Daily Archives: September 25, 2012

An Afghan woman browsing the net at a public internet cafe in Kabul (Reuters)

Internet freedom is under threat in many countries as attacks on bloggers, restrictive laws, content manipulation and politically motivated surveillances are seen to be on the rise, says the US watchdog Freedom House.

In its report, Freedom on the Net 2012: Shifting Methods of Internet Control, the organisation says that despite these issues, efforts from civil society, tech companies and independent courts have helped improve the situation.

"The findings clearly show that threats to internet freedom are becoming more diverse," said Sanja Kelly, project director forFreedom on the Net.

"As authoritarian rulers see that blocked websites and high-profile arrests draw local and international condemnation, they are turning to murkier - but no less dangerous - methods for controlling online conversations."

The internet plays an influential role in modern society with nearly one-third of the world's population using it, the watchdog notes.

Governments are increasingly trying to control this influence by restricting the free flow of information and infringing on the rights of users through sophisticated methods and tactics which were previously found only in repressive environments.

Freedom House points out that tactics such "as instigating deliberate connection disruptions or hiring armies of paid commentators to manipulate online discussions" are becoming more common in many countries.

The report analyses issues in internet freedom in 47 countries focusing on accessibility, content limitations and denial of rights.

Estonia has been found to have the most freedom on the internet while the United States comes second. The United Kingdom has been ranked eighth below Germany, Italy and Philippines.

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Internet Freedom Under Threat, says US Watchdog

Internet freedom in the past two years has been threatened by attacks on bloggers, web content manipulation and restrictive laws regulating online speech, as well as other diverse threats, says a new study released by Freedom House on Monday.

The Freedom on the Net 2012: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media report by the U.S.-based nongovernmental organization identified countries where the situation worsened, and said Russia was among the Countries at Risk group.

The findings clearly show that threats to internet freedom are becoming more diverse, Sanja Kelly, project director for Freedom on the Net at Freedom House, said.

The report said governments are responding to increased internet influence through seeking to control web activity, restricting the free flow of information, and otherwise infringing on the rights of users.

Freedom House claimed that the methods of control are becoming more sophisticated, and tactics previously evident in only the most repressive environments - such as governments instigating deliberate connection disruptions or hiring armies of paid commentators to manipulate online discussions - are appearing in a wider set of countries.

Regarding Russia, the report said that the internet is the last relatively uncensored platform for public debate in the country. However, it added, since January 2011, massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and smear campaigns to discredit online activists have intensified.

After online tools played a critical role in galvanizing massive anti-government protests that began in December 2011, the Kremlin signaled its intention to further tighten control over internet communications, Freedom House said.

Freedom on the Net 2012 identified key trends in internet freedom in 47 countries. Evaluating each country on the basis of barriers to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights, it said that Estonia had the biggest degree of internet freedom among the countries examined, followed by the United States.

Iran, Cuba, and China had the smallest degree of internet freedom, with eleven other countries receiving a ranking of Not Free. They included Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Thailand.

Twenty of the examined countries experienced a negative trajectory in internet freedom since January 2011, with the greatest declines registered in Bahrain, Pakistan, and Ethiopia.

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Threats to Internet Freedom More Diverse - Freedom House

The freedom of speech and expression is recognised in international law as a basic human right.

It is recognised under the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNUDHR) and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Besides the UNUDHR and ICCPR, freedom of speech is also an integral part of the European Convention on Human Rights, American Convention on Human Rights and African Charter on Human and People's Rights.

Meanwhile, Article 10 of our Federal Constitution guarantees Malaysians the right to freedom of speech, entitling citizens to such freedoms as are not otherwise restricted under law by the government as it deems necessary or expedient in the interest of: the security of the country; friendly relations with other countries, public order or morality; and protecting parliamentary privileges and providing against contempt of court, defamation or incitement to any offence.

Many democratic countries guarantee and defend almost unrestricted freedom of speech, while a number of countries recognise that right but apply a range of legal restrictions and others simply deny any freedom of speech.

