Information Policy

Estonia to Host EU’s IT Agency

By Liis Kangsepp

Estonia hopes to firm its image of an information technology leader after the European Union’s agency that manages large-scale IT systems in home affairs opens in Tallinn this weekend.

Anonymous Operation Syria - Press Release

Thursday - November 29, 2012 7:00 PM ET USA Greetings World -- Today, at precisely 10:30 AM ET all Internet traffic into and out of Syria ceased. Within a half hour of this sudden shut down, the PBX land-lines were degraded by 90% and Mobile connectivity was degraded by 75%. The nation of Syria has gone dark. And Anonymous knows all to well what happens in the dark places. http://localleaks.me/plf/images/SyriaInternet.png Anonymous has done an exhaustive analysis of the Internet shut-down in Syria and we have concluded that the Syrian regime has physically severed the fiber-optic and coaxial cables coming into Syria. Essentially, they have physically "pulled the plug out of the wall". As we discovered in Egypt, where the dictator Mubarak did something similar - this is not damage that can be easily or quickly repaired. Fortunately, Anonymous has been working with Syrian activists for well over a year in anticipation of this moment. We produced and disseminated the Syrian Care Package - http://bit.ly/Wxx0ev and there are emergency independent media centers already set up in every city of Syria. Activists and independent journalists in Syria will be able to utilize these media centers to get news and media out of Syria, and Anonymous will assist in propagating that media to the world. Anonymous will keep open the lines of telecommunication with the free Syrian people. We will be the voice of the voiceless in Syria. "When your government shuts down the Internet, shut down your government." ~~ Anonymous Egypt Anonymous will NOT allow this massive violation of the human rights of the free Syrian people go un-punished. We feel this is a desperate move by a dying regime, one that has slaughtered tens of thousands of innocent civilians. Beginning at 9:00 PM ET USA Anonymous will begin removing from the Internet all web assets belonging to the Assad regime that are NOT hosted in Syria. We will begin with the websites and servers belonging to ALL Syrian Embassies abroad, which we will begin systematically removing from the Internet tonight. Our first target will be the website of the Syrian Embassy of in China: syria.org.cn - we encourage the media to follow the Twitter account @OpSyriaIRC for announcements on take-downs, defacements, data dumps, E-Mail bombs and black fax attacks. By turning off the Internet in Syria, the butcher Assad has shown that the time has come for Anonymous to remove the last vestiges of his evil government from the Internet. Soon, his people will remove him from this world. Let the final battle for a free Syria begin.... We Are Anonymous We Are Legion We Do Not Forgive We Do Not Forget Bashar Assad, your turn has come - EXPECT US

http://www.anonpaste.me/anonpaste2/index.php?bb2a5f5ea4d78406#Kmh9zezlxKa3262RPC6TtgFwc5Vn2Ur+NEtOud0Q0bo=

The Internet Society on Syria’s Internet Shutdown

On behalf of Lynn St. Amour, President and CEO, and the Internet Society Board of Trustees: Emerging reports from various organizations and individuals indicate that international Internet connectivity was shut off in Syria today. The Internet is an open, global medium for communication, idea exchange, empowerment, and innovation. Access to the global Internet is a crucial enabler of human rights.
 
As with previous actions to block Internet traffic in Egypt and Libya,  the effect of cutting off Internet traffic – ceasing the flow of information in and out of the country – is a serious action.  It harms not only the citizens of Syria, but also Syria's economy and society at large.  The Internet Society stands with other organizations around the world in calling for Internet access to be restored with all due speed and cooperation so that vital services can continue to function and citizens won’t be further impacted.
 
First and foremost, the Internet Society joins with the rest of the world in its utmost concern about the safety and security of the Syrian people.  Previous cases where such actions were deliberately taken have proven not only to be harmful, but to be ineffective. The Internet Society hopes that the volatile situation in Syria will come to a peaceful solution and that the citizens of Syria will soon be able to join the rest of the world in having their voices heard online.

http://www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society-syria’s-internet-shutdown

Google launches petition against German ‘link tax’ proposals

Google has kicked off a campaign against a proposed German law that would force search engine providers to pay copyright fees every time they return a news article in their results. The Leistungsschutzrecht für Presseverleger, or 'ancillary copyright for press publishers', would provide an extension of copyright in Germany to cover snippets of articles, such as those that show up in search results so the user can tell what each result is about. It is being proposed by Angela Merkel's coalition, and follows intense lobbying by publishing giant Axel Springer and others. On Tuesday, Google launched a petition against the proposals, arguing that they would make it much harder for web surfers to find what they are looking for. Google has complained about the Leistungsschutzrecht before, but is now stepping up its opposition due to the fact that the bill will be debated this week in the Bundestag. "Most people have never heard of this proposed legislation," Google country director Stefan Tweraser said in a statement. "Such a law would affect every internet user in Germany [and] mean less information for consumers and higher costs for companies." The petition is accompanied by an interactive map intended to show people how to contact their local MP to lobby back against the bill.

http://www.ejc.net/media_news/google_launches_petition_against_german_link_tax_proposals/

Poland against new UN internet 'censorship threat'

Poland is to oppose a UN agency proposal to renegotiate an international internet treaty which critics say would threaten freedom of expression on the web.

The UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is to meet behind closed doors in Dubai between 3 and 14 December, where 193 countries are being asked to agree a new information and communications International Telecommunication Regulations (ITR) treaty, which would change the way domain names are monitored and IP addresses are assigned.