Access Express | 05/23/13
Iranian internet in 'coma' as presidential election looms
Iran is tightening control of the internet ahead of next month's presidential election, mindful of violent street protests that social networkers inspired following allegations of electoral fraud in 2009.
via ahram 
From the Access Community
Fresh evidence of TeliaSonera ties To Uzbek dictatorship
Documents leaked to Swedish investigative journalists offer fresh evidence of a link between Swedish telco TeliaSonera and Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the president of Uzbekistan.
via rferl
Think Skype messages get end-to-end encryption? Think again
In an independent investigation, Ars Technica found that Microsoft not only has ability to peer at the plaintext sent from one Skype user to another, but that the company regularly flexes that monitoring muscle.
via arstechnica
Staff Picks
Google, Microsoft and Yahoo: backers behind European Privacy Association
After an independent watchdog accused the European Privacy Association (EPA) of being insufficiently transparent, the group has confirmed that Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are its primary backers.
via pcworld
Facebook joins GNI amid moves to improve privacy and expression impacts
Facebook will join the Global Network Initiative (GNI), bolstering the group’s roster of some of the biggest firms in communications technology.
via accessnow
Chinese hackers who breached Google gained access to sensitive data, U.S. officials say
Chinese hackers who breached Google’s servers several years ago gained access to a sensitive database with years’ worth of information about U.S. surveillance targets, according to current and former government officials.
via washingtonpost
Hunting for Syrian hackers’ chain of command
It’s the question of the moment inside the murky realm of cybersecurity: Just who — or what — is the Syrian Electronic Army?
via nytimes
Reporters threatened with CFAA lawsuit for Googling confidential data
In yet another example of the flaws in the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), two government contractors who left non-password protected confidential information on the open web are threatening to sue the Scripps reporters who discovered it.
via torekeland
US teenager charged with terrorism for Facebook post
A US high school student has been charged with making terrorist threats for posting rap lyrics he'd written on his Facebook page.
via gawker
Telcos risk complicity in surveillance and censorship in Burma
International telcos risk being linked to human rights abuses if they enter the Burmese market before adequate protections are in place, Human Rights Watch said in a new report.
via hrw
Facebook’s role in democratization of Azerbaijan
Research shows that beginning this year, social networks, especially Facebook, have influenced communication among different groups of people, including officials in Azerbaijan.
via facebookcafe
Saudi telco accused of working with government to spy on citizens
TechPresident gives more context to Moxie Marlinspike's refusal to work with the telco Mobily to develop surveillance software for Saudi Arabia.
via techpresident
Taiwan to block 'piracy' torrent websites
Taiwan officials stated that they will amend the Copyright Act in order to block foreign web sites that engage in "flagrant copyright violation" including many BitTorrent and FTP sites.
via focustaiwan
Cuba comes online following completion of underseas cable from Jamaica
A new branch of the Venezuela-to-Cuba undersea fiber-optic cable has reportedly come online, linking the island to nearby Jamaica, and increasing Cuba's communications bandwidth.
via bigstory
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