Threats to the Open Net: June 22, 2012

By: Cale Guthrie Weissman on 22 June 2012
Posted in India, Iran, United States of America, Israel, Russia, Denmark, United States/Canada, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Europe, Legislation, Copyright, Cybercrime and security, Threats to the Open Net, Political filtering, Conflict and security filtering
  • On Monday, Google released its bi-annual transparency report, documenting a drastic increase of takedown notices from around the globe. Highlights include a 49% increase in content censorship in India and a huge spike in requests from democratic regimes.
  • The International Telecommunication Agency (ITU) will be hosting an international conference called the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) to discuss amendments to a treaty governing international telecommunications regulations originally passed in 1988. In response, researchers have released the website WCITLeaks to provide a forum for non-members to view proposed amendments. Many are debating the possibility of the UN gaining regulatory power over the Internet, while others see the summit merely as a means for Internet companies to increase revenue.
  • Reports now confirm that the US and Israeli governments collaborated to design the computer superbug ‘Flame’. Flame was invented and disseminated to destabilize the Iranian nuclear program. With this confirmation, concerns are growing about governmental use of cyberwarfare tactics.
  • Danish Internet service providers (ISPs) and copyright holders have agreed on a framework where all ISPs must block copyright-infringed content if the content is reported to just one ISP. This accord is one of eight initiatives the Danish Ministry of Culture is pursuing to combat online piracy.

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