Threats to the Open Net: June 17th, 2011

By: Matt Lavigueur on 17 June 2011
Posted in Canada, Iran, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Turkey, Qatar, United States/Canada, Asia, Europe, Arrests and legal action, Circumvention, Cybercrime and security, Geolocational Filtering, Threats to the Open Net, Filtering tech and software

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*Anonymous’ “hacktivist” activities and countermeasures have seen an upsurge in many areas of the world, including Turkey, where 32 suspected members were arrested after an attack on government sites; Malaysia, where another cyber-attack was carried out; and Spain, where 3 more suspected members have been arrested.

*The U.S. State Department is funding an “Internet in a suitcase” initiative intended to create shadow Internet and mobile networks in countries with repressive regimes. Iran’s government has issued a response suggesting that the initiative could lead to backlash within Middle Eastern states.

*Technology developed in Canada is being used to censor Internet content in Middle Eastern countries, including Yemen, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates.