CNET: A Chinese translation app is censoring politically sensitive terms, report says . “More Chinese tech firms are erring on the side of caution when it comes to policing content on their platforms. iFlytek, a voice recognition technology provider in China, has begun censoring politically sensitive terms from its translation app, South China Morning Post reported citing a tweet by Jane Manchun Wong.”
censorship
Ars Technica: Google employees demand that Google stop work on censored Chinese search
Ars Technica: Google employees demand that Google stop work on censored Chinese search. “Dozens of Google employees have signed on to an open letter demanding that Google stop work on Project Dragonfly, a censored version of Google’s search engine that could be deployed in mainland China.”
Global Voices AdVox: How will Google plug into China’s all-encompassing internet censorship regime?
Global Voices AdVox: How will Google plug into China’s all-encompassing internet censorship regime?. “The secret is out — Google is building a search engine for China. After deflecting questions from reporters for months, CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledged in October Google’s plan to build a mobile app that will serve Chinese users — and thus comply with Chinese government censorship mandates. But big questions remain.”
Ahval News: Turkish journalists turn to social media to escape state crackdown
Ahval News: Turkish journalists turn to social media to escape state crackdown. “More journalists in Turkey are turning to social media platforms such as YouTube and Periscope to broadcast and share their take on the latest news amid a harsh media landscape. Since the July 2016 coup attempt, the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has shut down more than 175 news outlets, leaving more than 12,000 media workers without a job. Unemployment in journalism is among the highest rates of all sectors, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.”
MIT Technology Review: Online censorship in Saudi Arabia soared after Jamal Khashoggi’s murder
MIT Technology Review: Online censorship in Saudi Arabia soared after Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. “The number of websites being censored in Saudi Arabia doubled a couple of weeks after Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the country’s consulate in Istanbul, according to an initiative that tracks internet censorship. While the increased censorship is not surprising, the results show how skillful automated tracking has become at sniffing out repression.”
The Next Web: Digital rights groups demand Facebook let you appeal removed posts
The Next Web: Digital rights groups demand Facebook let you appeal removed posts. “A group of 88 civil liberties groups have penned an open letter to Facebook requesting the company allow users to appeal whenever their posts are removed — an option they currently do not have.”
Quartz: Vietnam’s Lady Gaga is pressuring Facebook to stop complying with censorship laws
Quartz: Vietnam’s Lady Gaga is pressuring Facebook to stop complying with censorship laws. “Now 34 years old, [Mai] Khoi is trying to use her celebrity to pressure Facebook to stop complying with, and instead push back against, government censorship. The singer said she became disenchanted with Vietnamese pop music because of how artists would censor themselves, leading her to spend time with the country’s dissident artists. One of them persuaded Khoi to use her platform to run as an independent candidate for Vietnam’s national assembly in 2016. She was eventually barred from the ballot, and used that publicity to get a sit down with then US president Barack Obama when he was in the country that year.”
