Access Express | 09/12/13
iSpy: How the NSA accesses smartphone data
The NSA has developed the ability to hack into iPhones, android devices, and even the BlackBerry. For the NSA, smartphones are a goldmine, combining in a single device almost all the information that would interest an intelligence agency.
via spiegel 
From the Access Community
500 retweets will now get you three years in prison in China
China has stepped up its crackdown on online rumors by issuing a judicial framework for prosecuting offenders. Internet users who share false information will face up to three years in prison if their posts are viewed 5,000 times or forwarded 500 times.
via globalvoicesonline
This week, trade delegates met in secret to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership's e-commerce chapter, which will likely whittle away at user data protections. Fortunately, heavy criticism from around the world is mounting against the TPP.
via eff
Staff Picks
NGOs unite against criminalization of free expression on the internet in Southeast Asia
As concerns grow in Southeast Asia over laws limiting freedom of expression on the internet, a coalition of international and local NGOs and activists urged governments to stop using vague legislation to intimidate, harass and imprison independent voices.
via ifex
NSA shares raw intelligence data with Israel
New document reveals the NSA routinely shares raw intelligence data with Israel without first sifting it to remove information about US citizens. The agreement places no legally binding limits on the use of the data by the Israelis.
via theguardian
Four Bangladeshi bloggers indicted for blasphemy
Four Bangladeshi bloggers are facing up to seven years in jail if found guilty of charges that they defamed Islam and the Prophet Mohammed under the country’s Information Communication Technology laws.
via dailytimes
Kroes launches her attack on net neutrality in Europe
The European Commission will finally release its proposal for regulation to complete the EU single market for electronic communications. But after promising strong measures in favor of net neutrality, Commissioner Kroes is now seeking to destroy it.
via edri
Nigeria reveals its first open data portal
The Governor of Edo State in Nigeria has announced the Country's first open data portal, declaring, "Our goal is to to run not just an efficient govt but an accountable govt through Open Data."
via techpresident
Swedish intelligence agency 'breaking surveillance laws,' working with the NSA
The Swedish National Defense Radio Establishment has pushed legal boundaries by accessing large amounts of raw data from telephone and internet records, and is allegedly one of the U.S.' most important partners in efforts to monitor global communications.
via thelocal
In rural India, mobile innovation gives isolated people a voice
An innovative news service uses phones to give millions of Indian people living in an information vacuum an outlet to report on their communities. Accessible via simple cell phones, anyone can use the service to report and listen to local news stories.
via ijnet
Obama administration had restrictions on NSA reversed in 2011
The Obama administration secretly won permission from a surveillance court in 2011 to reverse restrictions on the NSA’s use of intercepted phone calls and emails, permitting the agency to search for Americans’ communications in its massive databases.
via washingtonpost
Brazilian government launches hackathon to promote transparency
Following anti-government protests in Brazil and public demand for more transparency, the government is hosting a hackathon to develop systems that will facilitate the utilization of public information to benefit citizens.
via zdnet
The U.S. government pays for 60 percent of Tor’s budget. Can users trust it?
In the wake of revelations that the NSA has managed to circumvent much of the online encryption we rely on, news that a large portion of Tor's 2012 budget came from the Department of Defense, which houses the NSA, raises concerns about users' anonymity.
via washingtonpost
Thousands protest NSA spying in Berlin
Thousands of people took to the streets of Berlin, Germany on Saturday to protest against NSA surveillance activities and fight for their right to privacy.
via rt
San Francisco to test online participatory budgeting
Online direct democracy is coming to the U.S., where San Francisco will be the first major U.S. city to allow citizens to directly vote on portions of the budget online. Each city district will vote on $100,000 in expenditures.
via techcrunch
This week's Express was curated by Lee Gensler. Have a tip for a story, or suggestion for an article? Let us know! Contact us at: express@accessnow.org.
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