just approved in Vietnam are seemingly becoming more common, not less. Similar outcries were voiced after both Iran and Belarus laid down draconian laws about how their citizens were to interact with the internet, and now Vietnam is being shelled by residents and outsiders alike for a new decree that essentially bars the sharing of outside news. The specific verbiage states that “personal electronic sites” (such as Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) “are only allowed to put [sic] news owned by that person.” In other words, sharing of information from “press organizations or government websites” is now outlawed, as is the act of providing “general information” on profiles and blogs. Exact punishments are apparently still being drafted, but whatever arises, you can bet that the Vietnamese government is going to take a huge amount of flack for crossing this line.
Filed under: Internet
Via: TechDirt
Source: Bangkok Post
Perhaps the biggest news post-console reveal here at Sony’s E3 presser: the PS4 will play used games without any restrictions or authentication. In broader terms, that means that when you purchase physical media, that disc can then be traded-in at retailers like GameStop, lent / sold to friends or kept forever as part of your enduring library. What’s more, unlike Microsoft’s controversial Xbox One 24-hour offline gaming window, PS4 owners will not have to connect to the internet in order to continue playing games. Effectively, that makes the PS4 fully playable offline; it also arguably hands the E3 2013 crown to Sony. For a brief instructional (and intentionally cheeky) demo on how this used game process works, check out Sony’s homemade video after the break.
Follow all of our E3 2013 coverage at our event hub.
Singapore isn’t necessarily known for its generous media freedoms, but the Southeast Asian city-state is planning to tighten the reigns even further next month. Beginning June 1st, any online news outlet with more than 50,000 unique monthly visitors within Singapore that also reports on the country at least once each week will need to obtain an operating license from the Media Development Authority. According to a press release, the objective of such a policy, which already covers print publications, is to “provide greater clarity” when it comes to text and visual media the government will not allow to be published, such as “content that undermines racial or religious harmony.” The agency’s release lists a total of 10 online publications that will be affected by the new policy, including sg.news.yahoo.com, businesstimes.com.sg and straitstimes.com. According to a Reuters report, blogs are currently excluded, though we could see stricter regulation on that front in the future.
In just a few days, visitors to North Korea will be able to surf the web from 3G-enabled devices. According to the Associated Press, customers of telecom company Koryolink living in Pyongyang received word that the firm will launch a 3G internet service exclusively for foreigners no later than March 1st. While citizens of North Korea have access to things including MMS, video calls, and a subscription to the state-run newspaper over 3G, a connection to the global internet will remain exclusive to a small, approved slice of the population using broadband. Foreigners will be able to purchase a monthly service plan for use with a USB modem or their very own SIM card. It’s hard to say if Eric Schmidt’s trip nudged the country and the service provider to change their tune, but in any case we’re hoping Señor Schmidt will consider visiting Cuba as well.
[Image credit: (stephan), Flickr]
Source: Associated Press (ABC News)
One year ago today, Internet users of all ages, races, and political stripes participated in the largest protest in Internet history, flooding Congress with millions of emails and phone calls to demand they drop the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)-a dangerous bill that would have allowed corporations and the govenrment to censor larger parts of the Web. More »
Speaking to reporters in Beijing airport after his trip to Pyongyang, Google’s Eric Schmidt has expressed bewilderment at the fact that North Korean citizens still aren’t hooked up to the web. He pointed out that the government could retool its 3G mobile network to provide access to the outside world and said “it would be very easy for them to turn that on.” Then he flew home.
Source: Bloomberg
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