Threats to the Open Net: June 3, 2011

By: Rebekah Heacock on 3 June 2011
Posted in China, North Korea, Syria, Threats to the Open Net

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* Syria shut down most of its Internet connections with the outside world this week as protests swelled. The Internet has been a highly contested space in the country since protests began earlier this spring; a report by Helmi Noman on pro-government hackers in the Middle East highlights the activities of the Syrian Electronic Army, a group that is actively targeting political opposition and Western websites.

* According to a North Korean defector who spoke at a cybersecurity conference in Seoul this week, North Korea has been preparing a cyber army by sending as many as 3000 computer programs abroad for training.

* The Chinese government is blocking search results for "Inner Mongolia" after protests broke out in the region. The protests were prompted when a truck driver ran over a shepherd; the truck driver and shepherd were of different ethnicities. Chinese instant messenger service QQ has been shut down in the region, and social networking site Renren is also preventing mention of the words "Inner Mongolia."