Search
Forum Home | Login
mignuna
mignuna
Join Date 01/2004
0

imprisoned for blogging - 72 people and counting

... what have YOU said that could brand you a "cyber-dissident" ?

External Link
July 3, 2004 8:00:14 AM from JoeUser ForumsJoeUser Forums

sent to prison for speaking your mind on your blog ... that couldn’t happen to you, right ?

"reporters without borders*" is a group that highlights the plight of people imprisoned and branded as “cyber-dissidents” for publishing their views on the internet. their website reports that 72 online authors worldwide have been charged with being “cyber-dissidents” and are currently imprisoned, with new incidences on the increase.

consider the case of the chinese blogger and journalist du daobin, currently under four years’ house detention in china after his arrest in october 2003 for posting articles on the internet advocating democracy and respect for human rights.

du, 40, posted articles online calling peacefully for more democracy and freedom of expression in china. he also highlighted the plight of “cyber-dissident” liu di, (a young female student imprisoned for posting messages in online forums calling for democracy in china). liu di was held for over a year in prison and was never brought to trial. she was eventually released in november 2003.

and it doesn’t stop in china. in the ukraine recently, kostyantyn sydorenko, 28, was arrested whilst covering the election of a city mayor for an election monitoring site. he had previously supplied the website with footage of ukranian police moving in to dislodge activists from 'pora' (a local organisation which criticises the election process in the ukraine). he was charged with "cyber-dissidence" for his web coverage and post content.

in zimbabwe, a contract issued to the every one of the countries isp’s by 'telone' (the telecommunications monopoly holder) requires that all internet service providers “monitor the content of all online traffic” (including their customers’ emails) and “take all necessary measures to prevent the transmission of illegal material online”.

not so bad until you consider that “illegal” includes: "obscene, unauthorised or any other content, international & domestic cyber laws, in any form or inconsistent with the laws of zimbabwe"; and that zimbabwes' isp's will be legally bound to reveal both contents and originating source of any "illegal material", including full contact details.

the story of zouhair yahyaoui (who attained fame for the unfortunate distinction of becoming tunisias' first internet journalist to be imprisoned for his online work) is well known, yet it is not well known that yahyaoui’s “crime” was publishing online a letter from his uncle, mokhtar yahyaoui (a retired tunisian judge), stating that the tunisian judiciary showed a total lack of independence.

so could it happen to you ?. well, is there anything in your blog that would cause you to be viewed as a threat to "peace" ?. do you rant and rave about electoral policy ? do you have a social conscience ? do you speek too freely about injustice ? ‘cause if you do, there’s every chance that someone, somewhere, is reading your words and wondering how to shut you up.

the threat to privacy is now so real that a blogsite exists which promises total anonymity to its' users*. the site bloggers use an anonymous mail redirector to post their content, and you cannot be identified unless the website owners are legally subpoenaed to reveal who you are. whilst this is not for your "average joe" (pardon the pun), they do report a slowly growing subscription base.

and if instant messaging seems safer, listen to elias levy, chief technology officer with (net security specialist) securityfocus.com:

“most common instant messaging applications send data through a central server where all communications are recorded and stored. there they remain should law enforcement request them. electronic communications are becoming more and more important to the enterprise, but whenever you use them, remember that they might be used against you sometime in the future”




*links to sites mentioned in this article:

"the invisible blogsite": Link

"reporters without borders": Link
blogging
Locked Post
Search this post
Advanced Search
Subscription Options
Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
mignuna
David St Hubbins
Join Date 04/2004
0
Reply #1 July 3, 2004 8:28:39 AM
from JoeUser ForumsJoeUser Forums

Good article. It's only a matter of time before Canadians start getting arrested for speaking their minds on their blogs. In our recent election, a candidate got a lot of heat over comments he made *Ten* years ago on a web forum. So it will be interesting to see how this blogging thing works out.
Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
mignuna
mignuna
Join Date 01/2004
0
Reply #2 July 3, 2004 8:44:03 AM
from JoeUser ForumsJoeUser Forums

In our recent election, a candidate got a lot of heat over comments he made *Ten* years ago on a web forum. So it will be interesting to see how this blogging thing works out.


exactly, david. with nasties like retroactive legislation on the loose, plus the western assumption that we are exempt from such things, anything could indeed happen.

thanks for your insightful comment

mig XX
Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
mignuna
MasonM
Join Date 01/2004
+45
Reply #3 July 3, 2004 9:01:10 AM
from JoeUser ForumsJoeUser Forums
Interesting article. Really makes one appreciate living in a country where freedom of expression is still allowed. A lot of people don't realize that these comments and articles written in cyber space can and sometimes do come back to bite them in the posterior regions.

I would expect to see more and more internet activities being used in courts as time passes. Technology is a double edged sword. Look at some of the recent trials involving large corporate executives. Many telephone converstaions and electronics memos and emails are being used against them.

Times are a-changing. The cyber-fascists are on the loose.
Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
mignuna
mignuna
Join Date 01/2004
0
Reply #4 July 3, 2004 9:47:08 AM
from JoeUser ForumsJoeUser Forums

A lot of people don't realize that these comments and articles written in cyber space can and sometimes do come back to bite them in the posterior regions.


exactly, mason. but it seems they may be about to


The cyber-fascists are on the loose


mason, lol, i tried for ages to think of a good title for this article ... and there it is ... next time i'll ask you


People in these countries have traditionally been jailed for all forms of dissent, whether written, spoken, or (even falsely) alleged by a disgruntled neighbor. In cuba, you arent even allowed to own a computer, Castro confiscated them all years ago, and now one must go to government run and monitored cyber cafes to use the net.


it's so sadly true, what you say little_whip. oppression just spreads its' vile wings one step further each time

Saddam was a big fan of retroactive legislation


yet there persists the belief that such a thing is not a "western" concern, when in fact it already happens

he (brian dalton) simply put some of his own fantasies into words for his own use, they were not posted anywhere, or distributed in any way, they were his personal thoughts written in a journal


prescisely, little_whip. i agree with your revulsion of his acts, yet it is still an awful thing to contemplate that anything you write could be used against you. and to not even publish them in order to be judged by them is a step away from anything you record on paper being taken as a given.

by some standards, my blog is illegal. perverted. and possibly other things. retroactive legslation for, say, publishing soft porn without requiring a strict "underage filter" would see me charged, for example, for making stuff available (regardless of the sites own filter).

little_whip, as always, you have added a new dimension as well, that being that the judgement of one on a personal level (habits, activities, fantasies) is also possible via these means. truly terrifying indeed. i've bookmarked that link for a better look, thanks for providing it, and thanks for your comments, they are appreciated as always


mig XX
Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
mignuna
WiseFawn
Join Date 01/2004
0
Reply #5 July 3, 2004 10:41:54 AM
from JoeUser ForumsJoeUser Forums
Have you read about our Patriot Act?
Good article.
Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
mignuna
mignuna
Join Date 01/2004
0
Reply #6 July 3, 2004 10:57:10 AM
from JoeUser ForumsJoeUser Forums

Have you read about our Patriot Act?


wisefawn, i'm guessing you mean in relevance to it being an offence to have unlawful access to stored communications ?. (ie: intentionally access without authorization a facility through which an electronic communication service is provided ?). whilst that does provide protection against illegal access, it still allows under the law the right for legal subpoena of electronic records.

but, it is 2am (again) and i may have missed your point entirely (this is very possible)

mig XX
Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
View all recent posts
Mark all posts as read Delete cookies created by the forum Return to Top
Stardock Forums v        Server Load Time:   Page Render Time:
Facebook Twitter YouTube Google+