Access Express | 01/25/13
FBI: We need wiretap-ready Web sites - now
The FBI is asking Internet companies not to oppose a controversial proposal that would require firms, including Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, and Google, to build in backdoors for government surveillance...
via news 
Staff Picks
Pakistani agencies at odds over internet censorship system
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Information Technology are at odds over installation of a system to regulate and monitor websites, their contents and internet content filtration, Pakistan Today has learnt...
via pakistantoday
Planet Blue Coat: Mapping global censorship and surveillance tools
Blue Coat Devices capable of filtering, censorship, and surveillance are being used around the world. During several weeks of scanning and validation that ended in January 2013, we uncovered 61 Blue Coat ProxySG devices...
via citizenlab
From the Access Community
Youth expelled from Montreal college after finding security flaw
A student has been expelled from Montreal’s Dawson College after he discovered a flaw in the computer system used by most Quebec CEGEPs (General and Vocational Colleges), one which compromised the security of over 250,000 students’ personal information...
via nationalpost
How the White House petition site is becoming a digital public square
Since Obama's re-election, use of it more than doubled, reports Macon Phillips, the White House new media director, who oversees the project. "In just that time roughly 2.4 million new users joined the system, 73,000 petitions were created and 4.9 million
via techpresident
State of the Internet: The broadband future is faster, but still unevenly distributed
We may not be a gigabit nation yet when it comes to broadband, but the latest data from Akamai shows that the the number of broadband connections over 10 Mbps — what Akamai dubs “high broadband” has grown by 73 percent...
via gigaom
Philippines mulls suspended cybercrime law restricting communication
The Philippine Supreme Court has begun to hear and weigh the arguments on the constitutionality of a controversial law...
via ip-watch
Is it real? Witness builds an app to verify user-submitted content
By now, it’s a familiar cycle: An amazing image is discovered — and then proven to be fake. Whether it’s photos of flooding during Hurricane Sandy, or videos of eagles stealing babies, it’s not always easy to detect fakery. And when you think...
via niemanlab
US data privacy campaigners support Brussels against US interference
Whilst the US government and a number of major corporations like Facebook lobby the European Commission to water down its data privacy proposals, other American groups are telling Brussels officials to press on with the plans...
via techweekeurope
Transparency Report: What it takes for governments to access personal information
Today we’re releasing new data for the Transparency Report, showing that the steady increase in government requests for our users’ data continued in the second half of 2012, as usage of our services continued to grow...
via googleblog
France considering an ‘Internet Tax’ on personal data
France is considering a so-called "Internet tax" on data collection activities by Facebook, Google and other technology companies. The proposed tax would put a financial value on the personal information scooped up by those firms...
via mashable
An African platform for open access academic articles
On January 24, the official launch of Hadithi, a platform for hosting open access academic content will take place in Nairobi, Kenya. Various scholars and digital players will get together to discuss digital open access in higher education in Kenya...
via globalvoicesonline
Thai court gives 10-Year sentence for insult to king
A labor activist and former magazine editor was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday for insulting Thailand’s king, the latest in a string of convictions under the country’s strict lèse-majesté law, and an additional year for libeling...
via nytimes
Burmese IT experts urge Facebook campaign for greater Internet freedom
Information technology experts are amplifying their calls for better Internet access in the country and some are urging users to post their views on the new telecom bill on Facebook because the government is paying close attention to what people are...
via elevenmyanmar
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