Reporters without Borders just released its 2006 Annual Report on censorship and press freedom around the globe and the 153-page run-down is a heartbreaking document. But, this year the group has a special section devoted to Internet censorship and it’s not surprising to find that countries that limit press freedom are also stepping up censorship of the Internet.
Numerous nations around the world filter out undesired content. But, governments are becoming more active in punishing those they believe flout censorship laws via Internet postings and emails. In 2003, the report notes, only China, Vietnam and the Maldives imprisoned cyber-writers for purported violations of content curbs. Now that list has grown to include Iran, Libya, Tunisia and other countries.
Until recently, the Internet was a fairly open means of communications even in the more authoritarian countries. However, as this BBC article on the report notes, blogs, forums and social networking increase political activity, which in turn attracts the attention of government authorities.
Julien Pain - who heads the internet freedom desk at the [Reporters Without Borders] and was one of the report’s authors, noted: “Everyone’s interested in the internet - especially dictators.”
Western nations don’t escape criticism, although Reporters Without Borders makes clear that there is no comparison between the EU and the US, for example, and China. Still, the organization makes a point of singling out Western technology firms as enablers of press repression; Cisco, for example, sold special equipment to Chinese authorities for filtering content.
Posted by Cynthia Brumfield at 11:47 PM | Print | Comments (0)
AOL is about to announce a new service, called AIMPhone, that gives its AIM users a free local phone number using VoIP technology. The free service will work only for incoming calls — users can receive calls at the number from any phone and can listen and talk with headsets plugged into the computer.
But for a fee of $14.95/month, users can make outgoing unlimited local and long distance (including 30 countries) calls.
This is an interesting development, and on par with what Yahoo is doing with its Yahoo Messenger with Voice service, also a no-cost offering that extends premium options. Unfortunately, AOL is pegging a relatively cool idea to a sinking platform — its AIM base.
The company is losing AIM customers at a rapid clip (13% over the past year) and AOL’s subscription service, a big driver of AIM, is also sinking. Which is too bad, because these IM voice experiments could pay off for online portals and service providers. The IM-VoIP efforts won’t necessarily pay off in the short-term but IM-based voice could be the thin wedge that cracks open more robust VoIP options.
But unlike Yahoo, AOL has to turn around a listing ship, it’s AIM platform, in order to make VoIP over IM into something bigger. Yahoo also has the added advantage of a giant telco partner, which is marketing Yahoo Messenger with Voice.
Posted by Cynthia Brumfield at 10:53 PM | Print | Comments (0)
Municipal Wi-Fi efforts are steaming along. The high-profile project in Philadelphia to deliver city-wide Wi-Fi service passed its last hurdle yesterday and construction of the system is slated to begin in two weeks. The last step in approving the EarthLink-powered Wi-Fi network, a vote by a city council committee, took place yesterday.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati formally kicked off its free Wi-Fi service yesterday. The mesh network in the Ohio metropolis is spearheaded by a non-profit partnership called LilyPad, which includes the city of Cincinnati and Time Warner Cable. It’s a big effort: LilyPad covers the Ohio River waterfront and neighboring Kentucky cities of Covington and Newport.
Posted by Cynthia Brumfield at 9:38 AM | Print | Comments (0)
CBS is slated to unveil as early as today a new online video channel, according to Broadcasting and Cable. Unlike the online experiment pioneered by ABC, in which that network is streaming at no charge its hit primetime shows, the new CBS channel will feature original content with some programming tied back to its over-the-air line-up.
The new CBS channel will also be free, although the network is selling its hit shows for $.99/pop. The timing of the announcement is to take advantage of the upfront sales of next season’s advertising spots, with CBS hoping to wedge its online platform into the advertiser pitches.
Update: CBS has officially announced this channel, which is called innertube and is available on the home page of CBS.com. Innertube will initially start with three shows daily. The initial line-up includes show such as “Greek to Chic,” a college-based makeover series and “Beyond Survivor,” a behind-the-scenes look at the hit show.
New series are slated to launch in the summer, including “Inturn,” a reality series about a group of young people competing for a spot on “Days of Our Lives” and new episodes of the CBS.com talk show, “House Calls.” CBS has lined up an impressive group of advertisers for the channel including Brinkmann Corporation, Cadbury Schweppes, Chili’s, Pier 1 Imports and Verizon SuperPages.com.
Posted by Cynthia Brumfield at 9:25 AM | Print | Comments (0)The FCC yesterday issued a second order related to the wiretapping obligations of broadband and VoIP providers (press release here). The FCC had earlier ruled that broadband and VoIP providers are obligated to meet the law enforcement access requirements spelled out in the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), enacted in 1994.
This new order came about as a result of a petition filed by the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Drug Enforcement Administration in March 2004. The law enforcement groups wanted further guidance about how cable, in particular, and VoIP providers would meet their CALEA obligations.
This second order affirms a hard and fast deadline for companies to get in compliance — May 14, 2007. The order also says that broadband and VoIP providers must bear the costs of getting into compliance; the government won’t subsidize the expenses involved.
As CNET’s Declan McCullough and Anne Broache report, many VoIP providers view this decision as nothing more than a “tax,” particularly given that the original 1994 law authorized $500 million to reimburse traditional telephone companies for their costs of coming into compliance.
Of particular concern is the expenses that will be incurred by non-profit organizations, such as university and library networks. The cable industry, however, is resigned to getting the job done. In a joint statement, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association and CableLabs, the industry’s R&D consortium, said:
Today’s FCC action is a logical next step in setting CALEA compliance ground rules as they apply to broadband services. CableLabs and the cable industry look forward to addressing any unresolved issues involving the application of CALEA to cable modem service consistent with the customer privacy rights embodied in that statute
Update: In an unrelated development, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has called for a summit on privacy matters in the wake of revelations that the Bush administration engaged in wiretaps of U.S. citizens who were opposed to the war in Iraq. In a speech, Leahy warned that the U.S. is in danger of turning into a “micro-monitoring” state.
Posted by Cynthia Brumfield at 8:57 AM | Print | Comments (0)
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