Reuters: Vietnam lawmakers approve cyber law clamping down on tech firms, dissent. “Vietnamese legislators approved a cybersecurity law on Tuesday that tightens control of the internet and global tech companies operating in the Communist-led country, raising fears of economic harm and a further crackdown on dissent.”
human rights
Quartz: Tanzania’s repressive online laws have forced the “Swahili Wikileaks” to close
Quartz: Tanzania’s repressive online laws have forced the “Swahili Wikileaks” to close. “Jamii Forums announced it was forced to comply with a government notice that it apply for an online license or cease operation ahead of the June 15 deadline. As part of the new restrictions, the government must certify all bloggers and charge an annual license fee of over $900. Those defying the new orders face fines starting at five million Tanzanian shillings ($2,200) or a year in prison.”
Yahoo News: African nations crack down on social media with new laws, taxes
Yahoo News: African nations crack down on social media with new laws, taxes. “Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda have passed sweeping regulations on social media to bolster cybersecurity and prevent the spread of false information. But activists say the laws hurt freedom of speech. CBS News foreign correspondent Debora Patta takes CBSN through the latest.” This is a video.
CORDIS: Exposing state crimes and human rights abuses through architecture
CORDIS: Exposing state crimes and human rights abuses through architecture. “In the past, evidence on war crimes and human rights violations was based on interviews conducted long after the event. But modern technology has changed this. With the widespread use of digital recording equipment, satellite communication, remote sensing technology and the internet, vast amounts of data are now available to provide novel types of evidence when crimes are perpetrated.” I had never heard of forensic architecture until I came across this article. The New York Times has an article about it from April.
GlobalVoices: Billions Served? Human Rights in the Facebook Era
GlobalVoices: Billions Served? Human Rights in the Facebook Era . “During the 2011 Arab Uprisings, Facebook proved itself to be one of the most powerful technological catalysts for free speech and democratic mobilization that the world had ever seen. While it did not cause the uprisings, it was a critical driver of their growth. In that same year, the number of Facebook users in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East (i.e. the ‘Global South’) surpassed the number of users in Europe in North America. From this moment on, it was truly a global platform, despite being a US company.”
ABC News: Activist group publishes database of Syria chemical attacks
ABC News: Activist group publishes database of Syria chemical attacks. “An activist group on Tuesday published a database of information on suspected chemical attacks in Syria , adding to a growing collection of videos and images documenting alleged war crimes during the seven-year conflict. The Syrian Archive, which works with human rights groups such as Amnesty International, said it has verified 861 videos covering some 212 attacks — most of them believed to have been carried out by government forces.”
The Next Web: Tanzania imposes strict social media regulations to stop ‘moral decadence’
The Next Web: Tanzania imposes strict social media regulations to stop ‘moral decadence’. “Tanzania has finally signed into law their eyebrow-raising new regulation that will govern social media and blogging. The regulation known as the Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations 2017, was initially published by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and came into effect during March 2018.”
