Threats to the Open Net: October 21, 2011

By: Qichen Zhang on 21 October 2011
Posted in United States of America, Libya, United States/Canada, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Europe

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  • French judges have ordered ISPs to block a cop-watch website that details police arrests. Law enforcement blocked the Copwatch Nord Paris I-D-F due to their fear of possible police violence in response to the website. Activists have voiced their opposition and called this another example of the French government restricting free speech on the Internet.
  • The International Telecommunication Union Council is meeting in Geneva this week to discuss merging the gap between open Internet culture and closed inter-government policymaking practices. In forming a "Dedicated Working Group," the international committee is currently stuck between limiting group members to governments or allowing other stakeholders, including businesses.
  • A green tech company founder hosted an "Occupy the Web" hackathon in San Francisco on Friday. Under the slogan "hacking for the 99%," over 4,000 people protested on the streets in the city that same day. Hackers were presented with project options chosen through a polling of Occupy participants around the country. Most projects addressed technology's contribution to the movement.
  • The FIDH and LDH filed a complaint against software company Amesys for violating human rights by providing Libya's government with surveillance technology. In 2007, the firm entered an agreement with the Libyan regime and complied with them in intercepting data and surveilling communication among Libyan citizens.