 | |
| |
TechnologyDaily Mobile
Internet Sites Inaccessible In Ethiopia
by Danielle Belopotosky
Several Internet sites that have been critical of the Ethiopian government have been inaccessible since May 17, according to Reporters Without Borders.
The organization, which advocates freedom of press around the globe, on Tuesday called on Ethiopian Minster of Information and Culture Hailu Berhan to explain why the sites have been blocked. Reports of all Web logs, or blogs, hosted by Blogger.com, the free service owned by the Google Internet firm, also allegedly have disappeared.
While the government has made no official announcement, Reporters Without Borders fears the sites have been censored. In a letter to Berhan, the organization wrote: "We would like to know if your government has deliberately blocked access to online publications ... thus taking the course of filtering the Internet."
The list of inaccessible sites includes cyberethiopia.com, ethiopiareview.com and ethioforum.org, according to Reporters Without Borders.
In Argentina, meanwhile, three reporters have discovered that their e-mails have been hacked. Reporters Without Borders reported Tuesday that broadcast journalist Ernesto Tenembaum of Radio Mitre and producer Luis Majul for America TV said their accounts were hacked and used to send e-mail messages to other people without their knowledge.
Tenembaum reported that his e-mail messages containing off-the-record information with a Supreme Court judge and Interior Minister Anibal Fernandez, among others, were sent to government officials and other journalists.
Majul, whose political and business contacts were e-mailed to others from his account, told Reporters Without Borders that such incidents happen "whenever there is tension between the press and the authorities."
Earlier this month, Daniel Santoro, a reporter for the daily newspaper Clarin, alleged that an e-mail exchange of his with a judge regarding a drug-trafficking case was stolen. That information was sent to the lawyer of one of the defendants. The case involves an alleged attempt by two Serbians to smuggle cocaine into Europe.
Online Film Charter Formed in Europe
Representatives from the U.S. and European Union film and music industries, Internet service providers, and telecommunications carriers on Tuesday endorsed the formation of the European Film Online Charter during the Cannes Film Festival.
Created by the European Commission, the charter will serve as a reference for commercial agreements and for online content policy within the 25-nation union. Its creation is a "major step forward" for the region's digital economy and content industry, EU Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding said in a statement. She initiated the charter in May 2005.
The charter aims to allow online services to gain broader access to European films, she said. It also will "strongly inspire any future regulatory initiative" the commission might consider "to ensure that legitimate online content can be made available in a consumer-friendly way and across borders in the European Union."
The list of companies and organizations endorsing the charter include BBC, EMI Music, France Telecom, Thomson, Time Warner and Vivendi.
The Global Push For Cyber Security
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan last week called on the global community to increase efforts to create a secure cyberspace.
On the first World Information Society Day, Annan said cyber security would help accelerate the pace of development in emerging economies while ensuring that nations realize the full potential of information and communications technologies, according to the U.N. news service.
"In an increasingly interconnected and networked world, it has become critically important to safeguard our vital systems and infrastructures against attack by cyber criminals," he said. Annan added that such security is critical to instill consumer confidence in online banking and commerce, e-government, telemedicine and trade.
"As this depends on the security practices of each and every networked country, business and citizen, we need to develop a global culture of cyber security," he said. Annan called on nations to increase the awareness of online security and to foster international cooperation to develop countermeasures against cyber crimes.
May 15 was designated as World Information Society Day by participants of the World Summit on the Information Society, which was held in two phases in 2003 and 2005.
Also last week, the International Telecommunication Union released the results of its global survey on cyber security in conjunction with World Telecommunication Day, which was celebrated May 17.
Internet users' greatest online fears include stolen personal information, viruses and worms, secretly installed spyware, and fraud, according to the survey. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said those fears impact their online behavior, such as avoiding certain activities.
Of the 400 respondents, 60 percent said they were unaware of how to report illegal online content, misuse of the Internet or inappropriate content in their home countries. Moreover, 71 percent favor laws to protect personal safety online.
The ITU launched the cyber-security gateway last week. The portal serves as a global resource for businesses, governments and international organizations to find information to address unsolicited commercial e-mail, spyware, "phishing" scams that rely on phony e-mail and Web sites, and viruses and other online abuses.
The portal also will house information on national cyber-security initiatives and links to other Web resources for developing countries.
U.N. Names Internet Governance Advisers
On another front at the United Nations, Annan last week announced a 40-member advisory group for the Internet governance forum, which was formed in November during the WSIS gathering in Tunisia. The forum's first meeting is slated for Oct. 30 in Athens, Greece.
The forum aims to advance talks on Internet security and stability, including ways to fight spam, spyware, hackers and transnational crime. It will raise more questions about whether an international body should obtain control of the Internet or if it should remain in the hands of the U.S.-based Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
The forum's membership consists of seven representatives from the international business community, including: former U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration chief Michael Gallagher, who is now chairman of the Perkins Coie law firm's communication group; Peter Hellmonds, vice president of public and international affairs at Siemens AG; and Masanobu Katoh, corporate vice president of Fujitsu Limited's law and intellectual property unit and security export-control headquarters.
"Business believes that it is essential that more people across the globe are able to meaningfully participate in Internet governance issues," Guy Sebban, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Commerce said in response to the announcement. "Without broader participation, the other Internet-related issues cannot be addressed with all players."
The other places are reserved for government representatives, members of civil society and technical experts.
NEW FEATURE
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