In practice, freedom of speech is not an absolute right in any country and is subject to limitations, as with libel, slander, obscenity, copyright violation and incitement to commit a crime.

Article 19 of ICCPR states that "everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference" and "everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice".

But importantly, that same article goes on to say that the exercise of these rights carries "special duties and responsibilities" and may "therefore, be subject to certain restrictions" when necessary for "respect of the rights or reputation of others" or for "the protection of national security or of public order, or of public health or morals".

In the last 12 years, UN human rights bodies have adopted resolutions that condemn "defamation of religion" as a violation of human rights.

The first of these resolutions, introduced in 1999, makes it clear that defaming any religion in any way is unacceptable and must be forbidden.

Originally posted here:
RELIGION: Freedom of speech not absolute

September 25, 2012 - 12:16 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Internet freedom in the past two years has been threatened by attacks on bloggers, web content manipulation and restrictive laws regulating online speech, as well as other diverse threats, says a new study released by Freedom House on Monday, September 24, RIA Novosti reported.

The Freedom on the Net 2012: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media report by the U.S.-based nongovernmental organization identified countries where the situation worsened, and said Russia was among the Countries at Risk group.

The findings clearly show that threats to internet freedom are becoming more diverse, Sanja Kelly, project director for Freedom on the Net at Freedom House, said.

The report said governments are responding to increased internet influence through seeking to control web activity, restricting the free flow of information, and otherwise infringing on the rights of users.

Freedom House claimed that the methods of control are becoming more sophisticated, and tactics previously evident in only the most repressive environments - such as governments instigating deliberate connection disruptions or hiring armies of paid commentators to manipulate online discussions - are appearing in a wider set of countries.

Freedom on the Net 2012 identified key trends in internet freedom in 47 countries. Evaluating each country on the basis of barriers to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights, it said that Estonia had the biggest degree of internet freedom among the countries examined, followed by the United States.

Iran, Cuba, and China had the smallest degree of internet freedom, with eleven other countries receiving a ranking of Not Free. They included Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Thailand.

Twenty of the examined countries experienced a negative trajectory in internet freedom since January 2011, with the greatest declines registered in Bahrain, Pakistan, and Ethiopia.

Authorities in Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, and China imposed new restrictions after noting the key role social media played in the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, it said.

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Freedom House: Azerbaijan’s Internet freedom vulnerable to deterioration

Estonian flag

Residents of Estonia have the most freedom to do what they want on the Internet, with the U.S. ranking second among 47 countries examined by a group that pushes for democratic freedoms worldwide.

However, residents of several countries have experienced attacks on bloggers, politically motivated surveillance, government manipulation of Web content and regulations focused on online speech, said Freedom House, which issued a report on Internet freedoms Monday.

Twenty of the 47 countries have less Internet freedom now than they did in January 2011, with Bahrain, Pakistan, and Ethiopia seeing the greatest declines, according to the report.

"We are seeing an increasing number of governments trying to limit free speech online," Sanja Kelly, project director of the study, said during a forum in Washington, D.C.

A number of governments in the Middle East have restricted Internet freedom since the Arab Spring movement that began in late 2010, she said. "They saw what kind of consequences can happen when people organize with social media," Kelly said.

In 14 countries, the governments are hiring people to comment online and drown out unpopular posts. This is one of the more "worrying trends" the study found, Kelly said.

The study found new laws or directives passed since January 2011 in 19 of the 47 countries to restrict online speech, violate user privacy, or punish people who post content deemed objectionable or undesirable.

In 26 countries, at least one blogger or Internet user has been arrested for content posted online or sent by text messages. In 19 countries, a blogger or Internet user was tortured, beaten or has disappeared apparently in response to their online posts, the study said. In five countries, an activist or citizen journalist was killed in retribution for posting information that exposed human rights abuses.

But the study reports what Kelly called a positive development in Internet freedom. In several countries, Internet activists and technology companies have fought against restrictive laws, she said.

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Study: Estonia, U.S. have most Internet freedom